The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1853-09-10
From the Philadelphia Merchant.
THE YANKEE CLOCKMAKER.
BY DIR. ALLCCT, JR.

ID Dn. Al-ISt
Ihat there is no difficulty to him who Wills
had peen lived into truth, by the determined,
enterprlslng Yankee. long before it was adopt
ed as a motto by the great Hungarian orator ::
and the success which has attended his nerseve
ring ef1orts. has been witLe sSed and admired in
almost every part of the world Armed with
the same stern selfreliance which marked the
Character of the early New England settler. he
goes forth to battle upon the field of life, and
never does his iron will unbcnd, or his action
cease, until he behoids himself conaueror of
every opposing obstacle, and sees the end for
which he has struggled, attained. This, as the
whole world knows, is true of the Yankee alb
road and he is not more enterprising or success
1ul In the cities of the sunny south, on far-off
seas, or in distant lands than in his own peace
tul and happy home. There, in the Lowells and
Lawrences, in the fabrication of cottons and va
rlous other goods, he cOmpctes nobly with the
Manchcstcrs and Brminghanls of the old east
ern world; while in manufacture of many arti-
cies OF extensive use, he stands peerless and
alone having Outstripped competition every
where. Among articles of this description are
clocks. In the single town of Bristol, Connect
lcut. probably more clocks are made than in all
other places in the world put together though
they are manufactured to considerable extent
in some other towns of New Engla d. There
were made the fiji st sheet brass clock movements
the world ever saw, by Mr.. Joseph Ives, the in
ventor. a man of superior mechanical ability.
Hitherto wooden clocks were the only kind man
ufactured to any extent, except the well l-known
Willard time-piece, with cast brass movements:
but they are at last superseded by the rolled or
sheet brass movements of Mr. Ives To give
the reader more definite idea of the extent of
clock manufacturing at Bristol, we will furnish
some facts respecting it. There are between
fifteen and twenty clock and clock mov emcnt
manufactures in the town. Between four and
five hundred thousand brass clock NOV vcments
are made there annually; while the entire num-
Der of clocks manufacture there yearly through
out, would probably amount to 800. 900. In
their manufacture whole army of men and wo
men constantly find employment. The Brews-
ter Manufacturing Company is incorporated, as
is also the Forcstviile Hardware COMPANY
Both are doing a fine business The latter COM
pany manufactures marine time pieces of a su-
perior quality and porcelain cases of great beau
ty. Elisha Z. Brewster, the principal man of
the former company, commenced the manutac-
ture OF clock movements, some twenty wears
ago, for Mcssrs. Davis and Barber two shrewd
Yankees, who set up business in Greenesbor-
on IL. Georgia. These two men rented second
room ut GreenesbOrOugh and, to cvade a law
which operated uutavorahly to the Yankee
clock maker. in selling his cl }cks in Georgia,
they ostens!bly manufactur d an article there,
precisely like the genuine Yankee timc-keeper.
The Georgians were delighted with the enter
prise which they believed had taken root at
GrccncsbOrough, but were astonished at the
great rap;dity with which The clocks were made
As if possessed of some magical power. the
Yankees turned ont clocks in great numbers
every day, and were able to supply all Georgia.
A few Sup"rst.Ous people were half inclined to
the belief that they were in league with the
prince of darkness. Faust, his Bibles and the
devil had never been so nearly approached hn-
fore. The secret of the matter at last came out
that Yankee trick had been played upon them
that the clocks manufactured in appearance as
GreenesbOrOugh, were in reality made at Bris-
to-, CO nnecic ut, and were sent in separate parts
to the GeOgia Yankees. who put them together
as fast as possible. They realized fortune from
their enterprise in few years.
Their cases were made by J. G. Brown. Mr..
Brown is now the leading clock manufacturer
of Bristol. if not of the world. In the manu-
facture of cight-day clocks especially, he has no
e lual. The eight-lay clock is the most difficult
and expensive kind to make, and no man ever
socceeded sOweli in their manufacture, or made
so great a number of them as Mr. Brown
Something more than twenty years ago. he en-
| tered Bristol, poor young man. having, as we
have been Informed. only scventy-five cents in
his pocket, which was all the money he could
call his own. His worldly effects were all in
the bundle he had under his arm. Whether the
young man dreamed then of the success which
awaited him, or whether in his sky of hope were
grouped brighter anticipatiOrs than lead for
ward most other men, We do not know. His
commencement at Bristol was as a journcyman
cabnet-maker, on moderate wages. In short
| time he sci up the business on his own account.
This, we have understood he found not very
profitable. Subsequently, he was one of the
five cnterprising hard-wOrking mechanics, who
associated as the ForestviIlc Manufacturing Com
pany, in the eastern part of Bristol. This was
G ghtecn years ago. The five men who COM
)sed this company, for the first five years per-
f ,rmcd greater part of their work with their
own hands. Their combined capital did not
exceed $4,000; and they WERE in these five
years only able to make about five thousand
eight-day brass clocks. From this time the
number of partners continued to grow less. and
the business to increase each succeeding year,
until five years more had elapsed, when Mr..
Brown stood, with the accumulated business Of
| the old company, alone. His share in the for
tunes of the company had provided him with
the means and the experience to carry on the
business successfully and he has continued to
increase and to prosper, and since he bought
the old company, has become the wealthiest
clock manufacturer in Bristol.
On the 22d Of January, 1852, Mr.. Browns
clock making establishment was destroyed by
fire. There was an insurance on it of $50, 900,
but his loss was about $4,000. At this time
he was PROSTATE on bed of sickness, but dis
ease appears to have had little mastery over
his natural energy. Quick to determine. to
plan, and to execute, he had erected, in less
than five weeks after the fire, in part on the
site of the old establishment, much larger fac
tory than the one destroyed. Its length is l60
feet, and its breadth "a feet. 1t is four stories
high and measures G3 feet from its caves to the
ground. There are two large wings attached
to it, one on each end. 10000 feet of lumber
were used in its construction. The flooring is
planed and matched yellow pine. The build
ing is heated with steam, carried through in
pipes, on the latest improved plan. To be
brief, Mr.. Browns new factory is the largest,
best arranged, and most elegant clOck-factOry
in America, or in the world The mechanics
employed in his establishment have each their
particular branch of work, in which they be-
come perfect. Being himself a practical me
chanic, Mr.. Brown conducts his business with
great skill and economy. He was the first to
:. ,l.1 ctr in