Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-04-09
BURLINGTON.
The Pioueer Shous,

The Pioneer Shops.
In 1852 few of our citizens convinced OF tn
advantages offered by Burlington as manuiac
turing and distributing centre, and that its III
ture prosperity must greatly depend on tn
development of manufacturing industry here
conceived the idea of inviting manufacturers, b.
means of an ample building, provided with steal
power, so arranged as to be available for genera
manufacturing purposes, and which should ole
rooms and power to let. Accordingly ,oD the Tho
November of that year, an act was passed by tn
Legislature incorporating the ''Pioneer Mechan
les Shop Company" Of which Henry p. Hicko
was elected President, F. F. Fletcher Vice-Pres
ident, and T. Z. Wales Secretary and Treasurer
the same persons, together with Messrs. Morrill,
Noyes, L. w. Peck and Fred. Smith, constitu
ting the Board of Directors. On the 4th O
September, 1852, the cornerstone Of buildin
was laid, and one year after it was ready 70
occupancy. II was built of brick, and cost, in
GLIDING engine and out houses, $50, 900 1t wa
located on the site of the present Pioneer shops
and was 400 feet in length, so feet wide and fou
stories high An engine Of a working capacit.
Of 175 horsepower was provided, and everything
made ready for occupancy. Nor did it long re
main empty. The project was an unfortunate
one pecuniarily for the stockholders, and ulti
mately even the building itself proved dead loss
but an inducement to turn the attention o
manufacturers to this point the experiment wa
successful from the beginning For most of tn
time during the five years of its existence the OlC
shop was well filled with occupants, who gave EN-
plOyment to a large number of hands and who's
pecuniary success was sufficient to prove al
that had been said about the advantages Of tn,
location. But disaster came. On the morning
of April ID, 1S5S-Fast Day-a fire broke out
which in a few hours left Of the whole building
and its valuable contents only smouldering ruin:
and blackened walls Ten different establish
ments, employing over two hundred men, vert
thus for a time broken up, their aggregate los;
amounting to over $4,000. But the building
had remained long enough to accomplish it:
great object. Mr. Lawrence Barnes, one Of lis
occupants, though far from rich at the time,
with an energy and business sagacity which has
since received its reward, offered 10 rebuild it at
| once, if his tOWnsmen would assist him TO the
extent Of $4,000 towards the purchase Of the
property, which its then owner, Mr.. ii. T.
HicKok, with his customary lberality and public
spirit, offered to dispose Of for Sl0,0VO-whch
was but little, if any, more than one-haf its
value
The times were anything but propit0us for
the undertaking. The great business revul-
sion of 1875 had swept through the land, and
Burlington had not been excepted from It's de-
/ r.. - -. -. - tbo I7iti,,t. s,,.ass of
- -. 80 a. ono.
M - .:,;o'I - ,aisol 5,r;r,, tho
- 9 ~ - . .t,-;5l a..
',,. ~. I 80 -.
L'I - r. 5,,iIii1,1 eacb 50 ~,
100 feet. placed fifty feet distant from each 9TH
err, as protection against fire, were erected; and
in a short time after they all were filled, the most
{ Of the occupants being those who had established
Va ~: - vi LI-as NJ. ~, al 81
No. M ~, 49, ~ Ii-e .',-,.s y,
L. - 's1 81 t,o 49, ~, ~,
st,,.l y ,,s,. b.,, - ;,r-o,5t oJj;,iors
- -, - - -. - ii -,
III az - ~ 'i,,,--l.,''J
S,r. Rot - - ,l., .-.-,.,-,s nov, ,..,,
,;-, ,lo -. IN T.. 20 80 o.. - -
r.. -.
..t A. A. H..
81 -i5. :.'' - 80;
-. --ar.,,s.'...--.
A-ssH'' hl-Hy IN 'AiLs'
The members Of this now well-knoEn firm,
are Mr. Cheney kiiburn. who resides in Phila-
delphia, and has charge Of the wholesale depart
mcnt Of the business in that city, and Mr. Joel
II. Gates, the superintendent Of the mandatory
here The former gentleman was the senior
,,4rt-.er If tho fr,, Of e Eilburu n Co who
5.,r,rieI the slptb b,lf If the old buildiur be
fore It wa. burnei and the latter was the junior
~ tho 5-r, ~ c.. Il q, wbo bal removed
here from Br,tfleboro- wbere their manuflctorv
hi basn Je..r,v,d bv fire oply TO be again
brrneI l,,t ig.t,s tbc,- b,l re,stabli~be,l them
selves in their new o1arters The members Of
the ureseut firm entered into Dart1ersbip in
$50. They 7,cnpie-I s,- tbs;r b1siness the IN
rer floor ~ an the sbons- eyeeut n single room
dfv feet in length. and also a room in the lower
story If the north SHOW Resides This they own
a 1.r.,s buifIipo s-+nqfel directly south If the
sb,rs the MINER flor f which i connected
with tbe south sbop bv a covered MASSAGE wav
The, er,rlo, f-a., fJj p, no hands in tbsir
parnf,.tqrv here ,-J Tho s,r,o number in
their arc ti1isti1c. ami s7f.s ro,r,s I'm pb,Ia-
Islrbia Their Won. Is s-tiraI,- eoDsneI IN the
rlanuf,cture az s,tr,4s f,rritB-s which, Is .. cot
ont here in tho ,rbita g, ana .t.-rel IN pbiia
Ielpbi, 10 he frisbsI and solI Tbe wool usel
Is chiefly b,ss-yr,oI vrb7.b No. combines I;,,b+
re.s and STRENGTH far the rurr,sa Offbis INN
her tbav emit mn srr,,,ri,, ys, tIrsa ,,;Ilion -,
n +. o6taineI from Canal, west where II i
slveI evrrassIy for Thorn They douhtless man
u,,.,r,ra ami slI a l,ryer ,r15Bir m .bear fIr1i
t-tre tI4, ary other rra b,7s. in tba Tr,;toJ
States. Their slles. finishing and storage rooms /
iu Philadelphia located on Market and Com
merce streets, and consist Of nearly one hun
drei thousand square feet Of flooring, and the
value Of the stock kept on hand there averages
: 100000.
Though writing Of the Pioneer shops. We may
add here few words Of the plans Of this enter
prisng firm, for future business in different
location For some tine past the necessity Of
greatly cnlarg'ug their quarters ami facilities
fer manufacturing had become apparent to the
firm. and when the present plans for improving
the " cove were de- led upon, they promptly
secured, az a cost Of about 81 900, eight acres
Of that property lying between the canal north
Of the basin, AMI shelharu street. About four
acres Of their purchase VIII be used as lumber
yard, on which 7,'1J, ODD feet can easily be piled.
Beng conveniently situated on the canal they can
aVai. themselves OF OH the advantages Of ship
ment by water during the season Of navigation,
and by means Of a SIDE track they can connect
themselves with either railrotL during the WIN
Ter Lner factory VIII DC Oullt on the block be
tween ZINE and ele.1arn streets and VIII be $50
iett io' 2 90 feet WIDE ana two stones high 1t
Viii oe a suostantliI wooden building, running
'-s1 ana west anu resting on stone foundations
n the lower story where al the manufacturing
~ill he cartel on, there viii be no partitions 50
That one foreman can oversee the whole establish
ueni. portion OF The upper story viii be di-
'liei OIL INTO large packing room. Across the
'aSiern eni, ami twenty let west Of shelhurn
street, viii be brick building II by 81 feet,
'nd = feet high, which will be divided into four
rooms the two on the south end Tor the engine
ma ooAers' the middle DIVISION Tor shaving
'oon' connected with the manufacturing de
partmeni oy an elevator III nins through the
or the dry house. The engine Will be 100 horse .
Nashua. \. II AMI Furnished with tbreo "a.
urn fine boilers The chimney will ba OK e,s+ir
,eigbt The who'll COS, If tIe t1,ill;n,, i -
nafeI nj so ana Tbe arcLf,oc, i H. re
Rysr If his c;tv NIessrs To,-rsorJ i, nm
~ m, Lr;1Io-s NJ q n WiII..1 -
he .,rtr,,t f'- -. 80 - NJ W
NJ. e. ,La -, -. ii NJ, ~ - l.
! smith ~. tho s,;s6;r. - m s,s.;
md iron ,rort nil he - a. ,Las,. ois--
Ness W IT Rr;nl 4 r, 1',-,oi;.toI,- -
n tI;s -, L',;lI; - -. ~.
net Iii ~ ~ -. -
| .. ~ "' -i-s a ma anu