The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-09-11
OTTAWA MANUFAcToRIEs.

There are but few points In the entire great
west that possesses greater facilities as d
manufacturing point than Ottawa
It's advantages are combined in the mos
complete aggregation that could be devised
! The CITY is located in the center ola vast Goa
field. Coal crops out upon The surface under
| her eastern and northern limits, and she Is IN
speedy railroad and canal communication
with the coal mines of La Sale and Peru on
the west Marseiles and Seneca on the east
and Streator at the south, a. each of which
places. should her own coal ever fail, she
| will find it in inexhaustble quantities. The
coal here and around, besides being in such
prodigious quantities, is dirt cheap, the price
barely covers the cost of stripping from three
to fifteen feet of dirt and hauling the coal to
town, or from $500 to $3.50 per ton. 1t IS SO
plenty that if all the available space around
Ottawa within easy shipping distance were
to be crowded with zinc works, glass works
foundrles and the like, there would be an
ample supply Of coal and TO spare for hun
dreds of years TO come While Ottawa Is
abundan,ly supplied with coal and water
which make steam power, she is none the less
supplied with
WATER POWER.
The Illinois and Fox rivers, as they APP
proach Ottawa, rapidly descend. Within a
distance of ten miles these rivers fall about
twenty-five feet before they unite at Ottawa
Many years ago, this fact having been de
termined by the engineers IN running levels
for the canal, dam was put in Fox river al
DAYTON, four miles north of Ottawa, with d
view to getting water from that source to sup
ply the canal in feeder which was run from
above that dam to Ottawa. This scheme was
not only successful but demonstrated that II
supplied the canal and gave very large sur
plus of water.
The idea occurred to some Of our capital
lists that this large volume of waste water
might be utilized as power to run machin
cry, accordingly the Ottawa Hydraulic Com
pany was formed. \ lateral canal was dug
down into the heart OF the city, large basin
put in near the lower end 10 enable canal
boats to turn around and ever since this pow.
er has been one of Ottawa's most valuable
public improvements. The fail OF water al
the foot of this sde-cut is about thirty feet,
thus atfordng splendid water power all along
the half mile of lis extent While This gives
ample water power to dozen mills, shops,
&c, it is not enough to supply the demands
of the city; more mills and factories want
room and cheap power. The fact that the
two rivers here have fall sufficient to give
good water power had not been forgotten
The subject was agitated, meetings held new
surveys made, and finally dams were placed
in both rivers and the ponds above the sew
eral dams united by channel So far, pa
per mill, which manufactures a good quail.
iiy of wrapping paper, is the only result OF
the outlay upon those dams, but it is eXpec.
ted that In due time the entire power will be
used. The capacity of the Fox river dam is
estimated at an average Of five hundred horse
power; that of the Illinois river at three
thousand horse power. We mention these
facts to show what Ottawa could do, were she
TO push her resources What she is doing
Will be indicated below,
STARCH FACTORY.
This is a mammoth institution. 1t is an
immense frame building, covering nearly an
acre OF ground, and about seven stories high,
when in operation consumes coo bushels OF
corn per day and an untold quantity Of water,
and as only the purest OF water can be used
in making corn starch, it is supplied by Ca.
tons water works from South Ottawa. When
il runs it gives employment to 100 to $50 men.
The starch made by this establishment takes
rank with the best corn starch in the United
States.
GLASS WORKS.
oUc Oh our bloSt I'LL pun ioSdI cutCi
prises is that of the Ottawa Glass Works.
Some time ago 1t was discovered that the
hills around Ottawa aboundcd in pure white
sand, or silica Beds OF this sand are found
all around Ottawa, and quantity simply un-
limited. So vast is the supply, that if the
whole United States was supplied with glass
from this sand, the stock could not be eX.
hausted in ten thousand years. The discov.
cry Of the remarkable purity of this sand and
Its unequsled properties for making glass,
together with the great Righteousness and
cheapness of coal, lead TO an organization OF a
glass company in the fall Of 1861. They put
I'D buildings Of wood and began making
glass April 1st, 1868 Their glass soon ac.
Quired a name and fame among the business
men abroad, and Ottawa glass took rank
with the best domestic manufacture. 1t was
remarkable for It's perfect clearness, great
strength and freedom from blemishes; and
" Ottawa plate glass" soon became in demand
in the markets. Aug. 10, 1874, the works
were partially destroyed by fire, but the com
pany promptly rebuilt Of brick in much
better style, and now have the model glass
works of the country. Their buildings cover
about an acre of ground. Capital stock,
$4,000. Can run 80 to 16O men. Their
paw roll is about $1,000 per month. Value
OIL BOOuo inv yNuif VAcNiN"N'
President, J. ID. Cation; Secretary un'l Treas.
urer, T. d. Catlin. The works are located on
the Main canal, near the side-cut.
THE WESTERN CUTLERY WORKS.
This is large and commendablc establish.
ment al the west end of the hydraulic basin
The building is frame, 45 by 20. three stories
In height runs by water power, and makes
common knives and forks and butcher knives,
and does excellent work, being under the SUI
pervision of Dewey Bros. IL Eustis. The
present firm have run it a year. They EN-
ploy 80 hands, but could give work to double
that number, The handles Of the knives are
made of five different varieties of the hardest
and heaviest wood that grows In the world,
all imported at great expense. Ihey use
American steel, which they find TO be The best
in the world.
]. Il. HARRIS co.
This firm have mandatory of -four mill
near the corner oil JEFFERSON anu
La Sale Sts. They began two years ago;
The factory is % Nv go two stories nigh Is