Worcester City (part 3 of 3)

The Loring & Blake Organ Company, located in Union Street, was incorporated in 1868. Messrs. Loring & Blake, the founders, were at one time with Taylor & Farley Organ Company, and first engaged in business in Southbridge Street, in French's building, and afterwards moved to the building in Hammond Street, which was later burned down and never rebuilt. From there they moved to the Adams Block, between Main and Southbridge Streets, the site of the new Post-OfBce, and also hired some rooms of E. S. Stone, their mill-work being done in Cypress Street. They now occupy the large five-story brick factory in Union Street.

The lumber used by this company comes compartively dry, but they have two large dry-houses with a capacity of fifty thousand feet. From the dry-houses the lumber passes to the mill-room, is cut up into the proper sizes and glued; it then goes through the scraping and smoothing-machines. This company uses a machine for carving which does many parts of the work formerly done by hand, although some of the work can still be done cheaper by hand than by machinery. From the mill-room, with its multiplicity of saws and wood-working machinery the work goes to the case-room, adjoining which is the tuningroom ; here tlie tuner has a set of reeds pitched, from which the reeds are fitted for the organ. Formerly the reeds were left perfectly straight, but now are bent somewhat, which is supposed to give a superior tone. This is a return to the earlier practice, as the reeds of the firsc melodeons were made in this way. This company uses a patentstop motion of its own on its organs. The work of the factory is all divided into departments ; the reeds and reed-boards are purchased outside, and put into cases in the factory. The bellows stock is also purchased.

The Taber Organ Company in Hermon Street - N. H. Ingraham, president, William B. Baker, treasurer, - was established in 1872 as the Worcester Organ Company. Shortly afterwards, Mr. William B. Taber, who had been with Loring & Blake Organ Company, bought the business, and later, in 1877, the Taber Organ Company was formed, starting with fifteen hands. The company now employ forty. Their product goes all over the world. The changes and improvements made in organ-building, have, for the most part, been in the styles of cases, in couplers and tremolos - the change in the latter being from the valve to the fan tremolo.

The company now known as the Worcester Organ Company is a continuation of the business formerly conducted by E. P. Carpenter, and has now commenced the manufacture of pianos. The manufacture of organ-reeds, while closely connected with the manufacture of organs, is a distinct business. Previous to 1846 reeds were made by hand. About that time Jeremiah Carhart, of New York, devised machinery for making the organ-reed to be used with exhaust bellows, which he had invented and patented. Redding & Harrington, of Worcester, also devised a machine for making the reeds. Mr. A. H. Hammond bought a one-third interest in this business and, finally, all of it. The Hammond shop, in May Street, now does a large domestic and foreign business, and employs two hundred hands.

The Munroe Organ Reed Company was established in 1860. It was incorporated in 1869 with a capital of Sl.S.SOO, and employed ten men. In 1875 the capital was increased to $60,000, and in 1878 they added to the manufacture of reeds that of automatic instruments; since then they have employed something like 250 men at one time. In 1879 they moved to their present location in Union Street, where they have the most complete facilities and most ingenious machinery for the prosecution of their business. They use from 150,000 to 200,000 pounds of sheet brass per year, from which the rough frame-work of the reed is punched; it is then planed and milled; the reed grooved and the tongue securely fastened in place by machinery; another machine letters the reeds, of which 15,000 are manufactured daily. The reed-boards are made of the best Michigan quartered pine. The places for the reeds are cut in the reedboards by machinery. The product of this company goes all over the world. The export business amounts to §100,000 per year.

Envelopes. - Envelopes weie first used in England between 1830 and 1839, but only in a very limited way, as the use of an envelope called for double postage, the law then beiugthat postage should be charged for the number of pieces of paper. This explains the custom, then prevailing, of folding the letter-sheet to make it answer the purpose of an envelope.

Up to this time, and for several years after, all the envelopes used were cut by hand ; each stationer had blank patterns of several sizes of envelopes, and with the aid of a sharp penknife cut the blanks three or four at a time. On rainy days these blanks were folded and stuck together in the form of envelopes. There are to-day, in this country, stationers in business who in early life made in this way all the envelopes sold in their stores.

Worcester has taken a foremost place in the development of the manufacture of machine-made envelopes. The third United States patent on a machine for making envelopes was issued to Dr. Russell L. Hawes, of this city, in 1853 ; the two preceding patents were upon machines of no practical value, so that it may fairly be said that the first successful machine in the United States for making envelopes was invented and patented by a Worcester man and built in the city of Worcester.

Dr. Hawes was then agent for Goddard & Rice, and saw in New York some hand-made envelopes, very likely made by a Pole named Karcheski, who is said to have made the first hand-made envelopes in this country.

Dr. Hawes thought he could make envelopes by machinery, and, returning to Worcester, built a machine in the shop of Gnddard & Rice, which was subsequently patented. The blank for the envelope was first cut out by a die, then the sealing flap was gummed, the envelope blanks being spread out, one overlapping the other, and the gum applied with an ordinary brush. When the gum was dry the blanks were introduced into the folding-machine, which was a selffeeder, and in this Dr. Hawes applied the principle which is used on every successful envelope-machine in existence.

Up to this time all attempts at making envelopes by machinery had dealt only with the folding of the envelope, the blanks being fed to the machine by hand. Dr. Hawes went a step farther, and attached a feeding device to his folding-machine.

The blanks, having been cut and gummed on one edge, were fed to the machine in bunches of five hundred; gum was applied to the under side of the picker, which descended on top of the pile of blanks; the top blank adhered to the picker and by it was lifted to the carriage, which conveyed it under the plunger by which the blank was forced into the foldingbox. Small wings then folded over the flaps of the envelope and the gum by which the blank had been elevated to the carriage now performed a second office, that is, sticking the envelope together. The envelopes thus pade by Dr. Hawes were sold to Jonathan Grout.

Jt required the services of one girl to attend the machine, while it took half the time of another girl to spread the gum on the sealing-flaps, so that three girls could produce a finished product of about twentyfive thousand envelopes in ten hours.

Thinking the machine had reached its maximum product. Dr. Hawes, who meantime had moved to the factory of T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company in Grafton Street, sold out, in 1857, to Hartshorn & Trumbull (Charles W. and George F. Hartshorn and Joseph Trumbull), who were succeeded in 1861 by Trumbull, Waters &Co. (Joseph Trumbull and Lucius Waters). In 1866 Hill, Devoe & Co. succeeded to the business. Mr. W. H. Hill is the present proprietor.

The principal improvements made in machinery have been in increasing the capacity, and with that, improving the quality of the manufacture, as the envelopes made on the old machines would not now be considered saleable.

At the present time one girl attending two machines can produce seventy thousand envelopes in ten hours. Mr. Hill owns the patent on his machines, they having been assigned to him by the inventor, in his employ, Mr. Abraham A. Rheutan, who has done much to contribute to improvements in envelope machinery.

The Reay machine is also used in this establishment. This is the invention of George H. Reay, of New York, and was patented in 1863. From one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty hands are employed in this factory.

The next Worcester man to make valuable improvements in envelope machinery was Mr. James G. Arnold, who, in 1858, devised a machine cutting the material for an envelope from a roll of paper, and also gummed and folded the envelope complete in one operation. He introduced into this machine the drying chain. By this invention, the gum, which theretofore had been applied to the sealing-flap with a brush, was applied to the envelope by the machine, and after the machine had folded the envelopes they were deposited in this drying chain, or endless belt with fingers, the envelopes being kept separate while the gum on the envelopes was drying.

While Mr. Arnold's machine was not a practical success, it had in it the foundation principles upon which the success of the self-gumming envelopemachine depends.

In 1864 G. Henry Whitcomb came into possession of the Arnold machines, and began the business of envelope-making in a small building in School Street, where the engine-house now stands. In 1865 he removed to the north corner of Main and Walnut Streets, where he remained till January, 1866, when he removed to Bigelow Court ; he was then making one hundred thousand envelopes per day. This factory was the first building in the Uuit^d States used exclusively for the manufacture of envelopes.

At that time Mr. David Whitcomb sold out his interest in the hardware store of Calvin Foster, and joined his son, the firm being G. Henry Whitcomb &Co.

In 1873 the business was moved into the present factory in Salisbury Street, additions to which were built in 1878 and in 1886. In 1884 the firm became a corporation, known as the Whitcomb Envelope Company. The machines used have been built on their own premises, and the patents upon them are owned by the company. The machines are the invention of Messrs. D. W. & H. D. Swift, who, in 1871, built one upon an entirely new principle, capable of making thirty-five thousand envelopes in ten hours.

In 1876 the Messrs. Swift invented their first selfgumming machine. A girl could run two of these machines, making seventy thousand envelopes in ten hours. The product was automatically registered, these being the only machines in the world with a clock attachment.

Besides the invention of four distinct envelopemachines, the Messrs. Swift have patented an automatic printing-press, for printing envelopes. The blanks are fed to the machines in three or four thousand lots, picked up singly by the air-feed, and carried into the press, where they receive the impression. They are then discharged on the opposite side of the machine and piled up, ready for the envelope folding-machine.

The construction of this press is very simple. It has a stop-motion attachment, and is so delicately adjusted that a single hair stretched across the attachment will spring the let-off motion and the press will stop. Seven presses, each capable of producing 30,000 impressions in ten hours, can be run by a man and girl, making a total of 200,000 impressions with only two operatives. The great efficiency of this machine will be appreciated when it is considered that 11,000 to 12,000 impressions is a large day's work for an operative on an ordinary job press.

One hundred and fifty hands are employed in the Whitcomb Envelope Factory. Their daily product is one million envelopes, with a capacity of double that amount.

To illustrate the efficiency of the Swift machine, owned by the Whitcomb Envelope Company, it can be said that Herman Schott, the largest envelopemaker in Germany ; Alexander Pirie & Son, Aberdeen, Scotland, the largest envelope-makers in the world ; and Fenner & Appleton, of London, one of the largest envelope-makers in England, several years ago equipped their factories with the Swift machine.

The Logan, Swift & Brigham Envelope Company was incorporated February 1, 1884. Messrs. Logan, Swift & Brigham were for a long time associated with the Whitcomb Envelope Company. Their machinery is the invention of Messrs. D. W. & H. D. Swift, who have been mentioned in connection with the Whitcomb Company. Logan, Swift & Brigham employ one hundred hands.

Upon reviewing the history of these three companies, it is apparent that Worcester has been most prominently identified with the inception and development of machine-made envelopes. The most important contributions that have been made to this art have come from Dr. Hawes, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Rheutan and the Messrs. Swift, who have taken out upwards of twenty patents. The production of a single operative has been increased from less than 10,000 staple envelopes per day to 70,000.

To-day three millions of staple envelopes are made daily, which is between one-fourth and one-third of the entire product of the United States, and constant employment is given to four hundred operatives.

Chapter Cxcvii

Fire- Arms. - Harding Slocomb, December 6, 1820, notifies his friends that he has established his business as gunsmith in Worcester, opposite Jeremiah Robinson's drug store, a few rods south of the Court-House, where he manufactures twist and straight rifles, fowling-pieces, and has musket-guns and pistol-flints for sale. These fire-arms were, of course, all made with the old flint-lock.

At this time Asa Waters (2d) had a gun-factory in Millbury, where he made government arms. Ware & Wheelock, at the top of Front Street, opposite the City Hall, in 1825, manufactured guns, and in 1833 Joseph S. Ware and John R. Morse were established in Main Street, where guns, rifles, fowling-pieces and muskets were made to order.

Ethan Allen is identified with this business from an early day up to the time of his death, and contributed very largely to improvements in methods and machinery. Mr. Allen was born in Bellingham, Mass., in 1810, where he received a common-school education.

In 1831 he was engaged in manufacturing shoe cutlery in Milford, and in 1832 moved to what was then known as New England Village, in the town of Grafton, where he commenced the manufacture of the Lambert Cane gun, in connection with shoe cutlery. This was the beginning of the fire-arms business which he prosecuted so successfully thereafter.

In 1838 he built a shop, which he occupied for some time for the manufacture of fire-arms and shoe-kit; this is still standing and used for manufacturing purposes. In 1834 Mr. Allen manufactured the saw-handle target rifle-pistol, and it is said that in 1835 he took one of these pistols to New York, and showed it to a Mr. Speis, who was engaged in selling fire-arms, and asked if there would be any demand for such an article. Mr. Speis looked at the pistol, and said : " Do you make these ? " MK' Allen replied " Yes." " What is your price ? " Mr. Allen named it. " Why don't you ask twice as much? " was the reply ; " I will take all you can make."

Thus encouraged, Mr. Allen returned to New England Village and began to make the pistols. Soon after he invented the self-cocking revolver, which was widely known at that period, and subsequently during the Mexican War and the California gold discoveries, during which time the business was most prosperous and profitable. As a gold-miner, Mark Twain "Roughing It," gives an amusing description of his experience with this self-cocking revolver, and the degree of skill in marksmanship which he had acquired by constant practice. " There was," he says, " no safe place in all the region round about." On one occasion he brought down a cow fifty yards to the left of the target, when an interested spectator persuaded him to purchase the carcass.

About 1837 Mr. Allen took into partnership his brother-in-law, Mr. Charles Thurber, who remained in business with him until 1856, when the firm was dissolved, Mr. Thurber retiring.

Early in the fifties he associated with himself another brother-in-law, Mr. T. P. Wheelock, who died in 1863, the firm being Allen & Wheelock. In 1842 the company moved to Norwich, Conn., where they carried on the manufacture of fire-arms. In 1847 they came to Worcester and located in Merrifleld's building, where they remained until the great fire of 1854. Immediately after, they erected a shop at the Junction, now occupied by the L. D. Thayer Manufacturing Company and the Worcester Elevator Company, where the business was for some years prosecuted by them and their successors.

The removal from Norwich was the practical beginning of the fire-arms business in Worcester ; since which time it has been a most important industry. Previous to that date there was nothing that could properly be called a manufactory ; there were a few small shops, but nothing more.

In 1865, subsequent to the death of Mr. Wheelock, Mr. Allen took into partnership his two sons-in-law| Messrs. S. Forehand and H. C. Wadsworth, under the name of Ethan Allen & Company, and so continued until the death of Mr. Allen, January, 1871; after that, the business was conlinued by the surviving partners, under the firm name of Forehand & Wadsworth. Since 1883 the business has been prosecuted by Mr. Forehand alone, and since 1876 has been located in the Stone shop at the Junction, known as the Old Tainter Mill.

Mr. Allen was a mechanic and inventor of superior capacity. He invented a doubled-barreled breechloading sporting gun, and was probably the first to use steel shells in connection with such an arm ; these shells can be re-loaded indefinitely. He was the pioneer, in this country, in the manufacture of double barreled shot guns and fowling pieces.

Between 1855 and 1858 a change was made from the system of muzzle-loading to breech-loading firearms, although the breech-loading system had been adopted in Europe before that date, and, at the same time, the change was made from loose to fixed ammunition.

Neither in this country nor in Europe had metallic cartridges been made except by hand - a slow and most tedious process. Mr. Allen recognized the necessity of making the metallic cartridges by machinery, and invented and patented the first set of machinery that was ever built for that purpose. The heading-machine, which is used by every manufacturer of metallic cartridges in the world, was his invention, and has stood the test of litigation. Prior [ to this, no one, so far as is known, had conceived of any process of forming the head except by spinning it up in a lathe.

At the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 the Government exhibited a set of this machinery, and there was nothing in the Mechanical Exhibition which attracted more attention. The whole process, from beginng to end, was the product of Mr. Allen's brain. Probably no fire-arms manufacturer in the country made so great a variety of arms as he: from the whale bomb-lance to the cheap Fourth of July pistol, and every variety of fowling-piece.

Formerly all work was done with the file, cold chisel and anvil, but methods have greatly improved, until now there is no finer work done than what is popularly spoken of as " gun work." The parts are all interchangeable and made with the greatest nicety.

Charles Thurber, at one time associated with Mr. Allen, was a successful teacher in Worcester, and is credited with having invented the first type-writing machine, which is said to be still in existence.

1859, began to manufacture fire-arms in Merrifield's building in Excliange Street. The first arm lie manufactured was a single-shot breech-loading pocket pistol using a cartridge.

Mr. Wesson daring the war manufactured twenty thousand stand of arms for the Government. At present he manufactures long range, short range, sporting rifles and pocket pistols.

Mr. Frank Copeland, 17 Hermon Street, established a manufactory for fire-arms in 1863 ; he was formerly in the employ of Allen & Wheelock, at their old shop at the Junction. He first manufactured revolvers, and in 1876 devised a single-shot breechloading sporting gun, called " The Champion."

Mr. Copeland's second gun is a single-barreled sporting gun, called the " F. Copeland Gun," which is more strongly constructed, better in action and capable of standing heavier charges, and altogether more durable.

Harrington & Richardson Arms Company. - This business was established in 1871 by F. Wesson and G. H. Harrington, under the firm-name of Wesson & Harrington, for the purpose of manufacturing a shellejecting revolver, invented and patented by Mr. Harrington, and the business was located at 18 Manchester Street, in the building owned and used by Mr. Wesson as a rifle factory, a business in which he had been engaged for many years. This firm continued until 1874, when Mr. Wesson's interest was purchased by Mr. Harrington, who soon afterward formed a copartnership with William A. Richardson, under the firm-name of Harrington & Richardson, and the manufacture of the same style of revolver was continued. This revolver, which was the starting-point of the present business, was an improvement in convenience over any other then made, it being so constructed as to load and have the exploded shells removed by the sliding ejector, without detaching the cylinder or removing any portion of the arm ; and it is believed to have been the first successful shellejector used on a metallic cartridge revolver. It had a large sale for a number of years. Various other styles of revolvers have been added, improvements made and patented from time to time. In the fall of 1876 the business was removed from Manchester Street to the more commodious quarters 31 Hermon Street. Here new and improved machinery and appliances were brought into operation, and have been constantly increased from year to year, and additional room occupied.

In 1880 Messrs. Harrington & Richardson became the sole licensees in the United States for the manufacture of the celebrated Anson & Deeley hammerless gun, an English invention. This was a high cost arm, ranging in price from eighty-five to three hundred dollars, The manufacture of this gun was continued for about five years. In January, 1888, Harrington & Richardson dissolved their copartnership, and reorganized as a stock company, with the following officers: Gilbert H. Harrington, president ; William A. Richardson, treasurer; George F. Brooks, secretary.

The business of the company is the manufacture of revolving fire-arms exclusively, which are produced of various styles and of different prices, from the plain, substantial, solid frame arm, from which the cylinder is removed by the withdrawal of the centrepin upon which it revolves, to the more elaborate hinge-frame revolver, employing the automatic shellejecting system, by which all the exploded shells are thrown out automatically by the act of opening the arm for reloading.

All the arms manufactured by the company have a high reputation for quality, beauty of appearance and reliability. Very few persons not practically acquainted with this business have any idea of the amount and nicety of machinery and special tools and appliances required, and, where revolvers are produced in large numbers, of the care and close inspection necessary to maintain a high standard. If one would undertake to manufacture a new revolver of good quality and the average intricate construction, and were already provided with all the machinery that can be purchased of machine tool builders, adapted to this business, it would require a year to construct one small revolver, and make the tools and appliances necessary to produce the arm in quantities and of good quality.

Iver Johnson & Company, established in 1871, are located at 44 Central Street, and employ two hundred hands. Their products are air pistols, guns, revolvers and other arms; ice and roller skates.

January 30, 1856, notice is found of a new rifle invented by B. F. Joslyn, the manufacture of which was controlled by Mr. Eli Thayer. It was claimed to be superior to the Sharpe's rifle, both on account of the rapidity of its loading and the simplicity, safety and cheapness of its construction.

In March, 1859, the Spy said that Mr. Joslyn and Mr. Freeman, of New York, had purchased the large stone shop at South Worcester, where they expected to commence the manufacture of pistols under Joslyn's patent at an early day ; and, in 1860, the War Department ordered from Mr. Joslyn one thousand of his rifles, which up to that time was the largest single order for fire-arms ever given to one contractor in the country. The Navy Department had previously ordered five hundred.

In April, 1861, they were busy day and night at the Lower Junction shop manufacturing Joslyn's breech-loading carbines for the War Department. Fort Sumter had then been fired upon and the demand for arms became pressing. All the iron-working establishments in the city were busy furnishing the Government with ordnance. Nathan Washburn was making five tons of rifle-barrel iron per day for the Springfield Armory, and was under contract to furnish one hundred thousand musket barrels.

Osgood Bradley was at work on gun-carriages and forges. Wood & Light were busy making machinery for the government at Springfield Armory. November, 1861, Shepard, Lathe & Co. were under contract for Colt, the Burnside factory and Springfield Armory. Allen & Wheelock had two hundred hands at work for the government and private parties. L. W. Pond was building twenty light rifle-cannon of his invention, called the "Ellsworth Gun," at the shop of Goddard, Rice & Co. This was a "breechloading rifle-gun, four feet long, six inches in diameter at the breech and Si at the muzzle, with a IJ inch bore, carrying a chilled conical ball weighing 18 ounces, which it will throw three miles. The gun weighs, carriages and all, 450 lbs. Cost, $350."

July 11, 1862, a patent was granted to Theodore E. Timby, of Worcester, for improvements in a revolving battery-tower and improvements for discharging guns by electricity. Joslyn's breech-loading carbines were in high favor at this time with the government.

In 1862 Ball & Williams (in School Street) employed one hundred men in the manufacture of the Ballard rifle, - a cavalry rifle which they continued to make until the close of the war. This was a breech loading arm, using a .42 metallic cartridge, and the invention of Mr. Ballard, who had been a foreman for Ball & Williams.

Ieon axd Steel Business. - Nathan Washburn, at one time, worked for William A. Wheeler as a journeyman founder, and while in his employ invented a car-wheel, which he patented in 1852. In company with Mr. Converse, of his native town of Tolland, Conn., Mr. Washburn began the manufacture of these wheels in Franklin Street, next to Bradley's car-shop, and continued there until 1857, when the new building was erected near the freight depot of the Western Railroad, since occupied by Washburn Iron Company, and later by the Worcester Steel Works. The building, as designed, was to be occupied in part by Nathan Washburn as an ironfoundry for the manufacture of car- wheels; the main building was to contain machinery for re-rolling iron rails and for making locomotive tires, while the western end was to be occupied by Henry S. Washburn for a rolling-mill and a wire-factory. Meantime Mr. George W. Gill became associated with Nathan Washburn in the rail and lire business, and very likely suggested engaging in it ; for he had been employed as foreman and contractor in charge of the iron work upon the cars built in Mr. Bradley's shop, where Mr. Gill mu&t have become more or less familiar with the railroad business. Previous to the introduction of the wrought-iron . rail, rails were made of wood, with flat bar-iron on the upper surface ; when the rails were loosened, the ends, called "snakes' heads," were often forced up through the car-bottoms, to the great discomfort and danger of the passengers. Mr. Gill was born in West Boylston, and learned the blacksmith trade in this city.

In 1859 this business had reached considerable proportions, employing from one hundred and seventy to one hundred and ninety hands, and turning out forty tons of iron per day.

At this time, Mr. Washburn, in company with Canadian capitalists, established a rolling-mill at Toronto .for re-rolling rails for the Grand Trunk Railway; he attended to the equipment of the mill, and three large steam-hammers were made for it by Woodi Light & Company.

In 1860 there was but one establishment in New England doing railroad work of this character, and that was located at South Boston. The Washburn car-wheel was very popular, and there was a good demand for re-rolling rails and for locomotive tires. Five hundred thousand dollars capital was employed in the business, and from two hundred and twenty to two hundred and forty men with a pay-roll amounting to seven thousand dollars per month. The works extended over four acres of ground. In the foundry, one hundred and seventy-five feet by sixty feet, forty car-wheels were cast each day and eight tons of machinery. In the rolling-mill, two hundred and fifty rails weighing forty tons were rolled daily, and also four tons of tire for driving-wheels, while seven puddling furnaces produced twenty tons daily of bar or puddled iron.

The trip-hammers for working over and welding together the worn-out rails were of large size, made by Wood, Light & Company, at their shop at the Junction, by whom the first set of gun-barrel rolls were made in 1860 for Mr. Washburn; these were modeled after an English set in the armory at Springfield.

In 1864 Mr. Washbnrn went to Europe, and when he returned, brought with him an equipment for a small Bessemer plant of about one ton capacity, which he partially built but never completed. This must have been one of the earliest attempts in this country to erect a plant for the manufacture of Bessemer steel, as the first steel actually made was at Wyandotte, Mich., in the fall of 1864.

associates and built the works in Grafton Street, now occupied by the Washburn Car Wheel Company, where he continued the business of manufacturing car wheels until about 1866, when he sold out his wheel business to the Washburn Iron Company, and engaged in the manufacture of steel tire car wheels, and later started a foundry in Hartford to be run in connection with the Worcester shop. Mr. Washburn sold out his interest the same year altogether, but the business continued under the name of the Washburn Car Wheel Company, the product being h)Comotive truck and tender wheels.

Mr. Washburn then went to Allston, and remained until within two years, and is now engaged at South Boston perfecting a new solid cast Bessemer wheel. After leaving Allston, his plant was leased by Jonas S. Hart & Co. ; it was burned down, later re-built, and is now occupied for the manufacture of wheels by Samuel D. Nye, under the firm-name of Jonas S. Hart &Co.

Mr. Nye has been connected with this business since 1859, having been associated with Mr. Washburn at that time and was with his successors in the business until the spring of 1888, when he resigned his position as manager of the Worcester Steel business and removed to Allston.

The Washburn Iron Company continued the business of re-rolling iron rails until 1881, when the demand almost entirely ceased by reason of the general adoption of the Bessemer steel rails, which resulted in a great saving in railroad construction. Iron rails were delivered in Boston in the summer of 1868 at eighty-eight dollars per ton of two thousand two hundred and forty pounds, while steel rails were delivered in Boston, November, 1888, at thirty dollars per gross ton.

In the winter of 1881 they began the importation of steel blooms, and in the spring of 1882 began rolling steel rails. Mr. Gill died April 1.3, 1882, and Mr. George M. Rice then acquired an interest in the business, which was managed by the Gill estate until October, 1883, when the entire property ^jassed into the hands of Mr. Rice and his associates, who organized the Worcester Steel Works. The work of rolling steel blooms into rails continued until the fall of 1883, when work was begun upon the Bessemer steel plant, and the first steel was made in June, 1884. Later, an open hearth furnace was put in, and during the year 1888 two new trains of rolls have been added, modern heating furnaces, etc., for the manufacture of merchant bars.

About four hundred men are employed in these works, producing two hundred and thirty tons daily, made up of rails for steam and horse railroads, blooms^ billets and shapes, merchant bars and castings. For over thirty years this business has had a prominent place among the industries of Worcester, being at one time the largest single industry in the city. It has followed the complete revolution of the rail business