The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-04-08
CHICAGO CORRESPONDENTS.

( Amt menus.
CHICAGO, March Is, 1871.-Sunshine. warm
weather. winds, clouds, rain. thunder and
| lightning, snow-fiakes and no frost in the
| ground, sunshine again-this is the record of
! the last two weeks. The indications now are
ID favor of an early spring.
WHEAT.
No 2 Is quoted at S1.2513@1. 2674, with an
active market.
is abundant for legitimate business, and
regular customers find no difficulty in getting
| 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 a large trade this season
at remunerative prices, is better than last
year.
MANUFACTURES
have contributed largely to the prosperitv
OF Chicago Many manufacturing establish
ments have grown from small beginnings to
mammoth proportions, sending out their
products over all the land. Articles trifine
IN themselves, yet of prime necessity, play
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 illus
/ tration. They are made of Benson iron
the best Norway iron--imported into Boston
IN bars an inch and one-elghth square, are
there drawn into bars three-sixteenths by
seven-sixteenths of an inch and nine feet
/ long and in that shape are brought to Chicago.
1 They are here taken to a large factory, heated
red hot in coke-blast furnaces, put into pat
/ ent hammerlng machine, which holds the bar
/ feeds it, strikes it eighteen blows and then
/ cuts 1t 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 Ia
ken out. They are essentially hammered nails
being drawn from the end of the rod on the
same principle that the blacksmith makes
them. One man tends q, machine and keeps
eight rods In use; and, as he takes 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 every
/ thing in order. These machines are operated
by shafts making ], 100 revolutions minute
/ bolted on to the main shaft, which is driven
by steam-engine of 75-horse power. When
the nail rods are worked up till about two feet
long, they are taken to forge, the ends heat
ed and four of them welded together by ma
chimes, which straighten them and make the
welded parts of uniform size with the orici-
nal bar, and then they are worked up as
| before, so that no ends are lost. The nails, as
I fast as made, are dropped into an iron box,
which, when full, is carried into the separating
room, and emptied upon iron-covered tables,
where all the imperfect nails are picked out
and thrown aside as scrap iron. The nails are
then packed in 25-lb boxes and labeled for
market. There are SIX sizes, numbered from
5 to 10 inclusive, s being the medium size.
The only Horse Nail mandatory in the
West is that of the
NORTHWESTERN HORSE NAIL co.
At sc to IS West Van Buren, street, Chicago,
established IN 1862, but was Incorporated in
1864, and has a working capital of about $780,
600. The officers of the company-N. Cor
with, President; G.. L. Smalley, Superintend-
ent, and A. W. Bingsland, Secretary,-are all
stockholders, and the nails are made under
their supervision. Mr.. Smalley superintends
the factory, and understands his business
thoroughly. Mr.. Kingsland, one of the orig
nators of the enterprise, manages the tinan-
cial department and the general business of
the company. He was bred to the iron man
ufacturing business, and utilities his knowl-
edge and experience for the benefit of the
company and the public. They have the most
perfect machinery, give constant employment.
to some 90 skilled workmen, who, by long
practice--like those employed on particular
part of watch-become perfect. The max
ers 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 coun-
try south of the great lakes and west of the
Alleghanies. 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 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 whereverits merits are known.
4
most of the year, and can make two tons of
nails in ten hours. They made 500 tons last
/ year, but will exceed that amount this year
! The establishment is not only a curiosity and
a credit to Chicago-itls public benefaction.
EFFECTS OF THE FRANCO-PRUssIAN WAR.
The Franco-Prussian war has destroyed and
disabled so many skilled laborers, and inter
rupted the manufacture of French and German
goods, SO that there will be scarcity, espe-
cially 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. 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, antic-
ipating this state of affairs, laid in a large
stock of raw silk at ante-war prices, and will.
for the present, supply their customers at the
tage of this opportunity to lay in supplies. At
the head of this class Is the firm of
BELDING BROS. AND CO.,
I 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 $3.50 900, their
| Chicago house. at Sc and So Wabash avenue
taking the lead. Purchasers should always
ask for Belongs sewing silk, noted through
out the whole country for being the best in
( the market.
The largest wholesale millinery house in
this city, devoted exclusively to the sale Of
+ Head Gear, is the firm of
GAGE BROTHERS & CO.,
Importers, Manufacturers and Jobbers of
Millinery Goods, rs Lake street, UP STAIRS,
: celebrated all over the Northwest for their
/ large, well-selected and fashionable stock al
ways fresh and attractive, and of the latest
styles. Other millinery houses swell the
amount of their sales, by keeping depart
ments for notions and furnishing goods, but
/ this house sells of Head Gear alone, three
/ quarters of million dollars worth a year.
/ They are large manufacturers. having in addi-
I ton 10 their mandatory of hats and hat
/ frames, of which l wrote last year, hundred
+ girls at work making cactus, hair and fancy
[ braid hats, which enable them to supply job
+ bers, at Eastern manufacturers prices, and to
+ offer unusual inducements to retail dealers.
/ The milliners of the Northwest will here
/ find the most desirable goods for their trade,
of every conceivable fashionable sfvle, at
( the lowest prices. GAGE BROTHERS & Co. are
! authority in matters of fashion and taste,
and what they cannot supply the trade in
( the millinery line Is scarcely worth looking
for They are among the most substantial