USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Paterson > Paterson, New Jersey : its advantages for manufacturing and residence: its industries, prominent men, banks, schools, churches, etc. > Part 16
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The financial panic of 1873, which closed so many of the industrial establishments in this country, only effected a change in the product of the works. There being little
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demand for the kind of work hitherto produced a new 22- inch train of rolls was put in for the rolling of I beams and channel iron The success of what appeared at the time an experiment attested the good judgment of the company. The first order received was for the iron work for the new building of the New York Evening Post, on the corner of Broadway and Fulton street, New York ; this was follow- ed by a large order for iron work for the new Capitol at Albany and then came an order for all the iron beams used in the construction of the Centennial buildings in Philadelphia. From this time on orders poured in from all sources. One of the most striking buildings erected was the Seventh Regiment Armory of New York. This consists in the main of a series of immense arches of iron. 187 feet span over all, the building being 290 feet long and 91 feet high ; there are 1, 150,000 pounds of iron in this enormous structure.
The building of wrought-iron bridges next attracted the attention of the company, one of the first orders being the bridge which spans the Passaic river at Riverside, Pater- son, one of the cheapest and best bridges ever erected for the Erie railroad. One of the most important enterprises undertaken in structural iron was the construction of the New York elevated railroads. The company first built a section of the road from Morris street across the Battery to Front street, being the first of the modern system now in use on that line. Then the company built the section of the road from Morris street to Chatham Square. Then they took down the old track on the west side and rebuilt the road on their own plans from the Battery to Morris street, from Morris street through Greenwich to Central Park and all through Ninth avenue. On the east side they built the road from the Battery to Canal street and from Sixty-fifth to One-hundredth street. They used upwards of twelve thousand tons of iron in this work. On October 5, 1878, fire destroyed the puddling and mer- chant bar mills. These two buildings were three times as extensive as the whole establishment when the company took possession. The company at once replaced the burned structures with a fine brick building, two hundred by three hundred feet, with a lofty roof supported on iron trusses rolled in the mill. This was intended for puddling and for rolling merchant iron and small angles and T's. The works are kept running day and night.
In ISS2 the company acquired what was known as the Vreeland farm, a tract of twenty-five acres adjoining their establishment on the south. it being apparent that the lim- ited room would not be sufficient for the demand on the product. In that year Mr. John Cooke and Mr. James Cooke died and Messrs John S. Cooke, Frederick W. Cooke and John K. Cooke were made directors. The work of the bridge building department had increased enormously and soon railroad bridges were built and ship- ped to every state in the Union, as well as to Central and South America and the West Indies. For many years these bridges were designed by Mr. Frank A. Leers, the civil engineer of the company, whose death in 1890 was a
great loss to the industry. Among the many notable works designed and executed since 1SS2 are the follow- ing :- The draw bridge over the Mississippi river at St. Paul, Minn., 432 feet span, up to that time the largest ever built : the Hoboken elevated cable railroad, over ninety feet high ; the many bridges between Binghamton and Buffalo on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad ; the High Bridge over the Passaic river at West Paterson on the same road, and most notable of all the magnificent Washington Bridge over the Harlem river at One-hundred-and-eighty-first street. New York. This latter structure consists of two steel arches of five hundred and ten feet span each, requiring over 16,000,000 pounds of iron and steel in its construction. The work was built at the shops in Paterson and erected by the company in the space of fifteen months and is a triumph not only of engineering skill but a "thing of beauty" and a lasting monument to the credit of the works and the city of Pater- son. An illustration of this bridge appears on page 129 of this work.
The substitution of steel for iron caused large additions to be made to the plant in ISSS and ISS9. Open hearth steel furnaces were built, a universal plate mill, a bloom- ing mill and a new beam mill. For the purpose of ac- commodating these, large additions were made to the buildings. The next step of importance was the construe- tion of a spur of the Delaware, Lackawanna &Western rail- road directly into the yards of the company. This ena- bled the company to receive at reduced cost the large ton- nage of raw material such as coal, ore and pig iron, which before had to be hauled by teams nearly a mile.
The manufacture of steel was commenced in December, 1889, and has been in successful operation since. At present the pay-rolls of the company embrace over a thousand employees at the works proper, in addition to several hundred employed about the country erecting the various bridges under contract. And so it keeps on, growing larger year by year, so that if the future can be judged by the past before another ten years have gone by the additional twenty-five acres will be all under cover and the enormous works of the old world will find their counterpart in this newer and younger but more progress- ive country. The present management of the company is : -Watts Cooke, president ; W. O. Fayerweather, vice president and treasurer ; A. C. Fairchild, secretary ; John K. Cooke, superintendent, with an able corps of assistants in the various departments.
THE PATERSON IRON WORKS .- The Paterson Iron Works were established in 1852 by Sherman Jaqua, of Nashua, N 11., and Thomas W. Gillies, also of Nashua, where both these gentlemen were engaged in the manu- facture of iron. They were attracted to Paterson by the expansion of the locomotive industry and the fact that some portions of locomotive engines were being made by con- tract by other iron manufacturers. They erected a black- smith shop about fifty by seventy-five feet along the Erie railroad track, south of Clay street, and their first work was
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the making of tires for locomotive wheels out of Lowmoor and Bolling bars. Subsequently they put in two hammers for the forging of axles and shapes for locomotives The demand for their product induced them to put in another hammer shortly afterwards. In 1853 they obtained a spe- cial charter from the legislature and were constituted the Paterson Iron Works. Mr. Franklin C. Beckwith had at that time come to Paterson for the purpose of constructing the second track for the Erie railroad. Before the end of 1853 he had purchased a controlling interest in the works and had devoted himself altogether to the business of mak- ing forgings Subsequently he bought out his partners and continued managing the works up to the time of his death. In 1866 he added the making of steel to the works but this industry gradually fell off and was given up alto- gether in 1870. In 1860 Mr. Beckwith had materially in- creased the capacity of the works ; he disposed of the small hammers, putting in their places larger hammers of more approved construction. In 1862 he put in the first upright hammer, of five tons, for heavy steamship forgings. In IS65 he put in a ten ton hammer. Orders soon poured in from all over the country and some of the heaviest forg- ings in use in water works and similar establishments throughout the United States were made by the Paterson Iron Works. A number of immense shafts were forged for the Pacific Mail steamship company and were sent overland by rail to California, there to be placed in the steamships of that company. As there are few works in the country with the capacity of the Paterson Iron Works they have frequent calls for machinery from remote parts of the country. They have furnished large plants for mining operations in the west and in this, as in other branches, they have achieved enviable success. The works cover a large area of ground and employ about two hundred hands. At the death of Mr. Beckwith the works passed into the hands of his sons, Charles D. and J. Alexan- ander Beckwith ; the latter some years later withdrew from active participation in the management of the works and at his death the entire control passed into the hands of his brother. Mr. James Johnston has been superintend- ent of the works and Mr. Warren Day bookkeeper for many years. The works were entirely destroyed by fire on the night of May 12. 1887, entailing a severe loss on the owners. They were, however, rebuilt as quickly as builders could do the work. So complete had been their arrangement that little change was deemed advisable when the present works were put up.
FRANKLIN C. BECKWITH was born near Schuylerville. Saratoga County, N. Y., on July 2, 1817, and remained on the home farm until he was nineteen years of age. He then became foreman under an elder brother who was engaged in laying sections of the track on the Boston & Albany railroad and subsequently received a division of his own extending from Chatham to East Albany. After a few years he became superintendent of both the track and freight department of the Troy & Albany railroad and remained in that position for several years. About
IS49 he removed to Philadelphia and established the busi- ness of smelting iron but a year later entered the employ of the New York & Erie railway and had charge of lay- ing the track on the Delaware Division of the road extend- ing from Port Jervis to Susquehanna. He then removed to Niagara Falls and laid the railroad from that place to Lockport, N. Y. Returning again to the Erie he built the bridge on that road at Susquehanna and in 1853 took up his residence in Paterson and took the contract for lay- ing the double track from Paterson to Jersey City. He was thoroughly devoted to business, of strict integrity and generous impulses. He died on February 8, 1875.
CHARLES D. BECKWITH was born fifty-one years ago on the homestead farm in Columbia County, N. Y., and in his early years assisted his father in various enterprises. In the city of Paterson he soon rose to prominence as a manufacturer and a public spirited citizen. His liberal- ity. both in opinion and purse, made him hosts of friends and he was frequently importuned to become a candidate for public office. Ile, however, disliked public life and when in 1872 he was elected Alderman from the Fifth Ward he resigned after having served only a portion of his time. Ten years later he was again induced to accept the Republican nomination for Alderman in the Fifth Ward ; he was elected but it was only with difficulty that his friends induced him to serve out his term. In 1885. after having a number of times declined nominations for various offices, he was induced to accept the nomination for Mayor; he was triumphantly elected over a strong adversary and in 1887 he was re-elected. In the following year he was unanimously chosen the candidate of the Re- publican party for Congress from the Fifth Congressional District of New Jersey, being the first man who ever re- ceived that nomination without a struggle. lle was elect- ed, running considerably ahead of his ticket. Mr. Beck- with is one of the most straightforward and liberal of men ; he has a personal magnetism which attracts to him all men who admire frankness and good nature.
THE KEARNEY & FOOT COMPANY .- This company manufactures files and rasps at Riverside, a flourishing section of the city of Paterson, and has offices at No. 101 Chambers street, New York. The company has a reputa- tion and a trade co-extensive not only with this country but extending to many foreign nations. Their works are recognized as among the largest and best equipped of the kind in the country. The company founded its business in 1877 and is officered as follows :- President and treas- urer, James D. Foot ; vice president and general manager, James Kearney ; secretary, Sandford D. Foot. The pres- ident of the company is in personal charge of the New York office. The large body of workmen employed at the factory are greatly facilitated by the use of specially improved machinery invented for the purpose, which is remarkably ingenious and has served to place this concern upon a footing with its most formidable competitors in any part of the world, as regards the ability for rapid and perfect production, and is aiding the company to produce
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a file which takes no second place when pitted against any file with which it may be brought into just competition. The raw material used is the best English and American steel and in the selection of it the utmost care is exercised and only such used as can withstand the severest tests. The output is one of great magnitude and importance and comprises all the various grades of cuts known as rough, bastard, second cut, smooth and dead smooth-as also the leading shapes flat, half-round, hand, pillar, equalling, cot- ter, square, round, three square, mill saw, taper saw, slim taper saw, double-cut taper saw, crossing. cabinet rasps. cabinet files, wood rasps, warding files and joint files. From two and a half to three tons of steel are cut up and made into files each working day of the year, the present output being about twelve hundred dozen a day. While competition in this business is so close that hardly six months pass without some file manufacturer going out of business this company owing to the superior quality of their files not only have all the business they can attend to but for the past year have been obliged to decline all new trade. But with constantly increasing facilities they hope in the course of a year to still further increase their very large production. Some little idea can be formed of the character of the work of this concern by considering the numerous shapes and cuts of files made, varying in length from two to thirty inches, in weight from the fraction of an ounce to five pounds or more for a single file, and in cut from teeth so fine that a magnifying glass is necessary to see them to teeth so coarse as to form only twelve to an inch. All these files and rasps are guaranteed as to qual- ity and are recognized as unexcelled either for workman- ship, finish or durability by any other house extant. A ready market is found for these goods in all sections of the United States and a heavy export trade is enjoyed with many foreign nations. All orders by mail or telegraph are promptly attended to at the New York office and are filled direct from the factory. Customers in all parts of the country may fully rely on the ability of this company to make such selections as will satisfactorily meet all re- quirements of the trade and the public.
BENJAMIN EASTWOOD, one of the most progressive and energetic of the men in Paterson engaged in industrial pursuits, was born in Lancashire, England, on October 31, 1839. After receiving a common school education he was placed in a machine shop where he learned his trade during the day time, in the evening attending school. Af- ter about nine years of a life of this kind he came to this country in 1863 and after being employed as a machinist for William Tunstell and others in Paterson for some time he went west where he worked as machinist in Milwau- kee. After returning to Paterson he was induced to go to Mecklenburgh County, North Carolina, where he was engaged to erect the engines and machinery of a gold min- ing company. After having started the machinery he was appointed superintendent of the mines and remained with the company about two years and a half. The ores being very poor the mining enterprise proved a failure and he
was glad to return to Paterson once more. After work- ing for some time as a machinist he started a small ma- chine shop in the Union Works near the Rogers Locomo- tive Works. After a few months he received a very flat- tering offer to go to Venezuela as mining and mechanical engineer, the mining company agreeing to purchase nearly all the tools of his shop. The offer was accepted after some consideration, as he found it slow work building up a bus- iness without capital and in a place where he was little known. This enterprise proved a success but after being away about one year and having contracted the fever so prevalent in that country he decided to return to Paterson again. He then obtained employment in one of the loco- motive shops, but seeing no chance for advancement, he accepted a good offer in a New York experimenting shop : he remained there about eighteen months. At this time machinists all over the country were bending their ener- gies to discovering some proper motive power for propel- ling canal boats which would be an improvement on the mule, an animal which was not giving very good satisfac- tion at the time. Although the experimental shop did not attain distinction in this direction Mr. Eastwood ac- quired a great deal of practical knowledge of various kinds of machinery which has assisted him materially in building up his business. He then returned to Paterson and this time to stay ; he commenced to work for the Whitney Sewing Machine Company and remained with them about one year.
AAfter having accumulated a small sum of money and acquired some property, he commenced business in Sep- tember, 1873, in Van Houten street in Mr. Robert Mc- Culloch's building. The building soon proved too small and he removed to the Beaver Mill, and after about eigh- teen months spent there he built and took possession of his new shop in Ramapo avenue. Mr. Eastwood's splen- did business qualifications. his energy and the care he took that every machine which left his shop should be as per- fect as care, good material and good workmen could make it, soon established a reputation for him which he fostered by continuing in the way he had begun. He soon found himself compelled to look for further room and he erected a machine shop and foundry. Increasing orders compell- ed him to extend his operations and for some time his at- tention was divided between filling orders and erecting buildings until he was in possession of one of the finest machine shops in the country. His main establishment is situated on Straight street and runs through to Ramapo avenue, the shop which he first occupied in that thorough- fare being only an inconsiderable portion of his whole es- tablishment. The main building is roo feet front by a depth of 57 feet; it is four stories and a basement in height and is throughout equipped in accordance with the most approved plans for labor-saving, light, &c. In one end of the building is a large elevator with a driveway ad- joining so that machinery may be put together and loaded direct on trucks for shipping. The main building has a wing in the rear 50x40 feet. The foundry is in the shape
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of an L, its dimensions being 100x40 and 60x40. In ad- dition to these buildings there are cleaning shops, store rooms and a number of smaller structures.
In iSSS Mr. Eastwood having acquired more property on Ramapo avenue proceeded to erect a model silk mill in accordance with the English idea of providing mills such as manufacturers would want, all fitted up with ma- chinery, engines and boiler and motive power, thus en- abling capitalists to take possession of a fully completed mill without the annoyance and delay of building and pre- paring themselves. The building has four stories and a basement ; it has a frontage of 40 feet and a depth of 125 feet. Mr. Eastwood experienced no difficulty in finding a tenant and the mill has always been running to its full ca- pacity. Mr. Eastwood's machine shop and the silk mill obtain their power from a Hughes & Phillips' 250 horse power compound engine, each establishment being inde- pendent of the other, the engine and boiler house being stationed between the two; there are two upright boilers of the Manning pattern, each having 150 horse power.
Mr. Eastwood manufactures silk machinery of all kinds. winders, doublers, drawside frames, French, English and American quilling and spooling frames, ribbon blocking machines. power and hand warpers, beamers and clean- ers : gros grain and dress goods power and hand looms. He also makes the famous Swiss loom and his high speed crank loom. He also does a general business in shafting, pulleys and hangers and manufactures all kinds of tools and light machinery to order. Among his specialties may be mentioned Eastwood's improved ribbon blocker, for hand or power, in which the blocks are held in place by three jaws working in slanting grooves and opened by pressing two knobs by thumb and finger, thus doing away with the old style thumb screw and thereby saving much time and trouble ; and Eastwood's new improved power reeling frame with measuring attachment for skeining silk from bobbins, a strong and easily operated machine. Some time ago Mr. Eastwood indulged in a new departure in the silk machinery line and engaged in altering and con- structing new patterns, so that he is prepared to furnish ribbon looms of new and improved design, of high and low pattern ; he also put in special machinery for the man- ufacture of straight and circular shuttle battons. His shops are the largest and best equipped in the city for the manufacture of silk machinery.
JOHN ROYLE & SONS .- The members of this firm are Messrs. Vernon Royle and John Royle, Jr. Their com- modions buildings which have recently been constructed are located on the corner of Straight street, Essex street, and Ramapo avenue. Their line of manufacture extends among the finer grades of machinery and includes numer- ous and important specialties of their own, many of which are patented, besides the designing and building of such machines as require intelligence and skill. The merits of their specialties have received flattering recognition abroad as well as in this country, consequently the trade of this firm extends to Canada, Europe and Australia, and makes
this establishment an important factor among the industries of Paterson. Among the specialties manufactured by this firm may be mentioned the High Speed Routing Machine. Its purpose is to deepen (technically called routing) with facility those surfaces which require to be depressed on engraver's blocks, wood cuts, etc .. leaving the surface from which the impression or prints are to be taken in bold relief. By strict attention in designing the details, a per- fectly smooth and uniform movement of the cutter is se- cured, insomuch that in the hands of a skillful operator one-half of a scratched line can be routed away and the other half left on the plate.
The cutter spindle makes 12,000 to 14,000 revolutions per minute, a speed not attainable in a poorly constructed machine, nor does this high speed of cutter cause any tremulous motion to the machine nor impair its usefulness. Although Royle & Sons were not the originators of this machine, they built the first one of its kind, and their ex- perience in building these machines enabled them in after years to add many improvements, bringing it to such a state of perfection that to-day it has attained a pre-eminent rank among the machines of it sclass. In connection with these machines, cutters of various forms are required and the firm have a separate department of their works that is exclusively devoted to the manufacture of all kinds of cutters used for routing purposes. The Royle Routing cutters are made with special machinery and appliances of their own design that have been added from time to time to the works of the firm as requirements demanded. Their cutters have become famous for their excellence throughout this country wherever routing machines are used.
Another one of their specialties is a new cabinet saw of very neat design ; it is used for cutting and squaring up stereotype plates or photo-process engravings ; it will cut blocked as well as unblocked plates. The repeater for Jacquard cards is another one of their specialties. This machine is designed for re-producing Jacquard cards rap- idly. It is automatic in all its motions and is abundantly powerful and strong to do the heaviest cutting required.
The absolute certainty with which all the motions on this machine will perform their several functions places it far in advance of any other of its kind. The punches in particular are infallible in their action ; no springs, cords, nor other uncertain appliances being used to control them. The Royles were the first to undertake the manufacture, in this country, of this class of machines.
Still another specialty is their piano machine for Jac- quard cards. It is adapted to cut cards from roos to 9008 Jacquard, and has besides the well known devices of those in common use, others which render it especially convenient and efficient.
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