Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-16
CARRIAGE WORKS.
IMPROVEMENTS AT ALTICK SONS.
A Desert ptlOn OF the Premises of One OF
Lancasters Chief Industries-An Old

A Desert ptlOn OF the Premises Of One OF
Lancsster's Chief Industries-An Old
Business Establishment.
During the past year the Messrs. Altick
turned out over nine hundred frst-claSs
jobs, and for several years past the aver
aye has been over seven hundred. The
senior partner may almost always be found
in his office giving the business a general
superintendence. S. w. Altick devotes
himself to travelling and taking orders for
work, while the junior partner has
general superintendent over the several
shops in the establishment.
For several months past d. a. A!tick
s. Sons, carriage manufacturers, have been
making extensive additions and improve
ments to their manufactory,42 and A West
Orange street, which, even before these
additions and improvements were made,
stood at the head of the list of carriage
manufactures in this county.
The main building. fronting on Orange
street, has front OF 45 feet and depth of
.105 feet, and is four stories and an attic in
height-the fourth story and attic having
rear of the main building, and connected
Will IL, ID u 1"O-ooOAJ oAOh co
feet square, which is used exclusively for
the storing of lumber. Connected with
this building is another new brick, 70 feet
long, sc feet wide and three stories in
height. As will be seen, the length Of
these three buildings is over 200 feet, with
a width of from 50 to 4j feet.
On entering the main building from
Orange street the visitor is ushered into the
10 20 t1,o cLoy in
of which is the Messrs Aitick's cozy Office.
This vestibule is separated from tie show
room by sliding glass doors extending en-
tirely across it, admitting an abundance
of light and excluding all dust and dirt.
The show room has an area of los by4j feet
and is filled with finely finished vehicles
phaetons, buggies, carriages, light wagons
&c. The room is admirably lighted, not
only by the glass doors above mentioned,
but by an immense sky light, about six
teen feet square, which pierces the upper
floors and sheds flood of light into the
rooms on the several stories.
On the second floor front is the finishing
room 36 by 45 feet. 1t is here that tho yehi-
cles, after coming from the painters and
trimmers, are put together preparatory to
| being lowered, on the elevator, into the
| show room.
Back of the finishing roor, is the trim
ming room, 45 by 70 feet. In addition to
the usual appliances found in all first class
carriage manufactures, this room contains
one of Elliott's patent dash machines
the only one in the state. 1t is an i'm
mense sewing machine, and Oh it one man
can stitch dash in fifteen minutes, thus
doing as much work as ten men can do by
hand.
| The entire third floor front is used as {,
paint shop. 1t is As by 100 feet-minus
the size of the sky-iight which pierces its
centre and gives it light. 1t is subdivided
into several compartments and is filled
with vehicles undergoing tho operation OF
painting, decorating and vanishing.
From the vanishing room all dust is ex-
cluded, not only by close doors and win
dows, but by double floor which pre-
vents it from entering from the room be-
low.
The fourth floor front is packed with
finished work-wheels, axles, shafts, etc.
ready for putting together.
Tho fifth floor front is packed with
hundreds of finished carriage bodies.
Returning to the back building we find
first the lumber house 80 feet square, both
stories of which are packed with seasoned
lumber. The first story of the diOining
building, 36 by 70 feet, is used for the
storage Of loose material-fellOes, hubs.
spokes, bows. sc. The second floor of
equal size is the wood shop, where large
number of men arc employed in making
wheels, bodies and all the other wood
work required in carriage making,
The third floor of the building is the
blacksmith shop, and we are informed it is
the only blacksmith shop in the country
that occupies so elevated a position. 1t con.
tains ten forge fires and more than score
of the sons of Vulcan are constantly en-
gagged in forging carriage irons, ard ironing
ers. The floor of the smith shop is of brick
laid in cement. The anvil blocks do
not rest on the joists that support the
floor, but on pillars, with stone foun da.
tions, reaching from the ground to the
floor of the smith shop. The shop is well
ventilated and being so high up in the air,
the smoke and sulphur from the forges dc
not offend the taste of fastidiOus neigh
bOrs. The convenient arrangement
of the entire establishment can be
seen at a giance. The lumber and
loose material is carried from the
first to tho second story, where it
is worked out and put together by the
| wood workers. 1t is thon raised to the
smithshOp, where it is ironed. Then it is
carried across bridge, 36 feet long and
nearly as wide. connecting the front and
back buildings, and is ready for the
painters. Then it goes to the trimming
room, on the second floor. and when fin
ished is ready to be lowered into the show
room for inspection By customers. Thus
there is no rehandling necessary, and no
Juggling of work backwards and forwards.
Experts who have visited Altick's shops
declare that there is not anywhere in the
country more conveniently arranged
establishment and even in New Haven,
the great centre of carriage making, there
are very few that exceed it in extent. In
addition to the buildings above described
the Messrs Altick have large warehouse
at AZ Market street. The building is sc
feet front by 1876 feet deep and three
stories high. 1t is used exclusively for
the storage of finished work, with which
it is packed as full as it well can be.
Mr.. D. A. Altick. the senior member of
the firm, is the pioneer carriage builder
of Lancaster. He commenced business on
a rather small scale as long ago as 1S4S.
| He gradually increased his business until
it attained its present preemiDence. In
1878 he took into partnership his eldest
son, 8. w. Altick, and in 1890 w. b. AL
tick, his second SOD, was admitted. From
1S48 to the present time, the establish
ment never closed the workmen have
never been laid of, except for some fault
of their own, and they never have failed to