The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 42

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

USA > New York > Jefferson County > The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894 > Part 42

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lieved 93,687 brothers ; paid 558,218 weekly benefits; relieved 5,702 widowed families ; buried 8,222 brothers; paid for the relief of brothere, $2,093,214; paid for the relief of widowed families, $146,404; paid for the re- lief and education of orphans, $24,037; for burying the dead, $550,510; for special rellef, $187,236; total re- lief. $3,001,403. The total receipts the same year were $7,553,236.

The result of the comparatively short time since the organization of our order shows more progress on a substantial basis than any other organization. There is no reason why Odd Fellowship should not go ahead of all. Its fundamental principles are not selfish; they are to fraternize the world and disseminate every- where its peculiar doctrines of Friendship, Love and Truth. It is a greeting to humanity at large, to im- prove the conditions of mankind in every respect; the individual, the family, society, nations and the rela- tions between nations and races. Onr principles in- clude all the good there is in all religions, true rever- ence, love and worship to the Maker of all things, in a manner that can be universally accepted. "Prog- ress for ever," is our motto. Customs are not adopted by us because of their antiquity, but because of their best utility.

FORESTERS.

Jefferson Encampment of Royal Foresters .- Meets at Red Men's Hall, 18% Court street. George Lucas, C. of G.

Court Watertown, No. 465 - Meets 1st and 3d Mon- days each month at 1216 Conrt street. A. A. Berow, F. S., 2 Huntington street.

Court Garland City, No. 809 .- Meets Ist and 3d Fri- days each month at 1816 Court street. W. A. Trow- bridge, F. S., 59 Rutland street.

K. OF P.

Joe Hooker Mounted Division K. of P. - Meets 1st and 3d Fridays each month at K. of P. Hall, 53 Tag- gart Block. G. O'Brien, S. K. R.

Watertown Lodge, No. 222 .-- Meets every Tuesday evening at 53 Taggart Block. James Randolph, S.

RED MEN.

Kahuahgo Tribe, No. 185 .- Meets every Wednesday at No. 1816 Court street. Andrew Bolger, C. of R.

Pontiac Tribe, No. 215. - Meets every Monday even- ing at 53 Taggart Block. George Gail, C. of R.

Arlington Lodge. No. 70 (K. S. F. I.) - Meets 1st and 3d Thursdays each month at Red Men's Hall, 1816 Court street. W. L. Barrett, Secretary and Treas- urer.

Fraternity Lodge, No. 136 (K. S. F. I.) .- Meets the 2d and 4th Fridays each month at 216 Public Square. G. A. Kellar, Secretary.

Watertown Council, No. 157 (Royal Arcanum). - Meets 2d and 4th Wednesdays each month at 52 Tag- gart Block. G. C. Lee, Secretary, 24 River street.

Watertown Lodge, No. 282 (A. O. U. W.) - Meets Ist and 3d Fridays each month at No. 14 Doolittle & Hall Block. D. Carroll. F. S.

Watertertown Council No. 343 (Order of United Friends) .- Meets 1st and 3d Tuesdays each month at Room 14, Doolittle & Hall Block. T. C. Hale, Secre- tary.

LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.

Watertown Central Trades and Labor Assembly .- Meets 2d and 4th Friday evenings each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. C. Falls. Secretary.

Typographical Union No. 308 .- Meets first Friday evening each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. George E. Hutchins, Financial Secretary, Times office.

Cigarmakers' Uniou No. 123 .- Meets Ist Friday evening each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. Martin Duggan, Secretary.

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers No. 227. -- Meets 2d and 4th Sundays each month, 2 : 30 p. m., K. of P. Hall, Taggart Block. F. W. Smith, Secretary.

Order Railway Conductors, Divisiou No. 25 .- Meets Ist and 3d Sundays each month, 1:30 p. m., Red Men's Hall, Court street. P. Redmood, Secretary.

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

Brotherbood Locomotive Firemen No 212 .- Meets 2d and 4th Sundays each month at Red Men's Hall, Court street. Thos. Lynch, Secretary, 101 Factory street.

Painters' and Decorators' Union No. 173 .- Meets Ist and 3d Tuesday evenings each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. E. L. Jasmine, Secretary.

Barbers' Union No. 101 .- Meets 2d and 4th Tuesday evenings each month at 18% Public Square. C. A. Boscoe, Secretary.

Bartenders' Union No. 31 .- Meets 1st Sunday each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. Robert Walrad, Secretary.

Iron Moulders ' Union No. 78 .- Meets 2d and 4th Thursday evenings each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. Morris Hennesey, Secretary.

Plumbers', Steam and Gas Fitters' Union No. 117 .- Meets Ist and 2d Thursday evenings each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. A. J. Easton, Sec- retary.

International Association of Machinists No. 195 .-- Meets every Monday evening at 18 Public Square. Robert Munk, Secretary.

Butchers' Union No. 6260 -Meets 2d and 4th Tues- day evenings at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. Geo. Annand, Secretary.

Carriage and Wagonmakers' Union No. 17 .- Meets every Tuesday evening at Assemby Hall, Burdick Block. James A. Gill, Secretary.

Retail Clerks' Union No. 109 .- Meets every Monday evening at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. George A. Sexsmith, Financial Secretary.

Carpenters' Union No. 580 .- Meets every Wednes- day evening at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. Michael Brennan, Secretary.

Bricklayers' and Masons' Union No. 56 - Meets every Monday at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. Benj. Williams, Secretary.

Horseshoers' Union No. 24-Meets 2d and 4th Wednesday evenings each month at Assembly Hall, Burdick Block. F. R. Britton, Secretary.

THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.

The critics, to whom we perhaps too often refer, must think it strange that we introduce into the chapter devoted to the city of Watertown, a detailed account of the origin and growth of the pulp industry of Black river. Such should remember that a Watertown man, whose name will be discovered as we proceed, may be said to have originated this now great industry in Watertown, where he still resides, and we think the proper place for these details be- long to the history of that city.

Lameness having prevented the author from going about among all the pulp-grind- ing mills upon Black river, from Carthage to Dexter, the principal part of the data col- lected and given below has been prepared by Hon. L. Ingalls, the veteran editor, him- self a large consumer of paper, and espe- cially well calculated to give this important subject proper treatment.

There is no single mechanical industry in the county in which more capital is in- vested than in the manufacture of pulp and paper. Its later growth has been quite phenomenal. For more than sixty years after the first infant works were established, the paper manufacturing industry ran a very level and unexciting course, barely supplying a portion of the paper consumed in this immediate locality. It was not un- til after the discovery of grinding wood into pulp, as a portion of the material to work

into paper, that the business of paper mak- ing took its phenomenal bound in Water- town and upon Black river. It was in 1869 that the Remington Paper Company introduced wood pulp into the manufacture of paper.

A block of wood was fastened in a mor- able bed, and by automatic screw-gearing held against swiftly -revolving grindstones, and the wood was ground otf in fine par- ticles, constituting pulp. But soon larger grindstones were employed for working up the wood, as they made a finer pulp, and they still continue in use. This ground pulp would not make good paper of itself, and was used to take the place of rags and paper-stock only in part; 75 per cent of this wood pulp being all that even poor print would allow, and bear running through the power-presses of modern times. At least 25 per cent. of rags had to be used. But even this was a great economy. as 75 per cent. of ground wood was very much cheaper than that per cent in other stock.

It did not take long for a man of the com- prehensive mind of Mr. A. D. Remington to understand that our extensive water power and the Adirondack wilderness of spruce timber so very readily accessible, afforded very tempting inducements to enlarge ex- isting plants and to construct new ones. Hence the rapid growth of this industry for the past twenty years. There was another invention coming to the fore that gave the industry an added impulse. That was the sulphite process of reducing the wood to fibre. and by the use of a portion of this sulphite with the ground pulp, good print paper could be made without the use of any rags. Twenty-five per cent. of the chemical fibre, with 75 per cent. of ground pulp make a good article of print or wall paper, and is adapted to very many needs. Much paper is made with even a less per cent. of chemical fibre.

By the union of these two products a good article of print paper can now be made for two and a half to three cents a pound, when formerly the nominal price of rag paper, of no better quality, was seven to ten cents per pound.

It is indeed marvellous to consider the astonishing reduction in price and the in- creased use of paper during the present gen- eration. At the breaking out of the war of the rebellion, when it was imagined that an armed conflict with the cotton-growing South would greatly cripple our supply of paper-rags, the price of common print paper rose by rapid strides from 10 to 28 and 30 cents a pound. But cheaply as 75 per cent of wood pulp and 25 per cent. of rags made paper, there was yet an idea that wood alone was destined to be good enough for nse in making paper for news and com- mon books. The old saying that " where there's a will there's a way" was again verified. Science and invention united their forces to solve the problem, and it was soon

REMINGTON PAPER COMPANY'S SULPHITE MILL, SOUTH SIDE SEWALL'S ISLAND.

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CITY OF WATERTOWN.

solved, still further enhancing the reputa- tion of the Americans as the great inventors of the age. A Philadelphia genius is said to bave solved the difficulty; but somehow his method found its way into Sweden and Ger- many, and was first put in actual practice over there. But our A. D. Remington, a prophet in his business, had his ear close to the ground, and heard the footsteps of pass- ing events.

In 1884, learning of the application of the Philadelphian's invention, he left his home and business and went over to Sweden and Germany to see and learn what there was of this yet newer process. His visit there re- sulted in his purchasing several tons of their "sulphite fibre," called, in common parlance, " chemical pulp," and sending it home here to be worked up with his natural wood pulp. It proved a success; 25 per cent. of it, worked in with common ground pulp, made a good article of paper. It was thus found to work economically and admirably with the com- mon ground pulp, and thousands of tons of it were purchased and shipped to the com- pany's mills in Watertown, and worked up with its cheaper material. This plan of buy- ing chemical fibre in Sweden continued four or five years, when, by the earnest persuasion of A. D. Remington, the Remington Paper Company set about reconstructing their works to make room for this new process.

The two methods of converting spruce wood into material for the chemical paper and also the primitive grinding processes, are now in successful operation, and no rags are now used for cominon print; and further than this, ground pulp is used more or less in nearly all grades of paper, except it may be for some of the highest qualities.

Having explained this wood-pulp process, we now return to the earlier history of the paper industry in this county. It began as far back as 1808, when Gurdon Caswell, a Connecticut man, came into the Black River country, having married the daughter of a paper maker at Oriskany Creek, Oneida county. He came to Watertown and built a small mill on the south side of Beebee's Island, costing from $3,000 to $4,000. The process of making paper then was very much as follows: The machinery in the mill con- sisted of a small rag-engine for grinding the rags, carrying about 150 pounds; two or three potash kettles set in an arch, for boil- ing the rags and preparing the sizing; one vat for making the paper, one sheet at a time; and a standing press to squeeze the water out of the " pack," as the wet sheets were called. After pressing the " pack," the sheets were taken off the pile and hung on poles to dry, and, if intended for writing paper, were dipped into sizing to prevent the ink from spreading, and were dried. This, as will be seen, was all hand-work. Contrast this slow process with the present 96-inch Fourdrinier machine, running at a rapid speed and turning out 10 to 12 tons of

paper in 24 hours. What an astounding change in the process, and still more astound- ing are the number of mills now turning out this product and the 200 tons of daily out- put of paper and pulp in the county. But such is the marvellous record of progress in our paper industry in Jefferson county in 86 years.

To follow the chronological or local order of the starting of these later paper and pulp works, would lead us zig-zag up and down Black river; while, to commence at Carthage and follow the river down, will perhaps serve the reader's memory more satisfactorily.

AT CARTHAGE.

Dr. Frank E. Robinson is the proprietor of the West End pulp mill at Carthage.

He has 1,200 horse power, and runs five sets of grinders His output is from 12 to 15 tons per day of 24 hours, according to the grade of pulp demanded. His plant and water power are estimated at $100,000. He began his works in 1892, and ran the first pulp in February, 1893. The timber used is from the wilderness above Carthage. His product is mainly sold in Jefferson county, but he is looking for a southern and western outlet. He makes no paper.

H. Spicer & Son are proprietors of a pulp mill at Carthage, with three sets of grinders, giving an output of 6 tons per day of 24 hours. The investment in this plant is esti- mated at $20,000. The product is all sold in the county. They make no paper.

GREAT-BEND PAPER COMPANY.

This mill was started by George Clark for a strawboard mill in 1869, but now makes hanging or wall paper. Capital invested $75,000; value of output $100 per day; 22 to 30 hands are employed. The mill was pur- chased in 1887 by F. A. Fletcher and E. H. Thompson, and is now owned by them. They have the whole power of Black river.

FELTS MILLS.

At Felts Mills, in 1889, the Taggart Paper Company, with Geo. C. Sherman and David Anderson, erected a spacious pulp and paper mill, with a capacity of 36 tons per day of 24 hours. This mill is located on an island which has an are of about 8 acres; hence it is called the "Island Mill." The buildings cover a large space at the foot of the island, and in one way and another the company utilize the whole premises. Besides this island, the concern's property includes the old stone mill and its surroundings, and some land over which it is proposed to con- struct a switch from the main railroad track to a projected bridge leading to the island.

The buildings are all one-story structures, with basements for boiler and engine-rooms, an extensive system of drainers, rotary boil- ers, etc. They are built entirely of brick, with double stone walls on solid founda- tions. These have flat roofs five inches thick, covered with asbestos, painted white, with no joints, the whole resting on beams

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

with 8-foot centers. Six-inch floors add to the solidity of the structures. Incandscent electric lights are distributed throughout the entire establishment. It is heated by the blower system, hot air pipes being ex- tended to every room. Automatic sprink- lers are supplied in sufficient numbers to insure the flooding of every part of the building. Indeed, there is little to burn ; brick, iron and stone greatly predominating over wood in the structures.

The most impressive part of the work as it stands to-day, is the immense masonry upon which the pulp-mill building and the grinders rest, and the stone work which forms the side of the flume and holding the harness for the water wheels. The builders have set these great piles of stone and cement in what was once the bed of the river. These river foundations are 29} feet high, the outside one being 12 feet thick at the base and 6 feet at the top, and that on the inside being 7 feet. It is doubtful if a more extensive piece of work in this line can be found along Black river. There are five sets of iron gates, five in each set, and it is calculated that about 2,000 horse power is available for the use of the mill. The di- mensions of the pulp-mill are 163x63 feet.

There is no lack of power of any kind. For each of the two paper machines there is a 40-horse power engine, and provision is also made for driving the electric light dynamo, the fire pumps, the elevator and other machinery. The engines are of the Watertown Steam Engine Company's make, and are magnificent pieces of mechanism. The arrangement and equipment of the mill is such that there will be no delays by break-downs.

The two Fondrinier machines are in sepa- rate rooms, 153x36 feet. They are 120 feet long and 84 and 90 inches wide, made by Smith, Winchester & Co. They have a capacity for turning out from 250 to 300 feet of paper a minute. There are six beating engines of the Jones pattern, and from theni the material passes into the re. fining engines and then to the paper ma- chines. So perfect is the arrangement of all the machinery, and so complete is the mill's equipment with all the latest devices that when it is in full running order the pulp will not be touched from the time it goes into the grinders in the rough until it comes out as paper.

Besides these parts of the structure, there are on the main floor the finishing room, where the manufactured paper is prepared for shipping, 102x30; feet the rag room, 90x- 40; the storehouse. 75x40; a complete machine shop with a full equipment of new tools for making repairs. 70x30 ; and a small room in which the sizing and other work of that character is done. The storehouse and the finishing room run parallel with each other, with a sufficient separation to allow the construction of a railroad track between them.

Perhaps the greatest advantage which this mill enjoys over others is its indepen- dence of Black river for the water used in making paper. Half a mile away, up on a hill on the mainland, an abundant spring of pure clear water was secured, and this water is carried down to the mill in iron pipes, the fall being over 30 feet. The mill turns out 20 tons of pulp per day, and its manufacture of paper reaches 10 tons per day.

The investment is nearly $500,000.

The company has a saw-mill at the head of the island which has a capacity of saw- ing 10,000 feet of lumber a day. A cheese- box factory is also a part of the company's property, it being leased to other parties.

At the head of the island there is also a dam 486 feet in length, over which all the waste water flows down the north channel, and there the pulp timber is collected.

THE BLACK RIVER WOOD-PULP COMPANY.

The stock of this company is now all owned by Wooster O. Ball, of Watertown, Value of plant, $25,000. Has three grind- ers, with an output of 4 tons daily. Value of daily output. $72; hands employed, 6 ; mill started in1888. Timber used comes from the Adirondacks.

JEFFERSON COUNTY PAPER COMPANY, At Black River, F. H. Munson, Watertown, President ; Fred W. Herring, Watertown, Treasurer. They have 12 pulp grinders and 3 wet machines; manufacturing 24,000 pounds of pulp daily. They have one 92- inch Foudrinier machine, which turns out from 10 to 12 tons of paper per day. Hands employed, 45 to 50.

EMPIRE WOOD PULP COMPANY,

At Black River, is another recent establish- ment, of which Christopher Poor is Presi- dent : George C. Hazleton, Secretary and Treasurer. They have four grinders and manufacture about 8.000 pounds of pulp per day of 24 hours. From 6 to 8 men are em- ployed. They do not make paper.

Hiram Remington and his son. Edward, of Watertown, built a mechanical pulp mill at Black River recently, the estimated value of which (water power included), is $100,000. The pulp made is 16,000 pounds daily. and is used in their paper mill at Watertown. They employ in this and their Watertown mill 65 to 70 hands.

WATERTOWN.

Coming to Watertown, the first works in order are at the head of Sewall's Island. called the Watertown Paper Co., Hiram Remington, President. At this mill they have two Foudrinier paper machines, which produce daily from sixteen to eighteen tons of paper, Their pulp mill at Black River supplies them with a portion of their stock, and the sulphite fiber required is purchased elsewhere. The valne of the plant here, in-

PULP AND PAPER MILL OF THE TAGGARTS PAPER COMPANY, AT FELTS MILL.

111111

JEWETTVILLE MILL OF THE REMINGTON PAPER COMPANY.

HOME. WATERTOWN AND OGDENSBURG.

THE TAGGART BROS.' PAPER AND BAG MILL.

CITY OF WATERTOWN.

cluding water-power, is estimated at $150,- 000. Their output of paper is worth about $800 per day. They employ at this and the Black River pulp mill from 60 to 65 hands.

The Remington Paper Company's pulp, sulphite and paper mills are on Sewall's is- land, on the south and north branch of the river, with one pulp mill down the river below the poor house. In all these mills they have twenty-one wood pulp grinders, the output being forty tons daily: and from the sulphite mill twenty tons of chemical fiber. In the sulphite mill three tons of sulphur are used daily, which is imported at a cost of about $20 per ton. The com- pany run four Foudrinier paper machines, turning out from 32 to 36 tons of paper daily. The capital invested, including 26, - 000 acres of Adirondack land, is estimated at $1,350,000. They work up 75 cords of wood per day, and the value of their paper and sulphite output is from $2,300 to $2,500 daily. The number of men employed aver- ages about 200. This company has an ex- tensive machine shop, where their own repairs are attended to by their own work- men. The present officers of the company are A. D. Remington. President; Geo. P. Folts, First Vice-President; Charles R. Rem- ington, Second Vice-President; Charles H. Remington, Secretary, and N. R. Caswell, Treasurer. These now immense works date back to 1854, when I. Remington. of Fay- etteville, the father of Hiram, A. D. and C. R. Remington, of Watertown, began to make paper in the long-time idle factory building of Patrick O'Dougherty, on the north side of the river, and at first could produce only one ton of paper per day. The first company was composed of Illus- trious Remington, Hiram Remington and Alfred D. Remington, the latter of whom moved to Watertown and entered upon the management of the business, and to his in- dustry, skill and tireless energy are so greatly due the development of the paper industry upon Black river. The sulphite mill of this company was started in 1890. No rags are now used in these mills, the whole stock being} chemical fiber and me- chanical pulp.

In following the river we come next to the oldest paper mill in the county, the Knowlton Brothers. This mill was estab- lished in a small way as a hand-mill by Gurdon Caswell in 1808, on the site where now stands a portion of the works. We have hitherto alluded to the small begin- nings of this mill and of this industry in Jefferson county, now grown to such grand proportions. Of course a mill 86 years of age must have had more than one change of proprietors, yet the Knowlton Brothers' mill, for more than 60 years, has in great part been in the hands of the Knowlton family; nevertheless it had its early vicissi- tudes. The mill, in the hands of one or another, continued to make paper from 1808, in the old building, to 1833, when

George W. Knowlton and Clark Rice, who had bought the mill in 1824, sold the site and built a new building a little higher up, on the upper side of what is now Mill street. Mr. Caswell built another mill in 1819 at Factory Square, and sold it to his brother, Henry Caswell. In 1823 Gurdon Caswell built his third mill on Sewall's island, occu- pying a part of the site where the Bagley & Sewall Company's works now stand. This mill suffered once by fire, and was demol- ished in 1830, so that from 1824 to 1854, a period of thirty years, Knowlton & Rice were, with only slight exceptions, the only paper makers in the county. In 1833 they abandoned both mills and built on the site of Knowlton Brothers' present works. But that mill was burned in 1848 It was re- built, however, larger than before, with improved machinery. In 1854 Knowlton & Rice retired from active business, having .sold the mill to Chamberlain & Dalton, of Massachusetts. In 1861 that firm sold it to the present proprietors, John C. & George W. Knowlton. Since it came into their hands the mill has been practically rebuilt and equipped with larger and greatly im- proved machinery, taking in a grist mill on the west side of Mill street, and otherwise expanding the area of their works, till now the capital invested is estimated at $100,000, employing from 40 to 50 hands. They have two pulp grinders, two rag-engines, each of 1,000 pounds capacity, one washer of 2,000 pounds capacity, one 66-inch Foudrinier machine, turning out 9,000 pounds of col- ored mediums per day. The value of this daily output is about $500. This mill uses mostly rags, but some pulp. Their product is sold all over the country.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 42

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098