New Bedford Institute of Technology - Fabricator Yearbook (New Bedford, MA)

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THE NEW BEDFORD TEXTILE SCHOOL A HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL DURING the month of August, 1895, a Board, consisting of fifteen members was entrusted with the authoritative power provided by the Chapter 475, under the Acts of 1895, to incorporate and establish The New Bedford Tex- tile School. The articles were adopted and Geo. W. Hillman was posted to serve as the Clerk of the corporation. During the course of the first annual meeting, the following officers were elected; Wm. J. Kent, President; Isaac B. Tompkins, Jr., Treasurer; Geo. W. Hillman, Clerk. Immediately various committees on Building, Finance, Machinery, Education, etc. were formed and work commenced in full swing. In April. 1897, the City of New Bedford appropriated the sum of $25,000 for the use of producing this school of Textile. Arts and in the month of March, the following year, the State of Massachusetts reciprocated with a similar amount towards the same end-point. Material work now began. Land was purchased and the committee on Building announced themselves open for bids. In a short time the first edifice, consisting of what now is the central portion of the building proper, was com- pleted. C P. Brooks was engaged as Managing Director and a staff of able in- structors was assembled. At the time of the school building dedication, Oct. 14, 1899, the Board of Trustees consisted of Geo. E. Briggs, President: Isaac B. Tompkins, Jr., Treasurer; Robert Burgess, Clerk. A week later the portals of this institution, 12

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Georqm R tkrtte Joke Editor tyorelvord Without the able assistance of Mr. Acomb and other members of the faculty, this volume of the Fabricator would not have been achieved, so to them, we wish to express our heartiest appreciation and thanks. - The Staff

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1932 THE FABRICATOR the pride of the local Textile center, were thrown open for day students, and, on Oct. 23, special evening classes were begun for evening students. The building itself, at this time was only a three story affair, with a small basement. The power for machine drive was furnished by a 40 h. p. steam engine, using rope and belt transmission. On the main floor were situated the office, exhibition room or library and the machine room for the carding and spinning department. On the second floor were two recitation rooms, a Direc- tor ' s room and a machine room for weaving and slashing. On the third floor were two more recitation rooms, the largest being used for the designing depart- ment, a dark room for photographic operations and a machine room for spool- ing, winding and hand looms. This constituted the nucleus of the present institution, a forerunner of a remarkable realization. The records of the first enrollment show a roll- call of eleven day students and 183 night students. This paltry (in our present estimation) quantity was easily accommodated, but when an increased enrollment did away with all conveniences and comfort, and when two more courses, chemistry and knitting, were included in the curriculum schedule, an- other addition had to be erected. This extension brought the building proper to the end line on Maxfield St. The first floor held two more class rooms and a machine room for winding and warping, the second floor was equipped for knitting, while the third floor was turned over for chemistry. Mr. Wm. E. Hatch was appointed President on April 15, 1904. Later in 1905, further expansion was again inevitable, being brought about by the steadily increasing enrol lment. This resulted in another addition to the rear of the southern wing, going in a westerly direction. Now many needed com- forts were realized, for locker and toilet rooms were produced, a shower room installed and a small testing laboratory equipped. The last addition, a large separate building, running in a northerly direc- tion along the Purchase St. front, rounded out the present day structure, a mag- nificent, modern, imposing seat of Textile Arts. It is classed as the most efficient textile school in the surrounding country. The original building contained 11 rooms with about 20,000 square feet of floor space. The present buildings contain 50 rooms with over 100,000 square feet of floor space. All departments are equipped with up-to-date machinery, especially designed for instruction purposes. The total valuation of the school reaches the proximity of about $275,000. About one half of the equipment has either been donated or loaned. The department of Chemistry, Dyeing and Finishing is well equipped with two laboratories fitted with apparatus necessary for all and any type of work along that line. Here is produced about seventy-five per cent of noise, all the odors, and quite a few new color combinations on socks obtained by fair means or foul from the Knitting Department. The powers that be, consist of Mr. 13