History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 19

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066

USA > West Virginia > Kanawha County > Charleston > History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens > Part 19

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The Vulcan Iron Works of Charleston, W. Va., a pioneer concern, was organized in 1900 with a capital stock of $18,000. The officers are Frank Woodman, president and treasurer, and N. C. Woodman, secretary. The concern is engaged in all kinds of job repair work, such as boiler, machine, foundry and forge work, besides general repair work. This is among the oldest machine works in Charles- ton. The plant was first operated by George Davis, and later by Luckadoe & Hagen, and after that it was known as the Elk Foundry & Machine Company. Since 1900 it has been operated as The Vulcan Iron Works. It is located on the corner of Virginia street and Columbia avenue, on the west bank of the Elk river. Mr. Frank Woodman has been con- nected with the concern during the past fifteen years. Twenty-five men are employed.

The Kanawha Brick Co. was organized in 1889 for the purpose of manufacturing build- ing and paving brick and also pressed building and paving brick. The capital stock of this concern is $35,000. It has a capacity of 50,000 brick a day. The company has two plants. One is located in the city of Charleston on the west side of the Elk river, and the other is on the Kanawha river above Charleston on the south side of the river. Their output is about 8,000,000 brick annually. The officers are: William D. Isaac, president; Frank Woodman, secretary; and George D. Isaac, treasurer. About fifty employees are on the payroll. The Kanawha Brick Co. has fur- nished the brick for many of the finest and most substantial buildings in Charleston.

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The Morgan Lumber and Manufacturing Co., of Charleston, W. Va., is the largest and most up-to-date concern of its kind in the state of West Virginia. It was organized February 26, 1910, with a capital stock of $100,000. The office and yard are located on Columbia avenue and the mills are on Penn- sylvania avenue, occupying all the space be- tween the two streets or avenues. The officers are as follows: H. E. Shadle, president and general manager; H. L. Huggman, vice-presi- dent; Idon E. Hodge, secretary ; S. C. Peeler, treasurer; and H. P. Henneman, architect. The concern is engaged in the manufacture of all kinds of specialty work, such as desks, stone fronts, stair casing and office furnish- ings. The Sterrett Bros. and also the Frank- enberger display cases were turned out by the Morgan Lumber and Manufacturing Co. With the exception of four or five machines, all are propelled by individual motors. The electricity for power and lighting is generated in the plant. The space covered is two and a half acres, half of which is covered with build- ings, including the stock shed. The main building is 160 x 80 feet, which does not in- clude the dry kiln, stock sheds and power plant. It is a two-story brick building (as are also the power plant and stock shed), modern in every respect and has a cement floor and electric elevator. There is a single-story pine shed while the wareroom is three stories. The office consists of five rooms, toilet and bath, and a large hall constructed of buff brick and modern in architecture.

There are seven salaried men and fifty-five laboring men, a large number of whom are skilled in their respective lines of work. The business, which was founded by J. C. Roy, has been under the Morgan name for more than thirty years. The Morgan Lumber and Manufacturing Company succeeded the Mor- gan Lumber Co., who had succeeded the Mor- gan Company. Before that the firm was known as John and J. S. Morgan, and before that the Morgan and Gardner Co., who had succeeded John Morgan & Co.

The business is growing rapidly, the vol- ume approximating $200,000 annually. Prep- arations are under way for operating two or

three sawmills in the woods to provide lumber for the plant. Formerly the business was of a local or retail nature for want of proper ar- rangements for shipping, but during the past year attention has been given to the wholesale trade with much success. The plant is ably managed and is a model of its kind and is a valuable addition to the industrial growth of Charleston.

The Gill Manufacturing Company was or- ganized in 1902 by Charleston capitalists for the manufacture of dressers, tables, kitchen cabinets and other articles of household fur- niture. The capital stock of this concern is $15,000. There are twenty-five employees on the payroll. The plant is small but can safely be placed among the sound and successful in- dustries of Charleston. The officers are: Frank Woodman, president; and E. C. Daw- ley, secretary and treasurer.

The Banner Window Glass Co. of South Charleston is one of the many prosperous manufacturing plants of the city of Charles- ton. The plant is located in South Charleston at the end of the South Charleston electric car line. The firm was incorporated in June, 1907, with a capital stock of $50,000, and began operations December 12, 1907. The plant was moved to South Charleston from Shirley, Indiana, where it had been operated from 1898 to 1907. The principal reason for locating in Charleston was because of the cheap gas and excellent shipping facilities to be had here. It is modern and is conducted on the co-operative plan, the stock being owned and the plant oper- ated by the skilled men in its employ, all of whom with one or two exceptions being stock- holders. The employees number one hundred men. The product of the plant is window glass. The concern has been successful from the start and has never shut down since it be- gan operations, except for repairs. The offi- cers of the company are elected annually from the employees by the employees themselves, who are the stockholders. The present offi- cers are: Felix Dandois, president; Gustave Dupierreux, vice-president; Louis Waterloo, secretary; and Julius Champagne, treasurer.

Dunkirk Window Glass Company of South Charleston was incorporated under the laws

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of Indiana April 7, 1896, and operated at Dun- kirk, Indiana, to 1906, when the' plant was moved to South Charleston, W. Va. The concern had been located in St. Louis, Mo., and was moved from there in 1894. In St. Louis the business was owned and operated by two brothers, George Schlossstein and Dr. Adolph Schlossstein, parents of the present owners. The plant was founded and operated prior to 1878 by a party of Frenchmen in the city of St. Louis. The capital stock of the present company is $50,000. The officers are : George Schlossstein, president; Dr. Adolph Schlossstein, vice-president; and Edward T. Schlossstein, secretary and treasurer. The reasons for coming to South Charleston were on account of the cheap gas and the excellent shipping facilities. The output of the plant is 100,000 boxes window glass annually, and the product is shipped from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast and from Canada to the Gulf coast. There are two hundred employees. The plant is a large structure erected of cement blocks. The officers and men who own and operate the Dunkirk Window Glass Com- pany are men of many years' experience in the manufacture of window glass, having been identified with the manufacture of glass prac- tically all their lives. The concern has an an- nual payroll of about $85,000. The combined payroll of the three plants (each of which is a separate corporation), when operating to capacity, averages seven to eight thousand dol- lars a week in money paid out to employees.

The Tanners' and Dyers' Extract Company of Charleston, W. Va., began business as a close corporation in 1891. The concern was incorporated by persons from Philadelphia and Hanover, Pa., for the purpose of manufactur- ing refined tanning extracts and other prod- ucts manufactured from wood and bark, but after a short time the operations were confined to the manufacture of a refined chestnut bark tanning extract for high grade oak tannages made from chestnut, oak and hemlock bark and chestnut wood. The product is held to be of a superior quality and the output is dis- posed of to tanners in this and foreign coun- tries. It is manufactured by a process pecul- iarly their own. The plant was destroyed by

fire in 1896, but was immediately rebuilt when the Philadelphia people disposed of their in- terest to the present owners.

The capital stock of the corporations is $108,000, which has never been increased, al- though the plant has been increased from time to time as necessity required it, and the prod- uct has increased from 100 to 700 barrels a week. There are at present improvements be- ing made which will cost $50,000. While the output has increased as stated, the foreign markets have of late of necessity been neglected in order to meet the demands of the home market. The plant is located on the south bank of the Kanawha river. The plant was again partially destroyed by fire in 1898.

The concern employed fifty men the first year and now has on its payroll 250 men, in- cluding those engaged in getting out the mate- rial and those employed at the plant. The Tanners' and Dyers' Extract Co. places in circulation in Charleston and the immediate vicinity about $5,000 a week. The greater part of the raw material used in the manufac- ture of the extracts would not be merchant- able for any other purpose than for that which it is used, and may be described as a waste product. The labor represents at least three- fourths of the cost of production. The plant is supplied with modern machinery, coal, gas and waste material supplying the fuel. The original officers were: H. N. Gitt, president and treasurer, Hanover, Pa .; E. N. Wright, Jr., secretary, Philadelphia, Pa; W. P. Stine, general manager. The present officers are as follows: H. N. Gitt, president and treasurer ; Morris B. Stine, vice-president; G. H. New- comer, secretary; W. J. Stine, general man- ager; and E. J. Stine, assistant manager.

The Charleston Lumber Company of Charles- ton, W. Va., was organized in 1895 and its present capital stock is $45,000. The concern is engaged in the manufacture of lumber and all grades of builders' material. The building sheds are of brick. The machinery is all of the latest and most improved type. The con- cern enjoys a large wholesale and retail trade. The volume of business runs from a quarter of a million to $300,000 annually, giving regular employment to 75 men, which number is in-

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creased to 100 when the saw-mills are in op- eration. The output is 1,000,000 feet per month. The plant has been enlarged to keep up with the growth of the business. It is lo- cated on the corner of Elk and Bullitt streets on the east bank of Elk River. The officers of the concern are composed of the following : W. L. Savage, president ; S. C. Savage, vice-pres- ident; and A. Baird, secretary and treasurer.

The Elk Milling Company of Charleston was organized in 1907 by James Kay, Geo. E. Thomas, Jack Carr, D. F. Hostetler, and Le- roy Swinburn, for the milling of feed and meal. The mill and ware room are located on Bullitt street along the tracks of the K. & M. R. R. This concern is engaged in the wholesale flour, grain, hay and produce business. The output of the mill is 1,000 bags of 100 pounds each daily. The following are the officers: James Kay, president; George E. Thomas vice-pres- ident; D. F. Hostetler, secretary and treas- urer ; and Leroy Swinburn, manager. The Elk Milling Co. has been under the present manage- ment from the start.

The Kanawha Brewing Co. of Charleston, W. Va., was organized in 1907 with a capital stock of $150,000, since which date the capital stock has been increased to $300,000. The buildings were started August 1, 1903, by the Charleston Brewing Co. The first brew of beer was made June 20, 1904. The first sale of the product was made August 1, 1904. The name was changed in 1907 to the Kanawha Brewing Co., under new management. The plant has a capacity of 50,000 barrels annually, bottling capacity of 150 barrels, daily. The plant which is located on the corner of Bullitt and Patrick streets on the line of the K. & M. Railroad, is new and modern in equipment. The new office and bottling house was begun Nov. I, 1910, and first occupied July 1, 191I. The employees number forty. The officers of the company are as follows: George Englert, president ; G. A. Sexauer, secretary and treas- urer; and J. Fred Englert, manager.

The Charleston Manufacturing Company of Charleston, W. Va., was established in 1902 by the Abney Barnes Company for the manufac- ture of working-shirts, overalls and pants. The officers are: W. O. Abney, president; E. A.

Barnes, secretary and treasurer; and A. J. Davis, manager. The concern is located at 91- 93 Charleston St. and employs 125 people and occupies three floors. The product is placed on the market through the Abney-Barnes Com- pany and is sold principally in the southern and western markets. The factory is up-to-date.

The National Veneer Company is located on Pennsylvania Ave., Charleston, W. Va., and has a capital stock of $80,000. The product is compounded wood, and employment is given to sixty men. The floor space covers 80,000 sq. feet ; the annual sales amount to $150,000. The officers of the plant are: G. E. Breece, president ; J. Q. Dickinson, vice-president ; F. M. Staunton, treasurer ; and H. B. Smith, sec- retary.

The Kelly Axe Manufacturing Company of Charleston, W. Va., bearing the reputation of being the largest concern of its kind in the world, was incorporated in 1874. The founder of the plant was Mr. W. C. Kelly, the presi- dent. The home of the concern for many years was Alexandria, Ind., but through the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, represented by some of Charleston's leading financiers, the owners and managers of this plant were in- duced to visit Charleston and consider the many advantages presented why Charleston should be selected as the future home of this great industry. There has never been any cause for regrets on the part of those who repre- sented the city of Charleston in securing this plant nor the owners and managers of the con- cern, since much has been added to the mate- rial growth of the city as well as to her repu- tation as a manufacturing center. The owners have been amply rewarded for the loss of time and the great expense incurred in change of location by results obtained. The Kelly Axe Manufacturing Company is not only the largest plant in the city of Charleston but is the largest concern of its kind in the world. It has added much to the already increasing value of real estáte, especially to the West End of the city. Commercial, financial, industrial and all other interests have been benefited. The Kelly Axe Manufacturing Company is capitalized at $2,041,000. There are 1,200 men in all the departments. The plant covers about 25 acres

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and manufactures axes, scythes, hatchets and handles. The plant was located in Charleston in 1904. The buildings are constructed of brick and are of modern architecture. The corporation is a member of the National Associ- ation of Manufacturers of the U. S. and the American Manufacturers Association. The of- ficers are : William C. Kelly, president ; James P. Kelly, vice-president; Robert C. Thompson, treasurer; Geo. T. Price, secretary, and Wm. B. Lockett, assitant secretary.

The Charles Ward Engineering Works was incorporated in 1907. The business was es- tablished in 1872 by Mr. Charles Ward, presi- dent of the concern, who conducted it under his own name until the incorporation of the plant in 1907, when the style, The Charles Ward Engineering Works, was adopted. The plant was first located on the corner of Kana- wha and Goshorn streets, where the first boiler was made, this being for the steamer "Wild Goose," for Dr. J. P. Hale. The plant was located at various places in the city before the present site, which formerly was the loca- tion of the Kanawha Pump Works. For a time operations were confined to the construc- tion of boilers. The second boiler made was for the steamer "Katydid," which ran between Charleston and Gallipolis. This steamer brought the Cincinnati daily papers to the city of Charleston on the day of issue. After the development of the manufacture of boilers the output of the plant was largely used by New York parties for the construction of yachts. In 1834 the board of U. S. Naval Engineers conducted a series of experiments on the boilers at the New York navy yards, which was the beginning of the introduction of the boilers by the navy department for launches, since which time the Ward boilers or type have been al- most exclusively used for that service. In 1888 the naval department issued a circular letter requesting builders of water-proof boilers to submit boilers to a test to be conducted by the U. S. Navy Department. In 1890 Mr. Charles Ward set up a boiler in his works and offered it for a test before this board of engineers. While many others agreed to submit, there was really only one competitor, viz .: William Cowles, of New York. The Ward boiler made. 30

the best showing and as a result this company received the contract for building the boiler for the U. S. coast defense vessel Monterey. This was the first installation of water-proof boilers for war ships in this country. This type of boiler was adopted by the U. S. Rev- enue Department after which many of the ves- sels were furnished or equipped with boilers. In 1893 the first light draft tunnel steamer built in America was built for the U. S. Engi- neering Corps and equipped with Ward boilers and machinery. The boat was 61 ft. long, 8 ft. wide, draft 14 inches, speed, 13 miles per hour, a performance never before accomplished in this country. The greater part of the work turned out is for the U. S. government. Later several boats of the same type were built for the U. S. government.

In 1903 this concern designed and built for the government the first twin-screw tunnel tow boat built in America, which embodied all the economical machinery-quadruple expansion, condensing engines, etc., attaining the same economy as that attained by ocean steam- ers. This boat was built with a guarantee that it should equal the handling qualities of the stern-wheel steamer, with the understanding that it was not to be paid for until all require- ments were fulfilled. It was accepted and paid for in full. The name of this vessel was the James Rumsey.

Following the James Rumsey, Mr. Ward built the twin-screw tunnel tow boat, A. M. Scott, about double the size and power of the Rumsey. The Scott was submitted to a board of engineers appointed by the chief engineer of the U. S. Army to construct experimental tow boats of different types for service on the Western rivers.

The Charles Ward Engineering Works was incorporated in 1907 with a capital stock of $250,000. The officers are : Charles E. Ward, president; H. M. Ward,. vice-president ; Charles Ward, treasurer ; and William Keely, secretary. The plant employs from forty to sixty men. Much time and money have been spent in the development of the most advanced ideas. The concern manufactured boilers ex- clusively for a time but later manufactured engines and boats.

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The Kanawha Hotel Company, of Charles- ton, W. Va., was organized February 27, 1902, with a capital stock of $250,000. This amount was increased to $300,000 in 1906. The officers are: F. M. Staunton, president ; Benjamin Baer, vice-president; Geo. E. Suther- land, secretary ; and L. E. Smith, treasurer and manager ..

The Kanawha Hotel, located on the corner of Virginia and Summers streets, fronting Postoffice Square, was erected in 1902 and opened for business in 1903. The new ad- dition was made in 1906. The building is modern in architecture and has all the latest conveniences to be found in the largest hotels in this country. The structure is of pressed buff brick, trimmed with stone, and has a height of seven stories and basement. There are two elevators. The Kanawha is the larg- est hotel in the state of West Virginia. It owns its own dynamos from which electricity for lighting purposes is generated and manu- factures its own ice for the large cold storage plant. The hotel is conducted on both the American and European plans. More than half the rooms are supplied with baths and all are provided with running hot and cold water. There are 200 bedrooms furnished with brass beds. The furniture is of oak and mahogany. There are public and private dining rooms, grill room and ladies' café. The rooms are well ventilated and elegantly furnished. Of the more than three acres of floor space, there is more than an acre of tile flooring. The wains- coting is of marble and the halls and corridors are elegantly lighted.

The Ruffner Hotel, located on the corner of Kanawha and Hale streets, is owned by a stock company. The building was erected in 1885 on the site of the Hale House. The latter was erected in the latter part of the seventies by Dr. Hale and was the leading hotel of Charles- ton until its destruction by fire about 1885. M. T. and A. L. Ruffner erected the present splendid and modern hostelry, which was a five-story structure but to which in 1903 two more stories were added, making a seven-story building containing 175 bed rooms, large of- fice, writing rooms, fine dining room and café, conducted on both American and European

plans. The hotel manufactures its own heat and has two generators for lighting purposes, refrigerators, cold storage plant, etc. The present manager is Mr. Bruce Bond.

The Kanawha Planing Mill Company of Charleston, W. Va., was organized under the laws of West Virginia in 1901 with a capital stock of $25,000, which was later increased to $50,000. The officers are: P. W. Burdett, president; E. A. Reid, vice-president; and V. G. Martin, secretary and treasurer. The plant is located on Fourth avenue and Stockton street. The greater part of the material (prin- cipally yellow poplar) is sold in the Middle West. A total of about 6,000,000 feet of rough stock is handled annually, the average shipments being two cars a day.

The buildings and offices of the company cover about one acre; the yard, including buildings, four and a half acres. This plant has been in operation for ten years and is numbered as one among the many successful business enterprises of Charleston. The plant is located on the K. & M. R. R., in West Charleston.

The Standard Brick Company, of Charles- ton, W. Va., was organized April 2, 1906, with a capital stock of $100,000. The officers are: F. M. Stanton, president; S. P. Baird, vice-president; and George E. Sutherland, secretary and treasurer. The company manu- factures building, paving and fire-brick. The plant is being extended for the manufacture of tile. The output is 50,000 brick daily. The firm employs forty men and has a payroll of $2,500 monthly. Eight thousand dollars' worth of gas is used annually.

The plant and yards of the company are located one mile west of the city of Charleston on the Kanawha river and the K. & M. R. R. Paving brick is shipped to various parts of West Virginia, and building brick is shipped to points on the C. & O. R. R. in West Vir- ginia, Virginia and Kentucky. The com- pany's land consists of ten acres at plant and 1031/2 acres of clay. The clay is transported from hills to the yard by means of an air tram-road covering a distance of 3,000 feet. The firm operates steadily in all months suited to outdoor work.

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The Kanawha Woolen Mills, located on the corner of Virginia and Clendenin streets, should be classed as a pioneer among the man- ufacturing plants in Charleston. The present concern dates back to 1874, when the Kana- wha Woolen Mills were erected. The build- ings were erected in June, 1874. The capital stock of the concern is $50,000. The em- ployees number seventy-five. Yarns, flannels and jeans were formerly manufactured, but for some time attention has been given ex- clusively to the manufacture of blankets, the output being shipped to all parts of the coun- try.

The officers are: George Minisker, presi- dent; Frank Woodman, secretary and treas- urer; and H. L. Minisker, superintendent. The mills have been under the present man- agement for about thirty-six years. Several additions have been made since 1874. The oldest building was erected by Parsons, Ap- pleton & Co. Frank L. Woodman, the sec- retary and treasurer, purchased the plant about 1876. George Minisker, the president, be- came identified with the mills first as an em- ployee and since 1873 as an official. He suc- ceeded his father at the latter's death as super- intendent and later became president. Solo- mon Minisker, father of George Minisker, was the first superintendent and a very skilled man. When George Minisker became president he was succeeded by a brother of H. L. Minisker.

The Charleston Woolen Mills. It was while Major Appleton was in the oil business and was residing at Waldingfield, his post office on Mill Creek of Elk river, he was aided by a relative, Mr. William Parsons, a cousin who desired to go into business in Charleston, and Mr. Parsons and Major Appleton bought an interest in a woolen mill in Charleston that was being run on a small scale by Rand, Min- isker and Eastwood, and others, and the new business was run in the name of Parsons, Appleton & Co., and afterwards as the Kana- wha Woolen Mills Co., and they built the mills on Clendenin street. This company did not achieve the success they were striving for, and they sold out, and Frank Woodman bought the property, and he is yet the owner thereof. Mr. Woodman had Mr. George Minisker, Sr., for his manager, and no better

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 19

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 1066

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066