The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-03-24
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE.


Neutrality-suspicious. Nails-NOrthwestern
Horse Nail CO.-Efects Of the Franco
Prussian War-BeIding Bros. a. CO.-The
Parks-NIusical Matters-WOman suffrage
Meeting Amusements.
CHICAGO, March III, lS7l.-Sunshine, warn
weather, winds, clouds, rain, thunder and
snow-hakes and no frost in the
ground, sunshine again-this is the record Of
the week. The indications are now in favor
of an early spring.
WHEAT.
No. is quoted at $l.25, with an active
market.
is abundant for legitimate business, and
regular customers find no difficulty in get
ting discounts at the banks.
BUSINESS
Shows signs of considerable activity, and
though it is yet early for the opening Of the
spring trade, there are good many mer-
chants in the city purchasing supplies. The
country is said to be quite bare of goods,
and the promise of large trade this season,
at remunerative prices, is better than last year.
MANUFACTURES
have contributed largely to the prosperity
of Chicago. Many manufacturing establish
ments have grown from small beginnings to
mammoth proportions, sending out their
products over all the land. Articles trihing
III lHeiHstlNes, yen VI prime ucccsSltyt pay
an important part in the industrial and COM
mercial progress of the country. The
simplest instrument often undergoes a great
variety of processes before it is transformed
from the raw material into perfect shape,
ready for use. Take the manufacture of
HORSE NAILS
by the Patent. Hammering Machines, for
illustration. They are made of " Benzon"
iron-the best Norway iron-imported into
Boston in bars an inch and one-eighth
square, are there drawn into bars three-six
teenths by seven sxteenths of an inch, and
nine feet long, and in that shape are brought
to Chicago They are here taken to a large
factory heated red hot in coke-bast furnaces,
put into patent hammering machine, which
holds the bar, feeds it, strikes it eighteen
blows, and then it cuts off a perfect nail, all
in the space of one second, and this process
is repeated till from eight to twelve nails
are made, when the bar is returned TO the
furnace and another taken out. They are
essentially hammered nails, being drawn
from the end of the rod on the same princi-
pie that the blacksmith makes them. One
man tends machine and keeps eight rods
in use; and as he takes a little time in
changing rods, he can make only about fifty
nails minute. There is one foreman to
five machines, to grind the dies and keep
everything in order. These machines are
operated by shafts making 100 revolutions
a minute, belted on to the main shaft, which
is driven by steam-engin of 75-horse-
power. When the nail rods are worked up
till about two feet long, they are taken
to a forge, the ends heated and four of
them welded together by machines, which
straighten them and make the welded parts
of a uniform size with the original bar,
and then they are worked up as before, so
that no ends are lost. The nails, as fast as
made, are dropped into an iron box, which,
when full, is carried into the separating
room, and emptied upon iron tables,
where all the imperfect nails RE picked out
and thrown aside as scrap iron. The nails
are then packed in 25 h boxes and labeled
for market. There are six sizes, numbered
from 5 to 10 inclusive, s being the medium
size.
The only Horse Nail NJ anufactory in the
West is that of the
NORTHWESTERN HORSE NAIL CO.,
At Sc to 68 West Van Buren, street, Chicago,
established in 1862, but was incorporated in
1864, and has a working capital of about
$500 The officers of the company-N.
Corwith, President; G.. l.. Smalley, Superin-
tendent, and A. w. Kingsland Secretary
are all stockholders, and the nails are made
under their immediate supervision. Mr..
Smalley superintends the factory, and un-
derstands his business thoroughly. Mr..
Kingnland, one of the originators of the en-
terprise, manages the financial department
and the general business of the company.
He was bred to the iron manufacturing bust
ness, and utilities his knowledge and expe-
rience for the benefit of the company and
the public They have the most perfect ma
chinery, give constant employment to some
so skilltul workmen, who, by long practice
like those employed on particular part of
watch-become perfect. The makers of
! their iron are under heavy bonds that every
bar Of iron furnished shall be perfect Their
style of nails is adapted to the Western trade,
and their sales extend over all the country
south Of tho great lakes and west of the AL
leghanies. And as they spare no pains or
expense to make every nail perfect, and
every package is warranted, no other horse
nail has the reputation of being so uniformly
good and of so desirable a shape. 1t is the
most popular and reliable horse nail in the
country, is staple article with all leading
houses, and, as it is sold at New York prices
it supersedes all other kinds wherever it's
merits are known. They run twenty
machines, day and night, most Of the year,
and can make two tons Of nails in ten hours.
They made 600 tons last year, but will ex-
coed that amount this year. The establish
ment is not only curiosity and a credit to
Chicago-it is public benefaction.
EFFECTS OF THE FRANCO-PHCSSlAN WAR;
The Franco Prussian war has destroyed
and disabled so many skilled laborers, and
interrupted the manufacture of French and
German goods, so that there will be a search
ty, especially of silks and the finest fabrics,
for some time to come. The first effect of
the war was to throw large quantities of
these goods on the English market, thereby
lowering the price. But now, though peace
is restored, a long time must intervene before
production will reach its former amount, and
these goods must necessarily advance in
price. Fortunately, some of our leading silk
manufacturers, anticipating this state of
affairs, laid in q large stock of raw silk at
ante-war prices, and will, for the present,
supply their customers at the old rates, and
purchasers should take advantage of this
opportunity to lay in supplies. AT the head
of this class is the firm Of
BELDING BROS CO.,
the largest manufacturers Of sewing silk and
machine twist in America. The sales of
their wholesale houses in Chicago, New York
and Cincinnati, last year, reached S750,O00,
their Chicago house, at So and So Wabash
avenue, taking the lead. Purchasers should
always ask for Belongs sewing silk, noted