The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-10-07

A visit to the Northwestern Wire Mat
tress Works Would Convince ANY One.

tress Works Would Convince Any One.
In making the usual rounds this
morning a representative of this paper
made call at the Northwestern Wire
Mattress works. This is the largest
institution of it's kind in the world and
since there has been very little " blow
ing" about what it is doing and how it
goes at it to do it, a request was made
for an opportunity to go through the
big shop, which stands so close to the
lake shore that one can easily toss a
stone from the window into the water.
q. G.. Simmons, Jr., vice president of
the company, was kind enough to lead
the way through the maze of alley ways
between huge piles of the materials
which go into the construction of the
great variety of things turned out
there, through enameling and japan
ming, the spring and iron construction
and several other departments, so
numerous as to make ones head swim
who has never before seen such novel
things. Mr.. Simmons began with the
hard wood planks which come in at one
end of the factory all rough and showed
how they were sawed and worked up
into the various bits which go into wire
mattresses, folding chairs and cribs,
showed how all were put, together,
mostly by machinery; then passed to
the consideration of the manufacture of
the springs by machinery from the wire
and how they got trimmed and placed
in their proper places and made up in
to the wire mattresses we see so fire.
quently going from the factory to the
depot.
Close by was the enameling of the
iron beds. This is a process which for
simplicity could not be improved upon.
The enameling of an iron bed does not
involve the slow process of spreading
the white stuff on with a brush. On
the contrary the bed is dumped down
into the enamel and pulled out and
allowed to drip, the drippings being
touched off with a brush. From here
they 60 into an oven where they are
baked over night. Near by the lac
quering is done for the brass bedsteads
made, as we'll as for the trimmings put
on the iron beds. The visit was so
hasty that there was little time to
spend in consideration of any depart
ment The next was the place where
the iron bedsteads were put together.
The trip through the factory was
one which any one might take with
profit, if it were not for disturbing the
busy people who are charged with the
management of the vast concern.
Every department lis pushed to the
utmost just now, which is one of the
best evidences that prosperity has
perched at this factory, at least. The
pay roll there this last week was the
largest ever made out at any time by
this institution, and showed AT names.
That is about $50 more people than
were employed there last year at this
time. The capacity of the works has
been greatly added to, and still further
plans are being considered which will
increase capacity and the facility for
handling orders easily. If a factory
were to come to town which employed
$50 hands there would be considerable
stir made over it, but the fact that this
factory has taken on that many more
hands than it had last year seems to
have largely escaped attention. The
energy and enterprise of the company
seems to be unlimited.