The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-03-27
DE la CHAPELLE CHIMNEY ROUSE
Ottawa's Good Fortune.---Mr. De Ia fha
pelle a I'd his Inbors.- --The La HhNtie
pr,ce,s---M De la Bastie.


In the vernacalar of staii old New Eng,
lander, "there be great goings on " in that
portion Of the city knowns as Smoky
town" From the beginning of autumn until
the weather in June grows too warm to
work. all the northwest end of our city is
black with the smoke tina, goes up from the
furnaces. few though they be, that bless OF.
tawa by bringing to the city many working.
men 10 consume what we have to sell, and to
make wares that are sold in every part of
the country.
The glass industries Of this city are slowly
but steadily increasing in importance, and
Ottawa is rapidly becoming known to outside
places as a manufacturing centre for bottles,
window lights and lamp chimneys. There
is no reason why these branches Of industry
should not still more increase. Here are all
the facilities for cheaply manufacturing and
putting upon the markets Of the country
every article Of ordinary use that can be
made from glass. On every side is to be
found the white glass sand which can be had
for the digging and cost Of hauling The
competition between the coal interests Of
La Sale and Streator is so sharp that situate
between the two mining centres Of our
county, Ottawa manufactures are furnished
with the best quality Of lump coal and slack
at the cheapest rates. With two great com
peting railway lines passing through the
city, the rates of transportation are neces-
sarily low. and every point to which goods
are to be shipped, or from which goods are
TO be received, is easily accessible. Outside
Of the facilities afforded by rail, there is still
cheaper transportation afforded by the canal
and though perhaps for general merchan-
disc not available, yet for bulky goods,
where speed in delivery is not necessary
Transportation by canal is a saving and a
benefit to great industries. Through the eff
forts made by the Ottawa Window Glass
Company and the Ottawa Bottle and Flint
Glass Company and the excellency Of the
perhaps the largest of our glass industries
was attracted to our city and made part of
what every citizen Of Ottawa trusts is but
the nucleus Of a really great glass centre.
The La Bastie process of making lamp
chimneys in the United States and Canada is
now the exclusive property of a citizen Of
Ottawa, and the manufacturing of them to the
number Of twenty thousand dozen each week
goes on in the factory at d" SmoSytown lie
spite strikes and bad weather, for almost
fifty weeks out of every year-giving steady
and profitable employment to two hundred
men, women, boys and working in
every capacity from the blower who gives
form to the chimney to the girl in the pack
ing house who places upon it the trade mark
Of the La Bastie Glass and wraps it in the
labelled paper Of L. De la Chapelle & Co ,
ready to be packed in straw for shipment.
From the general store house every day is
shipped north, south, east and west these
chimreys, and though the furnaces are run
to their fun extent there is never too great a
supply on hand to meet the demands of the
the market. All this goes on needless of
tariff agitation, and senatorial obstruction at
Washington, for the process is a patent one
and the tariff laws affect it little, whilst the
men employed in the works are mostly dem
ocrats and the arguments of the Vermont
Senator are regarded by them with little
of respect and nothing of favor. Many Of
the blowers came from Brooklyn where they
learned through the Influences pervading the
circles presided over by Mclaughlin to feel
that it was better thing to be a democrat
than a republican, Fortunately for the
democracy ofthis CITY and county they cling
to their Brooklyn IDEAS as regards democracy
AMI repuhlicanisn, AMI are no. less strong
in the faith than tley were when they took
their last trip over the big bridge at the
d" City of Churches.