USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Smithfield > History of the town of Smithfield [R.I.] from its organization, in 1730-1, to its division, in 1871 > Part 11
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Cushman & Fuller employ 14 hands, 24 rotary knitting frames, and their annual sales are from $12,000 to $15,000 per annum.
E. L. Slocum commenced business in 1867, employs 25 hands, makes 1,100 cases of boots and shoes per year, and his annual sales amount to from $45,000 to $50,000.
E. L. FREEMAN'S PRINTING HOUSE.
The establishment of Hon. E. L. Freeman is not only
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
creditable to the village, but to the State. He publishes the first and only newspaper published in the town of Smithfield, and both in the size of his sheet and the quality of his arti cles his paper compares favorably with older establishments. Mr. Freeman is a practical man, who has as well the interests of the community at heart as the building up of his indi- vidual fortune. His job printing establishment is something extraordinary for a rural village, and a look through it inter- ested us much.
Among other things we were much struck by the litho- graphic printing, or printing from stone, and, as many are not acquainted with the process, we will give a brief des- cription of it. The art of printing on stone was discovered about the beginning of the present century by Alois Sene- felder, an actor, of Munich, Bavaria. Differing from all other methods of printing, the impressions are obtained (by strict attention to chemical affinity) from a level surface. The stone used is a sort of calcareous slate found only in Germany, and is prepared for use by grinding and polishing the stone until it attains a perfectly smooth surface, when the design is put upon it for printing. The ink used is dif- ferent from other printing inks, having a much larger pro- portion of greasy substances for which the stone has an affinity, while it repels or throws off water.
The design having been placed upon the stone, the printer dampens the surface of the stone with water from a sponge, which of course will not take, where the design is, from the simple fact that oil and water will not mix. A roller made of French calfskin, covered with ink, is now passed over the stone, and, while it puts ink on the design or parts intended to be printed, will not even soil the parts of the stone which are damp. A sheet of paper is then put over.it and it is passed through the press and an impression obtained.
We were shown some very superior work of this descrip- tion, scarcely to be distinguished from printing on steel plate,
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
except by an expert ; in fact, many jobs are transferred from steel plate to stone, and look nearly or quite as well. Mr. Freeman has the largest establishment of this kind in the State-in fact there is but one other-and showed us sam- ples of printing for several of the largest manufacturing concerns within our borders, which was done in New York or Boston before he started this enterprise; also some very fine specimens of checks and notes. He has nine litho. graphic presses, six of which are in constant operation ; and we were certainly surprised to find so complete and well- furnished shop in a country village, and there can certainly be no need for our citizens to go to New York or Boston for work of this kind when it can be done equally as well in our own State, and at the same time tend to build up a hóme industry.
ALLENVILLE.
Major William Smith was the first settler at this locality, it 1703. In 1813 the late Governor Philip Allen purchased land of Esek Smith, a descendant of Major William Smith, and erected a small cotton mill, which has received several additions. In 1857 Governor Allen sold to Earl P. Mason, Henry Lippitt and others, and it passed, in 1867, into the ownership of the Smithfield Manufacturing Company. In 1820 Governor Allen built a house for the public schools, and for religious worship on Sundays. In 1849 the citizens erected a schoolhouse. In 1851 Governor Allen built a house for public worship and gave it to the citizens of the village. The population is about 200.
GREENVILLE.
This village was named in honor of Major-General Nathaniel Greene. Resolved Waterman settled here in 1689. Joshua Winsor had a tract of land laid out to him
17
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
· by the town of Providence in 1685. The hotel was built by Resolved Waterman in 1733. There are three mills- the Winsor Mills and two others. Two are woolen mills, comprising 15 sets of machinery, with two falls, aggregating 45 feet. When running, 200 hands were employed, and
420,000 yards of cloth were manufactured annually. They are now idle. Here was the pest house, in which were placed the small-pox patients at the time inoculation was introduced, prior to the Revolutionary war. In the town records of that time will be found frequent mention of this house, which was owned by Captain Andrew Waterman, and is still standing. A Baptist Church was erected here in 1701; the Free Baptist in 1821, and the Episcopal Church in 1855. The National Exchange Bank, located here, has a capital of $150,000, and the Smithfield Savings Bank de- posits to the amount of $288,641.77. There is also in this place a large establishment for the manufacture of heavy team wagons. The population is nearly 1,000.
SPRAGUEVILLE.
This place was first settled by Abraham Smith, in 1733, and a grist mill was erected some years after and two houses built. About 1824 Captain Thomas Sprague purchased the privilege and erected a mill. This property afterwards came into the possession of Wanton Vaughan and others. The company is now called the Granite Mill Company. There are in operation 112 looms, 5,000 spindles. The mill is built of stone, and is 120x80 feet, with a fall of 19 feet.
Adjoining the Granite Mill estate is the Mountain Dale Hosiery Mill, owned by J. P. & J. G. Ray.
STILLWATER.
Daniel Smith located here in 1733. In 1824 Israel Arnold and his brother Welcome bought land of Daniel
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
Smith's descendants and erected a small cotton mill. After- wards this property passed into the hands of Joseph Clark, of Johnston, who sold it to Robert Joslin. This mill was burned down and rebuilt several times. In 1866 Edward W. Brown purchased the property, and, with others, built a fine woolen mill and a model village-it being known as the " Stillwater Woolen Mill Co .; " chartered in 1867. The first mill of this company was burned down. The present struc- ture is a very fine one. It is a 10-set mill, making fancy cassimeres, built of brick, and is 130x52 feet, with one ell 40x65 and one 45x32, and is five stories in height. The fall is 22 feet, affording 100 horse-power, and has steam power of nearly equal force. It employs 175 hands, and 600,000 pounds of wool are manufactured annually, making 450,000 yards of cloth. The village is neat, the tenements commodious, and supplied with pure water, and everything pertaining to the establishment is pleasant. It is, in fact, a most conspicuous testimony to what wealth, directed by . taste and business capacity, can accomplish.
GEORGIAVILLE.
Thomas Owen was the first resident in this place, in 1752. James Angell and Elisha Smith built houses in the vicinity in 1700. In 1755 John Farnum and two of his sons, Joseph and. Noah, came from Uxbridge, Mass., and purchased of Thomas Owen his house and land, and commenced the busi- ness of blacksmithing, having also a forge just below the present mills of the Bernon Manufacturing Company. The iron ore was brought from Cranston, charcoal being used for smelting it. In 1760 John Farnum added to his house, which is still standing, in good repair, in possession of his granddaughter, Mrs. Ephraim Whipple. Joseph Farnum built a house here in 1770.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
GEORGIAVILLE, IN SMITHFIELD, AND THE BERNON MANUFACTORY.
The village of Georgiaville owes its origin and name to the construction of a cotton mill in that locality by the " Georgia Cotton Manufacturing Company," in the year 1813.
The original company, composed of Samuel Nightingale, Samuel G. Arnold and Thomas Thompson, built a stone mill, 80x36 feet, on a fall of 18 feet of the waters of the Woon- asquatucket River. They placed therein 1,000 spindles, without looms, the power loom not having been introduced into common use in Rhode Island until the year 1817.
The yarn was spun and dyed at the mill, and made into webs, which were put out to be woven by hand-loom weavers in various parts of New England.
As this was one of the pioneer mills early established in Rhode Island, a retrospective glance at the records of this old establishment will disclose the primitive state of the cotton manufacture at its commencement there, and also serve to show the contrast between the present improved processes and those of past days.
The cotton was at first picked by hand, and was distributed over the country in small parcels, to be cleaned of seeds and motes by industrious housewives and their children gathered around the domestic fireside. The loose cotton in their laps sometimes took fire, and accounts of burning up parcels of cotton, and also the dresses and houses of the industrious cotton pickers, sometimes formed a part of the business cor- respondence.
The price paid for hand-picking the cotton was about as much as a manufacturer now expects to obtain as the net profit for the labor of spinning it.
Equally remarkable was the price once paid for weaving yard-wide sheetings, which, as fixed by the tariff rate for No. 20 yarn, as printed on one of the old weaver's tickets,
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
appears to have been 13 cents per yard. This is the present selling price of similar cloth. For weaving ginghams the fixed price was 1 cent additional per yard for every different color.
Another building of stone, 80x40 feet, was built in 1828, and a third addition of the same extent in 1846.
The first power looms were introduced, in 1819, by Mr. Gilmore, from England, and a receipt signed by him for a contribution of $50 is evidence of the small remuneration he received from a few manufacturers for his very useful labors.
After the power loom was introduced, in 1819, the manu- facture of ginghams was superseded by that of sheetings. The number of spindles was gradually increased from 1,000, in the year 1813, to 7,700 in 1853, when the estate passed into the hands of Zachariah Allen.
With only the small number of 1,000 spindles it appears, by the records of the stoppages for want of water in the year 1822, during the extraordinary drought of that year, there were 471 days loss of time. The Blackstone River was correspondingly low that year. This extraordinary dry season demonstrated the necessity of resorting to an artificial supply of water from reservoirs for retaining the floods of winter to swell the scanty summer streams. The first act of incorporation in New England, for the special purpose of constructing reservoirs for the supply of mills in seasons of drought, originated with the mill owners on the Woonasqua- tucket River in the year 1822.
The recent stoppages of mills in New England by a want of water, and the great loss to unemployed laborers resulting therefrom during several months past, now imparis a revived interest in the construction of new reservoirs to provide against a recurrence of this evil.
For this special reason a statement of what has been ac- complished on the Woonasquatucket River may afford pro-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
fitable information to encourage mill owners on other streams to " go and do likewise."
Reservoirs on the Head Waters of the Woonasquatucket River.
Acres.
Average depth.
Superficial acres, 1 foot deep.
The Greenville reservoir, constructed
in 1822, contains
153
10
1.530
The Waterman reservoir, constructed
in 1837. contains
318
9
2.862
The Thomas Sprague reservoir, con- structed in 1830, contains 95
13 and 7
.815
Hawkins' reservoir. ...
30
10
.300
Bernon Mill Pond, 1853
133
3
.399
Other mill ponds about
150
2
.300
Acres land . 879
Water acres,. 6.196
The capacity of these reservoirs is sufficient for the stor- age of a supply of water for the mills below them during four months, the fall being nearly 200 feet of descent to Olneyville.
The public benefit derived from these reservoirs is mani- fest in the fact that the increased water power thus rendered available has proved sufficient for operating additional ma- chinery that furnishes employment to about 2,000 more . people who directly or indirectly gain a living thereby. Thus a few hundred acres of swamp lands, flowed artificially as reservoirs, contribute more to the wealth and population of Rhode Island than would several thousand acres of the best lands of the fertile regions of the West.
In constructing the dam and the waterfall at this village a safe plan has been adopted for the security of the work by turning the descending floods upon a ledge of rocks on the river side in successive cascades over the cliffs.
By artificial improvements of the water in raising the dam to double the waterfall to 35 feet, and by the additional sup- ply of water stored in the reservoirs, 15,000 spindles have
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
been operated without interruption by droughts for three years past, until the droughts of last autumn. This is cer- tainly a remarkable contrast with eight weeks' of stoppage, caused by drought, with only 1,000 spindles in operation in 1822.
One of the principal objects of interest here is the system adopted for transmitting the motive power by belts, moving with extraordinarily swift velocities, combined with the use of light hollow shafting, made of turned and polished gas pipes, and without any pulleys thereon for belting off.
All the cards, drawing frames and fly frames contained on one floor of the mill, (250x70 feet, ) and nearly 300 looms contained in the room above, of the same dimensions, are belted from only three lines of shafting extended the whole length of the mill. The belts all appear clinging around the naked shafts, and diverging both upward through the floor above and downward to the numerous machines below the shafting. Nearly every foot of their length is occupied by a belt.
This novel plan of swiftly moving belts and swiftly re- volving light hollow shafting has been described as follows, in compliance with repeated requests for information: The hollow or tubular shafts are made 24 inches in diameter and 18 feet long, and connected by ring couplings screwed to- gether. The weight is 52 pounds to each foot in length, being about one-fifth of the weight of the solid shafting com- monly used with their heavy plate couplings, bolts and pulleys.
To impart the same velocity to the belts used on their naked surfaces, as when pulleys are employed, it is manifestly necessary to cause them to revolve with a correspondingly increased velocity, which has been found to be about three- fold faster, being about 600 revolutions per minute, while the heavy solid shafting with pulleys make about 200 revo- lutions per minute.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
This three-fold increase of velocity increases the friction in the same ratio, while the five fold greater weight of the solid heavy shafts and pulleys correspondingly increases the friction, so that the result shows a saving of friction of two- fifths in favor of the light hollow shafting as a saving of motive power.
As the light shafts make 600 revolutions to do the same work that the common solid shafting accomplishes by 200 revolutions the immediate stress is sub-divided and reduced in the ratio of 6 to 2. The receiving pulleys require to be only one-third as large on the swiftly revolving light shaft- ing, as on the slower revolving solid shafting, while there are no driving pulleys used. An increase of speed of any machine is readily effected by winding a piece of belt leather around the shaft. The circulation of the air within and through the whole length of the hollow shafts keeps them cool. The cost of the light shafting is also much less than that of solid shafting with faced and turned couplings and pulleys.
In regard to the velocity of motion of the main driving belts the speed of a mile a minute has been adopted as a safe and advantageous rule. This may appear to be some- what dangerous for practical use ; but when it is considered that ponderous English locomotive engines, weighing 35 tons or more, fly over the rigid railroad bars, and around curves, with the calculated speed of a mile a minute, and that car- loads of passengers trust themselves to be whirled over regions of country at this rate of speed the doubter may smile at the idea of hazard in trusting a pliable leather belt to travel with the same speed on its smooth and regular course.
With the velocity of a mile per minute the tension on a belt is reduced to only 64 pounds in transmitting 1 horse- power, and 250 pounds tension for transmitting 40 horse- power. With 6,000 feet velocity the tension is reduced to only 5₺ pounds for 1 horse-power.
t
de
tr
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
To calculate the tension imposed on a leather belt for the transmission of any given horse-power it is only necessary to divide the standard measure of a horse-power, viz .: 33,000 pounds lifted 1 foot high per minute by the proposed num- ber of feet assigned as the velocity for the belt. With 33,000 feet velocity per minute of a belt the tension would be only 1 pound for transmitting 1 horse-power; and, on the contrary, with 1 foot velocity per minute the tension would be increased to 33,000 pounds for transmitting 1 horse-power.
A belt or bridle of good leather of an inch width will sustain a weight of 1,000 pounds; but the adhesion of it to the surface of pulleys is limited to 40 or 50 pounds ten- sion, while it operates with proper slackness to prevent straining it tightly to impair its durability. With the velocity of a mile per minute a leather belt of 6 inches width, at 40 pounds tension to the inch, will durably transmit about 40 horse-power. With a velocity of 6,000 feet per minute a main belt of 12 inches width has served to transmit the power of two water wheels, each 19 feet long and 18 feet diameter, with 16 feet fall of water, during a period of more than twelve years, and still remains serviceable. Another belt of 8 inches width has operated 10,500 spindles of self- acting mules, with spoolers and warpers, more than ten years.
By means of light belts and shafts, with high velocities, the use of the ponderous old shafting and massy cog wheels, formerly employed, has been here dispensed with. Not a single cog wheel is retained, to require replacing for broken tooth, excepting only in the wet positions of the' gearing of the wheel pits, there necessary to increase the speed to the desired velocity.
These suggestions for improving and economizing the transmission of the greatest extent of motive power in mills,
18
-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
with the least cost of materials, may be found practically useful to engineers as hints for further improvements.
Among the old papers and accounts of this mill was found the following amusing letter from one of the first superin- tendents, at the commencement of the business of manufac- turing cotton. His pathetic account of his troubles in man- aging 1,000 spindles, in the olden time, may excite a smile in managers of the great cotton manufactories of the present day :
.
--- , Agt., Providence. To
We spun 14,560 skeins last week; but who can count the yarn spun this week? "Why?" you will probably say; because some of it is reeled, some twisted into mule banding, and a large quantity held in reserve on bobbins. Presuming you will probably say that we ought to do as our neighbor manufacturer, P. Allen, has done, and weigh the bobbins and yarn, and then subtract the weight of the bobbins. My dear sir, we have no scales suitable to do this. Then you will say, " Why did you not send for them?" Dear sir, it is for the want of foresight and knowledge in our business. If you will send to me a suitable scale-beam of good length, say 2} feet long, we will try to
keep some account of yarn spun. Yet, however, it is a confused mess, and wants some of your information on the subject. There are so many things to hear, see, settle, transact, digest, add, take off, in- crease and command,-all in and through the cotton dust, that I can hardly tell what thing ought to come first.
The dressing machine begins to rattle and blough; the looms begin to thump; and, the next you will say, "I wonder what will come next?"
Your servant wishes to know!
P. S .- Wanted-Codfish. Ginger. Pearl ash. Indian and Rye Meal.
UNION VILLAGE.
At the time that the territory of Smithfield was occupied by the Indians it was by them called Wionkheige in its
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
southerly section ; Louisquisset in that portion round about Lime Rock, and Woonsocket in the northerly part of the territory. The present Union Village was originally called Woonsocket, the name being changed when the Union Bank was established there. The first house was built by James Arnold, which was erected in 1690, a part of which is now standing, an addition having been built by Judge Peleg Arnold in 1780. Judge Arnold kept tavern here for many
years. The second house was built by Hezekiah Comstock, in 1702, on the site where now stands the house of the late Walter Allen, now known as the Osborne house. The Uriah Arnold house was built by Captain Daniel Arnold in 1714. The Friends' Meeting House was built in 1719, and was originally 20 feet square. It was enlarged by another, as an addition, in 1755, 20x30 feet, this addition being an ell. In 1775 this ell was removed and an addition, 32x32 feet, was added. In 1849 the entire building was remodeled, and remains in the form then given it. This house stands a little outside, and to the south of the village on the old Providence and Worcester road. Soon after the last reconstruction the meeting house was furnished with green blinds by Edward Harris, Welcome Farnum and Joseph Almy. For many years this was the only public house of worship in this vicinity, and as there were many Friends resident in the surrounding country it was usually filled on "First Day" with an intelligent and devout congregation.
The Friends moved at an early date in behalf of educa- tion. In 1771 they declared that "It is thought necessary that poor children be schooled," and Moses Farnum, Moses Brown, Thomas Lapham, Job Scott, Elisha Thornton, Samuel Aldrich, George Arnold, Antepast Earle and David Steere were appointed to draw up a plan establishing a free school among Friends. Report having been made recommending the organizing of said free schools, and Thomas Steere, Moses Farnum, David Steere, Moses Brown, Ezekiel Com-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
stock, Benjamin Arnold, Rufus Smith, Daniel Cross, George Smith, Samuel Aldrich, Gardner Earle, David Buffum and Thomas Lapham, Jr., were appointed to select the places for the schools, to inspect the poorer sort of Friends' families, to determine who shall be schooled from the fund, and generally to transact all other matters and things belonging to the school.
In 1718 "Providence monthly meeting" was set off from "Greenwich monthly meeting," and consisted of Providence and Mendon meetings. The name was changed, in 1731, to " Smithfield monthly meeting." In 1783 the present Provi- dence monthly meeting was set off from Smithfield monthly meeting.
The Smithfield Academy, located at Union Village, was for a long time a flourishing and useful institution. It was built by lottery, and was occupied in 1810. David Aldrich was the first teacher, who was succeded by Josiah Clark. John Thornton, who came next on the list, remained for about six years, when he was followed by George D. Prentice, after- wards so well known as the editor of the Louisville (Ky.) Journal. Other teachers were employed, among them Christopher Robinson, who thereafter became a prominent lawyer, residing in the present village of Woonsocket, and who has been Attorney General of the State, member of the House of Representatives of the United States, and United States Minister to Peru. The last teacher was James Bushee, who taught almost continuously for twenty years, impressing upon the school a character for . solidity and effectiveness. When, about the year 1850, he closed his connection with the Academy, not only did it cease to exist, but the last effort to induce or retain business or material life in this attractive village expired.
About half a mile north of the village is one of those natural curiosities occasionally found, of interest to the idlest observer, as well as to the geologist. "Coblin Rock" is of
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD.
uniform diameter, standing on a large flat rock, and weighs probably about 200 tone. Near this were situated the quarries from which the once famous "Smithfield Scythe Stones" were taken. It is estimated that not less than 500,000 dozen of these stones were made, during a period of about twenty years. The makers were, at different times, Marcus Arnold, George Aldrich, Thomas A. Paine and Han- son Arnold.
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