St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-06
NORTHWESTERN FOUNDRY COM
PANY,s WORKS BOUGHT BY "a
GRIFFIN COMPANY. .,
biti
CHICAGO CAPITAL IN IT..
PURCHASING COMPANY PRACTI-,
CALLY CONTROLS THE TRADE
OF THE NORTHWEST. -
HISTORY OF THE CONCERN.
The Change VIII Have No Effect
on the Operation of the Es-
tablishment.

A deal Is about to be closed for
the sale of the plant of the North
western Wheel and Foundry's COM.
pany's plant to the Griffin Car
Wheel company, whose headquarters
are in Chicago. The purchasing
company is the largest institution of
the kind in the country, having
works at Chicago, Detroit and Dem
yer, and with the acquisition of the
works in this city, it secures control,
practically, Of the manufacture of
wheels for freight cars for the en-
tire Northwest.
The plant of the Northwestern Car
Wheel and Foundry company was
removed to st. Paul from Milwaukee
about three years ago, after hav-
ing been in existence there for some
years. Since coming to st. Paul it
has done good business up to the
present year. This year it has gone
back a little, but the loss has been
very slight. 1t has always been the
hardest competitor the Griffin COM
pany has had, and in order to secure
full control of the trade, as it has
been all along the aim Of the lat
ter to, do it, it became necessary to
buy it out.
About two months ago Thomas
Griffin, who is at the head of the
company bearing his name, entered
into negotiations for the purchase of
the st. Paul plant, through ex-Gov.
Merriam, who is one of the stock
holders of the Northwestern COM
pany. Mr.. Griffin came here and
asked the company to make him
proposition. AS he was apparently
more anxious to buy than the COM
pany was to sell, he was asked to
name the amount the plant would
be worth to him. Mr.. Griffin went
away, and later on submitted prop
osition. His offer was not salts
factory, and a counter proposition
was made by the st. Paul company.
The Griffin company accepted this,
and now all that remains to be done
is to have the stockholders of the
local company confirm the sale. A
meeting of the stockholders will be
held tomorrow morning for this pur-
pose. The officers think there is no
doubt of the confirmation of the
DEAL, as good price is being re-
ceiyed
The transfer of the property does not
mean any change in the industry The
plant will be- run right along just the
same, but will be managed from the
Chicago office, the highest officer in
charge here being the foreman at the
works. About 100 men have been en-
ployed permanently in the works here
tofore, and like number will con-
tinue to be employed. The output has
been about 10000 car wheels per year,
valued at $22O,O00. The combined out
put of the four factories now under the
control of the Griffin company is near
ly 450,00 wheels per year. and the ag-
gregate of it's capital is $4,000 900. The
capacity of the Chicago factory is
more than equal to the others. The
only other factories making car wheels
in the Northwest or West are a few
small ones on the Pacific coast, but
their output is insignificant. limi-
ted number of wheels are made in Du--
luth, but only for the cars manufac,
tured there. Neither are wheels made
in the Southwest in quantities suffl'
cient to compete to any extent with
this giant institution. So that it has
prac tically secured a monopoly of the
business in the entire West now.
The officers of the Northwestern Car
Wheel and Foundry company are:
President David G. Green, of Milwau- I
kee; vice president, S. N, Green, Of the
same city; treasurer, William P. Har-
per, st. Paul, and secretary, Gustave
Scholle, st. Paul. The factory is To-
Gated on Saltwater avenue, in East st.
Paul, where the old harvester works
was formally situated.