New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-24
TH1DDEUS FAIRBANES AT NINETY.
THE BIRTHDAY OF A NOTED INVENTOR

THE BIRTHDAY OF A NOTED INVENTOR.
tFRoM Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNE
ST. JouNsBURY, VI, Jan. 23.-ThIs enter
prising little village on the banks of the Passumpsic
River about midway between the White ana the Green
Mountains has two Institutions OF which 1t and the State
are prot d. wbtch have given the place Wide repu
tatior-lho Fairbanks Scale Works and ths St. Johns
bury Academy. Tho lato william T.. Dodge once used
the village illustration OF a Workingman's Psra-
disc" Three years ago nearly 400 OF THE TRIBUNE
Fresh Air Fund children entertained In this 'flags
and tho surrounding farming country. IRIS TACT VIII
show tho liberal feeling toward tho worthy poor bus
when recently motel ipto lecturer tried to engage tue
Academy Hall for evening. he concluded that tho
spirit OF socaed bcraity in religious matters was
not apparent.
Ninety years ago last Sunday the founder Of the scale
works, Ihaddeus Fairbanks, was born In Brmdeld,
Mas lie is the sixth In descent from Jonathan Fair
banks who emigattd In 1893 from somerby IN the West
Riding OF Yorkshire England, 70 Dedbam, Mass, ana
the second OF Joseph and Phoebe Paddock Fairbanks
He received such a literary education the district
schools OF Brlmned could supply but no was natural
mechanic, and when only 10y aided his father 10
building sawmill and shortly after gristmi!l When
re was twenty years old he started small iron
foundry In the village where his father had moved In
1913 Thaddeus Joined by his elder brother Erastus.
who twice served rs OF Vermont aud the hrm
OF E. T. Fairbanks began the manufacture OF stoves
and ploughs Tho patterns for both planned and
made by Thaddeus In 1926 ho patented east iron
plough aud 10 1885 q cooking stove. In 1929 80 the
,,tnao, -, b.mn ohsorbot rho attention O; noet OF
eui'i'"'0u u "'l'P ..'- :, ", E-.,ana MI,
tho Agricultural communities Vi Ne"-Eusiahu' NVos
the difficulty incurred In dressing the hemp, Mr. Fair
-. ra,0rtod h.up.arcss,r II then became n,ess-
banks p1'en'e" ho"p ui's'0i. ~ ' ~
sary TO provide for Weighing the hemr STRAW winch MS
company was to buy. and as the price was SIS toa,
- = 80 90 h.va an .ccrr,.e roaasurament
pans wore 'Aon " A-,o '- - ~ ,.,.a.
Tho only scales then IN use were INC oven psace anu
old Roman steeysrds It was then that tho mind of
hs nv.ntor Crashed tho idea which decided his iss
$40 -, a..o,I ..,,r o,a a sa,,o. -,
WORK After 'ohs anu ."te'ui 50! @Au So "
experiments, he constructed platform scale on when
lad eould be weighed at time this scale became
'N =, s,,,.,,,r ,,o p.,,,ants pro,hor. ezra 80,
renowned ana srauuaV 'ne ~, DnAs nio'""i' s'0 Wy
pher branches OF Industry ana oevo'ea themselves 10
N. OF scales II was not long before there
arose demand for different scales adapted to weighing
articles large and small, light aud heavy great
rar,v Of Platform counter and other store and sLop
scales were called for well sock. ucpot, railroad
rack and canal weigh scales OF Immense capacity.
A. scale was a new article of manufacture Mr.. Fair
hanks had 70 grap. with the OF construction
Ia Manned and buiIt bis own shops and invented q
iaTss part Of the mnohircry used in them.