The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-04-29
Early Manufactures.

0 When we take view of the man
different manufactures with which on
country abounds, we can hardly realiz
that within the memory of many person
, now living American fabrics and mechan
ism were almost wholly unknown. Sew
enty years ago the scattering water
wheel, the Juggling throstle, and tn,
gathering loom were almost unheard O.
sounds in this country, while now theil
music is familiar to nearly every ear
The manufacturing business in this
country, small as it began, is now the
first business Of the age. 1t has already
whitened the fields at the south with the
growing cotton, and covered the hills of
the north with Aourishing Aocks; while
the north is made alive with the busy
hum of industry, and great proportion
of its population provided with an honest
and lucrative employment and with
suitable economy made contented and
happy with the luxury Of abundance.
The first record of manufactures we
find in this country, is in the year l7s6,
when Robert and Alexander Barr,
brothers, from Scotland, were employed
by Mr.. Orr, to erect carding, spinning,
and roping machines in his works at
East Bridgewater, where they were
made. On the 10th Nov, 1886, the
general court Of Massachusetts, to en-
courage the machinist, made them a
grant of R2oO, lawful money, for their
Ingenuity, and afterwards added to the
bounty by giving them six tickets in the
state land lottery in which there were
no blanks.
In March, 1887, Thomas Somers, Gan
English midshipman, under the direc-
ton of Mr.. Orr, -aiso constructed a
machine, as model, and by a resolve of
the general court of the same date eco
lawful money, was placed in the hands of
Mr.. Orr to encourage him in the enter
prise. The above machines and model
remained in Mr.. Orr's possession, for
the inspection ofall disposed to see them,
and he was requested by the general
court to exhibit them, and to give all
information and explanation in his pow
er respecting them. 1t is believed that
the above, in 1856, was the first jenny
stock card made in the United States.
The following account of the COM
mencement of cotton manufacturing in
Rhode Island, is believed to be correct {:
"About the year 1888, Daniel An
thony, Andrew Dexter, and Lewis Peck,
all of Providence, entered into an agree
ment to make what was then called
home spun cloth. The idea at first
was to spin by hand, and make jeanes
with linen warp and cotton filling, but
hearing that MIR. Orr, of Bridgewater,
Massachusetts,, had imported some
model of machinery from England, for
the purpose of of spinning cotton, it was
agreed that Daniel Anthony should 60 to
Bridgewater and get draught of the
model of said machine /; he, in company
with John Reynolds, of East Green
wich, who had been doing something in
the manufacture of wool, went to Bridge
water, and found the model of the ma
chine shoken Of, in the possision Of Mr..
Orr, but not in operation. 1t was not
the intention of Mr.. Orr to operate it,
but he only kept it for the inspection of
those who might have an inclination 10
take draughts. The model of the ma
chine was very imperfect, and was said
to have been taken from one of the first
built in England A draught of this
machine was accordingly taken, and laid
aside for while. Then they proceeded
to build machine of different con-
struction called jenny; a model of
which was brought from England, into
Beverly, Massachusetts,, by a man of the
name of Summers. This jenny had
twenty-eight spindlcs: the wood work
was built by Richard Anthony, the
spindles and brass were made by Daniel
jackson, an ingenious coppersmith of
Providence. This jenny was finished in
1897 1t was first set up in private
house and afterwards removed to the
Z markell house chamber I'm Prnvidence