Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-02
Montpelier Manufacturing Com :
D4ny.

| ~ Deen mdue ID Tue buildings OF tnis CoW
pany we'll deserve notice, marking as the,
do the steady growth of its business and it
design to meet the increased demand 70
its wares. This Company has come to b
considered quite an old Montpelier institu
ton but the books show that it has not ye
completed its second year among us.
II was about 1857 that Colby Brothers
Co. began work at Waterbury. Their bust
ness grew from small beginnings, until il
had attained, in fourteen years, goodly pro
portions. In 1871 negotiations were com
pleted tor the purchase and removal of tn
business to this place, and the mill propert,
on the Berlin side was bought for that pur
pose. The new company was organized
Sept. IA, 1871, with capital of $52,70O
Some little work had already been done in
fixing the buildings for the reception Of ma
| chinery and at the time of the organization
Mr.. D. Taft, the President of the Company
and MIR. Arthur Ropes. the Superintendent
engaged in the work of removal
gave profit of $l4 200, or a dividend of q
per cent on the capital invested. 1t was de-
termined to make 20 per cent stock divi
deud and TO increase the capital to $50, 900
This was done, and the Sill, ZOO new stock
put in the market was at once taken. The
annual report in couple Of months will
show what the progress of the second yea,
has been. 1t is enough now to say that the
sales of children'S carriages and sleds, in the
various forms made by the company, reach
for the year about 100000.
The manufacturing is done in six shops,
each 6Ox3O feet and divided into pairs by
brick walls. The ofi,e is hereafter to be in
the building, now in construction, between
the second and third pairs of shops, which
will make the river length of the work
rooms about 375 feet. The company owns
an old building still farther to the west, now
used to store lumber, end has ample room for
future expansiO on.
The westernmost shop, which is substan-
tial brick building, was erected last fall and
is used for the packing and storage of fin
lshed work the first and third stories
containing room for 5000 carriages. The
middle floor furnishes the packing room.
Adjoining this new building on the east and
forming with it the third pair of shops, is
what was formerly the old granary. This
has been, this spring, raised to three stories
and bricked up, and is occupied on the first
floor by the trimming establishment, on the
second by the stripping and vanishing rooms :;
the third is used Tor storage.
Just east of the old granary was an open
space OF seventeen feet between that aud the
shops on the east. This season a substantial
brick building his been erected 10 this vacant
space, separating the machine shops on the
east from the finishing shops on the west by
thick brick walls. This new building is in
tended to be ire-proof, the doors and shut
tiers being of iron, the floors double, with
mortar between. 1t has tin roof, and its
Io-inch brick walls run higher :han the ad-
joining shop roofs, forming a protection
against the passage of fire along the roof
The first floor of this building will be used
for the office, and here the Superintendent
will be placed in the midst of the work which
he supervises. The second, or middle, floor,
will be used for the ornamenting room which
has hitherto had rather narrow quarters on
the second floor of the shop next west.
1t Is hoped that with the aid of this build
ing, in case of fire the danger may be made
small of losing the whole works The works
are Kept under watch night and day and
every care taken to avoid danger from Ere.
The machinery moves by water power entire
y. The engine room, which is across the
'oad and distinct from the shops, is used for
heating purposes alone, the shops being
heated BY steam and lighted by gas. This
'ngine room was built last fall, and like
very new thing built, is substantial and in
ended to make the danger from FIRE less
instead of greater
The paint shop which is just east Of the
fioe building just erected, is to be remod-
led this summer, and will be increased to
hree stories. The unsightly and useless
levator will be taken off The shops
through which the work passes are all we'll
'orthy OF notice, some of them especially, for
he hrst-class machinery which they contain.
he number of hands employed when work
ng full force is about seventy-fve. The dis
met branches of the work are done in the
ron, blacksmith, wheel, wood, setting up.
amt, ornamenting, stripping, vanishing and
trimming shops and one of these, the wheel
hop, has i've rooms, each of which does its
peclai work in the making of wheel.
While the work of manufacturing goes on
seadily throughout the year, the sale season
lists from January LIST to July 1st. The
ompany has for the last few months had no
gents in the field, as it's orders were all it
'uld supply. As at present situated the
ompany can run the whole season and do
ouble the amount of business heretofore
one; and its sales should soon increase from
100000 year to 100000. Last year, as
eort Oh experiment., 5O0O sleds were built
nd all sold without effort. They are just
eginning 10 900 new ones for the coming
inter. One thing is noticeable; the extent
which their machinery is run by the main
over. Rope belts run to the trimming
'om and the women there employed are
eed from the tiresome and unhealthy work
turning - sewing machine. A lever
the slightest motion, is made to apply the
over, and the needle is flying at full speed. 3,
MIR. Daniel Hall, a machinist who thor
lghly understands his business, has charge
the machinery and the piping has been
I'D under his supervision. Further precau-
ons are to be taken in the way of providing
cans for putting out fires and it is Ger ia in
lat no better " fire brigade could be Or