The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-06-13
A Chair-making Village.

The principal business in the town of
Gardner, Mass, is that of the manufacture
of cane and wood seat chairs, and not only
are the most of the inhabitants, both old
and young either directly or Indirectly en-
gagged in this business, but work is furnish
ed to hundreds of people, in brading the
cane, for fifteen or twenty miles around
There are fifteen firms who prosecute this
business, who turn out on an average all
the way from three hundred to twelve
hundred chairs each per day. The lar
gest factories emplay from two hundred
to three hundred operatives, while the
smaller ones have from one hundred to
one hundred aud fifty and, at the present
time, not less than six thousand chairs
per day are made in this village.
+ The workmen employed in these fac
tories represent many nations, amongst
which are Americans, French, Irish, aud
liberal sprinkling of negroes. They
work both by the piece and day, and earn
from 81 80 to So per day. Business all
through the summer has been brisk, and
all the different factories have been run
ming to their full capacity. On entering
one of these large establishments, the
visitor if made quickly aware of the
magnitude of the business when he sees
spread out before him thousands upon
thousands of feet of lumber in the stock
rooms, the, huge piles of bottoms, backs,
rounds, ETC., uniformly arranged, assorted
and sized, and hears the clatter of all
kinds of machinery; he no longer won
ders where the immense quantities of
chairs which are required to meet the
demands of the trade come from Gard
ner is the oldest chair manufacturing
town in the country, the business having
first first been started there sixty years
ago, in a little shop where only one or
two hands were employed. The pioneers
in this now large and yearly increasing
business were Elijah Brick. man by the
name of Minot, and Levi Heywood--the
last named gentleman being still engaged
in the business.
More than 81, 100000 are invested in
truth that it is the sole dependence of
| the inhabtauts There are at least one
thousand different kinds of chairs ma de.
from the cheapest to the most costly. The
stock worked up is oak, maple, and birch,
which comes mostly from Vermont, while
the black walnut comes from the West.
The rattan from which the cane is made
is imported from Java, and manufactured
into cane ready for use at Fitchburg and
Reading, aud costs to the manufacturer
about fifty seven cents to the thousand
feet. There are engaged in the different
factories not less than ten steam engines,
which furnish the motive power for pro
| pelling the saws. lathes, etc, aud such a
degree Of perfection has been arrived at
that the incest accuracy in joints, sizes,
aud the general make up can be always
counted upon. The chairs find market
all over the world, large quantities of them
being shipped TO California, South Ameri
ca aud Cuba. A new company has re
Gently been organized in the place. BY
their improved method of fastening the
cane the strands are all strained equally
and every end securely fastened, so that
each sustains its due proportion OF the
weight, aud the seat is thereby rendered
much more durble than ordinary seats.
Instead of the present method OF braid
ing the cane by hand, this company have
commenced the weaving of it by looms,
similar to that of cloth; several hand
looms are now in operation, and the sue
cess Of the enterprise has been 80 wonder
ful that machinery is now being built to
operate them by steam power The pres
ent producing capacity of the company is
from 400 to 800 seats per day but the
production will be greatly augmented by
these improvements Boston Com al
! uerti5er.