USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > History of Providence County, Rhode Island, Volume I > Part 83
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mills. John P. and Daniel G. also bought in 1884 the Riverside Mill in East Providence, a new plant which they have equipped with 10,000 spindles for working cotton.
In 1888 John P., in connection with B. B. & R. Knight, bought the Cranston Print Works property, in Cranston, once owned by the Spragues, and organized the business under the name of the Crans- ton Print Works Company, the business being that of bleaching, printing and finishing cotton goods. Mr. Campbell was chosen presi- dent.
Thus his hands as a manufacturer are very full, but all his inter- ests, on account of his ability, reliability and fidelity, are prospered. Through all monetary crises he has steered his affairs wisely and safely, his word being equal to gold. Interested in all religious af- fairs, he still keeps up his regard for the church of his ancestors in Connecticut by annually contributing to its support, as do also his three brothers.
Mr. Campbell is a member of the Providence Board of Trade, hav- ing been one of the first to organize and establish that body. For about twenty years he has been a director in the Second National Bank, Providence. He became a director in the Industrial Trust Com- pany of Providence soon after its formation, and is a director in two insurance companies.
He was married February 25th, 1873, to Jessie H. Babcock, of Liverpool, England. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland, while her father. Benjamin F. Babcock, of Stonington, Conn., was engaged there in a branch of a banking house with his brother Samuel D., then in New York.
Politically, John P. began life with the old whig party, but on the formation of the republican party hastened to its banner, under which he has bravely stood in peace and in war, never, however, seeking or accepting office. With voice and hand and purse he has upheld all public interests and kept in view the common welfare. Associated with the leading men in the state, he has justly been accounted a man of deep principle, sagacity and strength. Reared in the pure air of a Presbyterian home, he soon became a decided Episcopalian, uniting with Christ church in Westerly, and afterward with Grace church in Providence. In this last he is esteemed both as a supporter and an or- nament. Here, too, his wife is very active. In short, his career has been one of large honor to himself and his family, and of special credit to the state of Rhode Island. He is still in the full tide of business.
HENRY C. CLARK was born November 28th, 1822, in Providence, where he has since resided, with the exception of a few years spent in California and abroad. During his travels he sailed around Cape Horn to the gold regions in 1849, where he adapted himself to the situation, following the occupations of a laundryman, boatman, boat-
Venus & Black
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builder, miner and merchant. After receiving his education in the public schools of his native city, in 1841 he was employed in the coal business of Jackson & Clark. His merit was soon made manifest, and later he became a partner, the firm becoming Jackson, Clark & Co. Continuing in this line the name of the firm has been S. Clark & Co., Clark & Coggshall, Henry C. Clark, Clark & Webb, Tucker, Swan & Co., and at present the Providence Coal Company, which is the largest in the city if not in the United States. From the small sale of 1,000 tons annually, under Jackson & Clark, the business has grown to its present vast proportions, the Providence Coal Company selling more than 275,000 tons in a single year.
Mr. Clark has invented many devices for handling and storing coal, which are universally adopted. He was first to plan and erect large pockets for the rapid discharging, storing, and cheapening the handling of coal, their present capacity being 40,000 tons. He invented and put into use a tub, which under the direction of one man, fills it- self in the vessel with coal, and distributes its contents over an in- clined railway into the pockets. It is then drawn from the bottom through a trap into carts, ready for delivery, completely doing away with cars, barrows, and the labor and other unnecessary expenditures attending the old way. He invented and patented a device for the easy dumping of loaded carts by means of a screw, also a latch to keep the tail-boards of carts in place. His many inventions being very valuable, several enterprising individuals have patented portions of his work as their own designs. The yards and apparatus of the Prov- idence Coal Company are of the most approved style. The pockets and mill are fitted with water pipes and sprinklers for protection against a repetition of the disastrous fires which twice destroyed the pockets. Mr. Clark has also been largely interested in the salt, grain and hay business, being the owner and operator of a large mill estab- lishment in that line.
With strong anti-slavery and temperance proclivities, he took an early and active part in legislation, having been a member of the city common council, board of aldermen, state legislature, and was the pro- hibition party's candidate for mayor. He is firm in his convictions of right and wrong, outspoken in their defense, and persevering in maintaining them, having repeatedly, before the inter-state commerce commission and courts, defeated large corporations in their claims.
WILLIAM CORLISS, the inventor and manufacturer of the famous burglar-proof known as the Corliss Safe, was born in the town of Greenwich, Washington county, N. Y., November 5th, 1835. His fa- ther, Doctor Hiram Corliss, was an eminent physician and surgeon, who remained active in his profession to the age of four score years. The oldest of his four sons was George H. Corliss, the renowned in- ventor and manufacturer of the Corliss Engine, the subject of this sketch, William Corliss, being the youngest. Mr. Corliss received his
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education at the Greenwich Academy and at Fort Edward Institute, Fort Edward, N. Y. Upon invitation of his brother, George H. Cor- liss. he came to Providence in 1856 and began his business education under the direct and personal tuition of his brother, who was 18 years his senior. Becoming a member of his brother's household, and entering the draughting room at the engine works, they were almost continuously in each other's company. So close a relationship with such a person as George H. Corliss-a man of untiring energy, indom- itable will and of rare genius-could not fail to be of great and lasting benefit to the younger brother-nor did it. In 1858 the engine build- ing firm of Corliss & Nightingale was changed to the Corliss Steam Engine Company. In 1862 William Corliss was made vice-president, and from 1863 to 1871 was treasurer, being entrusted by his brother, who was president, with the general management of the vast business of that company.
In 1862 the city council elected Mr. Corliss water commissioner to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Moses B. Lockwood. The other members of the board were Joseph J. Cooke and Charles E. Car- penter. These commissioners were charged with the duty of con- structing water works and introducing water into the city of Provi- dence. The labors of this commission were completed in 1876, and the works, costing something over four and one-half millions of dollars, were turned over to the city. Mayor Doyle in his annual message, 1877, closes his reference to the work of this commission in the follow- ing language: "The work thus planned and executed in the two de- partments " (water and sewage) " under the supervision of Moses B. Lockwood, Joseph J. Cooke and Charles E. Carpenter, and by William Corliss as a successor of Mr. Lockwood, has already received the highest encomiums, from the most eminent talent engaged in the construction of water works and sewers, both in this country and Europe; and its great excellence will be more and more apparent as it is tested by use. These gentlemen retired from office, Messrs. Cooke and Carpenter after a service of more than seven years, and Mr. Corliss of four and one-half years, with a record for unimpeachable integrity and faithfulness to duty too rarely found in public servants of the present time, and for which the generations to come will hold them in grateful recollection."
The life work of Mr. Corliss is to provide means by which portable property may be made absolutely secure from fire and burglary. His attention was first directed to this subject by circumstances that would seem trivial, but which ultimately changed his whole course of life. While treasurer of the Corliss Steam Engine Company, and acting as a director in a national bank, Mr. Corliss first discovered and recog- nized the utter inability of all known safes to withstand the attack of burglars, and he easily made plain that fact to his associates and oth- ers. Having made this discovery and fully realizing the vast import-
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ance of the subject, as strikingly illustrated by the imperative needs of the bank for which he was making the investigation, the question naturally arose-" Is it not possible to make a burglar-proof?" The answer to this question is written in the years of study and toil de- voted to this subject by Mr. Corliss. It is written in the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars that have been expended by him in various experiments; it is emphasized by Mr. Corliss' abandonment of the steam engine business, in order to follow out and accomplish this great work; and it is finally answered affirmatively by the production of that unique and wonderful structure known as the Corliss Burglar- proof. Very rarely do we see anything that so little resembles all else that has preceded it. Very seldom do we find such a radical depart- ure from established methods and practice.
The difficulties that confronted Mr. Corliss in the production of his safe were not such as could be easily surmounted. Some years were spent by him in experimental research before he was able to de- termine upon the material best adapted to its construction. After this point was settled, it was found that there was no machinery known by which this material could be successfully worked, therefore it de- volved upon Mr. Corliss to work out this problem also; to this end he was obliged to invent special machinery and devise means by which his safe could be manufactured. His familiarity with machine shop practice and his engineering experience were excellent qualifications for such an undertaking. His general knowledge of mechanics, to- gether with his instinctive inventive faculties and a determination that could not be dismayed by any obstacle, finally resulted in the de- sired consummation, and the Corliss Safe stands to-day a perfected structure, affording absolute security against all practical methods of assault by either mobs or burglars.
In 1883 the Corliss Safe Company, of which Mr. Corliss is president, purchased several acres of land at Auburn, a suburb of Providence adjoining Roger Williams Park, and erected their manufactory upon the line of the New York, Providence & Boston railroad. These works have attracted much attention from the public, on account of the gen- eral appearance and character of the buildings erected, and from en- gineers and practical men, because of the interior arrangement and special machinery there introduced. The peculiar characteristics of Mr. Corliss, both as a man and as an engineer, seem to pervade every department, and the Corliss Safe Works, with their beautiful grounds and substantial buildings, are regarded by all who visit them as a model establishment.
Corliss Burglar-proofs are now being built of various sizes, from safes having an available capacity of 6 cubic feet, weighing 8,500 pounds and costing $2,000, to those having a capacity of 50 cubic feet, weighing 32,000 pounds and costing $8,000; and when it is stated that plans are already matured for making safe deposit vaults upon this
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system of construction, that will weigh from 75 tons to 300 tons each, some idea may be formed of the magnitude of the enterprise.
PERRY DAVIS, widely known as the author of the renowned " Pain Killer " medicine, was born in the town of Dartmouth, Bristol county, Mass., July 7th, 1791. He was the son of Edmund and Sarah Davis, being the eldest of three children by this marriage. Four years after his birth his parents moved to Westport, in the same county, where they resided during the period of his youth. His early educational advantages were meagre. When he was 14 years of age he seriously injured one of his hips by falling through a raft upon which he was at work, and by this accident was not only made a cripple for life buit rendered peculiarly liable to colds, followed by fevers and kindred diseases, to many of which he became a prey in succeeding years. From sickness he suffered greatly and was brought down with fevers which had their regular run on 24 different occasions. "With physi- cians, however," says a contemporary writer, "he was abundantly blessed of the regular scientific stamp, and by them has submitted 64 times to the use of the lancet, not to mention other accompanying remedies administered for his diseases." In 1838 he removed to Paw- tucket, R. I., and during this year invented a mill for grinding grain; and the next year removed to Taunton, Mass., for the purpose of enlarging and facilitating the business of putting up these mills. While in Taunton he studied the effects of certain drugs upon the human system, and experimented in their uses until he had com- pounded a medicine capable of curing his own maladies. In 1841 he removed to Fall River, Mass., where on July 3d, 1843, he was burned out, and then located in Providence, among strangers and in poverty stricken circumstances.
He opened his Pain Killer manufactory in his own residence, be- ing assisted by his wife and daughter in the work. Everything seemed to be against wind and tide, but Mr. Davis was not a timorous man, and he persevered faithfully. One sad event brought the stranger to the city into sudden notoriety. One day while at work, a large can of alcohol in use caught fire, and the sudden flame of the burning liquid in its rapid ascent to the ceiling enveloped Mr. Davis, burning his body to the bone. Mrs. Davis and his daughter, Mrs. S. Dennis, were left powerless in their attempts to rescue the sufferer, and rushed to the street for aid. When help arrived the flesh on his arms and hands hung in shreds, the thick fleshy portions on his hands falling off. His face was one solid burnt sore, and his kidneys were so injured that he passed nothing but blood for nearly two days. The family pleaded for a physician, but Mr. Davis was inexorable and said if his medicine could not save him he would go with it. The Pain Killer was used as directed. The sufferings of the patient were terrible. No one thought he could survive, and the second night following it was supposed he was dying, but he finally passed off into a quiet sleep,
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and from that time began to gain. In four weeks from that time he drove a wagon to Apponaug. The first Pain Killer taken to Boston Mr. Davis carried in a basket on his arm, walking there and back. He called on the druggists, but they shrugged their shoulders and said they could not sell it without the assistance of advertising and that they made mixtures equally as good themselves. After canvass- ing the city with but little success, and at last discouraged, he went among the crowd upon the street and to each poor, sick, lame person he met he handed a bottle of Pain Killer. This done he returned home more discouraged than ever.
In the meantime his medicine at home grew more popular every day and soon afterward the cholera made its appearance in the United States and Pain Killer was suddenly brought into general notice by the astonishing cures of this dreadful disease which it effected. Orders now began to come in to such an extent that Mr. Davis had to cast aside his pestle and mortar and commence the manufacture of Pain Killer upon a larger scale. It was now found that each bottle given away in Boston and elsewhere, had created a demand for many more; the sale increased from day to day, while everybody who used this wonderful compound was either writing or telling his friends of its powers in relieving pain and suffering. It was soon after its discovery that Perry Davis' Pain Killer was introduced into a factory at Provi- dence, and the employees there found it a cure for all those little ills and numberless hurts or accidents which factory hands are constantly subject to.
In various ways the medicine became advertised until now it is used by every people on the Globe and known everywhere. The North American Indians prize it above gold. The miners of South Africa and Brazil have christened it the " Miners' Friend," while the natives of India and other warm climates find it a sure antidote against the bite of the most poisonous reptiles. The Hudson Bay Company, whose business reaches out through all the vast territory between Alaska and the coast of Labrador, are among the largest dealers of this article. In 1866 Perry Davis & Son opened in London, England, a branch depot for the exclusive sale of their Pain Killer in Great Britain. Extensive agencies also have been opened up in China, India, Japan, Turkey, Australia, Africa, New Zealand and other countries both in the new and old world, until now the manufac- ture and sale of this medicine exceeds that of any other. Mr. Davis' liberality has also contributed largely to the advertisement of this medicine. Missionaries to heathen lands, especially those of the Baptist church, have been furnished medicines free of charge to take with them. This alone has brought the remedy into great notoriety with the natives of heathen lands.
When a young man Mr. Davis became converted to God, and from that time till his death lived a consistent Christian life. He was bap-
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tized by Elder Job Borden of the First Baptist church in Tiverton, R. I. In church work Mr. Davis was also active. He was very liberal with his money to all classes of society, and was a generous, kind hearted man to the needy and distressed. On the day of his burial the streets about his door were lined with the poor and the needy of the city, who loved him for the many benevolent acts of his life. Although almost in poverty himself till after 50 years of age, he always gave freely and sometimes of all he had to others in distress. His generous nature would respond to every call, and for a consider- able length of time no appeal which was made to him was refused. His donations to the church were extensive. He first built a chapel on Broad street, used for several years; then the little chapel on Stewart court, then called High Street church; then the Stewart Street church, which cost him $36,000. He himself was an earnest preacher and was ordained to the ministry November 9th, 1853.
October 8th, 1813, he married Ruth, daughter of Pardon and Pris- cilla Davol, a member of the same church with himself, and kindred in spirit, as may be inferred from the fact, that on the evening of their wedding day, both bride and groom attended and actively par- ticipated in the exercises of a meeting for prayer and conference, held at the residence of one of the deacons of the church. Together they not only travelled the path of " the life which now is," but that "also of the life which is to come," along which, as the sequel shows, "the happiest of their kind whom gentle stars unite," they pleasantly journeyed, sharers in each others' sorrow, and mutual helpers of each others' joy. For a period of nearly thirty years their course of life seemed, in one view, to flow in rugged channels, with whirls and eddies. Clouds of sorrow thickened around them. Ad- verse winds impeded their progress. The multiplied anxieties of sickness, destitution and pinching want, at times legion-like darkened their pathway; and " bowed down by weight of woe," with the man of ancient times, they could look up to the eternal throne, and ery out to Him who sits thereon, " All thy waves and thy billows have gone over us."
Mr. Davis died May 12th, 1862, and Mrs. Davis died October 31st, 1872. Edmund, their only son who grew to manhood, died in 1880 in the 57th year of his age. He was a splendid business man, one of the best financiers in the state. Mrs. Sarah Dennis is the only one of his children now living.
DANIEL EUGENE DAY, merchant, son of Deacon Harvey and Olive (Dorrance) Day, was born in Killingly, Conn., on May 28th, 1820. His grandfather was the Reverend Israel Day, 40 years a settled pastor in South Killingly, Conn., who was a descendant, in the fifth generation, of Anthony Day, who came from England and settled in Gloucester, Mass., in 1645. He is also a descendant of the Reverend Samuel Dor. rance, the first settled pastor in Sterling, now Voluntown, Conn.
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Mr. Day pursued the ordinary course of study in the common schools and academy of his native town until he was 18 years of age, when he became a teacher, and taught successfully for eight years. He then entered into business in Danielsonville, Conn., with W. C. Bacon, and in a few years opened a flour, grain and provision store. In 1852 he removed to Providence, R. I., and began business in flour and grain on Peck's wharf, on Dyer street. In the same year Mr. S. S .. Sprague entered into partnership with Mr. Day, and by their energy, practical methods and careful management, a large and prosperous business was established, the firm name being Day & Sprague. In 1856 they removed to South Water street, and the sons of both mem- bers of the firm became partners, and the firm name was changed to Day, Sprague & Co. In 1866, to accommodate the increase of busi- ness, the wharf property occupied by Spellman & Metcalf, on Dyer street, was purchased. In 1876 the firm was dissolved. Mr. Day pur- chasing the entire property, and, with his sons, Henry G. and Charles R., under the firm name of Day, Sons & Co., continued the business at the old location. Extensive improvements have been made to the original plant, and to-day the house is the oldest and largest in its line of business in the city and state. The business is supplemented by warehouses and elevators in Macon county, Ill., where purchases of grain are made direct from the farmers and shipped to different parts of the country.
In the interest of good government, Mr. Day was nominated and elected by the republican party as state representative, and served his constituents faithfully for six years, during five of which he was chair- man of the important committee on finance. In 1875 Mr. Day was nominated for the office of lieutenant governor by the independent republican party, in recognition of his personal worth, his experience in public affairs and his firm adherence to temperance principles. In the exciting election which followed Mr. Day received a plurality of votes, running ahead of the nominee of the regular republican con- vention by about 1,200 votes. As there was no election by the people, and as the issue was decided by the house of representatives, Mr. Day was not elected. From this time Mr. Day was an honored and useful member of the city council of Providence until the year 1880, when he declined a reëlection. During this time he was an active member of the joint standing committee on finance and water. Important acts were introduced and supported by Mr. Day in relation to the in- troduction of water and sewers into the city of Providence, and for the establishment of a sinking fund for the state of Rhode Island. He was one of the original commissioners of the sinking fund for the city of Providence. He was elected in 1873, and retains this responsible position.
In his business career Mr. Day has become widely known for his capacity as a merchant, and for his honesty and uprightness of char-
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acter. These characteristics have made his services valuable, and he has been called upon to fill important positions connected with bank- ing and financial institutions. Only two positions of this kind has he accepted. In 1870 he became associated with the Commercial National Bank as director. In 1855 he was elected president, which office he holds at the present time. In 1877 he was elected a director of the People's Savings Bank, and in 1888 was chosen to be one of the vice- presidents of the institution, and is still in office.
Mr. Day united with the Congregational church in West Killingly in 1843. In 1852 he became a member of the Richmond Street Con- gregational church of Providence, then under the pastorate of the Rev- erend Jonathan Leavitt, D. D., and when this organization was merged into the Union Congregational church, he became a member of this body. He was elected deacon in 1889 to fill the unexpired term of the late Theophilis Salisbury, and was reelected in 1890 for the full term of six years.
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