Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-11-18
"A visit to Fort Atkin SON.

Last Thursday afternoon we spent al
Fort Atkinson, and we were agreeably sur.
prised as well as much pleased with our
visit to that thriving and go-ahead place.
Few, we venture to say, have proper idea
of the Importance Of Fort Atkinson as a
manufacturing town, or as place of bust
ness. Some years ago few of the lea ding
citizens OF the place saw the importance and
necessity OF fostering and encouraging manu-
featuring If Fort Atkinson was to grow
and prosper, and this enterprisng spirit has
been acted upon ever since, resulting in
the building up ofseyeral large and flourish
ing manufacturing establishments. To
these manufactures Fort Atkinson can to
a great extent, point to as the secret of her
growth and success. Chief among the in
dustr lal institutions Of the place is the
Northwestern Furniture Mandatory, the
largest furniture factory in the North
west We were shown through this con-
Germ by MIR. Joseph Powers, the Presid ent
OF tue Company, and an old manufacturing
wheel horse. Almost every conceivable style
OF wooden and cane seated chairs are turn
ed out by this establishment, together with
nearly all kinds of bedsteads. The COM
pany from time to time extend the variety
of goods manufactured, and are manufac-
turing large numbers of cheese boxes,
over seventy thousand of which were
made the present season. For a year or SO
past the company have turned their item
ton to the manufacture of hand sleiphs
and it would do a boys soul good to see
the piles of 1.-the and graceful sscoasters"
and other styles that we beheld. Every
department of the Northwestern is well
looked after, and especially is this true in
relation to the precautions used against fire.
cistern containing several thousand bar
rels OF water is in close proximity to the
building and several hundred feet of hose
on hand capable of being turned in mo-
ment to any part of the building. The
company are now fitting up their buildings
with pipes for heating with steam, an ar
rangemet that considerably decreases the
chances for fire. The products of the manu-
features of the Northwestern company are
about $4,000 per annum The amount
paid per month by the institution for help
alone is $4,000, so that it can be easily seen
of how much benefit the Northwestern
mandatory is to Fort Atkinson.
The Fort Atkinson Foundry is another
valuable institution to the place This con-
Germ manufactures the Crane Knitting ma
chimes and the newly invented Novelty
Seeder, giving employment to large num-
Der of men. La the same building is loca-
ted D. STAINS Cutlery Works which turns
out large quantities of superior article of
Butcher knives the polished blades of which
show thet they have passed through hands
skilled in the business. The firm of Cor
nish, Curtiss & Company is one of the insti.
buttons Of Fort Atkinson. Of this concern
"Dave" Curtiss is Grand Sachem," al
though every member of the firm IS alive
and enterprising. This firm do a large
business in the Produce line, aud are ex-
tensive dealers in lumber. They are also
manufacturers of the justly celebrated and
widely used Rectangular Churns. At the
Union Office we found Brother Hoard run
ming by steam and grinding out lots of job
work. The Union appears to flourish abun-
dainty. 1t was really source of satisfac-
ton to US to see a Jefferson County town
SO lively and apparently prosperous as Fort
Atkinson appeared to US, and the recollec-
tons of the pleasant afternoon we spent
there and the many friends we met will
be treasured up in our memory for some
time.