USA > Pennsylvania > Northampton County > History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh, Volume I > Part 39
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THE SILK MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
encouragement to locate at Easton, they established the Easton Silk Com- pany. This industry was located at Lehicton bridge on the Bushkill creek, and gave employment to several hundred hands. Later additions were made from time to time to the original plant, and on April 15, 1914, articles of incorporation were taken out under the name of R. & H. Simon Company, with a capital stock of $1,935,000. The officers of the corporation are: E. M. Simon, president; Charles W. Miller, vice-president and treasurer ; and Grace Bixler, secretary. Silk goods of every description are manufactured, and employment is given to two thousand wage-earners.
The introduction of the silk industry into Easton soon led to the estab- lishment of other factories. The Stewart Silk Company erected a-plant which has been operated successfully for a quarter of a century. Employment is given to about five hundred hands. The Haytock-Cronemeyer Company was incorporated in 1903 with a capital stock of $500,000. The officers at the time of the organization were: George W. Stout, president; William R. Haytock, treasurer ; and John Haytock, secretary. The present officers are : William R. Haytock, president and treasurer; John Haytock, vice-president ; and C. Cronemeyer, secretary. Broad silks are manufactured, and the annual production is $2,500,000. The products are not only sold to the domestic trade but are exported to England, Cuba and Canada. Employment is given to six hundred hands. A kindred industry is the Haytock Silk Throwing Company, which is engaged in preparatory work necessary before the silk is woven. This corporation was incorporated September 12, 1906, with a capital stock of $150,000. The present officers were elected at the time of organization : William R. Haytock, president ; John Haytock, vice-president ; Charles Cronemeyer, treasurer; Joseph Haytock, Jr., secretary and general manager. The annual production is 150,000 pounds of crepe twist and 40,000 pounds of organzine twist. Employment is given to one hundred and fifty wage-earners.
The Northampton Silk Company was incorporated March 18, 1905, with a capital stock of $100,000. The officers at the time of organization were : James Smith, president ; E. J. Richards, treasurer ; and H. J. Haytock, secre- tary and treasurer. This enterprise started with fifty looms, and now oper- ates two hundred and sixty, having a yearly production of $700,000 in dress silks. Employment is given to about one hundred and fifty people.
There are over four thousand operators at work in the silk mills of Easton alone, making broad silks, velvets and ribbons. Besides those already mentioned engaged in the industry are the Crown Silk Manufacturing com- pany, the Robins Silk Manufacturing Company, the Roehlin-Pittenger Silk Company, Alexander Smith & Son, Edirose Silk Company, the Gunning Silk Company, and Easton Silk Dyers & Finishing Company.
In the city of Bethlehem are located the Bethlehem Silk Company, the Wahls Ribbon Manufacturing Company, and the mills of the Galca Silk, Valley Silk and D. G. Derry. In the borough of Northampton there are four silk mills. The John H. Meyer Silk Mills Company operate mills No. I and No. 2, and were incorporated in 1915 with a capital stock of $350,000. Broad silks are manufactured and the annual output is about $2,500,000, while employment is given to six hundred wage-earners. The present officers of the company are: John H. Meyer, president and treasurer; Henry G.
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Warland, vice-president and sales manager; Henry Prunaret, vice-president and manager ; and John T. Neff, secretary. There is also in the borough of Northampton a silk mill operated by the D. G. Derry Silk Company that gives employment to three hundred and fifty people. The Egypt Silk Mills Corporation, who operated mills at Egypt, Coplay, Allentown, Walnutport and Northampton, employed about three hundred hands in their Northampton county mills.
The Bangor Silk Company was incorporated in 1905 and was succeeded August 22, 1912, by the Pennsylvania Silk Company with a capital stock of $36,000. In December, 1913, there was added to the equipment sixty-two looms in addition to their former ninety-eight looms. On January 1, 1919, the affairs of the Pennsylvania Silk Company were taken over by the Penn- Allen Silk Company, a corporation organized under the State laws of New York. Broad silks, taffetas, satins, crepe-de-chine and charmeuse are manu- factured, and the yearly production, including a branch at Allentown, Penn- sylvania, is $600,000, employment being given to one hundred and fifty males and females. The present officers are: Harvey D. P. Dietrich, president; Thomas M. Butler, secretary; Joseph Zubow, treasurer. The Crown Silk Manufacturing Company was the first silk glove mill to be established in Bangor, was among the first in Pennsylvania, also made the first cotton milan- ese cloth in America, and was among the first to manufacture duplex and chamoisette cloth in this country. It was incorporated in June, 1905, with a capital stock of $125,000. The officers at the time of organization were: Jaocb Raub, president; Elwood Hay, treasurer. Silk gloves are principally manufactured, but hosiery, underwear and piece goods are also made. The yearly production is $500,000, and the manufactured products are exported to England, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. The number of employees is two hundred and fifty. R. K. Boadwee is president and treasurer of the cor- poration. The Sterling Silk Glove Company was incorporated in August, 1907, with a capital stock of $200,000. The officers at the time of the organization were: Jacob Thisen, president; W. F. Jordan, secretary and treasurer. Silk gloves and jersey silk cloth are manufactured, the annual production being one million dollars. Exports are made to Australia, and five hundred males and females are given employment. The present officers of the corporation are : W. R. Jordan, president and treasurer ; and William H. Long, secretary.
The Pen Argyl Silk Company is located in the borough of Pen Argyl, and employment is given to about one hundred wage-earners. McCollom & Post Company, at Nazareth, in their silk mill employ about seventy-five males and females.
It was through the efforts of Robert D. Hughes, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Talmadge Pendleton, of New York City, that in 1897 the citizens of Bath subscribed $16,000 for the erection and equipment of a silk mill. The Bath Silk Manufacturing Company was organized and a substantial structure was constructed two stories high, 130 by 45 feet in dimension. The mill was first equipped with old French looms that were purchased from a Pater- son silk mill. These were soon discarded and new Knowles looms were sub- stituted, also warping and Jacquard machines and dobbies, so that everything required in the line could be produced, including tie and dress silks. Em- ployment is given at the present time to about one hundred wage-earners.
CHAPTER XXIX DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES
The early manufacturers of Northampton county were largely dependent on the products of the soil; the forests furnished the raw material for the saw- mills, the grain products for the gristmills, the minerals were used on the articles manufactured in the iron line, lime was produced from the lime- stone, and brick from the clay fields.
One of the most novel industries of the county had its foundation in the discovery made by Jacob Ulberoth, of a strange mineral deposit in the Saucon Valley. The character of this deposit was unknown and unsuspected ; the original discoverer, thinking it might be iron ore, took a wagon-load to the Mary Ann Furnace in Berks county to be smelted. The attempt was a failure, and for several years the matter was dropped, when by chance it came to the attention of William Theodore Roepper, a noted geologist, who pronounced it to be "calamine," the hydro-silicate of zinc. This dis- covery led to a development of an apparently inexhaustible mine. Under the supervision of Samuel Wetherill, works for the production of zinc-oxide by a process of his own invention were erected. The works were completed at a cost of $85,000, October 13, 1853, and the first zinc-white ever made in America was produced by the combined process of Wetherill and Richard Jones. The process of manufacturing consists in pulverizing and mixing the ore with coal, which is then heated in furnaces fully supplied with air; the metallic zinc is then extracted in the form of vapor, is instantly oxidized, and the oxide of zinc thus formed is canned in the form of powder from the furnaces, the debris and gases are eliminated, and the zinc oxide is col- lected and packed in airtight packages. From this zinc oxide is produced a zinc paint rivaling the best of foreign production.
At the commencement the works were operated by an unincorporated association; however, on May 2, 1855, the Pennsylvania and Lehigh Zinc Company, with a capital of $1,000,000, was incorporated by an act of the legislature. The object of the organization was for the mining of zinc ore in the counties of Lehigh and Northampton, the manufacturing of zinc paint, metallic zinc, and other articles from said ore, and of vending the same. The originators of the company were residents of New York, and Thomas Andrews, of that city, was elected president. Mr. Wetherill continued in superintendence of the works until September, 1857, when he was succeeded by Joseph Wharton. During the administration of Mr. Wetherill, 4,725 tons of zinc white were produced, and experiments had been made for the manu-
facture of metallic zinc. The corporate title of the company was changed February 16, 1860, to the Lehigh Zinc Company. Buildings for the manu- facture of metallic zinc were completed under the supervision of Louis De Gee, of Ougree, Belgium, who came to this country for this express purpose. The first metallic zinc was produced in July, 1859, and three expert workmen were imported from the spelter and oxide works in Belgium. A mill for NORTH .- 1-20.
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rolling sheet zinc was completed, and the first sheet was rolled in April, 1865. This was the first introduction of that art in this country. The mines of the company were situated at Friedensville, in the Saucon Valley, and there was also in 1877 a plant of the company occupying ten acres in South Bethlehem. The president that year was Benjamin C. Webster, who had conducted the affairs of the company since 1863. The early operations of the Pennsylvania & Lehigh Zinc Company were more of a speculative char- acter than on sound business principles, therefore it was not a financial success.
The original assets of the company in 1881 were sold at a sheriff's sale and bought in by the first mortgage bondholders, who resold to Osgood & Company of Jersey City, who operated works of similar character at Jersey City and Bergen Point, New Jersey. Operations for several years were abandoned, and there was a current rumor in 1884 that if the water could be pumped out of the mines that Osgood & Company would erect furnaces at Friedensville. A new corporation was formed and incorporated Septem- ber 1, 1886, under the title of the Lehigh Zinc & Iron Company, with a capi- tal stock of $600,000. A consolidation was effected in 1897 with the New Jersey Zinc & Iron Company of Newark, New Jersey, and the subsidiary com- pany became known as the New Jersey Zinc Company of Pennsylvania. The present officials are: Richard Hecksher, president; Samuel P. Wetherill, vice-president ; August Hecksher, treasurer ; J. Price Wetherill, general man- ager; August Hecksher, treasurer ; J. H. Troutman, secretary. Employment is given to eighty-eight wage-earners, and the production is confined to zinc oxide.
Another early industry of Northampton county was the Lehigh Valley Cotton Mills, which was a lineal descendant of the first cotton spinning establishment started at South Easton in 1835 by Swift & Beck. From their proprietorship the mills passed in 1844 into the hands of Mckean & Quinn, who enlarged and extended the business. In 1872 the firm name was changed to McKean & Rappael. The spinning mill at one time con- tained 8,700 spindlers, with all the necessary machinery for preparing the cotton for the spindlers, 2,200 pounds a day being manufactured. The weaving room contained 266 power looms and produced about 8,000 yards of cloth daily. Employment was given in 1877 to about three hundred hands. The mills were finally suspended.
The principal manufacturing establishments of Easton in 1860 were: Two iron and brass foundries, one iron rail and stove manufactory, one steam forge, two steam planing mills, one steam sash and blind factory, two soap and candle establishments, one barrel factory, one iron axle, two rope walks, an alcoholic distillery, a glue factory, a vinegar distillery, a factory for the manufacture of camphene, two saw-mills, three carriage shops, two tanneries, one millstone factory, one establishment for the manufacture of agricultural implements, two brickyards, one spoke factory, two boat building establish- ments, one oil mill, four breweries, two bottling establishments, seven flour and gristmills and nine distilleries. The latter consumed 250,000 bushels of grain yearly and made about 900,000 gallons of whiskey. The first tan- nery was established in Easton in 1760 by David Berringer. The first grist
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and saw-mill was operated by Peter Kichline. The brewing interest of Easton was established in 1821 by the Seltz's Brewery. The Keubler's Brew- ery was organized in 1854 by Glanz & Keubler. Vehl's Brewery was erected in 1855.
Twenty years later, in 1880, among the industries of Easton were A. D. Cooke's furniture manufactory, the largest of that description in eastern Pennsylvania. It was not confined to any particular line of furniture; its products were shipped to New York, Philadelphia, Washington and other large cities. One million feet of lumber were always on hand in the drying kilns. The proprietors of the Easton Cordage Company, located on Bushkill creek, were J. Rinek & Sons. The raw material used in manufacturing was largely imported, the manila from the Philippine Islands and the sisal from Mexico. To the factory was attached a rope walk fifteen hundred feet long. Employment was given to forty hands, and the daily use of raw material amounted from seven to ten thousand pounds. This industry was later sold to the United States Cordage Company. The property was foreclosed under a mortgage held by bondholders, October 13, 1896, and was purchased by the Standard Cordage Company. The business is now supervised by de- scendants of the original founders. The manufacture of belting, harness and hose was commenced in Easton in 1830 by Bender & Company. They were succeeded by the H. H. Sage Company. This was the only collar and belt company in the Lehigh Valley; the yearly production was $60,000 and employment was given to thirty men. Among the existing manufactories today is the outgrowth of the Pollock Brush Company, which was established in 1830 at Easton. A variety of brushes is manufactured and the product is sold to retailers throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Among the novel industries was the paper-bag works of S. H. Erhart, the folding and pasting of the bags being done by a machine invented by the owner's father, George Erhart, each machine having a capacity of fifteen hundred bags an hour. An invention of a satchel button bag was also manufactured. For want of enterprise by the citizens of Easton, the Iowa Barb Wire Works in 1886 were removed from South Easton to Allentown, and became one of the thriving establishments of that city.
A determined effort was made in 1888 to introduce manufactories of various kinds into Easton. The formation of the Easton Industrial Associa- tion stimulated matters, and a loan of $12,000 was negotiated for the Law- rence Organ Works. The industry did not prove a great success to those that had invested in the stock, under the management of Professor Lawrence, who had charge of the work. The directors discharged him as superintend- ent, and he immediately sued the stockholders for his salary while idle. At the same time he cut off the supply of water for the factory, which was connected with his residence. The enterprise, with its many difficulties, never was a success, and the business was finally suspended.
The Easton Boot & Shoe Company was an important industry founded by the Easton Industrial Association. It was situated on Butler and Six- teenth streets, in a brick building 127 by 38 feet, four stories high. There were fifty-five employes, turning out three hundred pairs of shoes daily. The company was incorporated April 12, 1889, under the laws of the State of
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Pennsylvania, with a capital stock of $100,000; bonds were issued for $20,000, and were a first mortgage lien on the property. The bonds became due April 20, 1902; payment being defaulted, a receiver was appointed, who closed the affairs of the company. The National Switch & Signal Company in 1887 removed from Bethlehem to South Easton. The capital stock at that time was $400,000, but eventually they were consolidated with the Union Switch & Signal Company, and the latter, deciding to manufacture the signal and interlocking material at Swissvale, Pennsylvania, the works were closed April 30, 1899. Among the industries in Easton in 1890 were the Easton Clock Company, and the Matawan Felting manufacturing business, which was situated at Odenweldertown.
The manufacturing industries at Bethlehem at the close of the Civil War were in a primitive condition ; they were confined to a piano-forte establish- ment, a distillery, a lager beer brewery, three carriage shops, a tannery, a buckwheat flour mill, a merchant grist mill and a brass foundry. On the oppo- site side of the Monocacy creek, which was the dividing line between North- ampton and Lehigh counties, was situated South Bethlehem, where were a number of manufacturing establishments. Among these were the sash fac- tory and planing mill of Transue Brothers, and the sawing and planing mill of Lewis Doster. The latter was originally owned by the Moravian Society in 1743, and was purchased in 1836 by Mr. Doster, who enlarged it and added a planing mill. The Monocacy Woolen Mills was established in 1836 by Mr. Doster, the buildings and machinery being entirely destroyed by the great freshet of 1841, but were rebuilt the following year. The plant was moved in 1850 to a location that gave excellent water-power furnished by the Lehigh Canal Company. This was one of the most extensive woolen mills in the Lehigh Valley.
In a triangle formed by the Lehigh Valley and North Pennsylvania rail- roads, which was a part of the borough of South Bethlehem, formerly known as Augusta, was a hive of manufacturing industries. Here was situated in 1860 the foundry and machine shops of Abbott & Cortwright, who manu- factured coal, ore and gravel cars; the planing, sash and blind factory of Stechel & Company; and the zinc metal works of Gilbert, Wetherill, Baxter & Company. There was in the early seventies of the last century at South Bethlehem a shovel works that manufactured an average of fifteen dozen shovels a day. Another important industry was the Bushkill Works at Easton, where car seats in plush, rattan and leather were manufactured. Another feature was spring beds for Pullman cars, also for hotel and private houses. The plant was originally located at Poughkeepsie, New York, and removed to Easton in 1894.
Among the present prominent industries of Easton are the Ingersoll- Rand Company, formerly known as the Ingersoll Sergeant Company, the world's largest manufacturers of compressed air machinery. They were for- merly located in New York City, and mainly through the efforts of the Board of Trade were induced in 1892 to locate at Easton. The business steadily grew, and in 1902 one hundred and ninety acres of land were pur- chased near Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where a plant was built equal, if not larger, than the Easton Works. The company also has factories at Painted
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Post, New York; Athens, Pennsylvania; and are connected with the Cana- dian Rand Company at Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec, Canada. At the Easton Works small air compressors, oil engines, vacuum pumps, calyxcore drills, and large stone channeling machines are manufactured. The company maintains offices and warehouses in all the large cities of the United States, as well as numerous foreign branches. The Easton plant employs about three hundred and fifty hands.
On the banks of the Bushkill creek over sixty years ago, C. H. Hecht established the Lehicton Paint Mills. The power was furnished by the creek, and the original building was 30 by 50 feet, three and one-half stories high. The yearly capacity of the works was about 1,000 tons, and was principally used to paint coal and freight cars, bridges, barns and dwelling houses, every shade and variety of color being manufactured in oil, japan and spirits of turpentine. There were soapstone and talc quarries on the property, which were finely ground and bolted and shipped in carloads to the cities. There was also a bed of pure white stone resembling granite, and another of green serpentine stone on the property. Mr. Hecht in the early eighties became financially embarrassed and the property came into the hands of C. K. and J. T. Williams. The firm of C. K. Williams & Company was then organized, and still carry on the manufacture of dry paint powders, which are sold in all parts of the United States. The works in 1903 were entirely destroyed by fire, and three years later the firm again suffered a fire loss of $30,000. The enterprise is at the present day in a flourishing condition, and employment is given to about five hundred wage-earners.
The Chipman Knitting Company has been identified with the history of Easton for a quarter of a century. This industry was established at German- town, Pennsylvania, in 1894, and in the spring of 1895 removed to Easton. The mills were operated at that time by Frank Lewis and W. Evans Chip- man, and fast-black cotton hosiery was produced. At this time employment was given to two hundred and forty males and females, and the business soon became a success. To the production was added knit goods and yarns, and employment is now given to about seven hundred and fifty hands.
The Treadwell Engineering Company are pioneers in America of manu- facturing commercial castings in electric steel furnaces. The corporation was incorporated September II, 1910, with a capital stock of $450,000. The yearly production is between $3,000,000 and $4,000,000 of electric furnace steel castings, specialties being made in cement mill, sugar mill and rolling mill machinery, the castings giving from fifty to one hundred per cent. addi- tional service with an oxide segration having a high elastic limit, tensile strength and great resistance to wear and friction. Exports are made to Cuba, South America, France and Mexico, and at the present time the com- pany is manufacturing the largest ball mill for shipment to France ever sent to that country by American manufacturers. The officers of the com- pany are: J. H. Killinger, president; A. A. Neave, vice-president; W. T. Gassert, secretary and treasurer. The company employs at their Easton plant six hundred wage-earners.
The Victor Balata Textile Belting Company was the first plant of its kind to be established in the United States. The style of belting made by
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this company was for many years manufactured in Germany and imported into this country by the New York Leather Belting Company. It was, however, decided to build a branch plant in this country, and Easton was selected as its site. The American company was formed by representatives in this country of the German manufacturers. The company was incor- porated in 1910 with a capital stock of $100,000, with the following officers: C. E. Aaron, president ; J. R. Stine, vice-president and treasurer ; and Edward Vollrath, secretary; the only change since is that of Z. Evans, who suc- ceeded to the office of secretary. Balata belting, convas stitched belting and kindred products are produced and are exported to the various world markets. The original buildings were erected in 1910, and additions were made in 1912, 1916 and 1918, increasing the floor space to about four times the original area.
The William Wharton, Jr., Company is an incorporated company that manufactures switches, frogs, crossings and special track layouts for steam, street and industrial railroads. The specialty of the company is the tisco manganese steel castings made by the Taylor-Wharton Iron & Steel Com- pany of High Bridge, New Jersey. The corporation was formerly located in Philadelphia, and purchased in 1912 fifty acres of land on the William Penn highway near Twenty-fifth street, Easton. The buildings were erected in 1914, the material used being only iron, steel, cement and tile, thereby being absolutely fireproof. In the construction of the buildings every facility was given to the handling of the manganese steel, which was propelled by electric cranes. The outlay of the corporation for improvements, land and railroad connections aggregated over $2,000,000. The Taylor-Wharton Com- pany plant at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and part of the Philadelphia plant were transferred to Easton. During the busy season employment is given to eight hundred hands.
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