The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-07-22
Tama Builders and Manufacturers Ass0-
citation.


citation.
We spent part of an afternoon last
week in the establishment of the above
named association, at lama City and were
very much interested in the working OF the
machinery.
The shop is situated south of the Rail
road track, and is neat building 3Ox40
feet, two stories high. The water wheel
put in by the Hydraulic Company is a
Double Turbine of 100 horse power and
though the back water in the tail race was
several feet higher than the wheel and
the bottom of the reservoir Gas not c0eer.
ed sotM aoater, yet when tile gates were
opened the wheel did its work nobly, and
when the belts were put on and the ma
chinery attached there was no perceptible
dimnution in the speed, the wheel seeming
to act as if there was reserve power in it
sufficient 10 move all the machinery in the
State of Iowa. The machinery so far
purchased by the Builders and Manufact-
urer's Association consists as near as we
can remember of the following articles
a buzz saw, an improved Turning Lathe,a
Boring and Mortising Machine, Planning
Machine, and one of those celebrated
Universal Wood Workers.
This is one Of the most ingenious and
interesting machines we ever saw work,
and is well worth the trouble of visiting
it to see it in operation. 1t will do twenty
four different kinds of work. They can
feed in at one end of the machine rough
pieces Of lumber and it will come out at
the other end dressed to any desired thick
ness or width on .f0ur sides. Two or three
kinds of work can be done on it at the
same time. In fact, it will make almost
anything from wooden man like the edi
tor Of the Indep6Rd6Wt to the most beauti
full including, and all a. one operation.
This association is the first to avail itself
of the water power, and we trust they are
only the van guard Of what will follow.
Ma nufacturing is something the West
stands greatly in need of. There is no
reason in the world why we should always
depend on the East for all our manufact-
ured articles. We now an obliged to
send away for everything we use, and
great majority of the articles could be
manufactured here cheaper than other
places. 1t seems 70 us perfectly reason
able to suppose that where flour can be
had from So to So per 100 lbs and other
things in proportion work can be done
cheaper than where it's s. to So per 100 lbs
Just so long as we depend entirely on our
grains for support in the West, just so
long we will be financially hard up. For
when there is bad season there will not
be much grain to sell and when the season
is good there will be so much grain that
the market will be more than supplied
and the price then be very low. We
would prefer, however, to depend on agri-
culture exclusively than manufacturing
exclusively for support, for it is safer and
can be depended on better, but it is not
probable that the West will ever have too
much manufacturing This association
is prepared to contract for all kinds Of
wood work, building or finishing up houses,
or anything that may be desired. They
also propose to manufacture doors, blinds,
sc. As soon as they get fairly started it
is their intention to procure more machin-
cry and keep up with the times. There
are some Of our Toledo friends who are
inclined to view this enterprise with envi-
Gus and jealous eyes and secretly if not
openly, wish for its failure. This is not
the right spilit to manifest. Should the
water power prove one half as large a
thing as i is friends and projectors claim
for it Toledo and Tama City will be united
in a few years and we will then have a
town rivaGng any inland city in the State.
How much better it would be if instead
finding fault with our ncighbor wc'would
30 to work and follow her example, For
onC-fourth Of the money they have eXpcnd
d we could have as large Il factory us they
have, and run it by steam, and then could
add TO It's facilities as fast as necessary.
TO be sure VIC would not have, the power
they have, but could add it as it was needed
Toledo needs aud should have a good foun
dry and it seems to us that money enough
could be raised to establish one. View
into the foundry and machine shops of Ben
Frederick, Marshaltown, last week and
were surprised at the amount of workbcing
done there. Twelve years ago it was in 1T
tie wooden shanty down by Limerick, and
two men did all there was to do. Now it
il occupies fine large two store brick
building built in the shape of al i which
We suppose is 200 or 300 feet in length,
and gives employment to 20 or 30 men.
These 20 or SO men with their families
would add probably 100 TO our population.
1t would take probably from $4,000 to
SO 900 per year to pay and support these
men and their families which would all be
expended right in our midst for all the
nccessaries of life. And besides this the
foundry would attract many farmers and
others to our town who would want to get
work done, and we would thus secure
their patronage, and so it would be Il pay
ing business all around.
Manufactures of Fredcrick's establish
ments are shipped in all directions even as
far rs California, and whever they so they
are a big advertisement of the enterprise of
Marshalltown. Let some move be taken
to start foundry Or mandatory of
some kind in Toledo.