Mynderse Academy - Myndersian Yearbook (Seneca Falls, NY)

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INDUSTRY IN SENECA FALLS In dlscusslng the lndustrles of thls town we plan to touch brlefly on the hlstorles of the manufacturlng concerns of today that play such lmportant roles ln our thrlvlng community Some of yesterday no longer exlst but ln passlng we pay trlbute to the contrlbu tlon that each of these has made to Seneca Falls Goulds Office 'Ihe blrthplace of the Goulds Pump lndustry was the Old Stone Shop orlglnally a carrlage factory on the corner of Ovld and Green Streets Here ln 1839 the first wooden pump was made but the ldea was abandoned because of a dlspute over patents The next year Abel Downs took up the buslness and 111 1845 hls firm brought out the lron pump Thus was establlshed an lndustry for whlch Seneca Falls has become famous for today Goulds Pumps Inc IS one of the largest pump concerns ln the world Between 1845 and 1852 the buslness changed hands several tlmes untll IH that year Seabury S Could bought out the other lnterests The COflflHL1Ctl growth and success of the buslness made ll necessary to provlde a larger shop for manufacturlng Con sequently what was then consldered a very large factory was establlshed at a new slte on Ovld Street ln 1864 the name of the company was changed from Downs 8: Company to the Goulds Manufacturlng Company Many lnfant lndustrles of that perlod were handl tapped by a lack of power for manufaeturlng and an lnaecesslblllty to markets The growth of the pump lndustry IH Seneca Falls was not retarded by these factors The fall of the Seneca Rlver provlded the necessary water power and the rapld settlement of the fertlle Flnger Lakes reglon developed a growlng local market There were few sprlngs for drlnklng purposes but wells were easlly excavated ln the deep clay soll and pumps were needed to ralse the water to the surface However the market was not long confined to this locallty for wlth the Westward movement a new terrltory opened up and the fact that Seneca Falls lay adjacent to the Lrle Canal the natlon s best trade route to the rapldly openlng West added to the ln dustrys rapld expanslon Wlth the constructlon ln 1915 of the present Barge Canal the pump factorles were forced to move from the Flats to a slte above the mundated land The necessary removal added greatly to the efiiclency of the plant slnce a general modernlzatlon took place and hydro electrlclty replaced water power And so the lndustry has developed Great strldes have been taken slnce Abel Downs lntroduced the first wooden pump almost one hundred years ago Today Goulds Pumps Inc manufacture one of the most complete pump llnes of any concern ln the world Thelr motto A Pump For Every Servlce l well earned Thelr pumps are not confined to hand llng water but lnclude the handllng of molasses gasollne paper stock peas lnk castor oll tar lard and molten lead To cover such a wlde range they have developed a comprehenslve llne of reclprocatlng centrlfugal and rotary pumps Every one IS famllllr wlth the farm yard llft pump but not every one has seen a centrlfugal pump handllng oll ln a refinery at Fvery one reallzes that pumps dellver water from the munlelpal reservolr to the town water malns but not many people know th it there are relays of huge horlzontal reelprocatlng pumps pumplng twenty five A-.Th Gouldl Pump Company thousand barrels of oll a day through a llne from the oll fields to a refinery vrhlch may be two hundred mlles away The farmer cm get an automatlc vnater system to supply hls whole farm s needs The home owner can . .... y i , I A A g . , , . . 3 . . , K ' ' ' 1 . . I 'L . t 3 G , . ' ' . A 7 y . . h . A . y a . - 7 1 1 A 4 1 .4 1 . S S - A ' 5 9 ' - V 4 . l l ' ' ' . Y .. Q . ,,. -S Y . , . . , I 3 1 Y 3 , 7 Q Q . ' 7 ll nn - ' - K G i Y I 1 l O ' 3 A' 1 ' . , . . 4 A 1 ' ' 1 ' , ' A 1 ' g , , ' , a temperature of five hundred degrees Fahrenheit. 1 1 4 ' 1 ' , A 1 L' 4 4 ' I 4 A 4 1 D a 4 ., ' . ' , . . , U . - . 1 I . ' V ' ' y 1 ' ' . - L 'a 4 , 4 . 1 1 q 1 . Y I . - . Y 1 I . 4 as . 4 ' ' ' I . 3 y. l v 5

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CONTENTS IW THEME SCHOOL SCHOOL LIFE i s I . W

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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