Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-05
EcoRREspoNDrNoE OF THE DAILY srY.I

ELGIN, ILL.,, August /, 1872
Returning from San Francisco, we heard of
this place as one of the pleasantest, most inter-
esting to strangers, and most prosperous which
the west has to offer. Acting upon the urgent
advice of those who had seen it, we made a
little detour from Chicago, of forty miles, via
the Northwestern railway, TO this unique and
exceptional town in northern Illinois. Every
one knows that the chief business of these
prairie states is agriculture, and that but little
manufacturing is done outside few large
cities. Even in them only the coarser and
heavier grades are wrought. But what can the
young and bounding west present as a product
of its own, in the finer, more delicate. compli-
Gated and costly grades of wares? Is it posi-
Bile that so young in years, with millions of
acres of yet unoccupied land, there has grown
up an establishment whose handiwork rivals
that of Geneva and Paris? Let Elgin, beau
tful and picturesque village, on the banks of
Fox river, answer this question, and tell its
own story.
After two months stay among the une-
qualled mountains and valleys of California
seeing the widest portions of the craggy Sier.
ras, among the snow-capped peaks of the Was
atch and Rocky ranges, brought into holder
relief and finer beauty by the ocean-like plains
of Laramie and Cheyenne. the dead-level prairie
seems little town and monotonous. How
agreeable, then, the change TO the broken and
billy country in every direction here. 1t is
more picturesque than our expectations had
imagined. None of the disappointment ensued
so common from overweight or incorrect de-
scriptions.
Approaching it from Chicago about dive miles
away, the prairie undulates rapidly into a
region exactly resembling some of the pleasant.
est portions of New England The variations
OF the surface--the grasses, foliage and gravelly
roads, combine TO make the visitor from Yankee
land feel at home. Nowhere in recent Journey
ings of 10000 miles have we seen anything
which resembles it; but this is as good coun.
terpart as nature can make in section totally
different in its general features On the Boston
and Albany road, some ten miles out from the
Hub, where the road curves along the banks of
winding stream in a meadow, with hills in the
background on either side, is picture closely
resembling that in which Elgin sits
The Fox river here is about the width of the
Merrimack at Nashua, though not as deep.
The current winds between grassy banks, very
clear and limpid for the western country, where
the streams usually are muddy and turbid, ow.
ing TO the washings of the soil. The village is
on both banks, though the business portion is
quite exclusively on one. A graceful iron
bridge spans it., and on each side is a railway
and station. Another corporation, the Chicago
and Pacific, is building road direct from Chi
cago through Elgin to the Missouri river,
shortening the distance between the two cities
nine miles, and breaking the present grasping
monopoly of the Northwestern, whose high
tariffs check the growth of the country tributary
to it. We inquired Of one of the founders of
the National watch company, "What specially
induced you to locate in Elgin in preference TO
elsewhere2 Why not have gone nearer Chicago?
The reply was, Because the face of the coun-
try reminded us Of our New England home"
happy hit, because IT tends strongly to make
their principal and indispensable employees con-
tented in their adopted homes.
In 1894 Messrs. Mosely 6 Hunter, who had
invented the more intricate and delicate ma
ehinery of the Waltham company, having failed
10 get what they thought their due from the
managers, left and came west on their Gown
hook" found ready capitalists in Chicago, and
In 1867, after expanding nearly a half million
dollars, sent into the market their frst watches
AT once even the hrst products were success.
The Pennsylvania Central and other leading
railways used them for conductors and en-.
gineers after ample experiments. or course
this was the severest test that could be made
There is no criterion of an accurate tmekeeper
like the jar Of a locomotive. In five years timo
from small beginnings, through the energy, res,
olution and skill Of ill-treated inventors at Wal.
than, has sprung up rival factory, now max.
ing, daily, one hundred and eighty watches
which equal in accuracy the best movements of
Geneva, Locle, Paris and Liverpool--an achieve
ment Of which every American should he proud.
The pioneers and directors of the enterprise are
all from Massachusetts, and had their training
and education there. They do not aim to pro
duee AN expensive combination of useless flu
gree, to deceive purchasers into buying snowy
complication of irregularity, like many of even
the better grades Of imported watches, but
durable, correct timekeeper. which shall move
to be what its name imports.
Their highest case movement is only sixty
dollars, whereas those of some other factories
are one hundred and fifty dollars. There NAV
not be 50 much useless elegance about them az
in the higher priced; but conductors and ON.
glnemen prefer them where accuracy h so %.
sentlal to life and property, and must be hal
II would seem no better commentator eould
be given Of the Elgin watch There are neayi,