Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1853-06-30

he wss obliged to go out with them o
horseback, and put them up, where the
had been previously engaged or sold
His usual way was to put one forward o
the saddle on which he rode, one behint
and one on each sice Of his portmanteau
During this day of small things, however
there was an attempt at something more
AS ea'ly as the year 1897. he procured
a patent for what he then supposed t.
be an important improvement in clocks
This patent was for a new construction o
an equation clock, shelving the differenc,
between the mean and apparent time
The patent is now in the possession o
the writer. as executor Of his estate. i
was obtained during the early part o
John Adams administration, and bear!
lis autograph signature. together with
that Of Timothy Pickering. then Secre'
,ary Of State, aud Charles Lee, Attorney
General. This invention proved to be q
useful one 10 him, in no way save the
discipline he acquired by it.; for the
secret ia money making at that time. as
we'll as the present day. was not in man
ufacturing so expensive clocks as this
kind must necessarily have been. The
greater demand was, and still is. for less
costly article.
The business was prosecuted by him in
this old way, until about the year 1902
or 8, when finding he could sell his
clocks without being an itenerant himself,
he made provision for manufacturing
them more extensively. He erected a
small building on small stream. where
he had the benefit of water power and
additional machinery in doing some por-
ton Of the work. At this time lie made
arrangements for manufacturing clocks
by the thousand. 1t was regarded by
some at the time as so extravagant ar
undertaking. rs TO sub ect him to consid
cradle ridicule. A conceted wag of the
town offered to become the purchaser of
the last one Of the thousand. thinking he
would never be able to finish that mum,
Der. The clocks however were soon fn-
isted. and the waggish gentleman learned
that he was not only deficient in judy.
ment, but poorly endowed with wit.
We come now to the era when the
gristmill was converted into factory for
mailing clocks. and to the. statistics with
which you commence your account of tbs
business. Al this place A, D, l807-e,
,his man whom yea characterize AS the
'taeiinfn adVeainrer and pioneer, made
Ee.t,t In
1s1a }is Lad obtained contrac,
MIA tag I.e. Inward Porter, a Congre~
gauoEai minister and ox>T.astDr nj tho
Congregational Church and Society Of
Wale, bury, and Levi Porter. his partner,
for making four thousand clocks. 1t took
a considerable part of the first year to
ct up the machinery, most of the second
year to finish the FIST thousand clocks,
and the third 10 complete the remaining
three thousand. The success attending
this enterprise was such as to give new
impulse to clock manufacturing. as a
money making business. and was SO sue.
cessfully brought TO close that the idea
Of retiring from business was entertained
although he was still a young man. He
accordingly sold the Factory. machinery,
and other property there. 10 Messrs. Seth
Thomas aud Silas Hoadley. who had
been employed during the three years
in making these clocks, and then remov.
ed 10 his former residence, in the central
part of the town. The business had at
this time been commenced in Winsted by
Riley Whiting, and had been revived in
Bristol, Waterbury, and elsewhere. Asa
Hopkins. man residing in the parish Of
Mortified. town of Litch6eld, had cree
Ted factory on the Naugatuck River
This Mr.. Hopkins was man Of consid,
cradle mechanical skill. and a successful
manufacturer Of clocks. He obtained
patent about the year 1919 or 1914, on
n machine for cutting the cOgs or teeth
of the wheels. This invention or i'm
provement Was for the use and introduce
lion of three aibors or mandrels, by
means Of which one row Of teeth on d
nun Der Of wheels were finished by one
operation q machine still 10 use, altho'
superseded at the time by the construc-
ton Of an engine by Mr.. Terry, with OF ly
one mandrel, which was used for many
years afterwards, and has not been aban-
doned to this day, Messrs. Thomas aod
HoadIey prosecuted the business as
partners, for three years or more. when
they dissolved. Mr. Hoadley retaining the
factory and other property. Herman
CLARK, who had been an apprentice TO
Mr.. Terry. built factory about the year
1911. in the place now known as Ply
mouth Hollow, where he pursued the
business Two or more years. Mr.. Thomas
purchased this factory Dec. 1873. where
ne again embarked in his calling. and
where he has been eminen.ly successful
in making clocks, and is at this time al
an advsnced age in life. extensively en-
gagged 10 this and other business. Mr..
Hoadley has done less business, but has
been successful, and more SO. than many
who subsequently, engaged in this occu-
patton.
T. n IoHl H. nha.S ~. skaf claNk