The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-11-13
OTTAWA CLAY WORKS.
The Great Work Of Transforming the Stdreh
Works into Fire Brick Works.-Stone-
ware in Ottapa.-Other Clay Works
Possible Here.

Few people, we apprehend, are aware OF
tho magnitude of the work being done by
the Pioneer Fire.proof Construction Company
on their premises south Of the hydraulic
basin For weeks past small army OF men
have been at work removing the rear OF the
old Starch Works, involving an immense
amount of work; while to support that part
of the building yet remaining, an enormous
wall has been built on the north side, running
from the hard pan to the woodwork above
the basement of the building. Workmen are
now arching the tail race from the building
to the river, several hundred feet, which
Will be an immense piece Of work. one
week ago q dozen or more teams were at
work filling in a grade for railway switch
from the c., B. & Q. tracks on the bank OF
the basin to run down into and through the
yards themselves, to do away with the e1
pense of having coal down to the kilns, and
finished wares up from them to the tracks
which now run only on the high bank above
the yards. The laying of the track for the
tramwsy from the clay pits in East Ottawa
has reached the city west of Fox river, and
in short time now will be completed.
All this work is still but preliminary TO
Tie reat object in view: the overhauling OF
the old Starch Works and its reconstruc.
ton into monster friedrich works. The
Company has recently increased its capital
stock from 100000 to S250,00O, large
part Of which will be expended in the cree
ton of the new works, making the total
plant by far the largest in Illinois or west Of
the Ohio river; and one of the largest in the
United States.
The course of this Company since locating
at Ottawa shows what can be done by enter.
prise and push, working on raw materials
which lie at our feet in inexhautible profu-
sion, and which, until the advent Of this
Company, were unheard Of and unknown.
Twelve years ago the site was occupied by
little drain tile factory, whose owners threw
away fortune, because their practical
man, after failing with one kiln of surface
clay tile, told them there were no clays in
Ottawa that would make tile! And they be-
lieved him' And yet the country within a
few miles Of the city in nearly every direc.
ton is rich-very rich, in clay for common
red brick aud high grade front pressed and
ornamented bricks, stoneware, sewer-pipe,
fre.proo6ng. low grade and, no doubt, by
proper system of manufacture, high grade
FIRE. brick, furnace blocks, SC. Indeed, the
city has clays enough to run factories enough
to make it q large city through those indus
tries alone.
sToSEwARg.
The s.onewa,e pottery of jacob s Simon
is now "under cloud" and closed; but the
fault must have been in the management and
not in the business itself Stonewsre can
be made here, as that pottery clearly de.
monstrated, tina. is as good in quality as any
made at Maconb, the leading centre Of the
Industry Of the vest, or a, Peoria, or in the
Ohio stoneware pottery districts, and at as
low cost of production. But the business
needs the business management Of men train
ed in the business, which this pottery did not
have.
To compare Ottawa with Macomb we pub
'ish in advance the following, which will
appear in the NEXT number the Brick, Tile
and Pottery Gazette Of this city, showing what
trained business management has done for
the Macsmb Pottery Company, whose sue
ssss has ssen very great in spite of the fact
that in obtaining clay, coal, &c. that pottery
labors under an expense much greater than
would be required here. The article was
prepared for The Brick, Tile and Pottery
Gazette by Mr.. C. D. Jacobi
MACoMB, ILL, Oct. 20, 1886.
4Aessrs. Edtors:-Having promised TO give
your excellent paper description of the
Macomb stoneware industry, | send you the
following:
There are three stoneware manufactures
III Wis plhCtJ ali III HTst-CldSS running OrueV,
the larger one of the three employing about
sixty men, and the remaining two employing
about the same number together. The men
are all practical workmen, and the greater
part are men Of families which adds largely
TO the population of the city.
| write at this time in particular of the
larger shop, which is known under the name
of the Macomb Pottery Company. This shop
was first founded about eight years ago by a
gentleman of the name Of Albert Eddy. lie
was formerly from the state of Ohio, and
was one of the best practical potters in the
west, as well as splendid fnancier. He
was, therefore, very successful in the stone
ware business.
This shop was built by stock company,
with capital IF $4,000. with Mr.. Eddy at
the head. They now have under their con-
troll at least $4,000. They have always
made the very best quality of good. in the
west, and at the present time their ware
cannot be surpassed by any from any state
in the Union. Mr. Gilhartz, gentleman in
every respect and a first class workman and
the successor TO the foremsnship formerly
held by Mr.. Eddy before his death, was kind
enough to give me the description and di-
mansions of their factory. 1t consists of
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