St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-10
The LATEST FACTORY
First Contracts for the New
Cordage Works All Un-
der Way.
How the Important Enter.
prise Was Secured for
This City.
Material Employed in Cord.
age Works and Whence
Obtained.
Modern Methods and Machine
npV That Will Eo in
Modern Methods and Machine
cry That Will Be in
Operation.

The Northwestern Cordage company
is at work on the construction of iti
immense plant, and expects to have il
III operation before the 1st of the PM
ing January. The contract for the
main factory has been let to George J.
Grant. There are now men at work,
and there will be $50 men at work on
Monday. The contract for erecting the
other buildings will be let Monday, and
the construction will be pushed with all
possible speed. This is the only cord
age factory in the Northwest, the near
est one being in Illinois. and two others
in Ohio. When completed the works
will employ $50 to 500 hands.
5. NJ. Allison, who is to be the yica
president and general manager of the
works. has been in this city most of the
time since May last arranging for estab-
fishing the plant here. Mr.. Allison's
home has been at Xenia, o., where ne
was engaged in a similar concern for
many years, and he, as we'll as several
others who have been engaged in SIM
liar manufacturing in Ohio, will be
heavily interested in the plant here. 1t
is not doubtful venture, but one tin at
is certain, like the Wood harvester
works. to be one of the fosemost indus
tries of the city.
How 1t Originated.
A GLOBE reporter saw Mr.. Allison
last night at the Ryan in company with
Charles s. Rogers, of this city, and
learned much of the purpose and plan
OF the cordage company. Mr.. Allison
said that Mr. Rogers is responsible for
the works coming to this city, and he
has given the matter much attention for
three months. 1t was he who went to
Nenia, o.. and induced Mr.. Allison and
other parties there to come to this city
and found a plant.
Mr.. Rogers said the plan occurred to
him some months ago when talking to
Gov. Merriam on the subject of manu-
factories. and he went to Xenia and be-
gan the negotiations that resulted in
bringing the plant here. A corporation
was formed. of which Mr.. Rogers is
president, the capital stock being $3.50.
600. The stock is held by business men
of probity and has all been sold; 500. 00O
OF it is held by st. Paul Sentlenen, and
the remainder principally by Ohio capit
talists.
The officers of the concern are Charles
5. Rogers. of st. Paul, president; S. Nj.
Allison, of Xenia., O.,vice president and
general manager; Louis NJ. Allison, of
Zenia, O.. a son of s. Nj. Allison, is sec
urer, and Jacob Balduer factory super
intendent. Among the stockholders
are Hoover & Gamble, manufacturers Of
Miamsburg. o.; DR.. Dice, a prominent
physician of Xenla, o.; Charles Dar-
lington, an attorney of Zenia; Mr.. FutZ,
a grocer OF Zenia: Cashier McGervey,
of the Citizens National Bank of Zenia:
A. S. Frazer, cashier Of the Xenia Ma
tiOnal bank; j. E. Galloway. a capitalist
of Aenia: }. N. Field, of Manchester,
England, who is member of the firm
OF Marshall Field IL Co., OF Chicago,
and the followihg-named gentlemen of
d. R. Noyes. Louis Allison, Jacob
Raldner, S. NJ. Allison, \. NJ. Drake,
Charles p. Dickerman. E. w. Reed,
Charles Paul and w. G. Leistikow, of
North Dakota. The Messrs. Allison
have removed here from Ohio. and
Messrs. Holbrook and Baldner followed
them to engage in the enterprise. MIR.
HolbrOok, the treasurer, has been a
banker. and had contracted for the
erection of bank and residence at Du.
luth when he was seen and induced ia
give up those plans to become the treas
urer of the cOrdage works. Mr.. Bald
pied like position for nine years with
the well-known Sewell II Day COrdage
company. OF Boston. and has for several
years been with Mr.. Allison at Xenia, o.
The Buildings
will be of brick. The main factory will
be two stories high, with deck roof
forming third story. This building
will he 340xl39 feet. The storehous(
will be one story high, 20Ox4O feet; the
office, 60X35 feet. All of the building:
will be heated by steam in pipes placed
overhead, so as not to Interfere with
workmen. The buildings will bl
equipped with the new process for put.
ting out any chance fire by sprinklers,
SO constructed that heat will re-
lease plug and allow the water
fire, but will not turn the water
on at any other point. The buildings
will be insured in the New England
Factory Material company That re.
quires the automatic sprinkling apa-
ratus. The buildings will be con.
structed after the modern factory plan.
The floors will he seven inches thick,
exclusive of joiSts. The engine will be
an automatic 400-horse power one and is
now being made at Cleveland, o. The
boilers will be OF OTIS steel and are also
DciuS Ilduc. liz lldClllIeTy Will re-
Quire 100 cars to transport it and will be
here before January. There have been
purchased several hundred cars of raw
part of which has already
been started on the way from foreign
ports.
Material Employed.
The MANILA is purchased in the
Philippine islands. This is fiber of /,
tree-a barren banana tree OF small di-
mensions. 1t is taken out by means OF
a drawing knife and separated from the
pulpy substances. ItreQuireS two men
a week to get out bale that weighs 27G
pounds. Sisal is also used. 1t is leaf,
taken from a species of fig tree. New
Zealand is the name of another material
used. All the material is secured abroad
and it takes about five months for it te
be brought here. No American fibers
are used in the cordage factory. Ths
goods made are different from the bind.
ing twine made of domestic hemp.
The factory will make rope varying
III size from three-eiglitlis of an incn te
nine inches in diameter. The first tiooI
of the factory will be taken up with
rope. Spinning jenDies
will be used for each fiber OF the rope.
and larger one will twist into the
main rope in such a way as to econo-
miZe space. and dispense with the old
style of rope walk.
On the second floor will be manu-
featured the binder twine, yarns, tar