USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Paterson > Paterson, New Jersey : its advantages for manufacturing and residence: its industries, prominent men, banks, schools, churches, etc. > Part 2
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prosperous of our city's large family of splendid enter- prises. Having grown practically with the city all the advantages and disadvantages of a location here were as a matter of course fully apparent to the owners of this enter- prise but without giving other aspiring points more than a passing consideration the work of reconstruction was com- menced and substantially consummated on the old site. To-day visitors to our city see this prosperous concern under vigorous headway shaping the mammoth shaftings that find their utility in the great ocean racers of the day and the floating palaces that leave their wake upon our inland waters.
In reviewing the growth of our varied industries we must not overlook the machine shops of Paterson, which have faithfully kept pace with the times in meeting the natural wants of so large a manufacturing centre. In place of the one story building and small ground space that adequately met the needs of the situation a few years ago we find these works to-day operating on a large scale, occupying imposing structures, steadily increasing the scope of their energies and adding to their number at the average rate of one or two concerns per year.
The two rolling mills that form an important part of our iron industry deserve a word of special mention. This is particularly true in the case of one that twenty years ago was humble to the verge of nothingness and to-day stands a monument of magnitude in its special field of work, a constant surprise to our own citizens and a source of won- ering admiration to the visitor. So widespread are the energies of this great concern that the average well in- formed traveller will be apt to place every iron bridge he crosses to the credit of the Passaic Rolling Mill Company. Some of the finest bridges in this country are the product of this company, whose skill is pointedly exemplified in the splendid structure near our own city (the bridge spanning the Harlem River) substantial in its construction, symme- trical in its proportions and technically faultness in con- ception ; this work of highest engineering proves its mak- ers to be master workmen in the broad sense of the term.
It was reserved for the year isto to usher into our city's industrial life an enterprise which has elevated the stand- ard of labor and created an era of prosperity beyond the highest hopes entertained by the most enthusiastic believ- ers in the enterprising silk worm. While silks were manufactured in this country nearly twenty years before their production in our city, still to Paterson mainty belongs the honor of developing the industry into a per- manent and high class feature of American industrial art. Baltimore should however have the credit rightfully be- longing to her of producing the first silk goods manufac- tured in this country. In 1829 she put upon the market the first line of American ribbons. In 1834 Boston entered the silk manufacturing list with the enterprising town of Florence, Mass., close upon her heels. In 1835 Dedham, Mass., followed suit, while three years later Windsor Locks and South Manchester, Conn., joined the briskly awaken- ing industry. It was not however until iSto, as noted
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above, that Paterson put her shoulder to the silk industry wheel with what success will be seen in the following table, showing the value of silk goods manufactured :-
1860. 1870. 1890.
Pennsylvania, $1,700.000 $1,600,000 $2,800,000
Mass.,
1,300,000 1,400,009
4,000,000
Conu.,
1,200,000 3,300,000
5,000,000
New York,
1,150,000 1,800,000
9,300,000
New Jersey, 970,000 4,000,000 13,000,000 Paterson, $11,000,000
This table is significant in many ways and of many things. In the first place Baltimore, the pioneer of American silk manufacture, during the twenty years under tabulated review falls completely out of sight and consid- eration. Pennsylvania has only succeeded in securing a gain of $1, 100,000 during the two decades, while Massa- chusetts, and Connecticut although doing better than the Bay State champion, have scored no very conspicuous gains on the record of 1860. New York has done still better but with all her great trading advantages has taken twenty years to multiply her old time silk manufacturing achieve- ments by eight, whereas our own city has developed twelvefold in the same time, even assuming that all the silk goods produced in New Jersey during 1860 were made in Paterson, which was not the case. The silk in- dustry like all others seeks a field with advantages that as- similate with its special requirements. These advantages once clearly demonstrated and the attention of the entire industrial world is promptly brought to bear on the fav- ored locality. Kindred industries at once crowd to the spot and a trade focus is established. It is a historical fact that no industry ever gathered to a common centre faster than the silk industry has established itself at our city. The reason of Paterson's supremacy in this connection lies to a great extent in its adjacency to the City of New York, the head centre of the country's trade. Our city stands sufficiently near to the metropolis to share in its paramount trade advantages, yet is far enough away to avoid her big sister's larger taxes, more expensive ground rents and the higher cost of living there entailed upon operatives. Paterson's further advantage is its abundance of water es- pecially well adapted for dyeing purposes.
In 1864 an industry had a precarious establishment in our city that in its rapid growth challenges the attention of every student of industrial progress. It was put into op- eration by those who possess the embodiment of clear and far sighted business tact and indomitable perseverance, two qualities that enabled them to conquer apparently in- surmountable difficulties in the development of their un- dertaking. This industry embodied the Americanizing of a foreign plant nourished under other than Irish climatic conditions. The pioneer promoters had nothing upon which to base a warranted judgment, but upon general principles they selected Paterson as the best location for their experiment. Their views, however, were promptly vindicated and the manufacture of linen thread was no longer an industrial exotic. This infant of 1864, spoken of as the modest industry by one of the founders, gained
strength rapidly and in its present development occupies several buildingsof mammoth size. Its product, "Barbours' linen thread," is known to every dress and shoe maker in the land as Paterson made and to every one of our citizens as an article representing a business and a still growing one of one million five hundred thousand dollars a year.
A few years ago large quantities of what is known as hemp carpets came from Dundee, Scotland. These car- pets are used mostly in country towns and one of their chief merits is beauty of design. Owing to the low price at which these carpets are sold the masses are enabled to beautify their homes at a small expense. Through the large production of these goods the manufacturers of this quaint Scottish town were well paid for their enterprise and it is without question a sore disappointment to them to find that anything so Scotch could ever become Ameri- canizedanda greater surprise to find how soon this article of foreign birth should become acclimated and comfortable in a land so far away from home with no show of desire ever to return. While there are a few factories for the manufac- ture of this article in different sections of the country we can boast of three factories in our city which from all appearance and some knowledge are doing a thriving business. In this connection we might speak of an article which is made in Paterson and which forms the foundation of brussels carpets. We lay no claim to an over large amount of jute yarn made here but in this case the infant is too young to anticipate what it may grow to, but we feel satisfied from its generally healthy appearance it will attain large propor- tions and soon rank amongst the prosperous industries of the City of Paterson.
The following table will enable us to more fully appre- ciate the rapid growth of industries in this State and at the same time help us to more fully realize the important share sustained by our city in the general development :-
ALL GOODS MANUFACTURED. 1850. 1980.
1880.
Amount to Population. ea. Ind'v'l.
New Jersey, $39,000,000
$ 254,000,000
Pennsylvania,
155,000,000
745,000,000
New York,
237,000,000
$1,080,000,000
Paterson,
26,000,000
51,000
$500
Newark,
69,000,000
136,000
500
New York City,
472.000,000
1,206,000 100
Massachusetts,
157,800,000 631,000,000
Rhode Island, 22,000,000 104,000,000
Connecticut, 47,000,000
185,000,000
INCREASE FROM 1850 TO 1880.
Connecticut, 4 foll. Massachusetts, 4 fold. Pennsylvania 42 fokl.
Rhode Island, 43
New York. 4} " New Jersey, 62 .
So it will be seen that our State has outstripped all com- peting manufacturing centres in the spirited race of the past thirty years.
The brief sketches I have outlined of our leading indus- tries have not been executed with a design to overdraw their importance. My aim has been solely to describe them as I know them to be and without seeking the views of others.
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PATERSON, ILLUSTRATED.
As to the permaneney of our manufacturing industries we can only base our conclusions upon the historically de- picted influences of time upon the other industrial centres of the world : influences that lead us to regard the future with even confidence in the stability of Paterson's prospects.
Manufactures, like trade, fit themselves to certain locali- ties. As manufactures grow and cluster around a com- mon centre so in equal ratio of development do opera- tives increase in numbers until finally the two become so wedded to a locality that a majority of the manufacturers of kindred class find it to their advantage to work shoulder to shoulder with skilled labor domesticated at their very doors.
The only manufacturing eentre in the world which has stood still during the past fifty years, or at least gained but little, is a town in England, but as other causes aside from consideration of location are responsible for its stagnant condition it is devoid of significance so far as the question now under discussion is concerned. My position is amply fortified by the following examples :-
Lyons, the great silk manufacturing centre of France, whose industry was in full operation before the advent of Francis 1;
Belfast, Ireland, whose linen manufactures date back over one hundred years ;
Dumfermline, Scotland, the centre of Scotch linen trade, whose industry has been known all over the civilized world for many centuries ;
Paisley, Scotland, the home of shawls and cotton thread manufacture :
Manchester, England, noted for cotton and wool dress goods;
Bradford, England, conspicuous for many years for her production of alpacas and mohair lusters ;
Sheffield, England, historically famous for her cutlery ;
Basle, Switzerland, notable for her silk and woolen in- dustries ;
Chemnitz, Saxony, identified the world over for her hos- icry product ;
Birmingham, England, the head centre of the iron in- dustry :
Zurich, Switzerland, the oldest silk manufacturing mar- ket in the world ;
Elberfeldt, conspicuous for her woolen goods. and
St. Gall, Switzerland, the mammoth production of Hamburg embroideries :
Most of these world renowned centres have been in vig- orous existence all the way from two to five hundred years, and all of them are now at the highest point of develop- ment in their respective histories.
There is only one conclusion to be drawn from this array of historical data, viz : that no manufacturing centre where the plant has been fully established has ever lost its indns- tries or weakened in its industry. The history of the age has been development, first and last and all the time, sta- ble in its progress and equally stable in its fealty to a loca- tion having established advantages.
In the above I have shown as a deduction from clearly de- fined facts that Paterson has steadily increased in her in- dustries and industrial voyage from year to year; further- more, that her adjacency to New York City, the trade and commercial centre of the country, assures obvious advan- tages that are virtually bound to give her an unsurpassed industrial position. the permanency of which is a foregone conclusion if the uniform experience of centuries the world Over can be accepted as a guarantee of the future.
The Board of Trade of Paterson.
By Mr. JOHN J. BROWN, President of the First National Bank.
N the busy life of the present day, when events that are new crowd out from remembrance those which are even only of the recent past, it may not be a matter of wonder that the early transactions of the Board of Trade are so dimly remembered, not to say quite forgot- ten, as to make the question "What has the Board of Trade done ?" quite a pertinent one. As a reminder that its history has not been quite a blank, but more, perhaps, that we may be encouraged to make further efforts; and still more, that others of the city of Paterson, just as able men and just as much in- terested in its present and future welfare, shall give us their aid, the duty has been laid upon me to collate some of the more prominent actions and efforts of the Board from its organization.
The unwritten history of a society or community can never be told. The forces and influences which work un- der the surface of society, like those of nature, are felt and seen in their effects; but even these can only be traced in part. Thus the silent influence of this Board as a whole, or the more or less active efforts of the individual member, can only be surmised. The actual work done can only in part be judged by reference to the recorded history, taken from published proceedings. These necessarily give only an imperfect idea of the work accomplished.
Though the name of our organization is the Board of Trade, it should embrace, in a city like ours, all those who desire the well-being of the place in which they live : therefore, the professional man and the artisan, as well as the merchant and the manufacturer, should be interested in our efforts. I find this thought has already found action in our sister Board of Trade in Newark, where for presi- dent they elected R. Wayne Parker, one of the best known lawyers in the State ; for vice-president, Judge McGregor, and for secretary Comptroller P. J. Quin. There may be other professional men in the official list, but I do not now recall them.
With these preliminary remarks please permit me to notice as briefly as the objects will allow, some of the more important acts of the Board.
Its existence dates from 1873 and it was founded amid a depression in the business of the city and country which has happily seen no parallel since that time. The loco-
motive business, then. as compared with all our manufac- tures, a more important industry than it is now, was nearly paralyzed, and this of necessity affected all other business. That first year the Board gave attention to removing the false impression among the fire insurance underwriters of New York that our water supply for extinguishing fires was wholly inadequate. The facts, based upon a full re- port and a faithful examination by a Committee of the Board, were so placed before them, that the exorbi- tant rates were reduced, so that we stood on an equally favorable basis with any other city adjacent to New York. The report alluded to, however, showed some deficiencies in the water supply, which the water company promptly remedied. During this year action was taken by a com- mittee which established better relations with the Erie railroad company and increased facilities for transportation were secured. The Board, appreciating the distress which prevailed during the winter, exerted themselves to alleviate as far as possible the sufferings of the needy. They as a body, apart from the individual efforts of the members, or with other organizations, contributed and placed in the hands of the general relief committee $2,200. The reports on the silk industry this year show that there were then about twenty-five firms and corporations engaged in the manufacture. The capital invested was about four million dollars. Direct employment was given to about four thou- sand operatives (two-thirds of whom were females) and an indirect employment to about one thousand mechanics en- gaged in making machinery and various articles necessary for the successful conduct of the business. The amount paid to these operatives was some two million dollars. Statements are incorporated here in order that those who take an interest in such matters may compare them with the present, now that seventeen years have passed. In this first year, as well as the succeeding one, the Board was presided over by the late Thomas Barbour. His large ex- perience with other bodies of a like character, together with his interest in the welfare of the city (not to name his great business interests here), and his large views of busi- ness generally, made him a truly valuable presiding offi- cer.
The reports of the year 1874 tell of but a partial activity in business. but of a very hopeful nature, by reason of abundant crops. Only a few signs of life were as yet
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PATERSON, ILLUSTRATED.
shown in the locomotive industry. Other iron industries were reasonably active and some new manufactures in iron were introduced. A very material improvement had been made in the silk manufacture.
The year (875 was probably, in one respect, the most important year in the history of the Board of Trade. The officers adopted a plan of having prepared in an authentic and comprehensive form, something like a history of the great industries, which in the infancy and later years of our city, and in its riper and stronger present, have been the basis of its prosperity and renown ; comprising neces- sarily a history of the city itself ; for its manufactures and prosperity in other things, nay, its very existence, have al- ways been one and inseparable. The preparation of these historical sketches was entrusted to such members of the Board as were identified with the great manufacturing in- terests of the city ; each treating a topic within the scope of his personal experience. The result was such that there was an amount of authentic information and statistics gath- ered which has since been a mine from which statistical workers have drawn, and must in the future be the founda- tion from which the records of carly business of Paterson must come. These valuable papers were published in the third annual report of the Board of Trade and embrace the following :- the Iron Industry, by Mr. John Cooke ; the Silk Industry, by Mr. Catholina Lambert ; the Flax, Hemp and Jute Industry, by Mr. John Swinburne; the Cotton Industry, by Mr. Joseph W. Congdon ; Miscellan- eous Industries, by Dr Charles Inglis ; Our Financial In- stitutions, by Mr. John J. Brown ; Our Public Schools, by Mr. George L. Catlin ; Sources of Power in Paterson, by Mr. George Wurts ; Historical Notes and Statistics, by Dr. Charles Inglis. That there has been quite a large out- side demand for these reports gives testimony as to their value. Published also in the same annual report was a supplemental report of the Committee on Water Supply which covered all the points complained of and suggested such improvements as should be made. It may be suffi- cient to say here that early and large improvements werc made by the water company, so that with these and later improvements made in after years, also suggested by a Board committee, the water supply of the city is placed beyond complaint. This year the late William Ryle was chosen President of the Board He took a large interest. in its prosperity and served with great ability until his la- mented death in ISSt.
The year 1876 was also a good year and full of interest. A history of its transactions would make a more extended paper than is the design of this little memorial. It is proper, however. to name briefly some of the incidents of the year. It is scarcely necessary to call attention to the fact that this was the Centennial year. Early in the year the subject of properly celebrating the ensuing 4th of July was discussed. In the reports of that year Dr. Charles In- glis gives a very full sketch of this celebration, which, in- augurated by the Board, was made a grand success by a combination of work by committees of the Board, of the
Grand Army of the Republic and of the citizens. A large subscription was at once made by members of the Board. This was supplemented by the General Committee of Fi- nance, the result of their joint effort being to raise in that year of stringency not only enough to meet the liberal ex- penditure for the celebration but to donate a surplus of $750 in equal parts to the Ladies' and St. Joseph's hos- pitals. It is nearly fifteen years ago but many will remem- ber the profuse decorations, the grand procession, the me- morial services at the Wigwam and the fireworks on Dean's Hill It will be understood that this was a general celebration entered into and promoted by all classes of people. It is named here because it was inaugurated in the Board and the first and largest subscriptions were made here. During the year papers were read on the subject of the Silk Industry, by Mr. William Strange ; the Locomo- tive Industry in the United States, by Mr. John Cooke ; Our Educational Interests, by Dr. Charles Inglis ; a report was made on Our Gas Light Interests by Messrs. J. W. Congdon, Thomas N. Dale and George Wurts The very important subject of a Free Public Library was part of one of the subjects touched upon this year. Mr. Dale. the chairman of the Library Committee, endeavored to secure an act of the legislature, which was then deemed all that could be accomplished. This was to make it an adjunct of the public school system. Messrs. John Swinburne and John Cooke as a committee reported the results of their in- vestigations as to the usefulness of a library of this kind in the State of New York. The great subject of a free pub- lic library came up on other occasions, but it is pleasant to say that a far better system than any devised by the Board has been given by the action of the State and the happy acceptance of it by our citizens
One of the results of the labors of IS77 may be seen in what may be called our very modest depot at the Erie railroad. For this year it does not seem quite adequate to- the grown proportions of the city and it is gratifying to know that the railroad company is preparing to put in its place a handsome and commodious structure ; but twelve years ago. when compared to the one which preceded it, it was considered quite a triumphant success. The Eric people then were a hard set to move : much breath had been spent in talking, not to say complaining, and much politeness was shown in not doing anything. Efforts were made to satisfy the applicants, with promises to repair. It took a committee as strong as Messrs. Crosby, Buckley, Barbour, Dale and Ryle to overcome apathy or inability, but it was done and the new depot was secured. Another matter of large importance occupied the attention of the Board this same year. This was the supposed necessity of an increase in the number and efficiency of the police force of the city. It was a time, for various causes, of a widespread disaffection in the ranks of labor. This was especially the case with employes in railroad labor. Ex- tensive and disastrous riots had occurred in the West, an umeasy feeling was prevalent here as in many other places. Workmen were molested by their fellow workmen. The
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condition forced the conclusion that the police force was inadequate either for the city or the times. It is enough to say here that the efforts of the Board through their com- mittees largely contributed to the correction of this defic- iency and of late years no objections have been made man- ifest so far as the force itself or its management is con- cerned. On the contrary, great praise has been earned and freely given to this important department of our city government.
The years of IS78. 1879 and ISSo may be profitably passed over by saying that no action of marked importance during these years was taken and I shall content myself with a statement of some of the topics considered. A val- uable report on the sanitary condition of the city was made by Messrs. Inglis. Crosby and Fenner, mainly on the sub- ject of sewerage. The question of change of pay day by manufacturers from Saturday to some other day was con- sidered ; reports on legislation at various times : reports on general industries : the reception to General Grant. Ad- ditional and fuller reports on Passaic water supply by Messrs. William Strange, Watts Cooke, W. G. Scott and Henry V. Butler, with a valuable report on the capacity and pow- ers of the water company, were made by E. LeB. Gar- dinier, Hydraulic Engineer, who had been engaged by the committee.
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