The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-08-07
me New York and Troy Railroad-The
city of Troy-Its Manufactures, Enter
prise, and Business.
Troy, Thursday, August 4th, 1912


Troy, Thursday, August 4th, 1912.
JAMES G. BENNETT, ESQ =
We were Joined this morning by large delega
ton from our sister city OF Brooklyn, the Mayor of
which was represented by Thos G.. Tallmadge,
Esq Assistant Aldermen C. j. Dodge and Wester-
velt with Alderman Campbell, also arrived from
New York, but not wing alderman was to be seen
as far as the eye could reach. We also found
large delegation from Duchess county here in the
morning, who had come a distance of 50 miles the
day previous TO be present at the opening Among
them was our old friend, Jackson Wing, now near
ly so, and young friend and kind host while un-
der the brow of Quaker Ridge, Col. Tweedy. In
our previous letters, by some mistake, we omitted
TO mention that of our Common Council, Assistant
Aldermen Brown, Waterman, and Williams, and
ex-assisants Murphy and Rawson were in company
along the whole route.
After breakfast at the Mansion House, now kept
by the Messrs. Dorlons In excellent style, coaches
were arranged in front of the hotel to convey the
delegations to various parts of the city, in order to
show them the extensive manufactures within its
limits The first place at which we stopped was
Eaton and Gibert's celebrated Troy Coach and
Railroad Car establishment. The buildings cover
of 235 by l20 feet; and through the polite
attention of one of Troy's enterprisng merchants,
Charles Dauchy, Esq, who accompanied us, we
made full survey of the premises. These gentle
men have recently made addition of large
building to their former extensive mandatory, for
the purpose of constructing rail road cars several
OF which were IN process oil completlon and intend
ed for the Troy and Schenectady Rail Road, which
is to be finished in few days. One OF the cars
completed was superior, in point OF finish, to any
thing of the kind that has ever met our notice.
Eighty men are employed In this establishment,
even during the present dull times; aid in brisk
seasons several hundred are kept in constant work.
rotary planning machine, improved and construct
ed by the proprletors attracted much attention from
the velocity of its movements and neatness of
cutlon. These gentlemen have obtained reputa-
ton in the manufacture post coaches that extends
from Canada to the southermost termination of
Mexico, where they are used exclusively tor the
conveyance OF passengers. In fact, the ease and
comfort, in contrast with many other vehicles of
the same fashion, is such that passengers always
give that stage line preference that has been keen
enough to select them for use. On leaving this
adjustment, and passing towards Burdens nail,
spike, and horseshoe works, our attentive friend
pointed out the manufacturing works Of MIR. Ben.
Jamin Marshall, on stream called the Poessen Kill,
that passes down the southern point of the ACTIVITY
called Mount Ida, within the limits of the Corpora
ton of Troy. This gentleman is one of the most
extensive and wealthy manufacturers in the United
States, and purchased the mill sites In this vicinity
within a few years, from William p. Van Rens-
selaer, the PATRON of this county. The supply of
water not being as extensive as was desired Mr.
Marshall resorted to artificial means to supply that
which nature had made deficient, and by the con-
struction of tunnel, through solid rock, distance
OF two hundred yards, and additional dams, he has
succeeded in being able to use the whole supply of
water six different times in succession In addition
10 this by purchasing about four thousand acres of
land few miles above the works, he has secured a
full supply OF WATER In reservoirs al all seasons
of the year. Besides his own manufactures,
that comprise an extensive woollen and plaster
Touring establishment there four sites for water
power not occupied and for which he is DESTROYS of
obtaining purchasers. The passage of the outlet of
the stream to the Hudson has been converted by
his enterprise into canal for the conveyance of
produce and MANUFACTURED articles, thus bringing
all his heavy material within 200 yards of the wa
ter power
We soon reached the stream called Winan's
Kill, short distance below Troy, on which are To-
Gated Burdens justly celebrated works. and the AL
bany nail factories, NC. On approaching the for
mer, the hum OF machinery, combined with the pc
cullar sound of movement of his immense water
Wheel plainly indicated that we were in the vicinity
OF no small mandatory. This wheel, which is fifty
feet In diameter, with boxes of nine feet in depth by
two In width, braced inside by innumerable round
bars of iron, running ransversely from the axis to
various points on It's circumference Is without ex-
ceptlon the king OF water wheels in this country.
The regularity OF its movements Is governed by ga
man at the Wheel, stationed on the ground floor of
the main building, whose experienced eye regulates
the supply of water by reducing or increasing it at
his pleasure. He looked like an old weather beaten
pilot he stood changing hishelm from starboard to
arboard, thus producing uniform regular motion
of this ponderous piece of machinery, the power of
which is capable of raising seventy-ve tons at the
rate of three and half feet to the second. We
then passed into the building devoted to the
facture OF Burdens patent horse shoe, and there
saw one machine comprised in three separate parts
that was capable of turning out thousands in day
and hundreds in an hour. The bars of iron rolled
to the exact size are taken from furnace in state
frnrx hnaf rnfA haf aradc
nearly adjoining, which cuts the iron at proper
length for the shoe, and drops IT on the ground Ii
Is then picked up with pincers by boy and handed
to person tending another piece Of machinery
within reach, that gives the circular formation to it
IN less time than have been writing these few
lines. Ii then passes into the hands OF another
workman, whose apparatus bends the "csrks, as
they are commonly called, and forms the toe piece
Thus ends the operation with the exception of
punching the holes for the nails which Is performed
after they become cold, at the rate of 1900 per day,
with single machine. In the same building are
eleven machines for the manufacture OF spikes OF
all sizes, several of which In operation, turning
off 1900 pound per day. An extensive nail factory
Is also connected with the works. the whole Of
which are under the direction OF Mr. Burden, and
owned by company Of gentlemen of Troy. We
were then invited to the residence of Mr.. b., de-
hghtfnlly located on the rising ground above, COM
handing view OF the works and the surrounding
scenery OF the Hudson in the distance below. His
lady appeared at the door of his splendid mansion
and received the delegations in manner that
evlnced she was the lady of the manor in all its
meaning. After visiting the beautiful and uxurant
garden attached to the grounds and despoiling the
goosebeny bushes of portion OF their large and
luscious fruit, at the invitation of Mr. b., the COM
pany returned to the city of Troy, where refresh
ing lunch had been prepared by the Trojans in the
Common Council Chamber, OF which all partook
with readiness, as the morning had been warm and
the roads dusty
THE OPENING.
At twelve O'Clock the line of procession was formed
in front of the Court House as follows -
The Troy City Guards, with band of music
Mayor of New York. represented by Alderman Leonard,
and Mayor Of Troy.
Mayors OF Albany and Brooklyn and President OF Green
bush.
President and Vice President of the New York and Albany
Rail Road Company
Agent of the Road.
Chief Engineer and Assistants.
Directors Of the Company