New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-14
WOOL MANUFACTURES IN BERK SHIRE.
r~.rsspo.asncs of The N. Y. Tribune


PIrrsYIELD, Mess, Feb. %, 1855.
Berkshire County wes the pioneer Of the wool grow
q, and WOOL manufacturing business, for the srsf
M,r;no sheen were here imported, and the fret Amer
lean broadoloth manufactured. Her other ma"u'ac-
..,;n s,e Of no uncomfortable importance,
the iron and glass are quite extensive ana 'nsfe
,ro,e n.,er manufactured in the towns Of Lee aud
vson than in all the rest Of the States In view OF
All this and there being such large proportion OF
u. interested and engaged in these pur
su,, .. ,roposed at private dinner party given
Nm, Robert Pomeroy, OF this town, on NeS-Year's
NV ,bs. the manufacturers of Berkshire should form
=, Association and the first meeting be called the
ODD of February at Pittsfeld. The manufacturers Of
NE county together with some invited guests, accord
pgly met at the lecture Of DIR. Todds, to listen
% very eloquent address by x. ii. Kellogg Esq
The lecture, although not strictly historical, will have
sendency to call out everything Of interest in regard
10 The early history of MAI uactures Of the couoty
And the future meetings, for it decided that the
Association should be permanent thing and an an
mai gathering should be held, will be Of much inter-
~t will not attempt to give review Of the inter-
esipg ideas which Mr.. Kellogg advanced, the address
will soon be published, and our Berkshire friends,
residing in New. York, will have an opportunity to
Judge Of its nerits
The dinner, which was prepared by Mr.. Corley, OF
,he Berkshire, Yves admirable, and enjoyed by about
one hundred guests. wish could give you the sta
cs of the industry Of these beautiful hills and lovely
yslleys-the manufacture Of paper, Of glass, and
marble; but in these am only indirectly interested;
end it is only of the manufacture of wooens that
can furnish anything reliable. Correspondents have
frequently asserted lately that there is no brosdcloth
made in the country; that the Belgians and John
Bulls have driven Jonathan entirely from the market
I will give you some items in regard to the wooden
business in Berkshire, which will show we are not all
dad vet but hope we are all convaescent In Pitts
8ed, there is the wooden mill of ID. & H. Stearns,
with IA ses Of machinery and 100 looms-so on csss-
mere, and 40 ON satinet; the satnet mill of j. V.
Barker a. Bro, with Elk sets of machinery and 80
Doms; the broadcloth and satinet mills of Lemud
Pomeroy's Sons, with nine sets, and rs looms on
brosdcloh and sc looms weaving sstnet are in ope-
ration Tor part of their works. night and day; the
Pontoosuc Manufacturing Company are operating six
vets and ~ looms, all wool and coton-warp broad
cloths The cloths that made at this establishment
a large proportion-are pearl and silver drsb', and
are extensively used for carriage Innings. The Pttshed
Wsolen Company are running four acts and IS looms
% black cetton-warp broadcloths. The aggregate of
Ge above shows 80 sets of cards in full operation, and
producing annually about 81 200, 900 worth of WOOL
ems, and employing $50 operatives.
There are also three mills in operation in Hnsiale
C. H. Plunkett has FIVE SEES Of cards and twenty eight
looms, producing cotton-warp black broadclotA.
Punkett & Kittrdge operate three sets of cards and
twenty five looms on satinet and Hinsda2e 4 Rich
ards two sets Of cards and thirteen looms on cotton
warp broadcloth. In Lee, Patner & Smith have in
operation ten sets fine fancy cashmere, doeskns
and satinets. l.. Barrett & Co. three sets upon sat
nets. In Stockbridge, the Glendale Co. ~. H. Good
nch Agent running six sets on satinets In Bar
rnQton the Berkshire Wooden Co. have sets on
cassimeres and satinets. In Adams, there are four
mill, which together operating about twenty sets
and one hundred and seventy five looms mostly cassi-
meres and satines. have not the statistics OF each
mill at hand. You will see that We are quite formi-
dable in the wooden line The aggregate sets Of wooden
machinery in the county is probably about one hun
dred The cotton interest is also very considerable,
particularly in Adams and Pittseld. The first broad
cloth made in this country was by Arthur Scholhe'd
in this town. in 1904 lie also built and put in opera
ton the frst csrdpg.machine. Schoheld came -
this country in $780, with Samuel Slater the father OF
the cotton manufactures and came to Pittsheld in
1900. In the year 1901 he had his oarding machine
perfec,ea and we find his first advertisement in The
P,ttsfeld SUM- of Nov. 2:
"ARThUR sCHOLFIELD respectfully informs the inhsb'
ants Of rsded aud vicinity that he has Cardne M.ohne
half milo OF theiMeetng House. where they may have
their csded into rolls tor ~ cts per pouDd mixed 10
es per pound II they find the and pick and grease IT.
win be 10 per pound and ~ for mixed They are re-
uested their wool In sheets 1t will serve TO bad up
he rolls Also email assortment OF woolens for
sale Pitts6eld Nov. 2, 1900"
In 1905 Scholield manufactured Is yards black
broadcloth, which was presented to james Madison,
from which his inaugural suit was made. Fine me-
Yino sheep were introduced in this town about this
time, and Scholfeld was able to select enough to
make this single piece; and President Madison was
the first President who was inaugurated in American
broadcloe. find, in day hook Of his, broadcloth
charged as early as 1885, and prices paid for weaving
from 40 to 90 cents per yard. In 1909 stock COM
pany was formed, mill erected, andthe manufacture
Of cloths and satinets was commenced, as was then
thought, ON an extensive scale In 1912 second
mill was built, and the business has gradually in
creased until the wooden business has become, As you
win zee, of some Importance in Berkshire c.