USA > Wisconsin > Rock County > Rock County, Wisconsin; a new history of its cities, villages, towns, citizens and varied interests, from the earliest times, up to date, Vol. II > Part 10
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They have twice suffered fire loss, but have never indicated a loss of confidence in themselves or their business and each time have rebuilt in better shape than before. The Dowd Knife Works is a vital part of Beloit's manufacturing interests.
John Foster Company. Someone once published the fact that "if there was a foot in America that hadn't worn the Foster shoes, it wasn't because Foster couldn't fit that foot." This factory was planted in Beloit for the manufacture of high-grade shoes in 1870 under the firm name of Libby, Foster & Co. Its output the first year was about $100,000 and its product then sold largely in the western states. Later the firm changed to Libby, Foster & Chapman, then to John Foster & Co. Shoe Fac- tory, and within recent years incorporated as the John Foster Company. It employs approximately 200 people, the active man- agement being John Foster, W. D. Hall and Frank Kunz, all
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practical business men. Mr. W. D. Hall is the artist, inventor, mechanic and producer of the multiplicity of high-grade styles of shoes which the trade demands, a demand which is met in a most satisfactory manner, as is attested by this and other facts. The Foster factory made the shoes for Frances Folsom, the bride of President Cleveland; for the second wife of ex-President Ben- jamin Harrison and for Mrs. McKinley at the inauguration of the late President Mckinley. This company has been the originator of nearly all the styles in fine up-to-date shoes. They make them for every occasion, of all leathers, canvas and silk, and of every conceivable cut and shape which a lady could desire. Every shoe is practically custom made, their entire product being made on orders from large retailers in all sections of the country, both here, in England, Australia and on the European continent.
Warner Instrument Company. This is among the youngest factories in Beloit, but has had the most phenomenal success of any ever planted here. It began in some experimental lines by the Warner brothers on their own invention, and did but little for the first six months or a year. In July, 1904, it put upon the market its well known automobile indicator, the Auto-Meter. Its sales from the first rapidly increased until now this company is the largest manufacturer of speed indicators in the world and is recognized as the standard speed indicator on the market. This fact is shown in all national and local automobile events, as there are then seen more Warner Auto-Meters than all other speed indicators combined. Last year in the Glidden tour, which is the greatest automobile event ever seen in this country, over 70 per cent of the cars were equipped with Warner instruments. Theirs is the only magnetic instrument built in the United States and so stands in a class by itself.
Until very recently, little was done to put this produet on the market in foreign countries for the reason that it was almost impossible to supply the demand here, but now the company has contracted with the Electrie and Ordnance Acces- sories Company, Limited, Birmingham, England, who are a branch of Vickers' Sons & Maxim, to manufacture the Warner Auto-Meter in England on a royalty basis. The company is now in its new shops in South Beloit, large up to date in construction and equipped with every possible appliance in the way of first class machinery for the manufacture of its goods. The company
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now manufactures with the Auto-Meter the Cut-Meter and Anemometers, the latter of which are being extensively used and approved by the United States government. The company em- ploys about 150 men, has an investment of about a quarter of a million and its prospects for still further growth and larger out- put are not equaled by any concern in the country. The com- pany has offices in the principal large cities in this country as well as abroad. The officers are James Barclay, president ; A. P. War- ner, vice-president and general manager; C. H. Warner, secretary and treasurer.
Lipman Manufacturing Company. The above is another con- cern of more recent birth in Beloit, a producer of devices for the operation of automobiles, and is doing a very successful business. Mr. Carl Lipman is an inventor of marked ability, as is shown by the various devices he has brought out and put upon the market. He is a Beloit man, born and raised in the city and early turned his attention toward the line of business which now en- gages his attention. Among his inventions are automobile oilers, electric speed indicators and a rotary pump, the latter of which has met with greater demand than any other like pump on the market. The Lipman Manufacturing Company was organized upwards of two years ago, taking on the individual business of Mr. Lipman, occupying a fine plant on the water power and mak- ing seemingly a pronounced success of the business. Together with the manufacture of the articles above noted, the company manufactures a high power automobile and motor-boat engine, making them all the way from ten to eighty horse power, and the manufacture of this engine is an important part of the busi- ness at the present time. This enterprise is accounted as an im- portant one here in Beloit and swells the list of those industries which give to the city its substantial reputation. Carl E. Lip- man is president of the company, and L. Holden Parker secretary and treasurer.
H. Rosenblatt & Sons. This company has been established in Beloit over thirty years. The father, H. Rosenblatt, began the business in a small way with John C. Rau, during the '70s, finally assumed the business himself and, as his sons grew to manhood, took them into partnership with him. It first began to manu- facture but one line of goods, men's overalls and jackets, but gradually the line was increased until their catalogue shows a
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large variety of garments manufactured. Mr. H. Rosenblatt, the father and founder, dying several years ago, his two sons, Moses Rosenblatt and Louis Rosenblatt, succeeded to the business. They own their own plant, two fine brick structures at the head of Fourth street, and employ approximately 200 people. The out- put of this factory is about 2,500 garments of various kinds per day. The goods are sold all over the United States, and their line is recognized as standard wherever known.
The Rosenblatt Gowing Company. This company is an out- growth of the HI. Rosenblatt & Sons factory and was organized a year ago by Isaac Rosenblatt, F. S. Gowing and H. C. Holcomb. The management is by Mr. Isaac Rosenblatt and at the outset they employed only about twenty-five men. They are all prac- tical men, make a line of goods in part the same as the parent factory, and knowing well how to make the goods, how to buy the material, how to manage help and how to sell the goods, this concern is accounted as a success from the start and will no doubt prove an important element among our manufactories.
Racine Feet Knitting Company. This is one of Beloit's in- dustries of which the city is justly proud. It is under the man- agement of Mr. J. W. Amend and one of the best managed, pro- ductive and prosperous of our manufacturing institutions. The plant was established only about four years ago, when a fine brick factory building was built just across the line in South Beloit and equipped with the most modern machinery for the purposes of its line of work. The company manufactures hosiery and underwear, turning out upwards of 500 dozens pairs of hos- iery per day and this output constantly increasing. The help em- ployed are mostly girls, who receive good pay for their labor. The best material upon the market is used in the productions of its goods, their workmanship and finish cannot be surpassed and the reputation of the firm has been established and its patronage constantly increased by reason of the quality of the goods turned out. This plant is just across the street from the new plant of the Warner Instrument Company, and the enterprise of both these concerns is a matter of pride to the citizens of Beloit.
Beloit Box Board Company. The Beloit Box Board Company, as a corporation, is the successor of the S. E. Barrett Manufac- turing Company, which was the successor of the Beloit Straw Board Company, the successor of Barrett & Kimball, the succes-
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sors of Wright & Newcomb, a long line of paper manufacturers on the west side of the river, extending back for nearly half a century. The present owners of the property have an elegant plant and 3,933 inches of the water power, which is reinforced by steam, the latter being necessary for the manufacture of the paper. The product this mill turns out is box boards, made of old papers and straw, and the daily output of the finished prod- uct is twenty tons. They employ upwards of thirty-five men. Capitalization, $80,000. The product is all sold in this country. The officers of the company are: President, Henry Weis; vice- president, A. D. W. Weis; secretary and treasurer, Howard S. Smith, and superintendent and general manager, J. A. Fisher. This is one of Beloit's permanent, substantial institutions.
M. C. Pierce Specialty Company. The M. C. Pierce Specialty Company succeeds Goddard & Allen in the manufacture and sale of the Belvidere Carpet Stretcher and Tacker and household spe- cialties. The manager of this concern is Miss M. C. Pierce, a young women of marked business ability and who is making a success of the business.
M. C. Pierce Plating Company. The M. C. Pierce Plating Company is a part of the specialty company, only that others skilled in the plating business are connected with it. The com- pany does a general plating of gold, silver, nickel, brass and the polishing of all kinds of metals. It has been in operation be- tween one and two years and is largely patronized by the iron workers of the city.
C. Mattison Machine Works. C. Mattison began the manu- facture of wood turning machinery at 644 Third street in 1897, with $1,500 capital and one man employed. In 1901 the business was moved to Fifth street and Portland avenue, and in 1903 was incorporated, C. Mattison, president and treasurer, and A. M. Mattison, vice-president and secretary. The authorized capital is $25,000, and the company has from twenty to twenty-five em- ployees, occupying two white brick buildings, 40 by 100 and 40 by 80 feet, respectively. The annual output is valued at about $90,000. The original inventor and patentee of the machines made by this company is Mr. C. Mattison, and his machines are sold not only in the United States, but also in foreign countries.
N. B. Gaston's Sons Company. The one manufacturing in- stitution of Beloit, which has lasted through nearly the whole
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life of this community, continuously maintained at the same place and in connection with the same family for nearly sixty-four years, is the Gaston Scale Factory.
It was founded by Nathan B. Gaston, who while a young man had worked in a scale factory at Rochester, N. Y., and who came with his father-in-law, A. J. Battin, to Beloit in September, 1844.
Promptly after arrival he began upon the west side of Rock river the work of making scales, employing but three men and doing all his work by hand. When Hanchett & Lawrence finished the dam on Rock river, late in the fall of 1844, Mr. Gaston bought some of the preferred stock and also the first registered number of inches of water power sold. He also erected a stone building, the first manufacturing establishment on that side of the river, and connected with the pond above the dam by means of a ditch of his own, made along the line of the present race, to the site of his shop.
Mr. A. J. Battin furnished capital at first, but the business was conducted under the name of N. B. Gaston, and later as the firm of Gaston & Edgar until about 1850. Then Mr. Edgar with- drew to go to the Pike's peak gold fields, and N. B. Gaston worked this iron field alone until 1875, when the firm became N. B. Gaston & Son. In the year 1898 that son, his oldest, Augus- tine J. Gaston, sold out his interest and a new partnership, in- cluding two younger sons, Thomas Edgar and Theodore Irving, was formed under the designation of N. B. Gaston & Sons. July 16, 1900, the senior member, then ninety years old, died, and the next year, July 20, 1901, the business was incorporated as the N. B. Gaston's Sons Company ; president, Ann E. Gaston; vice- president and treasurer, T. E. Gaston; secretary, T. I. Gaston. March 28, 1907, Ann E. Gaston's interest was transferred in equal parts to these two sons and the business remained and still continues under the same firm name. The present officers are T. E. Gaston, president ; E. E. Gaston, vice-president; T. I. Gas- ton, secretary and treasurer. The capital stock is $30,000, from fifty to sixty men are employed and the annual output is valued at about $60,000.
Nathan Brockway Gaston was born at Auburn, N. Y., March 17, 1810. As a youth in the city of Rochester, N. Y., he learned the trade of a gunsmith, but while yet a young man, went to work in a scale factory there and mastered that trade also. When
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twenty-five years of age, on Sunday, February 8, 1835, he mar- ried Amelia C. Tillinghurst, who died October 9, 1842, leaving a daughter, Maria (afterwards Mrs. Thorne). August 31, 1843, Mr. Gaston married Miss Ann Eliza Battin, daughter of Augus- tine J. Battin, formerly of New York city; came at once with his family and father-in-law by boat from Buffalo to Southport, now Kenosha, and thence with their own teams and wagons to Beloit, Wis., arriving September 13, 1844. Here Mr. Battin bought a small brick house and lot at the northeast corner of State and Broad streets, and for a year or two the Gastons and Battins lived together there.
Immediately on arrival, Mr. Gaston began his business of scale making upon Race street on the west side of Rock river, doing all his work at first by hand. In the late fall of 1844, soon after the first dam across the river was made, he built at the same spot a stone building, the first manufacturing structure on that side of Rock river, and was the first user of the new water power. The account of that scale manufactory, continued by the same family yet, is given in the chapter on Beloit manufactures.
In 1847, Chester Clark, who came in that year, built on the west side of the river, for Mr. Battin and Mr. Gaston, that peb- ble-stoned walled house, which, somewhat modified and enlarged, is still the Gaston home, standing a short distance south of St. Lawrence avenue, and west of the Northwestern railroad track.
Mr. and Mrs. Gaston were charter members of the St. Paul Episcopal church of Beloit, whose first church building, Mr. Humphrey's school house, stood on the south side of Public avenue (now No. 534). He was also for many years one of the vestrymen of that church, and always a regular supporter. He died at his residence in Beloit, July 16, 1900. Mrs. Gaston still occupies the old home in hale old age, with her oldest daughter. One other daughter has died and the youngest is married and living at La Crosse, Wis. Of the three sons, Augustine, Edgar and Irving, the two latter represent the present firm called the . N. B. Gaston's Sons Company.
Other Lesser Institutions Catalogued.
The foregoing represents the larger of Beloit's manufactur- ing interests, the bulk of the capital invested and the aggregation especially of skilled labor employed. There is a multiplicity,
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however, of smaller manufacturing concerns, which give variety to the line of products here created and sent out over this and other countries and which, to a greater or less extent, hold out inducements for people to come to Beloit, find employment and make homes.
Among these last mentioned and which are relatively as im- portant as many others, we name Slater & Marsden, who manu- facture shellers, grinders, cement block machines, wood turning and wood working machines.
Ferguson Bros., wagon and carriage manufacturers.
C. O. Warner, band and scroll sawing, banisters, mouldings, etc.
F. S. Kent Construction Company, boiler manufacturers.
E. A. Lufkin, bottling works.
Beloit Brewery.
L. E. Cunningham, contractor and builder, sash, doors, blinds and other building specialties.
Sturtevandt & Wright, butter factory and creamery.
A. L. Dearhammer, contractor and manufacturer.
Compressed Air Cleaning Company.
Beloit Carriage Works, Kinsley.
A. L. Munger, wagons and buggies.
Askin & Green, cement contractors.
Hascall Cigar Company.
Sylvester Florey, cigar factory.
C. M. Oliver, cigar factory.
Kendall & Billington, cigar factory.
Beloit Steam Dye Works.
Beloit Concrete Stone Company.
Inman Concrete Building Block & Machine Company.
Beloit Water, Gas and Electric Company.
City Mills, flour and feed.
Star Mills.
Beloit Brass Works.
Beloit Foundry Company.
Beloit Furnace Works.
Beloit Glove and Mitten Company.
Halls Glove Company.
Kent Construction Company.
McLean & Son, interior woodwork.
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William Schultz & Son, machine shop.
Griffith Manufacturing Company, moulding machines.
G. F. Beedle, motor cars.
Beloit Plating Works.
Line City Roofing Company.
C. S. Gregory, tanks, roofing, plumbing and plumbers' sup- plies.
Newton & Zimmerman, slate roofing, tanks and metal workers.
Beloit Upholstering Company.
Milan Northrop, upholsterer.
George M. Allen, section car, gasoline engines.
Rockford & Interurban Power House. The manufacture of electricity or generating the same through twentieth century methods is an industry in importance second to none in the con- duct of local transportation and turning the wheels of factories.
The Iterurban power house was built in Beloit four years ago, primarily for the furnishing of power to run the cars on the in- terurban line from Rockford through Beloit to Janesville. Its capacity, however, that of 2,500 horse power, was intended to take in, in time, other enterprises, and this it has now done. It furnishes power, in addition to the Rockford Interurban line, for the line from Rockford to Belvidere, and also for the Beloit Traction Company, and from this it lends a helping hand to the Beloit Water, Gas and Electric Company when there is any giv- ing out or weakening of its generating equipment, thereby guar- anteeing the city of Beloit at any time and all times against a calamity of darkness.
The power house is equipped with duplicates of the Allis Chamber Bros. compound condenser Engines, and with every other modern appliance necessary to make this an up-to-date "lightning producer," successfully meeting every demand it as- sumes to supply.
Beloit Traction Company. The Beloit Traction Company was incorporated under the laws of the state of Wisconsin with a capital stock of $50,000, and its first meeting was held April 30, 1906, at which said time its officers and directors were elected and all of the capital stock subscribed.
Later than this on May 1, 1906, an application was made for franchise in the city of Beloit to construct, equip, maintain and
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operate a street railway along and across certain streets and avenues in the city of Beloit.
On July 16, in the same year, a franchise was granted and soon thereafter the company began its work of construction, and on August 1, 1907, the road was equipped and completed, cover- ing about six miles of track, consisting of one loop on each side of the river, and began operations.
As a little matter of history, in the inception of the work, quite an impressive ceremony was held, when a gold and a silver spike was driven, fastening down the first rail, the golden spike being driven by Joel B. Dow, president of the company, and the silvered one by his honor, Mayor L. E. Cunningham.
The road has given excellent satisfaction, as the best of ser- vice has been afforded and it receives a liberal patronage from the public.
The officers of the company are Joel B. Dow, president; Charles A. Gault, vice-president; O. S. Baylies, Chicago, secre- tary, and W. F. Woodruff, of Rockford, Ill., treasurer; T. M. Ellis, of Rockford, Ill., general manager.
Beloit Water, Gas and Electric Company. The Beloit Water, Gas and Electric Company was organized in February, 1906, by the purchase of the water works from C. B. Salmon, the gas works from Hendley Bros. and the electric works from Milwau- kee parties.
The present company owns and operates these three utilities in Beloit and has reconstructed and added large extensions to all the properties.
The investment of the company is reported by them in 1908 as amounting to $1,000,000. They employ about seventy-five peo- ple.
C. B. Salmon, president and treasurer.
E. G. Cowdery, vice-president and manager.
Charles H. Deppe, secretary.
B. F. Lyons, assistant general manager.
They have recently (June 30, 1908) surrendered their local franchises and are now being operated under the regulation of the Wisconsin state law governing public utilities.
History of Three Franchises Surrendered June 30, 1908.
Electric. In the light of history, possessing an electric light franchise in Beloit has been to own a thing of great trouble. Ex-
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cepting for the present management, for which the "Free Press" is not prepared to speak-but it is supposed they also have their worries-the story of the electric lighting business in this city has been that of financial loss and brain-wrecking effort.
The first franchise for an electrical lighting plant was granted to W. A. Knapp on January 6, 1887. This franchise carried the right to set poles and lay wires about the city, but was not an exclusive privilege. It carried no city expense and no rates or conditions of service were given in the ordinance. Before this was granted, a year or possibly more before, Fred Messer, E. J: Adams and others had installed a dynamo in the Beloit Iron Works and supplied some of the stores with electric arc lights. The enterprise attracted attention and made Beloit feel proud, but was not practical, but after that the incandescent light came into general use.
W. A. Knapp set about to build his plant and the following summer made a contract with the city to furnish a few arc lights. The power plant was in the old Besley building, where there was good water power. On June 4, 1891, the common council granted a franchise to C. W. Wiley and A. P. Warner, who established a business under the name of the Wiley-Warner Electric Light Company. The plant was in the old Gray planing mill, where they had both water and steam power. With competition and the numerous trials that attend the establishment of an electric business-even in this day-the experience of the companies was anything but profitable and pleasant, although the Wiley-Warner company continued for six years, when it sold to the successors of the Knapp company, a Mr. Westbrook, of Chicago.
The power station was then taken to the stone building on Short street, near the Northwestern passenger station and north of the City Mills. After a life and death struggle for existence, the business went into the hands of a receiver and in 1892 E. F. Hansen was appointed receiver and for a year and a half he carried on the business and got order from chaos and the busi- ness was then bought of the creditors by Guy L. Cole, who spent thousands of dollars trying to build up the business. He bought the old paper mill property on the east side for a power plant.
Mr. Hansen. speaking of his receivership, said that it was during those months that his gray hair sprouted. "It was awful," he said, "and I notice that gray hair has followed the
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management since. The business was one series of worries, ex- pense and renewal of appliances and the service was inferior at best." *
Mr. Cole later sold to Messrs. Cowdery and Smith, of Milwau- kee, men of large investment in lighting plants. Their interests then went into the merger in 1906.
The franchise under which the merger has been operating was that original one granted to W. A. Knapp and his assigns. The present company has spent a fortune in new machinery and extensions and is giving as nearly a perfect service as it is possible to provide with present-day electrical machinery.
Gas. The pioneers in the gas lighting business had their trials along with the balance of the utility pioneers in the smaller towns. Few of the original enterprises paid anything to speak of, if there were any dividends at all, and this was the experience of the Beloit Gas Light & Coke Company. It was founded by a number of Philadelphia men and established on a charter granted them by an act of the state legislature February 13, 1855. The plant was not constructed till 1859, however, and was then put in by a company capitalized at $42,000.
The charter limited the charges to $4 per thousand cubie feet. The original stockholders included L. G. Fisher, William T. Good- hue, Hazen Cheney, S. W. Peek, S. J. Sherman, A. L. Field and John Hackett. The first president was S. J. Sherman and the secretary A. L. Field.
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