Mynderse Academy - Myndersian Yearbook (Seneca Falls, NY)

Page 11 text:

George Geb and Thomas Garvan acquired the com pany nn 1917 Under their dlrectron 1 great many rn novatrons were made ID the plant pollcles The mak mg of woolen cloth gave way to the mxnufacture of y1rn the lennttmg of sweaters and rugs In 1921 the lndustry once more changed rts title 'eff' Seneca Fall Matlalne Company to The Geb and Garvan Yarn Company During the year 1931 Thomas Garvan dred leavrng the manage ment of the lndustry entlrely 1n the hands of George Geb hrs partner Yarn rs the only one of the orrgrnal products now manufactured ln the local mrlls Twenty Eve thousand pounds of yarn are shrpped weekly to Brooklyn where rt rs woven rnto all krnds of woolen knrt wear The 130 employees of the mrll are worklng rn day 1nd nrght shifts rn order to meet the great demand for yarn The Geb and Glrvan Company rs truly one of our xalulble rndustrlal assets In trlcrng the hrstory of the Seneca Falls Machnne Company If rs necessary to consrder two drfferent companies whrch were joined together namely th Seneca Falls Manufacturing Company whlch was founded ID 1879 and the lltchburg Machine Works whleh was founded rn Iltchburg Mlssachusetts rn 1864 Smce the Intchburg Machine Works IS the older company we will consider nts history flrst It was founded for the purpose of bunldrng machme tools by a group of men who had been rdennfied wrth the machrne tool busmess for some nme They burlt a complete lme of metal workrng machrnery In 1899 the company was rncorporated under the lrws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts In 1905 Mr Marcus A Coolrdge of Fitchburg Massachusetts took over the company and specrallzed nn the manu facture of the Lo swmg Lathe whrch rs a raprd pro duction turning machrne The Seneca Falls Manufacturing Company founded by Mr Adelbert S Davis IH 1879 com menced ID a small way to make lnght castmgs for the trade and from time to tame added light machinery and hardware speeraltres to nts lme The company whrch orrglnally operated rn a plant on East Fall Street mowed IH 1887 to Water Street where the Seneca Knrttrng Mllls now operate Thls plant was ldded to and rebuilt from tlme to tlme to take care of the grldual healthy growth of the buslness I 1916 the company burlt and mowed into the present plant on lall Street Mr Adelbert S Davrs was sole owner up to 1891 when the buslness was nncorporated with Mr Davis IS presrdent and Mr Paul B Kendrg as treasurer Later Mr Davrs son Mr ohn C Davls jorned the firm as secretary Mr Dwxs Senior bought Mr Ken dug s rnterest nn 1915 and the business was then con ducted as a closed eorporatron by the Davrs famtly Orrglnally the company burlt a rather complete lrne of wood workrng machinery Later rt branched out rnto the metal worltmg Held building prlncrpally engine lathes These lathes were gradually developed so that the Star Lathe became the outstandlng small lathe rn demand both rn thus country and abroad It was and still IS used evtensrvely m laboratories tool lccurate lathes are required Dunng the World War the Government took the entire output of the plant In 1917 Mt Davrs sold hrs business to a syndicate which operated the business for some time In 192-4 the Frtchburg Machme Works purchased the plant and entnre busmess and moved from Massa 41:1 Wertcotl Rule Company chusetts to Seneca Falls Although the company ns the same company that operated rn Frtchburg under the name of the Fntchburg Machme Works the name was changed then to Seneca Falls Machme Company The present company continues to burld the Star Lathe and also nts lme of So owmg Lathes . - 1 . , ' 4 1 I J . 4 L I I 1 ' , 4 ' ' . s l ' y . K . . 2 A 1 S L l ' A . ' 2 , A . ' ' J A, I . L f 7 A .'f I ' ' . S sa va . h , 1 . l K 4 I . ' . . 1 , , . - y'x ' ,L ' s ' 2 , ' -'Q I I I . . D . . . . , A 1 . I - . . U U D rooms and other places where small and medrum srze, ' 4 L . - . A . s ' . ' 1 1 I I I - V I . , . . . . ' - Y . A A . . 2 ' 7 K ' p ' . .. . I ' '. 4 ' ' ' 1 . 4 ' vt 2 1 ' ' . I I f 1 , ' A ' ' ' A f I ' A 9 A , C U' 'If , 4. V '- V. - . ' T' , 2 C . , ' A . . . ' p 1 a 7 . I l A 2 Y I A ' . I . . . . , . - - - W ' ' 1' 7' 7

Page 10 text:

get a sump pump whrch will automatically keep his cellar dry The contractor can get a booster pump to deliver one hundred fifty pounds of pressure for fire protection at the top floor of an oflice building These are but a few of the countless uses for pumps and for almost every use there rs a Goulds pump ready to supply the demand Although john Cowmg and Henry Seymour rn 1840 first started the manufacture of pumps in a small factory on the banks of the Seneca River II wasn t until 1864 that ohn Rumsey Moses Rumsey and Norren Chathom organized the firm of Rumsey and Co A new plant was built on the site of the old one Here fire apparatus was manufactured as well as a complete line of pumps When Moses Rumsey retired ln 1878 john Rum sey conducted the business and under his able man agement the firm obtained an envrable reputation for nts products which became known all over the world Amusing incidents are recalled of the companys berng obliged to furnish special types of pumps for some of their foreign trade especially for the Island of ava One pump was made with a walking beam to either end of which was attached an ordinary mow mg machine seat so that the natives could be induced to slr on the pump operating rt rn the manner of a see saw Needless to say this pump became popular in that country since rt made work play for the natives moved to their new plant on Johnston Street nn uly 1915 and contmued to produce a great variety of Rum: ey Pump Company pumps for their trade Upon Henry Mxcks death rn 1928 his son Ransom Mreks became president In 1934 the company made woluntary application for drssolutron and from that time until the reorganl zatnon rn uly 1936 the plant was operated under a recervershrp The present company is continuing the manufac ture of pumps similar to that of the old company making fifty different types Herbert Walters of S racuse the resident of the Y present corporation has re employed many of the former workmen of the plant and prospects are Geb and Curran bright for 1 return to full production in the near future The present Geb and Garwan Yarn Company IS nearrng one hundred years of actne servrce to th1s eommunrty for in 1844 the present buildings were erected on the Seneca Rner In 1855 the company was completely re orginrzed with jacob C Chamber lam nn the positron of president The Phoenix Co as the mill was called began the manufacture of plain and fancy mens wear In spite of the fact that the country was carrying on free trade and that there was a panic rn 57 the mills prospered In 186-1 Abel Downs and Albert ewett took ower the responsibilities Under their manage ment new property was purchased forming Nos 2 and 3 mills At this time The Phoenix Mills were the largest manufacturmg concern ln Seneca Falls rn the number employed the amount of wages paid out and the value of production After twenty years the mills were again re or ganlzed and mulls 7 and 5 sold The lndustry became known as the Seneca Woolen Mills and was re modeled with the latest and most efficient machinery In 1890 Harrison Chamberlain succeeded to the presidency and once again the mills were equipped wlth the latest machinery for new processes In 1903 the mill devoted entirely to the making of woolen cloth employed about 175 persons working nn day and mght shifts and pald wages amounting to five thousand dollars a month The mill used over two thousand pounds of wool a day ln order to make over twelve hundred yards of six quarter cloth with a salue of three hundred fifty thousand dollars a year . . . . 1 , . A 1 1 N K B , 1 JA- . , I K ' , K5 ,Q v. t I ' ' ' ' ' 4 , 4 . ' . A, . 'l . ' I I1 ' , . Q . ' 3 I ' ' I .1 I I ' . I K ' Y 1 ' I r - v ' '. ' ' '- 72 . - Under Henry Micks' management, Rumsey, Ltd. .. A A . .. X . . . J A ., , ' 'kr U rs I .x N ' ' ' ' . . I ' , I 4 A Y 4 ' i , . . 4 A A YA , . . S ' .. . . 1 . . , . - 7 A . I . . I . 1 A A 1 7 Y 7 I,I5 A l I ' K I ' , I 1 , Q 7 I , - ' ' - , , 6

Page 12 text:

The best way to illustrate the wrdespread use of the machrnes manufactured rn Seneca lalls rs to call attention to the fact that practically every automo brle anel truclc seen on the road has some parts rn rt that were manufactured on So owrng Lathes The Westcott Rule Company one of the largest manufacturers of desle and school rulers and Venetran blrnds rn the world hael 1ts begmnmg as far bacle as 1872 At thrs trme Henry P Westcott and hrs two sons, Charles anel lranlc Westcott began the manu facturrng of prrnter s supphcs In 1890 thrs cnterprrse was mcorporatcd as the Westcott Brothers Company Branchmg out into many specralty lrnes, they manu factured a number of useful artrcles mcludrng games school bags, and toy blocks In 1894 the company was re rncorporated the Westcott jcwcll Company by Charles and lranle Westcott and C I and M R ewell As the business expanded, the manufacturrng of specraltres was set asrde anel concentratron was placed upon rulers Later rt was agarn re rncorporated thus trme as the West cott Rule Company Around 1935 there came quite a demand for Vene nan bhnds Westcott s equrpment naturally lent rtself to the manufacture of these bhnds It rs very rnter estrng to note that thrs type of blrnd was made many years ago rn Seneca lalls Henry P Westcott grand father of the present 'lreasurer Phrlrp R Westcott began therr manufacture rn 1858 However, the Seuem F1111 lvzrllzng Comparza patrxotrc fersor whrch swept the country at thrs trme caused many of hrs men to enhst rn the Unron Army lt was then rmpossrble to contmuc the manufaeturrng of Venetran blmds After the Curl War these blmds were not used In the homes and were almost unheard of unnl two generatrons later Westeotts products are sold rn practrcally every foreign country At the present trmc South Aftrct leads rn thc foreign market Charles H Westcott rs strll president of the Westcott Company Kenneth lvllqfal Leller ll mer M Lyon rs wee presrdent and treasurer and Phrhp R Westcott IS secretary The Seneca Knrttrng Mrlls Incorporated manu faeturers of men s heaxy worlc hose and sportsmen s soclcs, and one of the most enterprrsrng manufacturrng concerns rn Seneca lalls was founded rn 1971 M Caleb Smxth who was formerly wrth the Balston Knrttrng Company, came to Seneca lalls and started operatrons rn the old Dcleun burldrng rn West Iall Street now owned und oceupred by the Fred L Huntrngton Automobile Sales Rooms Opera trons contlnued rn thus burlehng from 1971 to 1917 when the concern mosed to nts present locatron rn Water Street purchasrng the property from the West cott Valve Company The company began manufacturing rn a very mod est way, and has srnee mcretscd nts output by nearly 100 trmes tts orrgrnal annual productron Durrng the early years the opcrttrons of the comp my were lrmrted to lenrttrng and hnrshrng only All yarns used rn the manufacturmg of the socles were corded md spun by outsrde concerns Now the company h ts nts own cordmg and spmnnng departments for the manufac turrng of yarns haung burlt extensne addltlons to accommodate thrs rmportant part of tts busmess About two thousand pounds of yarn are made an nually A branch plant rs 1lso mamtuned rn Chestnut Street dexoted eselusnely to lmrttrng and fmrshrng One rmportmt addrtron to thc resources of the com pany IS a mlehrne shop w here spccral machmes for the busrness are manufactured . 1 1 . 1 V 1 L K A 1 1 1 1 1K L K 1 ' 1 ' 1 1 I ' 1' 1 1 I e 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 ' ' 1 1 1 1 ' - ' 1 '. 1 1 1 . '11 'A ' 1 11 1 ' 1 1 1 ' ' 1 1 1 , v1 - 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 1 1 1 ' 1 1 1 , - I 1 1 1 -K L 1 A 1 1 L , 1 ' 1 1 '1 1 1 1 ' f 1 T 1 1 1 , 1 1 , 1 . . , . . . 1 11 '. ' A ' 1 1 1 1 v 1 . 1 L 1k 1 , 1 ' 1 ' 1' 1 A 1 ', yt 1, t 1 1 1 A 1 1 ' 1- I f 1 J . ,. H. ' ' 1 1 1 ' 1 ' 1 1 1 v 1, 1 1 1 . . ,1 1 1 . V . - A . . - . 1 , . 1 , ' ' 1 1 . ' 7 , 1 1 - - Q 1 - - .. . . f 1 1 1 2 1 1 - - - 1 ' 1 J, - 1 1 ' -- 1, 1 1. . 1- 1 - 1 r . 1 I' ' 1 ' ' 1 1 1 1 1 ' ' 7 ' ' ' 1 . . 1 , 1 1 1-1 1 1 1- 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 4 1 1 - v . . . . . - 1 1 1 111, . . 1 1 I 11 - y 1 f -- 1 1 1 , 1 1 1- 1 , 1 11 - 1x-1 4 1, 1. ' ' 1 . A '1 1 1 1 ' ' r -1 - 11-1 1 11 1 ' 1 1 1 ' . ' 1K 11 1 12 N- 1- 2 V1 1 1 - ' 1' . 1 ' 1' ' , ' L y 1 k- r. 1 1 L B A . 1, 1 , A 1 , , , 1. 1 1 1 1K 1 K 1 1 1. 1 1 1 1 11 - , 1 1 1 v v 11 1 K v y K 1 . 1' ' ' ' ' . '. 1 1 111 1 L ' 1 '1 1. 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 11 1 11- - 1. - - 1 1 . 1 . . 1 1 , 1 1 1 1 ' 1 -1 1 1 v1 1 1 ' 1- ' 1 1 1 1 1' - ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 .