USA > New York > Cayuga County > History of Cayuga County, New York > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
124
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
lead in circulation attaining over 5,000 circulation within its first year of publication. While Messrs. Osborne and Rattigan are both prominent in Democratic politics the paper is fair in its treatment of all parties and is classifiable as an independent newspaper.
AUBURN MANUFACTURERS, BANKS AND BANKERS, GAS LIGHT CO.
Auburn is situated in the center of a rich agricultural district, to which the city owes no inconsiderable share of its commercial prosperity, but the manufacturing interests are what have made it really great. It is advantageously situated upon the Owasco Outlet, the waters of the stream falling one hundred and eighty feet on their rapid journey through the city. To this source of power, constant and reliable, has recently been added the might of the cataract of Niagara. The Auburn Light, Heat and Power Company has a contract with the Niagara, Lockport & Ontario Power Company for light, heat and power, and a sub-station has been erected within the city limits for the purpose of transforming the electric current transmitted from Niagara Falls to a pressure suitable for working purposes. But besides these two potent agencies manufacturers may develop power cheaply from coal, or from gas produced by the coking process, so that Auburn offers an inviting field to industrial enterprises.
The scores of manufacturing plants now in operation in the city, give employment to about 7,000 people, and the large amount of money paid to these has a great effect upon all other commercial interests.
Railway facilities for transportation are excellent and whether the manufacturer desires to bring in raw material or ship the finished product of his factory he is not handicapped by burden- some freight rates.
The largest and one of the oldest enterprises in the city is that of the International Harvester Company. This great industry
125
CITY OF AUBURN
had its inception in 1858, and D. M. Osborne founded the business which has grown to such colossal proportions. In that year the firm of D. M. Osborne & Co., was formed, which comprised D. M. Osborne, C. C. Dennis and Charles P. Wood. The latter retired in 1862 and C. C. Dennis died in 1866. Then John H. Osborne and Orrin Burdick were admitted to the firm. The business grew rapidly from the very commencement and inside the first ten years the force of twelve men, with which the firm started, had increased to several hundred. They manufactured the Kirby reaper and mower, and the machines were of such superior quality that they took the market everywhere. The Cayuga Chief and the Dodge & Stevenson machines were rivals for the trade, but the latter company failed and the D. M. Osborne Company absorbed the Cayuga Chief. Then the business was extended not only all over the United States and Canada, but into the countries of Europe and to Australia and New Zealand. During the life of D. M. Osborne he was the guiding spirit of the industry, and upon his death he was succeeded by his son Thomas M. Osborne, as presi- dent of the company and Edwin D. Metcalf as treasurer.
For more than forty years the company continued operations, growing larger and stronger, extending the factories and increasing the output. Finally, in 1903 the business was sold to the Inter- national Harvester Company, which now operates the several large plants that go to make up the works of the concern, These cover more than one hundred acres of ground, and being located in different parts of the city, a regular incorporated standard guage railroad is maintained to transfer materials and finished machines from one part of the works to another. They have their own rolling mills and operate their own malleable works to manufacture the iron parts of their machines. Also, they have their own twine mills and shops in which lumber in the rough is worked into the desired parts of the implements for which they are intended. The output is now about 500,000 machines yearly. Employment is
126
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
given to 2800 men, and Samuel V. Kennedy now has charge of the manufacturing departments of the East.
The Nye & Wait Carpet Company: In 1852 Carhart and Nye leased Josiah Barber's factory and ran it until 1858, when the partnership was dissolved and L. W. Nye bought the building erected in 1816 by Elijah Miller and John H. Beach. In this building L. W. Nye conducted a cotton factory until 1868. In 1869 it was partially destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt in 1870. In 1871 the firm of Nye & Wait was formed, the partners being L. W. Nye and Wm. F. Wait. In 1876 George H. Nye, son of L. W. Nye, became a partner in the business. The present company was incorporated in 1889. The plant has been greatly enlarged over the original factory and a force of three hundred and fifty operatives is employed. The product is a superior quality of ingrain carpets.
A modern development from this company is the Axminster Carpet Company, of which Mr. George H. Nye was the principal promoter. Axminster rugs are the staple product of this factory. Mr. Nye is president of the Cayuga County National Bank, and Mr. Wait, president of the Cayuga County Savings Bank.
The Columbian Rope Company, is of such importance, and does so much business as to demand a special notice. The plant is one of the finest in the state and they manufacture Manilla and Sisal rope, jute and American hemp twines, tarred lath and fodder yarns. The manufactured goods are shipped, not only all over the United States and Canada, but into South America, Mexico and other foreign countries. This company was the first to intro- duce the manufacture of jute into this part of the state, and this department of their business promises to increase rapidly, as it is a new industry in this country. A very efficient fire department is maintained in connection with the plant. The officers of the com- pany are: Edwin D. Metcalf, president; T. M. Osborne, vice- president; Edwin F. Metcalf, general manager; F. W. Everett,
127
CITY OF AUBURN
treasurer; Harold G. Metcalf, assistant treasurer and manager of manufacturing; George Underwood, secretary.
Dunn & McCarthy: In 1866, Dunn, Salmon & Co. manu- factured shoes by convict labor, in Auburn Prison. In 1876 the firm name was changed to Dunn, Barber & Co., and a factory was erected on Garden street in which to carry on the business. In 1879, the firm became Hughitt & McCarthy. Subsequently, John Dunn Jr., came into the firm and it assumed the present name. They sold the Garden street property to Barber & Co., and purchased the extensive Barber factory property on Wash- ington street, including the woolen mill and carpet factory. To this plant they added new buildings besides remodeling the older buildings to make them adaptable to the manufacture of shoes. The main building are 350 feet each in length, four and five stories in height. About 2000 operators are employed. They make a comprehensive variety of ladies', misses' and childrens' fine and medium shoes. The plant runs full capacity nearly all the time -the result of the quality of the Dunn & McCarthy shoes and of the demand for them.
The individual members of the company are John Dunn Jr., Charles A. McCarthy and E. F. McCarthy.
D. Wadsworth & Son; In 1818, Joseph Wadsworth, grand- father of the present proprietor of the celebrated scythe factory in Auburn, founded this business. In 1829, he bought the land where the plant now stands and converted an old carding mill, which stood upon the property, into a scythe factory. In 1845, David Wads- worth, son of the former, became proprietor. In 1876, David Wadsworth Jr., became a partner with his father, and for years has been the guiding genius of the business. From 1860 to 1867, most of the buildings constituting the plant, were erected, but some have been added since. The plant consists of a hammer shop, 450 by 100 feet; a grinding shop, 250 by 30 feet; a polishing, painting and packing shop, 200 by 50 feet; two frame storehouses,
128
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
30 by 60 feet and 36 by 24 feet, respectively. All the buildings are of one and one-half stories. A force of one hundred men is employed and the yearly output of the plant reaches from 25,000 to 30,000 dozens of scythes; 3,000 dozen hay knives and 12,000 dozen grass knives. The trade of the company covers not only the United States, but extends into Russia, Germany, England, France, the Argentine, Australia and South Africa. The company has been uniformly successful throughout its long career.
Wegman Piano Company: This enterprise was established in Auburn, in 1887. The building is 266 by 300 feet, and employment is given to a force averaging about eighty workmen. Their pianos are shipped all over the world and hold a foremost place upon the market everywhere; about 1,200 instruments are manufactured annually at this plant. Honorable W. C. Burgess is secretary- treasurer and general manager of the business. The present com- pany was incorporated in 1894. Mr. Burgess has been connected with the establishment since 1887, and has held his present position since the incorporation.
The Auburn Leather Goods Company: This enterprise was an outgrowth of the Auburn Leather and Brass Manufacturing Com- pany, of which Frederick G. Ten Eyck, the proprietor of the present concern was a member. In 1904, the old company separated into two, the leather and brass interests each forming a new enterprise. In February, 1907, F. G. Ten Eyck moved into the present brick factory on Mill street and has enlarged the business materially adding new lines and running entirely on special orders, which gives a clear idea of the popularity of his goods.
Auburn Button Works, J. Herman Woodruff, proprietor; This great concern which employs an average force of three hundred people and whose plant occupies ten acres of ground on the Outlet, was established in this city in 1876, as Woodruff's Button Factory Previous to that Mr. Woodruff had commenced the manufacture of buttons in New York City. But being a native of Auburn, and
129
CITY OF AUBURN
knowing the manufacturing facilities of the city, he speedily trans- ferred his operations to his native place. At first he occupied the old building of the Auburn Paper Bag Company, but subsequently erected the present plant on Washington street. A vast variety of buttons are manufactured which are disposed of largely through Mr. Woodruff's New York agency. He also manufactures type- writer keys, gun butts, pipe stems and an innumerable number of fancy articles. His two sons, Charles H. and Douglass, are asso- ciated with him in the business.
The Bowen Manufacturing Company is represented by George W. Bowen, who removed his business from Seneca Falls to Auburn in 1894. The business was carried on in Auburn until 1903, in the plant now occupied by Eccles & Co. In the last-named year, Mr. Bowen moved his to present location on Canal street where he has erected, in 1906-7, a splendid brick building, 138 by 67 feet, in area with an L 60 by 40 feet, all four stories. He has a floor space of 50,000 square feet and the new building is so situated that every floor is a ground floor with respect to the street, and can be reached by a team. The product of the plant consists of oil cups, grease cups and sheet steel stampings. A force of one hundred and fifty men is employed and the industry is in a most healthy condition. The site of this plant is where the old Beardsley Book Bindery stood. That edifice was built in 1848, but was torn down in 1906 by Mr. Bowen to make a way for his fine new structure.
Bowen & Quick: In 1902 this firm purchased Spencer's Thresh- ing Machine Works at Union Springs, and, in 1903, moved into Auburn and purchased the plant they now occupy at 185 Clark street. The plant is mainly devoted to the manufacture of pressed steel specialties. The members of the firm are George W. Bowen and Charles B. Quick.
The Stone Mill, as it is familiarly called, is not only one of the landmarks of Auburn, but is also one of its important manufactories, although it does not now betray the distinctive stone features which
9
130
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
gave it its name. Brick additions have crowded up and obscured some of its ancient features and the old stone process of grinding grain in its interior has given way to the roller process. The stone mill was built in 1826, by John H. Hardenbergh, son of Colonel Hardenbergh, the pioneer of Auburn, and stands upon the site of the old log mill built by the latter when the land was a wilderness. In 1865 the mill was owned by Wm. Hills. In that year he sold it to Orlando Lewis and F. C. Hall. In 1870, Lewis purchased Hall's interest. In 1875, he remodeled the interior and in 1885 the brick addition was added to the mill. During the later years of Mr. Lewis' life, Charles W. Brister was his partner in the business, and when he died in 1907, the mill passed into the possession of Mr. Brister, the present proprietor.
Auburn Woolen Company: The historic plant of this company came into their hands in 1894, when the present corporate body was organized. In 1895, Mr. T. M. Clark, formerly of the Sawyer Woolen Mills, of Dover, N. H., came here as superintendent, and since that date the business has been very prosperous. The plant is extensive, comprising a main building, 55 by 229 feet, six stories high; with an addition, 50 by 89 feet, three stories high; the drying and dyeing house, 40 by 195 feet, three stories; the repair shop, 40 by 145 feet, two stories and attic; the storehouse, 54 by 93 feet, three stories and basement; the boiler house, 40 by 50 feet, two stories and attic; the engine room, 12 by 55 feet; two boiler houses, and adjuncts for coal, lumber, etc. Nearly all the machinery in the plant is new having been put in by the present company. The dye house is a new building and there has been a large expenditure for general improvements by the present owners. The products of the looms of the Auburn Woolen Company are goods for mens' wear, meltons, suitings, coatings, under-collar cloths, tibbits and various styles of fancy woolens. An average force of three hundred hands is employed.
American Wringer Company: The large and admirably
131
CITY OF AUBURN
equipped plant of this company is located on Washington street by the Outlet. The local branch manufactures wringers, mangles, clothes dryers, mop-wringers, and washing machines of every description. The company also operates an immense plant at Woonsocket, R. I. Much of the success of the enterprise is due to A. G. Beardsley the general manager and trustee of the company. Captain H. J. White is superintendent of the Auburn plant, which does a large business.
The E. D. Clapp Manufacturing Company, is one of the largest and most important companies engaged in the manufacture of carriage and special forgings in this country. The enterprise was founded in 1864, by E. D. Clapp, and the business was first carried on in the south wing of the old stone mill. In 1868 the founder of the business moved to a new brick building on Water street, and in 1874 he built a large factory at the corner of Genesee and Division streets, where the company is still located. The forge shop is two hundred and fifty feet long and ranges from forty to sixty feet in width, and is equipped with twenty-five drop and trip hammers with presses and finishing machinery.
E. D. Clapp died in 1889 and was succeeded by his son D. E. Clapp as president of the company. F. A. Eldredge has been secretary and treasurer since 1891.
F. V. Vandenberg's Boiler and Sheet Iron Works were estab- lished in 1896 by the present proprietor and his brother, but since 1897, Mr. F. V. Vandenberg has conducted the enterprise alone. He employs a force of ten men and manufactures boilers for factories and for house heaters. The present foundry was erected in 1905.
Leather & Brass Manufacturing Co. of Auburn. This business is an outgrowth of the Auburn Leather and Brass Company formerly conducted by the Ten Eyck brothers. They separated in 1904, one taking the leather goods and one the brass. Frank E. Ten Eyck is a noted inventor and has already patented eleven inventions in brass. His factory is fully equipded for the successful
132
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
prosecution of the business in which a regular force of ten men is employed.
McIntosh, Seymour & Company, 91 to 105 Orchard street was established in 1886. These works are among the largest and most important in their line in New York State. Their compound, auto- matic, cut-off engines embody all the valuable improvements of the times with many special features of their own, which greatly enhance their desirability. They are essentially first-class, high- speed engines, suitable for electric light plants, and other uses when high speed is desirable. The manufacturing plant covers an area of six hundred by one hundred and twenty-five feet in dimensions in which employment is given to about two hundred skilled mechanics.
Messrs. John E. McIntosh and J. A. Seymour are notable inven- tors and their productions are unexcelled anywhere. The individ- ual members of the firm are John E. McIntosh, J. Alward Seymour, William J. Ferrey, Harte Cooke, and William B. Morrison.
The Geiser Manufacturing Company of Auburn is a branch of that company with head offices at Waynesboro, Pa. John A. Barnhart is manager of the Auburn office which is exceedingly successful under his direction. The company builds road locomo- tives, portable engines, gasoline engines, stationary engines, threshers, steam plows, grain drills, saw mills, clover hullers, etc. The Auburn plant is used principally as a repair shop and distri- buting center, and is a valuable auxiliary to the home plant as well as an important addition to the industrial life of Auburn.
American Axminster Industry: This company was organized in November, 1902, with a capital of $100,000. They manufacture fine chenille rugs, turning out an average of eighty-five per week, and give employment to about seventy women and fifteen men. The officers of the company are A. F. Firth, president; W. H. Battie, vice-president and treasurer; F. J. Collier, secretary and attorney ; William T. Reed, manager. Mr. Reed is an expert in the manu-
133
CITY OF AUBURN
facture of rugs, having been connected with that industry ever since his boyhood days, and under his supervision the products of this factory are justly renowned for their excellence.
Henry & Allen Manufacturing Company, was incorporated in 1893 and has grown to extensive proportions now employing a force of three hundred hands and keeping fifteen travelling representa- tives. The output consists of agricultural implement supplies and drop forgings. These productions reach all portions of North and South America and Europe. W. H. Henry and Hon. Gorton W. Allen constitute the company; both are men of wide experience in industrial affairs. Hon. Gorton W. Allen was one of the com- missioners at the World's Fair, Chicago, receiving his appointment from President Harrison. Their enterprise is one of the most important in Auburn.
C. A. Koenig & Company: This well known brewing house was founded in 1868, and is located at the corner of State and Grant streets. The plant has an area of thirty thousand square feet of floor space, the building being a three-story structure. The capa- city of the plant is one hundred and seventy-five barrels, and a regular force of thirty-five men is employed in the business. They bottle ale, lager and porter, and the trade of the house extends over a large section of the state. The head of the house, Honorable C. A. Koenig, has been prominent in public affairs of Auburn for many years and is the present mayor of the city, an office to which he was elected in November, 1907.
Richard Eccles Company: This enterprise was founded by Richard Eccles in 1880, who began business in the old Reynolds building on Mechanic street He subsequently moved into the plant now occupied by Henry & Allen, and as the business continued to grow, he purchased the plant of the Auburn Manufacturing Company in 1893, and there the business is still conducted. On April 15, 1905, the Richard Eccles Company was incorporated with Richard Eccles, president; William W. Eccles, treasurer; and
134
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
Andrew H. Johnson, secretary. The plant covers about five acres of ground, a force of one hundred men is employed, and the pay roll of the company amounts to one thousand dollars a week. They manufacture carriage, wagon and special forgings of all kinds used by carriage and wagon makers, and doanextensive business through- out the United States and Canada; in fact their trade reaches to all parts of the world.
Richard Eccles, the founder of the house, was born at Chadwicks, Oneida County, N Y., in 1842. He worked in the Remington Arms Works at Ilion, N. Y., from 1861 to 1865, at which date he came to Auburn. He is not only a practical mechanic but also a superior business man, as the great success of the Richard Eccles Company attests.
The Eagle Wagon Works: This company was incorporated in March, 1905, the officers being F. E. Swift, president ; T. M. Osborne, vice-president; C. F. Baldwin, treasurer and Courtney C. Avery, secretary. They manufacture contractors' wagons and employ a regular force of sixty workmen. The trade of the house covers the United States. In 1903-4 the fine brick factory was erected. It is a two-story structure three hundred and sixty by eighty feet, with a shipping shed one hundred and thirty by thirty feet. The company purchased the plant in the fall of 1906. They have track- age on both sides of the plant and so are provided with superior shipping facilities.
The Cold Spring Brewery is one of the important industrial establishments of Auburn, and was founded in 1891 by William Wildner whose sons now conduct the business. The plant is located on York street and comprises two buildings, one of one hundred and twenty by forty feet and one of sixty by forty feet. Every part of the plant's equipment is modern and up to date and its capacity is constantly taxed to supply the demand for its products, as only the purest spring water and the choicest hops and malt are con- sidered good enough to be used in the manufacture of the beers
135
CITY OF AUBURN
shipped by this house. Wildner Brothers is the name of the firm under which the business is carried on.
BANKS AND BANKING.
The National Bank of Auburn: Prior to 1817 there was no banking institution in the City of Auburn, and the necessity for a bank had become pressing. Previous to that date prominent merchants had in some cases acted as bankers for their friends and customers. The growth of the village and the large disbursements of money made by the State Commissioners during the construction of the Auburn prison led to the organization of the first bank in the village. In the year above mentioned, John H. Beach, Joseph Colt, Eleazer Hills, Daniel Kellogg, Enos. T. Throop, Nathaniel Garrow and Glen Cuyler made application to the Legislature for a charter for a bank in Auburn, and the Auburn Bank was charted May 31, 1817, with a capital of $400,000 ; shares at fifty dollars each.
The bank was organized in July with Thomas Mumford, presi- dent, James S Seymour, cashier and a directorate consisting of : Nathaniel Garrow, Archie Kasson, Joseph Colt, Horace Hills, Walter Weed, George F. Leitch, Enos T. Throop, David Brinkerhoff, James Porter, John Bowman, Hezekiah Goodwin, and William McCarthy. Beach, the original promoter of the scheme, was not placed on the board of directors, until the bank had been in operation for three years.
Those directly interested in the bank as well as the general public were anxious to see it in operation as speedily as possible, but a bank building had to be erected. While waiting for that to be accomplished the cashier procured a safe and opened his office in the Western Exchange, where he signed the bank's first issue of bills. A room was then fitted up in Demaree's tavern for a banking office and there did business until the bank building was erected in 1818. This was a brick building which is still standing beside the bank's new edifice, and is occupied by tbe gas company's offices.
136
HISTORY OF CAYUGA COUNTY
When national banks were instituted in 1865, the bank became the National Bank of Auburn. The present building was erected in 1887 and has been occupied by the institution since October 17th of that year. The present officers are: E. H. Avery, president; Fred- erick Allen, vice-president; and George B. Longstreet, cashier.
The Cayuga County National Bank: This bank, which to-day is strong and admirably conducted was organized March 14, 1833, The charter had been applied for in 1825, but it required the inter- vening eight years for the Legislature to grant it. The authorized capital was $250,000, but when the books were opened at Coe's tavern, more than $1,200,000 was subscribed in three days. The stock was accordingly distributed pro rata, and the board of direct- ors was organized as follows: Isaac S. Miller, E. Hills, Levi Lewis, Stephen Van Anden, N. Garrow, Rowland Day, Peter Yawger, George B. Throop, John Seymour, Wm. H. Noble, Robert Muir, Charles Pardee, and Sherman Beardsley. The officers were: Nathaniel Garrow, president; George B. Throop, cashier, and Lewellyn Jones, teller.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.