The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-05
Bennington.
HUNTS sHAwL FACTORY.

HUNTS SHAWL FACTORY.
A person approaching Bennington on the
Harlem Extension railroad, from either d.
rection, sees Immediately before him mas
sive brick building with steeple and
tower, and on either side several smaller
buildings, all built of brick. These are the
extensive works OF the Bennington Manu-
featuring Company, more generally known
as Hunts shawl factory, of which s. B.
Hunt is president and Mr.. Drysdale super
intendent and treasurer. The main build
ing is 22G feet long, by SO feet wide, four
stories and an attic The gas house in the
rear is 40x25, in which the gas is generated
that supplies the mill, the houses of Messrs.
Hunt and Drysdale, the store of the COM
pany and the extensive knitting mill of
George Bradford & Sons. There is also u
blacksmith and machine shop, and twenty
six tenement houses that are rented to the
workmen. The mill is built with all the
modern improvements, is run and heated
entirely by steam; Is supplied with large
elevator, with fire-escapcs at each end, and
to make the building more secure against
fire, a six-inch iron pipe runs through the
entire building with sufficient hose on each
story to reach any part of it. and in the
attic an cight-inch pipe filled with holes,
so that the whole building can be flooded
at a moments notice.
The principal business of the company is
the manufacture of wooden shawls, while
at present they are manufacturing large
quantities of waterproof cloaks. They en-
ploy two hundred hands, consume annually
100000 pounds of wool and their payroll
amounts to about $5, 200 per month. The
machinery is imported from Scotland, is
run by Wood & Mann engine of 40
horse power, and the company annually
consume 600 tons of coal. The total cost
of the mill, including machinery, was over
100000. The main office of the firm is
at 72 Reade street, New York, with a
branch on Deanc street. The wool is first
taken into the sorting room after being
sorted it is dropped into the cleansing or
securing tanks Immediately under, where
it is thoroughly washed, all done by ma
chinery, then into the drying-room, which
is kept hot by means of steam pipes, and
from this to the store-room, where it is
stored in bins built for that purpose From
hence it goes to the picking-room where are
twelve large tanks, one for each color over
each of which is a large faucet to supply it
with water, from an eight-inch pipe, while
the bottom of each is so constructed that
the water is run off easily at any time
The water used for drying purposes is
brought distance of two miles, from the
same reservoir that supplies the magnificent
fountain on the grounds of Mr.. Hunt be-
ing considered better than any other on ac-
count of its purity.
The attic is now used as a store-room,
but it is proposed at some future time to
fill it with machinery. Passing from this
to the fourth story, is the carding-room
which is filled entirely with carding-
machinery. Here is seen new feeding
machine just imported from Scotland,
which weighs every pound of wool quicker
than it can be done by hand, and will do
the work of twelve American machines.
The third story is used for the spinning
room, where are eighteen sets of operating
mules.
The second story is used as weaving,
pattern and spooling room. There arc
fifty looms, each loom having six shuttles
The patterns for different kinds of shawls
are here set up, also the spools are all
wound here. This branch alone keeps
twenty persons busy. The first or ground
floor is for packing and finishing rooms
Here the fringes are twisted and cut, both
on one machine, the shawls being put on
at the same time, after which they are
thoroughly washed and wrung, by machin-
cry and then are placed on large revolv-
ing drum that is kept hot, and are dried in
one revolution of the same, when they are
pressed and ready for the packer. They
make all goods and prices of wooden shawls,
and their goods find a ready market.
Mr.. Hunt spends most of his time in New
York. Mr.. Drysdale remains here all the
while, and although resident of Benning-
ton but a few years, has made many friends,
and is considered one of its most upright
business men.