The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-23
Rise and Growth OF a Thriving Business,

survival OF the fittest Is enforced with iron
rigidity only against the bantlings of the in
ventive genius. But In spite OF forbidding
conditions the surviving children of this hard
handed but clear Drained parentage have u.s.
ually developed into q stalwart and distin-
guished family which, like the steam engine
with its collateral lines Of descent, have made
very useful citizens in the world Of contriv-
ances and have brought the greenest laurels back
to the brain that conceived them. The Lane
Manufacturing Company OF Montpelier Is the
child OF bright mechanical ideas which, by
their innate strength and hardihood, supple
mented by vigorous and efficient business
tuteage, have asserted their rights and con-
quered the law Of Survival by producing
the " fittest " mechanical devices, embodied in
machinery constructed with the greatest me-
chanical perfection and with special adapta-
ton to the rapid and skillful reduction of {" the
forest primeval," the world over, to the diver
sifed and increasing wants Of civilization.
HISTORICAL.
Some twenty-five years ago Denis Lane
| owned and operated saw and grist-mill at
Plainfield. He had also an exceedingly primi-
tive machine shop, the principal tool in which
was a crude engine lath He manufactured
shingle and lath machines which he sold to
neighboring owners Of mill privileges, and, cir
| cular saw-mlls having then quite generally sup
| planted the old-time up and down " affairs
| he built one Of these machines for his own use
| The device employed at that time for setting
the log forward on the carriage for successive
cuts Of boards or planks was a screw-block at
| each end. Five turns OF the screw were re-
quired for an inch board, and for expeditions
work man at each screw was required. This
was expensive, and the apparatus did not al
ways work with the precision that was desira-
BILE for the perfect saving of lumber Mr.. Lane
| directed his wits to providing a remedy for
these economic and mechanical defects. The
result OF his studies was a device by means of
which the sawyer himself could "set" the
| log for successive cuttings. rack and pinion
| and a ratchet worked by forked lever, ar
ranged with due regard to the result to be &C
| complished, were the mechanical appliances
| employed. The rack was first attached to arms
extending back from near each end of the set
beam or slide. To a horizontal shaft fitted
with pinions meshing into the racks the rachel
and lever were attached. There was series
or nest of ratchets, the number of teeth in
each regulating the different thicknesses OF
lumber to be sawed With other minor de-
vices to render this mechanism operative, by
means of a horizontal extension of the ratchet
lever the sawyer standing at his post in front OF
| the mill performed without any appreciable
addition to his labors the work that two assis-
tants were needed to do with the screw-blocks
| This device worked successfully, and the In.
ventor, with wise regard for the future took
out his first patent on Lever Set Saw-Mill. u
| model of this original device is preserved
| A comparison between this embodiment of the
first crude idea and the latest improved and
perfected mill Is highly suggestive of the pos
sibiities of development that lie in a new
and useful invention with fertile brain ant
business ability and energy behind it.
INTRODUCING THE LEVER SETS.
Having satisfied himself of the complete
utility of his invention, Mr.. Lane began to cas-
about for opportunities to turn it to account
One of the first he made was put into the mil
at Montpelier which afterwards became the
property of the Lane Manufacturing Company
In the spring of 1862 lie took lever set in hi.
wagon and started out to seek his fortune
He went North, exhibiting his invention Il
mill owners along the route, but they exhibited
a logged determination not to be beguiled int,
giving the new tangled notion a trial even
Finally, at Newport, he found credulou
lumberman willing to listen and to examine
and to consent to have the device attached Il
his mill on trial He was not willing t,
have 1t removed and after one days tria
Mr.. Lane received the first proceeds of hi
invention, to wit, some old iron, bedsteat
and a time note. While he was attaching hi
invention to the Newport MILL a mill proprieto
in an adjoining town, with many expression
OF disgust, voluntarily and very emphatcall,
apprised Mr.. Lane that he need not attempt +
sell him lone of the darned things" or eve
ask him to give 1t a trial. Six months later b
was the voluntary purchaser of lever set. TO-
cash. There was general prejudice agains
the invention and the few who consented t.
give it a trial. though refusing to allow it to b.
taken away, we're nevertheless not eager t
pay. By degrees the merits of the apparatus be
came known and appreciated, and the demand
for it outgrew the inventors edlcapacity t.
supply. He moved to Montpelier and, Decem
Der l. 1863 bought of B. F. Buxton the foundr
and machine shop occupying portion of tn
site of the present works Stoves plows, water
wheels etc, had been made there and tn
general custom work of small country estab
!; lshment done, under various ownerships an
| ain hn i,
, manufacture of saw mills with his set works
and also supplied the latter to attach to othe
mills
THE PLANT
At the time of Mr.. Lanes purchase tn
"plant consisted of foundry, wood build
. ing twenty-eight feet by sixty feet, and ma
, chine shop, also of wood, thirty feet by fort
feet, two stories high. The equipment consiste
of the usual tools and appurtenances of SINAI
! country foundry and machine shop. The force
all told was, f. M. Guernsey, foreman. M. {
Guernsey and Aaron Bancroft. The plan
now is, a foundry sixty feet by eigbty-six feet
blacksmith shop fifty by sixty feet two ma
chine shops, one, one hundred and thirty.fiv
feet by fifty feet, the other, fifty-five feet b
,hirty-five feet; wood shop forty feet by eight
feet setting up and pattern shops one hundre
and thirty-fve feet by fifty feet. being tn
second story of the larger machine shop;
basement and attic Of similar dimensions, fo
storage of sand, iron castings. wood and lun
Der; a pattern house twenty-four feet b
q seventy-two feet and an office twenty-four fet
by fifty-six feet These buildings are chief
brick, substantially built and arranged wit
7 reference to convenience and economy
Is manufacturing The works are heated
10 steam and protected against fire not only b
effective apparatus but also by a discipir
IS that exacts order, neatness and watchfulnes
O and reduces to practice the wisdom of tn
maxim, an ounce of prevention is worth
70 pound of cure" The equipment has referenC
to dispatch and the highest attainable exec
= lence in the manufactures. The machinery
" therefore the best obtainable and embodi
4 the latest improvements. The area of sho
: room, every square inch Of which is thick
~ occupied, is a fair measure of the extent Of Il
o equipment The force of three men has grow
IS to about one hundred The first weeks wage
paid was SIS. The first months business, Ii
Guiding mill partly finished when Mr.. Lar
Il bought the works and stock, was 1898 49, al
q the twelfth, 81, 5S4 so. During that year
v built thirteen complete board mills, and 81
J. teen set works for other mills.
. NEW PARTNERS AND MANAGEMENT.
o The set works had been greatly improved, Il
idea more fully developed. the mechanical CO.
struction simplified and compacted. In 1Sl
/. General p. p Pitkin, whose great capacity 4
business and indomitable push had won hi
honors and gained him successive promotion
l. in the quartermaster department OF the arm
o Of the Potomac, proved his business sagacity al
his confidence In the undeveloped possibilities
n this invention by entering into partnersh
> with Mr.. Lane. The association then had Il