USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York : from 1700 to the present time, Volume I > Part 54
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WILLIAM D. WALCOTT Manufacturer, New York Mills, Town of Whitestown
SAMUEL CAMPBELL Manufacturer, New York Mills, Town of Whitestown
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
New York, erected a large five story mill in what is now New York Mills, for the manufacture of fine sheeting. This was the first attempt in this country to manufacture fine yarns for this purpose. The name "New York Mills" was taken in 1840, and in 1856 the firm of Walcott & Campbell was established, the partners being William D. Walcott, a son of Samuel S. Walcott, and Samuel Campbell. Samuel Campbell was a Scotchman, and had received an experience in manufacturing in the old countries prior to his coming to New York Mills. He was a man of great physical power, of tremendous energy, and entered into his business with a determination to make it successful, and the firm of Wal- cott & Campbell put on to the market goods the equal of anything made in the world. They were very successful in selling their goods as American goods, while other manufacturers had given goods manufactured in this country a for- eign label in order to sell them. Walcott & Campbell determined to sell their goods as American products or to fail, and they were eminently successful, both of them accumulating large fortunes. The concern was finally, in 1884, incor- porated under the name of New York Mills Company, with one million dollars capital. Afterward the stock was increased by the issuance of $400,000 of pre- ferred stock. After the death of Messrs. Walcott and Campbell the company was conducted by the son of Mr. Campbell, Samuel R. Campbell, and the son of Mr. Walcott, W. Stuart Walcott. For a time it was successful, but about 1906 the common stock of the company was all sold to Juliard & Company of New York City, and about the same time W. Stuart Walcott died; within two years Samuel R. Campbell has died, and the two families, which, for almost a century, had been in control of this large manufacturing establishment, ceased to have anything to do with the concern, except that some of the young men have been employed in minor positions.
On March 30, 1810, the New Hartford Manufacturing Society was incor- porated by special act to make cotton and woolen cloths, but apparently only cotton goods were made. The property was afterward purchased by New Hart- ford Cotton Manufacturing Company, which was organized in 1870, and it man- ufactured cotton cloth up to 1910, when it commenced the manufacturing of surgical bandages and supplies. At the present time the company does not manufacture cloth, but purchases the cloth and converts it into gauze, and manu- factures absorbent cotton.
The Capron Cotton Manufacturing Company was incorporated April 5, 1814, and conducted business for many years at Capron, in the town of New Hart- ford, but afterward the name was changed to Utica Cotton Manufacturing Com- pany. It still conducts business at Capron, and also in the city of Utica.
The Utica Steam Cotton Mills were organized in 1848. This was the out- come of an effort to apply steam to manufacturing purposes in this vicinity. Several of the most prominent business men in Utica united in this effort, among them being Theodore S. Faxton, Silas D. Childs, Alfred Munson, Charles A. Mann, Edmund A. Graham, Andrew S. Pond and Horatio Seymour. An in- vestigation of the subject was made by a committee appointed by a citizens' meeting, and the report of that committee is so interesting that we give it entire :
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"REPORT ON MOTIVE POWER.
"At a meeting of a number of the citizens of Utica, at the National Hotel, some time in July last, for the purpose of inquiring into the expediency of tak- ing some measures in relation to future operations connected with manufactur- ing in this city, it was there deemed expedient to appoint a committee, who should take the charge of this subject, and find some one or more individuals who would be willing to visit the eastern states, and investigate the relative dif- ference between water and steam power and obtain such other information, connected with their mission, as should be thought advisable in furtherance of this object.
"By this committee, Spencer Kellogg, Andrew S. Pond, and Edmund A. Graham were requested to perform this duty: and, in compliance with this re- quest, they proceeded to New York, obtained letters of introduction to various individuals connected with the manufacturing interests at the east.
"The first place they visited was Newport, in the state of Rhode Island, where, through the kindness of ex-Governor Gibbs, they were introduced to a Mr. Westcott, who was the principal agent of the Perry Mill. At this place there are two cotton mills, operated by steam power: they have been in exist- ence about nine years. Both of these mills have heretofore been under the gen- eral supervision of a Mr. Gardner, a very active and enterprising man, who lost his life in the burning of the Ocean Hotel. Mr. Westcott, however, was per- fectly acquainted with all the details of both water and steam power as ap- plicable to the manufacturing of cotton goods. Having been engaged in mills with water power for twenty years, and for the last nine years with the Perry Steam Mill. From him we obtained the following particulars :
"The size of this mill is 200 feet long by 50 wide, and contains 7,727 spind- les, 227 looms, 42 carding machines, 24 inches wide. They employ 200 opera- tives. Their capital is $102,000. The expense of engine, boilers, etc., about $5,000; they consume about 4,200 pounds of coal per day. He says the present improved machinery would consume much less. They pay their engineer $450 per annum; their firemen 83 cents per day; foreman in each room, $1.67 per day. In this establishment they made fine printing cloths altogether, which brings them 11/2 cents per yard. They use the old fashioned mule spindles which cost $2.25 each. Mr. Westcott says that a factory got up upon the most improved plan would cost, exclusive of the buildings, about $7,000 per one thousand spindles.
"In answer to the inquiry about the relative advantages of water over steam power, he said that he would not take water power, five miles from navigable waters, as a gift; in fine, he considered steam the best motive power in the world for manufacturing fine cotton goods,-for other kinds of goods he had had no experience; and the reasons he assigned for this were-first, that fine cotton goods were better to be manufacured in a humid atmosphere; secondly, you always had a sufficient power; thirdly, the expense of keeping it in run- ning order was not near as much ; and fourthly and lastly, you could build your mills in cities, where you were not under the necessity of erecting a village for the accommodation of your mills, but where boarding houses were already built
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to your hand; and also, you could build on navigable waters; and another ad- vantage, you could always get help and keep them in a city easier, and, he be- lieved, cheaper, than in the country, at least, this had been his experience.
"In answer to the question-'Has the investment been a profitable one to the stockholders ?'-he said it had; the mill, he said, had been in operation eight years and a half, and it had paid to the stockholders large dividends. But that there should not be an undue impression made by these remarks, they would state in connection that this mill, as heretofore stated, is and has been making printing cloths, which are now, and have been for the last year or two, bearing a better profit than any other cotton fabric within the knowledge of your com- mittee. There is, perhaps, no mill that has been employed in the same business, either by water or steam power, that has not made large profits; therefore, your committee do not wish to be understood as connecting this profit with steam power exclusively.
"They next visited the Pokanoket Mill, at Bristol, a little village fifteen miles from Newport, on the road to Providence. This mill is conducted by John Norris, Esq., who is also a large stockholder. He has not been engaged in the business but about three years, and never in a water mill, consequently could not give them the information which they sought; but says he knows enough about the business to satisfy himself in relation to water and steam power; and is confident that it would be better to build a steam mill on navigable waters than to have a water privilege given and build five miles from navigation. This mill is making fine bleached sheetings, and is profitable to the stockholders and also to the village in the rise of property. This mill runs about 6,000 spindles. Mr. Norris and Mr. Westcott both unite in saying that a mill of large capacity, operated by steam, would be altogether more profitable than a smaller, and this opinion was confirmed by every individual with whom they conversed on the subject; it was the opinion of all that a steam mill should not be built with less than fifteen thousand spindles for the following reasons: first, the increase of the capacity of the mill does not increase the consumption of coal in like ratio- for instance, if you double your mill, that is to say, advance it from five thou- sand spindles to ten thousand, it takes less than fifty per cent more coal to pro- pel the ten thousand than it did the five thousand; or, if you increase the mill to fifteen thousand, it will not take more than double the quantity to run a mill of that capacity than it does to run a mill of five thousand spindles; hence, when you have trebled your mill you have only doubled the consumption of the fuel. The second reason :- it costs no more for an engineer to attend to the duties of his department in a mill of fifteen thousand than one of five; the same of the fire- men ; the same of the general overseer in each room; and the same may be said of the individual who has the supervision of the whole. The reasons here given will be duly appreciated by every business man in this community. If further proof is wanted we have a practical illustration (at least, of the belief) of some of the most prominent manufacturers in New England: James Reed, Esq., of Boston, and Gen. James of Newburyport, almost the first projectors of steam cotton mills in this country, are now erecting a steam mill at Salem, with twen- ty-seven thousand spindles,-a mill of far greater capacity than any other in the United States,-at least, greater than any other known to your committee.
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"The next place the committee visited was the Providence Steam Company Mill, at Providence, Rhode Island, under the agency of a Mr. Fisher, a gentle- man of intelligence and practical experience; and here, as in every other place they visited, every facility was given to further the object of their mission. This mill contains 10,028 spindles, 240 looms, 67 cards, a part of which are 18 inches and a part 24 inches; and they contemplate adding to this mill, in the month of September, four thousand spindles more. The capital stock of this company is $200,000; this includes the mill and an extensive machine shop em- ploying about sixty hands. The amount of coal consumed per day to run this mill and the machine shop is about two and one-third tons. The number of operatives employed in the mill is about 220. The wages of the engineer is $1.50 per day; the fireman receives $1.25 per day. The engine in this mill is from sixty to eighty horse power. The average number of yards of cloth manu- factured per day is 3,820 of fine cambric, worth when bleached 111/2 cents per yard; and the agent believes that the same goods of like material manufactured in a water mill will not bring as much per yard in market from an eighth to a fourth of a cent, and he is intimately acquainted with the application of the motive power of both in the making of cotton goods. Females that attend the carding department work by the day, and receive 34 cents spare weavers which are employed to take the place of any that may be taken sick, receive $3.50 per week; spare trimmers, also, are kept to supply places, and they receive $2.34 per week. The residue of the weavers and all the spinners work by the job, and the average amount of their earnings is $4.51 per week. These statistics are all taken from the books of the company. It is due to all from whom the committee sought information to say that there appeared nothing that they de- sired to withhold from your committee; even the profits of the several concerns which (in most cases) were not small, were freely communicated.
"The committee next called on the Hon. Mr. Sprague, who is largely con- cerned in manufacturing. He has a number of factories, and among them very extensive print works; all his mills, except his print works, are operated by water power. With regard to machinery he says he prefers the Ring spindle for spinning warp, and the self-operating mule for filling. And in relation to motive power, he prefers water to steam, although it should be located at some considerable distance from navigable waters. He also admits that he has no experimental knowledge of the application of steam power to machinery, for the manufacturing of cotton goods, other than that employed in his printing department.
"They next called on a Mr. Kelly, who is largely concerned in several mills at Lonsdale about six miles from Providence, and has also the general super- vision of the whole. He informed them that for some time he had made the operation of steam power upon cotton machinery a study, and he was so well satisfied of its utility and advantages, that if he could dispose of his water mills, he should invest the avails in steam mills in the city of Providence; and the reasons he assigned were simply location, and the certainty of a sufficient mo- tive power at all times to keep the machinery in operation.
"Your committee proceeded from Providence to Newburyport, at which place there are four cotton mills, all driven by the power of steam, viz-The
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James Mill, the Bartlett Mills, Nos. 1 and 2, and the Essex Mill; and they are at this time erecting two more spacious mills at the same place. This is the residence of Gen. Charles T. James, a gentleman theoretically and practically acquainted with the operation of steam power upon machinery. With this gen- tleman your committee had an interview, and although it may be said, as a gen- eral rule, that any man who has devoted several years to the study of one par- ticular object would naturally be prejudiced in favor of that object, nor do your committee suppose that Mr. James is an exception to the general rule; but from the very short acquaintance the committee had with Mr. James they were favorably impressed with his manner, his disinterestedness, and his en- tire frankness; he appeared to be entirely familiar with his business, and seemed unwilling to suppress any information that would in the least degree contribute to render their mission serviceable to the citizens of Utica. He pre- sented his views of the advantages of steam over water power in a clear and comprehensive manner, and gave it as his opinion that steam power, all things considered, was as cheap or cheaper than water power. In coming to this con- clusion he took into the account the various subjects alluded to in this report. Your committee did not however obtain from him all the information which they sought; it was from the first, their desire to understand the relative dif- ference between water and steam, as a motive power, to drive machinery. This the committee supposed would solve the problem, and enable them to present the subject before you, practically demonstrated; and before closing this report they think they shall be able to convince this community that they obtained to the fullest extent, the object of their mission.
"It is unnecessary to go into detail in relation to the capacity of these sev- eral mills or their interior arrangements; suffice it to say that the James Mill is one of the finest they ever saw. It may be well to say that the investment in these mills thus far has been profitable to the stockholders. The committee have said that they think it unnecessary to go into detail in relation to these mills, but as the James mill, in capacity is about equal to such a one as all have recommended for the citizens of Utica to build, if they should conclude to pros- ecute the enterprise. Therefore they will briefly give the dimensions. The building is 312 feet by 50, containing 16,000 spindles, 350 looms, 96 carding machines, cards 25 inches. Mr. James says the cards should be from 30 to 48 inches. There are 350 operatives. Consume 31/4 tons of coal per day, fine fab- ric, worth in market the 7/8, 12 cents, the 4-4, 131/2 cents per yard.
"The committee, after obtaining what information they thought desirable at this place, proceeded to Taunton, in order to visit the machine shop, and get such information in relation to the price of machinery at might be service- able in case this branch of enterprise should hereafter be prosecuted. The prices of machinery at this establishment are as follows : Self-operating mules, from $2.75 to $3.00 per spindle; Ring spindles, from $4.75 to $5.00 per spindle; looms, from $40 to $75 each; 30 inch carding machines, best quality $145.00.
"The committee had thus obtained all the information sought, but the solu- tion of the relative expense of motive power; a principle that formed the basis of the superstructure of this report; for unless it could be clearly shown that the advantages connected with steam power did not equal that of water, then
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the conclusion is inevitable, that steam power cannot successfully compete with water power. It becomes an important question with this community whether they can engage in this enterprise with a fair prospect of success. So far as relates to the cost of motive power, both by water and steam, the committee will give the result, that all may be able to judge for themselves.
"The Bartlett Mill, No. 1, at Newburyport, has 11,000 spindles; the motive power to drive this mill costs per month $644.29 on an average; this includes the cost of fuel, the wages of the engineer and fireman. They manufacture per month 167,843 yards of cloth, which makes the cost of motive power per yard, about 31/2 mills. If you add to this the interest on the machinery which cost about $5,000, it would make an additional expense per month of $25. This, however, was thought to be improper in making the calculation as the machin- ery connected with water power would cost to keep it in repair per month more than the interest on the engine. A water privilege at Lowell, for the same num- ber of spindles costs $44,000.00
Race Way, Floom Wheel, & Extra Geering 6,000.00
Making
$50,000.00
The interest on $50,000 for one month, at 6 per cent is $250.00
The average cost of fuel to warm the mill per month 171.20
$421.20
Making a difference in the cost of the motive power in favor of the water mill, of $223.09 per month, or $2,677.08 per year. Now, if the cloth manufactured in the steam mill is worth 1/4 of a cent per yard more than that of the water mill, then it makes a difference on the sale of cloth manufactured in one month of $419.60, which, subtracting the difference in the cost of motive power, it gives a balance in favor of steam power of $216.51 per month, or $2,598.02 per year.
"It is admitted that steam power will enable the mill to make quite as much cloth as water power. If the water mill spoken of above makes the same num- ber of yards, the motive power will cost 21/2 mills per yard. In this calculation it will be seen that the committee do not charge the water mill with the outlay for building boarding houses, nor the expense of transportation to and from navigable waters, which should all be taken into the account if we would form a just estimate of the advantages that one possesses over the other. Nor have they taken into account the want of water in a drought, nor the impediments occasioned frequently by ice, which should all be charged to the account of water mills, particularly in this vicinity.
"An article in one of the Boston papers, in reference to the Essex Mill at Newburyport, uses the following language: 'This mill, during the last two years, has been under the management of James Reed, Esq., of Boston, and Mr. Ben- jamin Saunders of Newburyport; and to their thorough knowledge of the busi- ness and prudent management is its great success owing. One thing it would seem safe to assume, that they have demonstrated beyond all cavil, and that is the equality if not the superiority of steam over water power. Their operatives make good wages-more than they could realize even in the present prosperous
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times, in any other department of labor, and yet their cloth is made as well, and as cheaply as at any water mill in the country.'
"It will be seen by the foregoing statement, that if the cloth manufactured by steam power commands in market 1/4 of a cent per yard above that manufac- tured by water power, the advantage is decidedly on the side of steam. But there are other and still greater advantages connected with steam as a motive power. If you manufacture by water, you must take the people to the power, but if by steam, you take the power to the people; or in other words, you place your machinery upon navigable waters, and thereby save the expense of trans- porting to and from the location of water power.
"The object which the committee had in charge more especially, was to as- certain the relative difference of the cost between water and steam, as a motive power to drive machinery. This they have ascertained in their investigations of cotton mills, and they have also ascertained to their entire satisfaction, the adaptation of steam power to the manufacture of cotton fabrics. This question being settled, another of equal moment suggests itself to every reflecting mind. Are equal advantages to be derived from steam in the manufacturing of woolen goods? It is conceded by all with whom your committee conversed on the sub- ject, who have had any practical experience in the manufacturing of woolen goods by steam power, that the advantages are as great, if not greater, than that of cotton, particularly in scouring and finishing the goods, and many be- lieve that the same quality of goods manufactured in a steam mill, will com- mand at least 5 per cent more in market; if this opinion is predicted upon fact, then it follows as a matter of course, that steam has a decided advantage over water power in the manufacture of woolen goods; for the amount of goods made in a mill of 8 sets of machinery would not be less than $250,000 per annum. If this amount of cloth brings 5 per cent in market, more than the same quality of goods manufactured by water power, the result would be a net gain of $12,500 per year.
"It may be expected that the committee will say something in relation to the profits derived from the various steam mills which they visited, so far as any dividends have been made public; although apparently extravagant, they feel authorized to reiterate; for instance, the Essex Mill at Newburyport has de- clared and paid a large dividend on the capital stock of the company the past year. There is also another steam mill which they visited, that has declared a large dividend; but with regard to the two mills above named, the mills have manufactured an article which for the last year has been very much in demand: they refer to printing cloths-an article, the supply of which has not been equal to the demand, and consequently in this, as in every other case, where the de- mand is greater than the supply, the article thus sought for will advance in proportion as the demand is above the supply.
"In relation to other mills, the committee can only speak in general terms, that they have all, without a single exception, been doing a prosperous business, and have made handsome dividends. It is an admitted fact that labor is the basis of prosperity, or in other words, that the advantageous employment of labor in any given location, contributes largely to the prosperity and advancement of all the varied interests of such location. It is in such places, and under such
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
circumstances, that capitalists seek an investment of their surplus funds. The committee will instance the town of Newburyport, which but a few years since, prior to the erection of steam mills in that place, was in a state of dilapidation, but since those mills have gone into operation, business has assumed altogether a different character, freehold estate has been rapidly advancing, and capital- ists in other places have there sought investments. It must strike every one from this region of country with perfect astonishment, to behold the advancement and general prosperity of the eastern cities and villages, in a country of complete sterility compared with the county of Oneida, and all this prosperity may be at- tributed mainly to the power of machinery, put into operation by the enter- prise of the people; and this, too, in a country where the materials for building are at least 30 per cent higher than in Oneida county; not only are materials for building higher, but provisions and labor are much higher, and the fuel for steam mills, if coal is used, is equally high, and wood a hundred per cent higher. Under all these disadvantages, they cannot successfully compete with the same degree of enterprise, directed to the same objects in a more favored community. And what is here said of Newburyport may be justly said of every other place your committee visited.
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