USA > New York > Staten Island > History of Richmond County (Staten Island), New York : from its discovery to the present time > Part 68
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ARTOTYPE, E BIERSTADT, N Y.
Silas & Heavens
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
A republican in politics, while influential with his party and foremost in promoting its interests, he has declined all offices. satisfied that others should be the recipients of such honors. He is a director in the Mutual Insurance Company of Richmond county. Mr. Scott was married March 9, 1856, to Mary J., daughter of Luke Fay, well known among old New Yorkers. Their children are: Agnes Mary, John Winfield, Walter Logan, Frederick Thomas, Emily Louise and David Fay.
SILAS N. HAVENS, prominent among the business men of New Brighton, is the grandson of John Havens, of Connecticut, who fonght in the revolutionary army during the whole term of this country's struggle for independence. His father, of the same name as himself, was a Connectient farmer and served as a soldier in the war of 1812. He married at Lyme, Conn., Miss Mariett Griffin and, of their twelve children Silas was the eldest. It is a remarkable fact that all the members of this large family lived to grow up and also to marry.
Mr. Havens was born at the family homestead in New Lon- don county, Conn., March 2, 1827. He received his education in the district school of Lyme, after leaving which, at the age of seventeen, he came to Staten Island. Here he entered the employ of Orlando E. Lee, at that time agent of the New Brighton Land Association, After the expiration of ten years he engaged in contract work on his own account, with which he combined an extensive lumber and feed business and also car- ried on large farming operations. Many of the roads in and about New Brighton are the results of his labor, and he has suc- ceeded in making more land conveyances than any other single person in Richmond county. He has interested himself in pub- lic affairs, though he has never held political office. He is a trustee and director of the Staten Island Savings Bank and a stockholder in the recently organized First National Bank, at New Brighton.
Mr. Havens is a member of Kingsley Methodist church of Stapleton and president of its board of trustees. He is an earnest worker in behalf of religion, and has been engaged for years in church and Sabbath school work. He married, February 24, 1858, Miss Arabella Smith, of Salem, Connecticut. They reside at New Brighton, where Mr. Havens owns considerable real estate. Both are highly respected and esteemed in social and religious circles.
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
EDWARD LOWREY WOODRUFF, whose recent display of tal- ent in the construction of the buildings and pavilion of the " Staten Island Amusement Company," entitles him to special mention in a history of Richmond county, was born in Buffalo, N. Y. He is a great-grandson of Aaron Dickenson Woodruff, for twenty-four years attorney-general of the state of New Jersey, and a son of the late colonel of engineers, Israel Carle Woodruff, who spent forty-six years in the active service of the United States. On his mother's side he is descended from Thomas Mayhew, who became under the Duke of York, in 1642, governor and patentee of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth isles. From these ancestors he inherits that strength of character and zeal which he manifests in all his undertakings.
When quite young Mr. Woodruff took up his residence in Washington, D. C. Here he remained for many years, devot- ing his time to securing an education. He attended the Columbian University and subsequently began a special course at the School of Mines, which ill health obliged him to discon - tinue. Shortly after he was appointed assistant in the engi- neer's office, Third Light House district, and was engaged dnr- ing fifteen years in planning and constructing many light houses on Long Island sound and the North river.
For four years he was associated with the late Professor Joseph Henry while making his experiments on sound, the aerial echo and oils for light house illuminants. The warm friendship entertained by the professor for him, together with the intimate association and frequent conversations which he enjoyed with the eminent scientist, have been of material benefit to him in his subsequent career.
Mr. Woodruff is a young man of highly artistic tastes. That he possesses marked ability as an architect, the successes which he has achieved on Staten Island bear testimony. The buildings constructed by him for the " Amusement Company" display genius, not only in their design bnt also in their adaptation to the uses for which they were intended. He has devoted much time to the architectural adornment of the island, and already many attractive and commodious structures of all descriptions have been the result of his efforts in this direction. His own recently constructed residence, standing upon an eminence over
( dw Lowry Woodruff.
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
looking New York bay and the adjacent country for miles in all directions, is a model of neatness and convenience.
But Mr. Woodruff has not confined himself to Staten Island solely. He has prepared plans for large numbers of houses in different parts of New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont, and particularly at SealBright. He has made a speci- alty of country residences and cottages, and has constructed many very attractive and commodious dwellings in and about New York, whose advantages are evident at a glance. Like his father he is modest and retiring in disposition, never obtrusive. He devotes his entire time to the cultivation of his art and the result of his labor speaks for itself. His residence on Staten Island has been productive of many lasting friendships to hin- self, and of much benefit in the artistic and social development of the community in which he lives.
Of the various industries carried on in our community tliere is none in connection with which the name of Staten Island is more widely known, or more favorably associated, than the business of fancy dyeing; nor, with the exception of the oyster trade, is there any branch of business that has been so long located here, or that has been steadier or more constant in its rate of growth and development.
The connection of Staten Island with the business of dyeing, printing and refinishing dress goods and other textile fabrics dates back to the year 1819, when the works of the New York Dyeing and Printing Establishment were established at West New Brighton-the locality deriving the name of Factoryville, by which it was known until quite recently, from this circum- stance. The concern of which we propose in the present article to give a brief history and description, may be termed an off- shoot or colony from the parent establishment at Factoryville; but, like so many other colonies, it has, in its 36 years of in- dependent existence, developed so rapidly, and in so many different directions, that at present its claim to be considered second to no other concern in this line of business in the country is very generally conceded.
In 1850 Col. Nathan Barrett, who had been connected with the New York Dying and Printing Establishment from its origin, serving most of the time as general superintendent, de- termined to establish a new firm in which he would be able to carry into effect, with greater freedom from the restraints of
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
conservative routine, his ideas as to the proper method of con- ducting the business. The immediate and almost marvellous success of the enterprise gave ample proof of the soundness of his judgment, and the wisdom of his course.
Associating with himself, under the firm name of Barrett, Nephews & Co., his three nephews, Messrs. N. M., J. H., and E. B. Heal, and Mr. Abraham C. Wood, gentlemen who, up to that time, had held positions at the head of the various dyeing and printing departments, he purchased eight acres of land on Cherry lane, situated in the town of Castleton, and about one mile south of the village of Port Richmond. Here suitable buildings were erected, machinery of the latest and mnost im- proved pattern set up, and the proprietors went to work, de- termined that nothing should be lacking to make their under- taking a success, which skill, energy and experience could furnish. As has already been said the result was not long doubtful-the public speedily recognized the excellent character of the work done by the new house and the care and prompt- ness shown in the speedy return of the goods to their owners; and these qualities, which are still characteristic of the com- pany, produced their natural results in a steady increase of business and reputation.
In 1865, the firm, still retaining the name of Barrett, Nephews & Co., was incorporated under the general laws of the state, with Colonel Barrett as president, Nathan M. Heal, vice-presi- dent, and Abraham C. Wood, treasurer. In the latter part of this year (1865) Colonel Barrett, whose health had been failing for some time, determined upon a tour in Europe, in which he. hoped to unite business with recreation, and from which his many friends trusted he would return with renewed health, and enriched experience.
These hopes were not destined to be realized. After visiting much that was of interest in Ireland, Scotland and England, he crossed to the continent, but just after his arrival in Paris, he was taken ill, and, returning to London, died in that city after an illness of only a few weeks.
His remains were bronght to Staten Island, and buried in the cemetery attached to the Church of the Ascension, West New Brighton, of which church he had long been a valued member, and in which a handsome memorial window perpetnates his memory. His record as a patriot, public spirited citizen, an en-
STATEN ISLAND FANCY DYEING WORKS, BARRETT, NEPHEWS & CO.
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
ergetic, enterprising and honorable man of business, and, most of all, as a kind hearted, charitable, Christian gentleman, will long be cherished by his friends and fellow citizens.
Colonel Barrett was succeeded in the presidency of the com- pany by Nathan M. Heal, who held the position until 1879, when, his health becoming impaired, he was obliged to resign.
In 1867, finding that, in consequence of the great increase of their business, their water supply was becoming insufficient, the company purchased the twenty-seven acres of land adjoin- ing the Mill creek, known as the "Post farm," on which were situated a number of valuable springs of water exactly adapted to the requirements of their establishment. Having connected these springs with their works, for which purpose about three thousand three hundred feet of iron pipe were needed, and hav- ing erected a powerful pumping engine they found themselves in possession of a practically inexhaustible supply of that sine qua non of a dye house, pure water. The balance of the farm, not needed to make the water privilege available was then surveyed, cut up into building lots of about half an acre each, with good broad streets and avenues running through them. So desirable did these lots prove that in a short time most of them were sold, and so many handsome residences have been built by the purchasers that the neighbor- hood-the element of time being taken into consideration-will compare very favorably with any portion of the village. The principal thoroughfare, Post avenue, running from Columbia street to Jewett avenue, preserves the name of the old farm.
In 1880 Major Clarence T. Barrett, a nephew of the founder of the firm, a gentleman whose success in his profession as sanitary engineer has given him a more than local reputation, was elected president of the company, which office he still holds. Under his management very great improvements have been made in the "plant" and arrangements of the works. New machinery has been introduced, taking the place in many processes of the old style hand labor. Artesian wells have been sunk, giving an unlimited supply of excellent water on the premises, and do- ing away with the necessity of drawing from distant springs. In short, everything has been done that was needed to place the concern, in appliances and methods, on a par with the best establishments of the kind either in this country or Europe.
To those who have never visited an establishment of this
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
kind, some of the figures connected with the works of Barrett, Nephews and Company, as they at present exist, will prove somewhat startling. The buildings, most of them two stories, some of them three, substantially built of brick, cover an area of about an acre and a half. The engines which drive the ma- chinery are fifteen in number, ranging from three to twenty- five horse power, and are supplied with steam by eight boilers, having an aggregate capacity of five hundred horses ; the sur- plus steam not needed for the engines being all required in the various scouring, dyeing and drying processes, and, in winter, for heating the premises.
The number of hands employed during the busy season fre- quently exceeds three hundred, and in some of the depart- ments it is often necessary to keep the machinery running night and day, in order that there may be no delay in return- ing the goods.
The work, to do which all of the above appliances are found . necessary, may be divided into the two great classes of whole- sale and retail. The retail work includes the cleansing, dyeing and refinishing of ladies' and gentlemen's garments of every kind, quality and texture, from a lady's silk dress, with all its dainty trimming of gauze and ribbon, to a gentleman's heavy winter overcoat. And this kind of work has been brought to such perfection, that articles, such as the above, when they have become soiled, or from any cause unfit for wear, are frequently cleaned and restored, or even re-dyed, without ripping a stitch, and sent back to their owners looking "as good as new." The dying, cleansing and refinishing of curtains and window shades, in which a large and steadily increasing business is done, may be reckoned under this head.
What is known as the wholesale business embraces the re- dyeing and refinishing of all sorts of piece-goods, from the finest and most costly silks and velvets, ribbons and laces, to the heaviest woolen cloths and cloakings. This portion of the business is of vast extent, Barrett, Nephews & Company hav- ing customers in almost every state and territory of the Union, not excepting those on the Pacific slope. The greater part of this wholesale work consists in the re-dying of goods, of which the original colors have faded or become unfashionable, and which have lost their original freshness of finish, but a large business is also done in dyeing and finishing goods which
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
come to them from the importer or manufacturer in what is called the "grey" state, never having been dyed or finished. The imported goods of this class are principally in dress goods, French cashmeres, merinos and de laines, and in veilings, pari- sinas, bareges, velveteens, etc., etc. It is of the treatment of these grey goods, their dyeing and preparation for the market, that Barrett, Nephews & Company have made a specialty, and by liberal expenditure, and the assistance of the best foreign skill available, claim to have reached in it a degree of perfection seldom, if ever, attained in this country. It is an indispntable fact that quite frequently their work in this line cannot be dis- tinguished from the imported, even by the most skillful ex- perts.
In 1884 the company experienced a heavy loss in the death of Mr. Abram C. Wood, one of the original members of the firm, who, at the time of his death, held the office of vice- president and treasurer of the company. Mr. Wood's charac- ter, uniting, as it did, the strictest integrity and straightfor- wardness in all his transactions, with a genial manner and friendly disposition, had won for him the respect and esteem of a wide circle of business acquaintances ; while his fellow- citizens and neighbors of Staten Island, amongst whom his whole life had been spent, honored him for those qualities of mind and heart which stamped the possessor as a true Christian gentleman.
The present board of trustees of Barrett, Nephews & Com- pany consists of the following gentlemen : Clarence T. Barrett, president ; Charles W. Kennedy, vice-president and treasurer ; Charles E. Heal, secretary ; Angustus W. Sexton, Jr., Edwin B. Heal, trustees.
The New York Dyeing and Printing Establishment, also known as the Old Staten Island Dyeing Establishment, is lo- cated on Broadway, West New Brighton, and was organ- ized in the year 1819, under the firm name of Barrett, Tiles- ton & Company, and continued in successful operation for a period of about six years ; a charter of incorporation was then obtained, under the present title. The late Samuel Marsh was elected president, which position he held with great credit to himself and profit to the stockholders until his death, which occurred after he had been elected president for the forty-ninth successive year.
726
HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
There is no more prominent and well known locality on the island than where this large and extensive dyeing and cleaning establishment is situated, occupying, as it does, over twenty acres of ground, which they have occupied continuously for a period of three score years and ten, and though they have ar- rived at the age allotted to man, they are to-day larger, more vigorous, energetic and aggressive than at any previous period of their existence. Anything they undertake they aim to do in a manner not to be surpassed.
A visit to their works is necessary to give one an idea of its vastness. Five hundred hands are employed, ten steam engines and other machinery in proportion are necessary to wield the vast fabric.
That portion of their business that our readers will take the most interest in is that devoted to the cleaning and dyeing of ladies' and gentlemen's clothing, and to do this work hundreds of bnsy hands are constantly employed, besides they are largely engaged in the dyeing of cotton goods and the manufacture of bookbinders' cloth.
It is a singular fact, and one that attests as much as anything can, the unvarying success of their business, that the descend- ants of the original proprietors still retain their interest in the company.
They have fourteen offices and nearly one thousand agencies, covering the territory from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, so that no one need have any excuse for wearing soiled or faded clothing.
Their principal New York offices are : 98 Duane street, 286 Fifth avenue, 870 Broadway, 610 Sixth avenue, and Broadway, West New Brighton.
The Breweries are among the most prominent industries of Staten Island. On account of the number and copious fullness of the springs and the excellent quality of the water, the island has been selected as a favorite place for the establishment of this business. The establishments located here together pay an enormous revenue to the government.
Bechtel's brewery, perhaps the largest of these, is located at Stapleton, where it was founded by John Bechtel, in 1853. In 1865 he sold the concern to his son, George Bechtel, the present proprietor. The capital invested here amounts to well nigli half a million dollars. In 1865 the revenue tax of this brewery
Mailwhy Phy
THE OLD STATEN ISLAND DYEING ESTABLISHMENT WEST NEW BRIGHTON, N.Y.
727
HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
was $10,000, and ten years later it had increased to $60,000. It employs about fifty hands.
GEORGE BECHTEL was born in Germany in 1840. He came with his parents to America at the age of six months, and in 1851 entered the grammar school of Columbia College. After finishing his course at that institution he began an apprentice- ship in the brewery which his father had established at Staple- ton in 1853. From 1860 to 1865 he occupied the position of sup- erintendent of the establishment, and while engaged in that capacity he established the first ice-house in the East. In 1865 he rented the property from his father, and in 1870 purchased his entire interest, becoming the sole proprietor.
The original building proving too small for his rapidly in- creasing business, Mr. Bechtel concluded to tear it down and in its place he built the present elegant structure, special atten- tion being given toits equipment. So energetically was the work of erection pushed that in ten weeks after the first stone was laid brewing had recommenced. The continued increase of his business is due to the high quality of excellence which he maintains in all his productions. In 1876 his beer received the centennial exhibition medal, in 1877 the medal of the Gam- brinus Verein, in 1878 one from the Paris exhibition and in 1879 he was awarded the prize at the Sidney fair in New South Wales. About the latter year Professor Doremus, after analyz- ing his beer, in a letter to Mr. Bechtel pronounced it to be a preparation made from pure hops and malt and free from any deleterions substances whatever.
Mr. Bechtel has been foremost in all public and benevolent matters. During the negro riots in 1861 he sheltered large num- bers of these homeless people in the woods and sent them nourishment daily till the trouble had subsided, a circumstance which the colored people on Staten Island have never forgotten and for which they have been ever grateful. On the organiza- tion of the village of Edgewater Mr. Bechtel was elected trus- tee of the Third ward in the face of strong opposition. From 1871 to 1879 lie devoted himself entirely to business, taking little interest in political matters. In 1879 he received the joint nomination of the republican and democratic parties for super- visor and was elected by an overwhelming majority. He has since been yearly re-elected and during one year served as
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
chairman of the board. From 1879 to 1883 he also served as trustee of the village from the First ward.
At the time of his election to the supervisorship Richmond county bonds stood at 80, taxes were eight per cent., and the village of Edgewater had a debt of $125,000. Through his energy the debt has been paid, taxes have been reduced to two per cent., and the bonds are bringing $112. In addition to this the roads have been greatly improved and cannot be excelled by any on Staten Island. He succeeded in refunding the $50,000 war debt at four per cent. at a premium of one and one-half per cent., a financial operation which no other county in the state has shown.
In 1879 Mr. Bechtel was a delegate to the state convention, the first ever elected from Richmond county. Three times lie was re-elected and was twice its first vice-president. While in convention he was appointed by the first congressional delega- tion, comprising Queens, Suffolk and Richmond counties, a member of the state and executive committees.
Mr. Bechtel's benevolent qualities show themselves on all oc- casions, and many poor families on Staten Island have been the recipients of his charity. It is said of him that he is ever ready to help where it is needed. As a holder of office he is indis- pensable, and the growth of the county is largely due to his influence. He is a man of cordial temperament and is connected with many associations, societies and clubs, prominent among which are the Arion and Liederkranz societies of New York and the German Society Erheiterung, of which he was one of the first members. He was also a charter member of the Klobpf Stock Lodge of Free Masons, to which he was transferred from the Tompkins Lodge of Richmond county.
In 1879 the Japanese embassy, together with the secretary of state and several other gentlemen, paid a visit to Mr. Bechtel's brewery. As a result they ordered one hundred thousand bot- tles of beer to be sent to Japan. On their return they sent him several very flattering letters and a pair of costly vases as a token of their esteem.
Mr. Bechtel is the largest tax-payer on Staten Island. He has lately added to his possessions a water-front of nearly one thousand eight hundred feet, with an average water depth of thirty feet at low tide. He has an elegant residence on the island and an enormous stable, which is said to be one of the
Bechlet
HOUSE AND STABLES OF GEORGE BECHTEL. STAPLETON, N. Y
AK TOTYPE, E LIEPSTADT, N Y
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HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.
finest in the United States. The latter has been highly compli- mented by Mr. Bergh, president of the "Society for the Pre- vention of Cruelty to Animals," of which Mr. Bechtel is a member. Previous to the improvement of the Edgewater roads Mr. Bechtel was obliged to stable his horses in New York city, running a steamboat to and from the island solely for their conveyance. The offices attached to his brewery are handsome and complete. The furnishings and decorations are of the most elegant description, their general design being that of the Queen Anne period. A special feature of their outfit is a commodious Russian bath, laid in cement, with imported white and blue tiles.
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