The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-06-19
WaIlingford.

MIR. Lyman Batcheller, the father of the |
institution and of the sons who have sue
ceeded him In business, came to Walling-
ford in 1885. He was then common black
smith, but although hard working and in
ured to toll he possessed good amount of
brain and strong inventive faculties, which |
were developed In the manufacture of the
fork This business he took up himself
without any teaching or apprenticeship and
in connection with his blacksmith shop,
he, with the help of his two sons. Isaac G.
and John c., commenced the manufacture
of forks, square-tincd. old-fashioned
implement which was the only thing of
the kind then known. The three with
their own hands and with no help, carried
on small trade, supplying the neighbor-
hood and adjoining towns with the article,
and considered with the facilities they then
possessed, the making of dozen forks
day as good business. But despite the
primitive style of manufacture and the
small circulation which the fork had at
that time, the reputation of the "Batchcllcr
Fork" now so widely known, was being
established in slow but sure manner and
on a solid foundation of true worth.
In August, 1S47, the old factory and
shops caught fire and burned down. This,
however, did not hinder the business or
discourage the firm. for with little delay
the shops were rebuilt on better scale and
the business resumed. Meanwhile Isaac G..
had withdrawn from the firm and Lyman,
Jr., had become partner with his father
and brother. In July, 1867, the ilourishing
state in which the business was then car
ried on and the demands of their custom
ers becoming more pressing, the firm Sc
cured an eligible site on Otter Greek, and
erected new and extensive works, the same
as now occupied by them, and the present
company came into operation, the father,
MIR. Lyman Batchcller having died in 1859,
said firm consisting of John c., Lyman
and Justin Batchcllcr and John Scribncr,
a brothcr-in-law of the SONS. who consti-
tute the present company. They establish
cd the firm name as ''Batchcller & Sons"
to designate the firm and trademark used
by the company and hold the reputation
of the fork they manufactured as the same
The fork mandatory consists of three
large buildings, the forge and hammer
shop being 100x40, the store house three
stories, 6OX40 feet, and the finishing shop
50x4O feet, with handle works and saw
mill in separate building. The extent of
the company's works and the large amount
Of business accomplished by them, is
known to comparatively few people, and u
statement of the same is at once surprise
to the outside world, and matter of con-
graduation to the proprietors. Forty men
are now employed by the firm, in the man.
ufacturc of forks. Five different styles of
forks arc manufactured. The two-tined
fork, for pitching hay the threc-tincd and
four-tined fork, for straw, the fivc-tincd
spading fork and six-tined manure fork,
with numerous varieties of styles in make
of each.
At the forge shop are eight trip hammers
in motion all the while, some TWENTY-FIVE
men being employed in this branch of the
business. Here is where the fork is taken
in its rough state but all of the double re.
fined cast steel, and worked through the
different processes of hammering, temper.
ing and testing, until it ia judged to be
ready for use. Every fork is tested and
every tine is examined before it leaves the
hands of the workmen to be placed on the
handle. The processes of heating and
tempcring are quite wonderful to the un
practiced eye of the observer, and need @
good amount of skill on the part of the
workmcn. The noise of the hammers, al
going at once, make a pandemonium OF
sound that browns all else in its ceaseless
ring, and denotes business of no small
amount to be ON hand. All the works arr
run by water power, which is sufficient tC
turn numerous other spindles of trade i
necessary. The forks after leaving thu
forge shop are turned over to the finishing
rooms and from thence are attached to thu
handle, labelled with the trade mark of thu
"original Batchelder fork" and sent to thu
, customer The firm are unable to procure
the timber required for the handles in tina
!, vicinity, although they make few, keep
ing one lathe in operation for their manu-
facturc. They purchase handles iron
Bridgewatcr, Newport, Dandy, Middleton
and Schroon, N. Y, all of white ash
The firm have facilities for manufactur
= ing one hundred dozen hay forks in a day
one-half as many manure forks and two
thirds as many of the thrcc-tincd forks
and are ready at all times to supply tn
+. trade both far and near with order an
:. despatch. 1t may sound little cxaggcl
t. ating tostate that they make a fork min
. ute, but when computed it will be foun
they do even more than that The reputa
ton of the Bachelor fork has become s
y well established and so widely acknow
/ edged that numerous frauds have been al
tempted by parties in palming off othC
: makes of forks for the Batchellcr. On
> firm in Syracuse, N. Y, some three ycal
~ ago, put on to their label "Batchellcr pa
term" the latter word being in very sma
Il letters, so that the name itself stood out
l. bold characters and would at once be take
C for the original fork. These parties how
p ever were short lived and ceased their frau
l. after being threatened with the punishmcl
II they SO richly meritcd. The Batchclt
e fork made by Batcheller & Sons has
l. underworld patronage. The firm have Ina
C large trade in England for the past fiftce
g years, through the Steel mandatory @
N Jessup & Co., who have a branch house
=, New York, and in 1862 the first premium
4, was awarded them at the Worlds Fair
% | IOnd0n of a hronze medal They shinnl