USA > New York > Albany County > Cohoes > The history of Cohoes, New York, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 17
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199
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1869.
the year by Wm. T. Horrobin. The foundery building is one story high, 100 by 60 feet, and the machine shop is three stories high, 100 by 50 feet. . Extensive additions, embrac- ing blacksmith shop, pattern house, etc., were soon after- ward made. A number of residences and stores were also erected. Prominent among these new buildings was the block erected by C. H. Adams on Remsen street, below Ontario. It is three stories in height, built of Philadelphia brick, with an ornamentaliron front. The plate glass windows in the stores on the ground floor were the first ones introduced in Cohoes. On the site of the old Heamstreet tavern, on Mohawk street one door below Factory, a brick block three stories high was erected by Mr. Witbeck of Troy. Among the public improvements were the engine houses on Main street and Johnston avenue and a new school house corner of Cataract and School streets. Several additions and im- provements were also made on church property. An ex- tension was built on the Presbyterian church at a cost of $7,000, by which its capacity was doubled; as enlarged the building is 95 by 48 feet with transepts on the south 59 feet in width, and contains 172 pews, capable of seating 700 people. It was rededicated Jan. 20, 1870. Adjoining St. Bernard's church a parsonage was built 40 by 40 feet, three stories high, at a cost of $15,000. The Baptist congregation also commenced the erection of a parsonage on the lot south of the church, which was completed in the following year, at a cost of about $5,000. St. Joseph's church was dedicated Dec. 12th, with the usual ceremonies. The first mass was celebrated by Rev. Thos. Keveney - the pastor, Father Sau- gon, being on account of illness unable to attend.
A series of articles appeared in the Albany Express during the year on the growth and manufactures of Cohoes. These were revised and expanded by Mr. Edward Fitzgerald, and published in a pamphlet of 55 pages entitled The City of Cohoes. Its History, Growth and Prospects, Its Great
200
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1869.
Manufactories. The contents were chiefly descriptions of the manufacturing establishments then in operation and statistics of their production. At the close of the publica- tion appeared the following summary :
"At present the city numbers over 16,000 inhabitants. Its manufactories comprise six extensive cotton mills, running 203,000 spindles, eighteen large knitting mills, two foundries, three machine shops, a rolling mill, two axe factories, a planing mill, a sawing and veneering establish- ment, and many other large and flourishing industrial con- cerns. The aggregate capital invested in manufacturing operations is estimated at $20,000,000. The mercantile in- terests of the city are represented by over 300 large and prosperous retail establishments. The religious wants of the community are supplied by six large and magnificent churches. Two splendid steam fire engines of great power are at the service of the fire department."
201
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1870.
XI. 1870 TO 1876.
FROM the time that Cohoes assumed the dignity of a city, a marked change was apparent in its general character. A certain degree of local pride became developed, which it must be confessed had previously been wanting, and the results were a wonderful improvement in the appearance of the place, and the provision of many conveniences which had long been needed for the comfort and well-being of its citizens. The gradual accomplishment of these changes, and the evidences of substantial growth which they afford, form a notable feature of the history of Cohoes for the next few years.
The first election under the city charter was held April 12, 1870. It passed off very quietly, and the number of votes polled (1,850), was much larger than at any previous election. The city government was formally organized on the evening of Tuesday, April 19th. After the meeting was called to order and the mayor had administered the necessary oaths of office, the aldermen proceeded to act as a board of canvassers, and the result of the election was officially announced. The privilege of the floor was then obtained by Augustus Ellmaker, late president of the village, who, in behalf of the late trustees, presented an elegant watch to Malachi Ball, who for six years previous had been the effi- cient clerk of the village and board of education. After this agreeable incident, the mayor delivered his inaugural - a short but comprehensive address, in which were stated the financial condition of the city, and the improvements most needed. The appointments were then made, and the standing committees announced. The meeting was spoken of in the Cataract as follows :
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1870.
" After the transaction of a few minor items of business the board adjourned, having had a session that was remark- able for its unanimity and the good order that prevailed. The new officers seemed to slip into the routine of their positions as easily as if they had been to the manner born; and those who expected a hitch in the proceedings were disappointed in their expectations. The mayor presided with a dignity becoming his high official position, and in the cast of his committees evinced a thorough knowledge of the needs of the several departments and a just estimate of the peculiar qualifications of the gentlemen for the various positions to be filled. We congratulate our citizens upon the auspicious commencement of our career as a city . and trust that the most sanguine expectations of the friends of the new system may be realized, and the fears and appre- hensions of its opponents prove unfounded."
The capital police law of 1865, though excellent in many of its features, had for some time been made the subject of complaint, and during the winter of 1870, steps were taken by several of the cities and villages which were under its provisions to procure laws creating a different system. Cohoes was one of the last so to do, and it was not until May 6, that the bill under which our present police system is organized was passed. Under this act the government of police affairs was vested in a board of police commissioners, consisting of the mayor and two others, the term of office of the latter being four years. The police force appointed by the board was made to consist of a captain, sergeant, not more than seven patrolmen, a station-house keeper and a surgeon. The first commissioners under this act were chosen at the general election in November.
Soon after the charter went into operation, movements were made towards securing some of the substantial im- provements which it was expected would follow as a natural result of the new form of municipal government. The streets, which had so long been a discredit to the place, and had for over twenty years been made the subject for a paragraph in almost every issue of the village newspaper,
203
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1870.
were among the first objects to which attention was directed. In the early part of June a petition for the pavement of Remsen street from Mohawk to White street was presented to the common council. The committee was unable to de- cide at once upon the style of pavement which would be most suitable and give greatest satisfaction to the property owners on the street. A long and animated discussion fol- lowed, on the merits of the respective pavements - and a number of communications on the subject were published in the Cataract. The decision was finally made in favor of a wooden pavement, the Brocklebank and Trainor, and the work of laying it was commenced in October.
The new reservoir, work ou which had been commenced in the preceding year, was completed in July, and the water was pumped into it on the 25th of that month. It occupies three and a quarter acres of land, situated at the west of the first reservoir, which were bought in 1869 from Mrs. Jane A. Lansing, for $1,800. It has a capacity of 8,000,000 gallons, and is at an elevation of 28 feet above the old one, and 190 feet above the central portion of the town. The first pump which was constructed for this reservoir did not operate satisfactorily and another was afterward substituted, built under direction of D. H. Van Auken, engineer of the Cohoes Co. This pump is double acting, 16 inch diameter and 6 feet stroke, working 10 strokes to the minute, moving a column of water 16 inches in diameter 120 feet per minute, and elevating it into the new reservoir 118 feet above the pump bed. It is driven by a Jonval turbine water wheel of 100 horse power, made by Fuller & Safely.
On Sept. 17th, the first number of the Cohoes Weekly Democrat, a paper about the size of the Advertiser of 1847, was issued. It was an outgrowth of a smaller sheet called the Watchman and Chronicle which had been published during a few months previous by D. Cady. Mr. Cady's as- sistant in the editorship of the Democrat was John H. At- kinson.
204
HISTORY OF COHOES. 1870.
Among the new manufacturing firms which commenced operations this year was the Cohoes Lime, Cement & Plaster Co., which located its works near the Cohoes Co.'s dam. The proprietors were T. G. Younglove, David T. Lamb, Henry I. Dunsbach, G. H. Stewart and L. Dodge. The first kiln, a Page's Patent Flame Kiln- was put in opera- tion during the summer. 1
Another establishment, Trost & Bezner proprietors, was located in Land & Son's building on Conrtland street ; the articles of manufacture being furniture, and fancy articles in wood .?
The general improvement of the place during the year was marked. The completion of the new water works, and the addition of two hose companies to the fire department rendered the protection against fire very complete ; several important changes were made by the board of education in the method of conducting the schools, and arrangements were made for the erection of the White street school house, a building which had long been needed ; many of the streets were graded and repaired, and several sections of country roads, which under the provisions of the charter were in- cluded in the city limits, were improved ; the construction of sewers, a matter which had formerly been too much neglected, owing to the limited power granted to the village trustees, received the attention of the authorities, and sewers were laid in portions of Remsen, Mohawk, Oriskany, Main
1 A mill for grinding cement and plaster was built in the following year. In 18:3 the capacity of the works was increased by the erection of another mill, and two additional kilns. The second mill is located near the Erie Canal, 230 feet from the first, from which the power is obtained by means of a wire cable. The cost of the works was about $50,000. In 1875 this firm was succeeded by the Cohoes Lime & Cement Co., incorporated Aug. 18th with a capital of $70,000. The following were the first officers : president, D. T. Lamb ; secretary, T. G. Younglove ; treasurer, D. HI. Van Auken. D. T. Lamb, H. I. Dunsbach, M. O. Cauldwell, T. G. Younglove, G. H. Stewart, L. Dodge, trustees.
1 The style of this firm was changed July 21, 1876, to the Trost & Bezner Mfg. Co. John T. Saxe, proprietor.
205
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1871.
and Cedar streets. The cost of these various improvements, as shown in the mayor's report, was in the neighborhood of $=0,000. The taxes were of course increased, but not so largely as many supposed - the rate being less than a quarter of one per cent greater than that of the previous year. The census of this year indicated the largest five years' growth in the history of the place, there being an in- crease of 6,578 over the official census of 1865. The male inhabitants over the age of 21 were 2,574, divided as follows : Ist ward, 779 ; 2d ward, 717 ; 3d ward, 728 ; 4th ward, 350. The following statistics in regard to manufactures were given :
Manufacturing establishments,. 196
Capital invested, $4,030,641
Wages paid yearly, 1,839,572
5,084,940
Value material used, annual production, 7,889,331
In February, 1871, several amendments to the charter were prepared by a committee from the common council, which were presented to the legislature and passed in May. Among the changes were the following: provision was made for the election of two justices of the peace to serve until 1874 ; the common council was invested with power to pass certain ordinances and regulations for the government of the city, and to appoint commissioners of deeds ; the term of office of the chamberlain was made two years; the power of the recorder was increased, and his salary fixed at $2,000, and the term of office of the overseer of the poor was ex- tended from one to three years. Considerable dissatisfaction was expressed at the last two amendments, which it was claimed were added after the bill had left the hands of the committee in Cohoes.
On Sunday, June 10, the new St. John's church, at the junction of Canvass and Mohawk streets, was formally opened by Bishop Doane, who had laid the corner stone on
206
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1871.
June 11th of the previous year. The ceremonies of consecra- tion were postponed until a small debt yet remaining on the building should be liquidated. The customary morning service was read, Bishop Doane, Rev. Ferris Tripp, of Brooklyn, Rev. Chas. Babcock of Greenwood Works, and Rev. J. H. H. Brown, rector of the parish, officiating. The sermon was preached by Bishop Doane. The building, which will accommodate 1,000 persons, is built of Schenec- tady stone faced with brick, in the modern gothic style, with transept. The nave of the church is 100 feet long, 68 feet wide and 60 feet to the peak of the roof. The ceil- ing is in blue, and the upper part of the walls has a red ground, diapered. The chancel, which is square, measures 20 by 30 feet, with a large window in the rear. The organ and choir are placed in an alcove a few feet above the level of the transept, on which it opens through an archway. The chapel is 24 by 32 feet and opens on the church and chancel in the same manner as the organ alcove, so that it can be used if desired to make extra accommodations for the church. The Sunday school room, which will seat 450 pupils, is located in the lower part of the building. The rectory, connected with the chapel, is of the same material as the church, and a model of convenience. Besides what is now built, it is the design to have a tower on the south side of the church, with a stone spire 160 feet high. The cost of the structure as far as finished is $40,000, and the completion of it will cost $20,000 more.
Among the additions this year to the business of the city was the Cohoes Warp Mill and Thread Co., incorporated July 23d, with Collins Arnold, president and treasurer, and Stillman Ilsley, secretary. The manufactures of this com- pany are hosiery yarns and cops, seaming thread, chain warps, etc., which are used principally by cotton and woolen mills. The building which is on the site of the Miles White forge shop, on Mohawk street, is of brick, 50 by so feet,
207
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1871.
four stories high, and was completed in July. Another new factory was erected by the Empire Pin Co., on Courtland street, a brick building 40 by 100 feet, and five stories high. With its increased facilities the company did an extensive business, operating 40 machines and producing 46,800 papers of pins per week. These papers average 280 pins each, making a yearly production of 681,408,000.
The Waterford and Cohoes Bridge was burned on the night of the 31st October, but little to the regret of the citizens, if we may judge from the following, from the Cataract :
"It was never considered a first class structure and of late years has been a source of constant dread to those who have been obliged to cross it, and a standing insult to public enterprise. During the conflagration, the general expression seemed to be that it were better thus than that the lives of our citizens should be endangered by its longer use."
A steam ferry was established for the accommodation of passengers, and a tug was provided to tow the boats in the Champlain Canal across the river. The new state dam just below the bridge, which had been commenced in June, 1870, was completed this fall, by Sherrill, Strong & Flood, con- tractors. Its length between the piers is 1,640 feet.
The building of this dam enabled Messrs. Weed, Becker & Co. to obtain an additional head of five feet of water, and add largely to the capacity of their establishment. The - improvements connected with these increased facilities were completed during the year at a cost of $20,000.
In October, when the news was received here of the great fires which devastated Chicago, and different places in Michigan and Wisconsin, the citizens were prompt to come forward with substantial expressions of sympathy. A public meeting was at onee held in Egberts' Hall to take measures for the relief of the sufferers, at which Mayor Adams pre- sided. Committees of five gentlemen from each ward were appointed to receive subscriptions, who were to report to the
208
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1872.
following general committee : Hon. C. H. Adams, Murray Hubbard, D. J. Johnston, H. B. Silliman, Wm. Nuttall. The response to the call was general and liberal. About $4,000 in cash were raised, of which $2,500 were sent to Chicago and the balance to the sufferers by the fires in Wisconsin and Michigan. Knit goods and other articles of clothing to the value of $5,000 were also forwarded.
A matter which occasioned considerable discussion in Co- hoes during the early part of 1872, was what was known as the Boulevard bill, introduced in January. It pro- vided for the construction of a broad avenue, the line of which was to extend along the Hudson river terrace, begin- ning at the Newtonville road in Albany and running north, passing a little to the west of the Rural Cemetery and ter- minating in Cohoes at or near Johnston avenue, affording a straight and level street nine miles in length. The work was to be supervised by seven commissioners, of whom three were from Albany, two from Watervliet, and two from Cohoes, the gentlemen named from this place being David J. Johnston and H. S. Bogue. The expense, estimated at $100,000, was to be defrayed by the localities to be benefited; bonds were to be issued by the city of Albany to the amount of $50,000 and by the town of Watervliet and the city of Cohoes, each for $25,000. The newspapers in the neighbor- hood were almost without exception in favor of the project, and it had a number of strong supporters among the citizens of Albany and Cohoes. There was, however, from the be- ginning a strong feeling against it in West Troy, and con- siderable opposition was soon developed here. Many persons claimed that the bill was a private measure intro- duced merely to advance the interests of individuals who owned property along the route of the proposed road; and also that in case the latter should be constructed, it would be used merely as a pleasure drive, and, not being suitable for the passage of heavy vehicles, would be of no business
1872.
HISTORY OF COHOES. 209
advantage. The principal objection, however, which was urged by Cohoes people, was that if the city were to be bonded at all, the money should be expended in making improvements for which there was more pressing necessity. These objections were answered by the friends of the bill, but they failed to entirely overcome the prejudice against it, and it did not go into effect.
A bill introduced during the same month made several changes in the charter of the city, the principal one being in regard to the recorder and overseer of the poor. The former office was abolished, and provision was made that the latter be filled annually by appointment of the common council.
In February, the Cohoes Hospital was established, an institution which for lack of proper support has not had the permanence it deserved. Its officers were : president, Robert Johnston ; vice president, Earl L. Stimson ; secre- tary, Win. E. Thorn ; treasurer, Wm. Burton ; committee, T. G. Younglove, H. B. Silliman, W. S. Gilbert. A build- ing was hired on Harmony Hill, in which a free dispensary was established, and Drs. Robertson, of Albany, and J. W. Moore and Jas. Featherstonhaugh of this city, gave their services to those in need of them.'
With the rapid growth in the business interests of Cohoes, it had for some time been apparent that there was a favor- able opportunity for the establishment of a second banking institution, and a movement to this effect was made in January by a number of prominent business men, which resulted in the organization, on March 21st, of the Manu- facturers' Bank of Cohoes, with a capital of $100,000. The first officers were as follows : president, Wm. E. Thorn ; vice
" This laudable enterprise was supported for a time almost entirely by the contri- butions of private citizens. A bill was passed in May, 1873, authorizing the common council to appropriate $1.000 annually for its maintenance. This did not go into effect, however, and, not receiving any encouragement, the gentlemen in charge of the institution were forced to abandon it, not being willing to defray ail its expenses from their own pockets.
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210
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1872.
president, Jno. V. S. Lansing ; cashier, N. W. Frost; di- rectors, Wm. E. Thorn, Jno. V. S. Lansing, D. H. Van Auken, Geo. Campbell, J. W. Himes, Jacob Travis, D. J. Johnston, Nicholas J. Clute, Wm. Moore, Alfred Le Roy, P. R. Chadwick. Rooms were fitted up at No. 70 Oneida street, and the institution was opened for the transaction of business, July 8th.
The project of uniting Lansingburg and Cohoes by bridges across the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, which had been agitated in the papers of the vicinity at different times pre- vious, assumed definite shape by the incorporation of the Lansingburg and Cohoes Bridge Co. in March. The bill provided for the construction of "a bridge and the ap- proaches thereto, over the Hudson from some point on Van Schaick's Island, in the city of Cohoes to some point in the village of Lansingburg, south of said ferry."
It was expected that the erection of a bridge across the Mohawk from the island to Cohoes, concerning which Mr. Adams, owner of the island, had made some generous offers, would soon follow, as arrangements had been made the pre- vious autumn. The scheme seemed to meet with approval from all parties concerned. The papers of Troy were earnest in its favor, on the ground that the road distance between that place and Cohoes would be diminished by nearly a mile and communication between the two cities be greatly facilitated ; while the Cohoes papers hailed with satisfaction the prospect of beautiful building sites and pleasant drives which was offered to our citizens. As in the case of the Boulevard bill, however, while the value which such an improvement would have was acknowledged on all sides, something occurred to kill the project, and there has been no definite movement towards developing that part of our city until the present year.
The new bridge across the Mohawk above the state dam was completed in September at a cost of about $25,000. It is 704 feet long and consists of four spans of 140 feet and
211
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1872.
one of 135 feet. The side walks and tow path are each : ix feet wide, and the trusses twenty-one feet high. It is known as the Combination Bridge, the top chord and posts being of wood, and the lower chord, main and center braces of iron. Belden and Gale of Syracuse were the contractors.
An event of importance in the history of Cohoes man- ufactures was the completion in this year of the extension to the Harmony Mill No. 3, making the largest complete cotton mill in the country. The extension is five stories high, and 510 feet long by 76 feet wide, making the entire structure 1,185 by 70-76 feet. The junction of the exten- sion with the main building is marked by the central tower, a handsome fire proof structure eight stories in height. A niche in this contains a bronze statue of the late Thos. Garner, for years one of the principal proprietors of the mills, which was cast by the Ames Mfg. Co. of Chicopee, Mass., after a model by Millman. Underneath this tower is the main entrance, substantially built of granite. There are four other entrances to the building, each surmounted by a lofty tower. The building is constructed throughout of the best and most durable materials, and its front is handsomely trimmed with brown-stone. Besides its great importance to the place in a business point of view, the fine architecture of this mill and its complete finish in every detail render it a principal ornament of the city, and it is among the first objects of interest to strangers who visit us.
The Harmony Co. made a further addition to their estab- lishment by the purchase in the early part of the year of the paper mill building on Mohawk street, south of the No. 2 mill, in which the manufacture of jute was afterwards commenced. Messrs. Van Benthuysen & Sons, the pro- prietors of the paper mill, moved their machinery to Castle- ton, where they had a similar establishment.'
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