The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-04-22
Armstrong & Co.'s Port Deposit Stove Works,
PORT DEPOSIT, CECIL COUNTY, MD.

ing but one apprentice. In connection
with their business as fouudrymen, they
began also in 1856 the manufacture of tin
ware, employing one man, in small build
ing opposite their foundry. Their business
prospered from the start, and in four years
had increased sufficiently to warrant them
in leasing from Edwin Wilmer in 1858 lot
on the main street of the town on which
they built their present ware rooms and
office. Up to 1860 they had employed but
eight moulders, while they now carry on
their pay rolls fifty men, and disburse weekly
to their employees over 5000. AS their
business increased, year by year, additions
were made to their original building, until
the year 1864 when they constructed their
present machine shop and engine room.
In 1866 the main building covering the
moulding floor of the foundry was erected.
In constructing this building they showed
their usual enterprise. In order to save
loss of time incident upon the tearing down
of the old and raising the new building,
the latter was built over the former, the
only time lost being the actual time re-
quired to remove the old building and pre-
pare the enlarged moulding floor.
THE HOLLOW.
The group of eight buildings, now com
prising the Port Deposit Stove Works, oc,
cupy the principal portion of a lot fronting
600 feet on the street, or as it is called in
Port Deposit, .'The Hollow" 1t is also
known as 1.-THE Port Road" being moth
ing less than natural ravine opening
through the Susquehanna hills, and down
which to the river below, flows a little
stream known as Factory Run. The loca-
ton is rather an unpromising one for the
erection of buildings covering much space,
as the area on either side of the street or
road is contracted and narrow, diminishing
in width as you ascend the hill. The lower
end of the Armstrong lot is 200 feet in
depth, but diminishes to point as the
road binds upon the hillside, and the upper
end of the lot is reached. Ascending the
hill from the main street of the town, the
first building that attracts your attention
is the new addition built in 1875. This is
a handsome and substantial granite and
brick
FINISHING HOUSE.
This building is G0x30 feet, covered with
slate, four stories high, fitted with hoist
ing machines for raising and lowering cast
ngs and stoves, and constructed through
out in the most substantial manner with a
high granite foundation. The first floor of
this building is used as a finishing room,
being fitted with benches, at which the
pieces of casting are finally prepared for
putting together in the completed stove.
On the second floor are stored the finished
castings as they come from the finisher
below. On this floor are also packed and
shipped small castings, parts of stoves, &c,
and such as may require boxing before ship
ment. On the third floor the finished stoves
are stored, of which it is capable of stor-
ing 1000, ranked in rows four high. Here
are to be seen the general variety and de-
Scriptions Of stoves manufactured by the
Messrs. Armstrong and intended for ship
ment to the dealers in the different cities
with whom they have standing orders.
Hollow-ware, small stoves, and patterns
occupy shelves upon the fourth floor of this
warehouse. Leaving it you pass next to
THE MACHINE SHOP.
This is 3. story frame building, with
stone basement, in size 36x45 feet. In the
lower story of it, general machine and mill
work is done, agricultural machinery is
repaired, shaftings turned, wheels bored,
&C., the shop being fitted with the neces-
sary lathes, drilling and boring machines.
and such generally improved mechanical
appliances as are found in first class shops
of the kind. Immediately over the ma
chine shop is the pattern department, in
which the general wood work of the estab-
lishment is done. In it are wood turning
lathes, drilling machines, planners, and the
necessary machinery for the production of
the most complicated as well as the sim
| pest patterns. Above this floor is the stor-
age room for patterns, &c. From the ma
chimes shop you pass to the
ENGINE ROOM AND SMITH SHOP.
This room is G0x19 feet, and contains at
this time one 15-horse power horizontal
engine and cylinder boiler; but it being in
sufficient in power for the work required, an
engine of increased power is about being
put in. One end of this house is occupied
by the FORCES of the smith shop.
Passing from the engine room you enter
| THE CASTING HOUSE,
a frame building 30xs0 feet in size and Il
stories high. Into the casting house the
rough castings are brought just as they
leave the moulding floor. In this room are
four cleaning mills, which are nothing more
than cylindrical square or hectagonal boxes
or cases of heavy cast iron fitted upon re-
volving shafts, into which the castings, to
which considerable sand adheres, are placed
In these revolving cases or mills the cast
ings clean each other by attriton, the mu-
tual rubbing process being facilitated by
throwing among the castings cinders from
the furnace and small scraps of iron from
the moulding floor, which help to scour