davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

the big manufacturing tuiloings and
have located here in preference To any
otEer city, but there are still other sfaH--
ufacturers who are looking at big tracts
Of .ano along the Providence river. What
they want IL barSor and harf, as wfll
AZ railroad privileges and Il ia in Provi-
depce, they believe, that ghese cen te OBJ
tained better than at any other place.
All along both sides OF sac river
there are spots that offer uuriralled fscil-
tiles for wharf rights ana thu railroads
could easily furnish all accom- modstions
neeeed, so that there could be little diiii-
Guilty or expense in carrying goods from
the doors of the manufsctory to any sec
tion OF New England. In fact one big
Boston concern has figured tnat 1t would
be cheaper for them TO send goods from
Providence to the various Massachusetts
markets than 1t would be to carry them
from Boston, and wnen the comparative
safety of the entrance to the Providence
bsrbor is taken into consideration this
city offers surprisingly many attractions
| to outside manufacturers who are con-
tempIating change OF focation. 1t IS
believed, therefore, that the business out
| look for Provioence is remarkably brieat
| IL the city government will show sufii-
GENTLY liberal and terprisng spirit.
Whatever its future may be. however,
| the fact remains that tie city OF Provi'
deuce has enjoyed remarkable growtf
| during tue time Of depression and today
those who wish to boy any property in
the business sections OF the city
are compelled to pay from 90 to
100 per cent. more for IL than they would
have psid il they had purchased II few
years ago.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26
today believes that Providence has
bright future before it.

today believes that Providence has
bright future before it.
Another important factor is the great
growth OF the eligible suburban residence
sections. During the past few years many
of these oesirsbly located suburban sites
have been prepared and put upon the
market and during the most depressing
times there has been a steady demand for
these lots. Although some of these sites
are beyond the city limits they really
belong to the city as the residents are
employed here and make their purchases
from Providence merchants. 1t is also
fact that these suburban residents are
actually among the best class OF citizens
of any community. They are usually
young or middle aged men holding good
positions in various branches Of industry
or who are in business for themselves
and, almostgwithout exception,srs OF that
class that Is getting ahead in the world,
building a home for their children and
saving money for their education. For
some time 1t has been rema rked that
there was a growing tendency among
that class of people to seek home in
the suburbs, to locate as far away as pos
siple from the crowded sections of the
city, aud this fact has been one OF the
greatest encouragement to those who
have had the interests OF the city at heart.
Another important factor that is not
generally known Is that large outside
- tDs- In % II
dence as a possible location for their busi-
ness. Several of the big concerns have
already taken large portions Of some of
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26
REAL ESTATE.
A Barometer Showing the Development
Of The City.

of the City.
The growth Of the city OF Providence
during the past year has been much
greater than anyone could have anticipa-
ted, and, in spite of the genersliy de-
pressed condition of general business ana
financial interests, the prico of real es-
tate in this city has not decreased mater
islly, and is now higher than 1t has ever
been. In fact this price has heid up better
than that OF any other value dealt in and
this fact argues well for the future OF
the city. In the business portions OF
the city the increase in values has been
rsmarka BILE and the price Of that property
Tint is likely to come into the market for
BUSINESS purposes within a reasonably
snort tine is kept almost cquslly as
high.
II was not many years ago that Provi-
dence was regarded az an over-grown VII
Iage with no future before il. Then the
men Of means refused to place their
money in such investments as the local
business properties. IL was at this time
that an eDterprising real estate man or
ganized a land company and their energy
in buying up the unimproved, old bus
mess properties has done nota little In
institu,ing the change in public opinion.
Today the property that wss purchased
by the company has grestly increased In
value while those who laughed at the en-
terprising promoters have nothing but
pa per to show for their neastern invest
ments. The simple fact was that few
men had confidence in ths business fr-
ture OF Providence and their faith has
now been rewarded.
There have been very few big deals 10
real estate during the past year but deals
that were made some time ago nave nav
resulted in the erection OF several fne
buildings that are regarded az nothing
more than the first step towards future
improvements by those who are inter
e.ted in this portion of the city's growth.
| II Is also true that there has been less
activity than there has ordinarily been
when business has tesn good but tie
fact that the city has grown steadily and
In the face OF such general depression
proves tnst the old feeling OF skep,icism
has entirely vanished aud that everyone
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26
Tool Makers.

The manufacture Of tools, both light
and heavy is carried on more extern
sively insprovidence than any other city
OF equal size In the Union, and conSe-
quently the condition of trade in that
branch is OF very vital Importance. Taken
altogether business is reportei ~ having
been ouly fairly satisfactory during the
past year, though there are individual
instances in which the volume was some-
what near the normal mark OF prosperous
times. A considera ole part of the tools
manufactured are for use by jewelers. sna
ss the latter business has, like all others,
been comparatively quiet for more than q
year the demand for tools showed a CORE
spouding falling on. The outl ook for
the future Is regarded sssvery bright and
tool makers are very confident that pros
porous season Is cnly q short wsy ahead
of them. Tnis confidence Is based upon
the fact that there Is already an improves
tone to general business, which ~ pound
to grow more prominent with each pass
ing week. Moreover local manufacturers
have been opening up new fields for their
product asd the new demand that will
thus he created In addition TO that which
is always present under normal and pros
pcrOus conditions eill make the present
yesr one much more profitable than any
Of its immediate predecessors has teen.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

These words are equally applicableto Provi'
dence and more particularly 20 the employ
ers and the employed among the iowelry peo-
pie. or the well-to-do manufacturing jewelers.
Of the present day not one Of them but can point
back with pride 20 the time when he was
journeyman working nt the bench. Tho Jew
eiry.making business seems 20 DO especially
adapted 20 give the ambitious workman with
good ideas, but with little capital an oppor-
tunity 20 become an employer on his own nc.
count. II l. for many reasons fortunate that
the minimum expense of c,uipping jewelry
shop Is snail. owing largely TO this fact
there has never been an attempt to FORM
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

By the growth of the West in Importance
and population the Providence manufacturers
ave been enabled 10 find an outlet for the
vast quantities Of the cheaper qualities of
jewelry that are weekly turned out. Two
hundred travelling representatives OF Provi-
dence jewclry houses solicit trade in New
ork city. Many p evidence houses keep
permanent representatives there, and in
Broadw below Fulton street, and in Maidon
Lane and John street, the signs OF Providence
manufacturers greet the eye at every turn.
Probably the representatives of l50 firms
make three or four trips to the principal cities
Z the West, with Chicago as the focus OF
heir efforts. Providence jewelry samples are
also carried over the Rockies, and the ring
or the souvenir spoon which you buy in Salt
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

Just before and after the war, the business
fiourished like green bay tree. The great
Improvement in the manufacture of rolled
plate. brought:to this country from Birming-
ham by Thomas II. Lowe, the father Of Alder
man Edwin Lowe, and put into practical
operation by Mr.. Lowe and by Jeremiah
Briggs and others, revolutionized the bust
ness, and enabled the manufacturers to reap
extraordinary profits. Whole hundredth
plate was the outgrowth of a demand OF the
present decadent times, even in those days
the precious metal was rolled out pretty thin.
Smart journeymen made big wages and were
liberal patrons of the tailors and the livery
stables.
Mechanical ingenuity has INTERVIEWED during
he past quarter cectury to still further
cheapen the cost of production, and incident
ally 20 reduce the journeyman's wages to q
very moderate figure. Girls and women have
foundsthe delicate fers ion incident to put
ling iowelry together TO be particularly suited
20 their capabilities.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26
JEWELRY.
Providence Ranks Highest
in This Industry.
Sketch of the Growth of Jew
elry Manufacturing.
Its Magnitude and Some Interesting
Points About II.

Pittsburg some times is styled 'the Birm-
ingham OF America" That title is certainly
applied improperly. for Providence far more
res mbles Birmingham than any other city
Of the new world. Like Birmingham, Provi-
dence is famed for its manufacture Of metal
Everything in iron, from Corliss engine and
a locomotive TO screw an eighth of an inch
long, is made here. But also like Birming-
ham, Providence has for a hundred years
bee.. fszrous for its manufactures in gold
silver and brass.
6hou;d tn, reader be asked what is the indus
try employing the largest number OF han 3
In Proyiden ,e, he could answer safely enough,
the iron IL dustry. Manufacturers of wool
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

wo.ld probably bo given the second place.
aud of cot on the third. In this he would be
wrong. The manufacture Of jewelry and sill
vcryyare is third in tho number of hnnds em-
ployed and amount OF wages paid, and em-
phatically first in the number OF separate
manufactures In fact the jewelry business
has been a potent iscto in shaping the in.
dustrtai and fnanci character of the city.
II is written Of BTmingham:
wealth is more evenly distributed than IN
most otser places. There arc no colossal
fortunes IN Birmingham, and comparatively
few large ones, and Of these very few are
made 10y speculative operations. To compen-
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26
many years past.

We know, through the records kept by the
Manufacturing Jcwoler. that there are now
900 factories in town. but the average number
OF hnnds employed. the wages paid and the
value OF the product. il only n matter of con-
lecture. IL Is not likely that the volume Of
business has increased in the degree that IL
grew between 1855 and 1890. ~. under all the
circumstances, 70 has held its own, ~ will bs
a matter for congratulation Since ISD there
have been many changes affecting the jcSclry
and silv.rware industry. The panic Of 1864
served the double purpose Of crippling the
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

:. The constant demand for new things
gives the business men OF the city
chance to keep their minds active aud OPP
portunities to invest their wealth and
brains In new and profitable channels.
I he great establishments that have turned
out our Justly famous engines and
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

Saunders Pitman and Soril Dodge were max
ers Of some articles in jewelry as far back az
1884. Ten years later, in 1874, Nehemiah
Dodge the father of thatDodge who founded
Dodgeville. Mass, really began the jewelry
business as we know IL today. At first prob
ably he was a spoon maker, for some shapely
spoons bearing his name are still treasured In
Providence. But the incident that differ
inflated Providence from other largo places
such as Boston, for instance. as far as tho
jewelry-making business Is concerned, was
the invention by Dodge of process whereby
a little gold was made to cover consider
able surface. Electroplsting was unknown
and dipping or washing with chemical soiu'
tions OF gold was a decidedly unsatisfactory
substituts for the IS karat gold OF the period.
The methods Of manufacture were crude and
expensive. and therefore jewelry was costly
luxury. not TO be indulged in lightly. and'
when once bought, 10 be handed down To
postcrity as cherished heirlooms.
Nehemiah Dodge changed all that by intro
ducing rolled plated jewelry. That is what
IL was in effect, although he did not SO desig-
mite it. He soldered a thin sheet of gold upon
a thick sheet OF copper, and then, after ham
mering 1t on an anvil. reduced it TO the proper
thinness by hand rolls. Even this plated
jewelry was explosive, but 1t was so much
cheaper than the solid gold article. that IL al
once filed popular want. Dodge began tc
,ell TO the local goldsmiths or retail jewellers
Of the period. He graduallyextended his trade
10 other markets. and thus laid the founda
ton OF the vast manufacturing business which
we are now considering. Other jewelers.
here and in Attleboro. followed in Dodge
| footsteps. Dodge retired from business in 1896
| u man of wealth. Nearly all the early jewel
ers became rich
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

safe for these distinctions thero is an unusually
large comfortable class Of people, OF good
though not excessive income derived from
solid trade -or from savings made by hard
personal and associated work. This class,
touching the actually wealthy on one side. by
easy and almost imperceptble Stages touches
the actual working class on the other. and
this latter class IL constantly rising into the
middle rank"
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

trust in the jewelry business or to control or
regulate the output A trust, oven though
1t had the wealth Of all the Rockefellers back
of it. could not buy up the jewelry factories
as fast AS they would be started. Hence
iewelry making is Essentially the poor mans
industry. Not bench worker is employed
in Providence today who is not potentially.
and possibly, future manufacturer.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

Lake city. Sante Fe or Los Angeles, In nine
cases out OF ten was rhade in Providence OF
Attleboro. Statistics are generally regarded
as dry reading but the following hngures
cleaned from several censuses. give an idea OF
the growing Importance Of this industry for
many years uast,
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

All kinds of jewclry is made IN Providence,
from IA k diamond goods down to pure brass.
While there Is considerable medium quality
gold iewelry made here, the greater number or
the firms make rolled plated and electro-plated
ornaments. An added impetus to the manu-
facture of gross goods-that is, goods SO
cheap as to be sold in gross quantities instead
of dozens-has been given by the rise OF the
department store. These stores, with their
brisk business like methods, and quick pay
ments, have been the salvation Of the makers
orcheap goods during the four years of Demo-
cratic times. Considerable Of this class Of
goods is exported through the intermediary
of the Spanish-American exporters in New
York. The Cuban war has shut OF one i'm
portant market.
The jeweIry business has produced some
rather remarkable mon. Thomas Davis in his
life and death was an honor to the trade. Con-
gresham, legislator, philosopher and philan-
thropist, we shall not soon SEQ his like again.
Charles Sydney Smith, Senator and Mayor;
William III. Luther license commissioner and
fire commissioner; Isaac M. Potter, Dutee
Wilcox. Eiwin Lowe, Henry q. Thrcsher,
Michael Fitzgerald, Hiram Howard, the Int
Fred l. Marcy, the late John A. McCloy, are,
or were, all mon OF the present generation.
and each and all active in public affairs. and
whose acts rebound credit upon them no less
than OH the trade. In this connection il may
be proper to state that Joseph Banigan began
life as jewelers. apprentice-a fact not gem
orally kHewH.- ===-
Enough could be written concerning thu
interesting department of Providence manu-
features to fill book; OF tho fortunes made
and lost; of the swift transitions from poverty
| to afiiuence and vice versa Of the extraordi-
nary number of inventions incident to the
industry; of rivalrics, lawsuits and feuds; OF
rollicsing gaieties and moving tragedies, and
OF public spirit and open handed generosity.
| But as some room must be left for those proud
| and puffed-up industries, wool, cotton and
| iron, the present writer will now give way to
| the next cbronicler Of tho times.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26
New England'S Second Largest
Community.
IT IS FIRST In MANY RESPECTS OF INDUSTRY
AND TRADE.
The Following Pages It's Public Enterprises Its Private and
Corporate Interests

controlled these organizations has en-
sblsd sli..who needed their services TO Avail
themselves OF them.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

The tsManchester OF America" was the
future, that in the enthusiasm Of frst
visit, a citizen, VINO came here in 1856,
predicted for Providence. The great In
crease in cotton manufacturing In other
places will perhaps rob Providence OF the
realization of the drea n that was once SO
GEAR to many of her citizens, but OF her
commanding position In the business
world IL would be hard to say too much.
The great varieties of the business in
terests must ever make this city one In
which 1t will be good for the mechanics
as well as the men of means to meet to-
gether. While other cities are talking OF
the benefits 20 be derived from consoli-
dation Of their interests and forming
what are known as greater Boston's and
New York's, Providence has right at hand
q city tnst were the communities inter-
ests Joined would make a remarkable
city. 1he business interests OF these
places are much like wise men have made
roads and from Ashton to below Pawtuxet
there is a splendid avenue to take care OF
the movement Of man factured goods and
OtDGr nectbslllcs Ol illcs iiNic niS W. c0
found eight or ten industrial establish
ments, or groups OF establishments, the
largest of their kind in the world, the
names Of which are known far and wide.
IT ia, indeed, doubtful IL any commun-
ity ever had brighter future before II
than Providence has at the present time.
The public spirit OF the community is
higher now than 1t has ever been, and on
the solid foundation already laid the
changes now In contemplation csnnos
fail to make the city one OF the noe.
notable ones instne country.
Many think that in the great desire to
reduce the distance between the west and
the eastern coast that Providence may
again obtain ner lost prosperity as a
shopping centre. Tae harbor improve
mspts and tine plans that the New York,
New Haven & Hartford Railroad company
hiss had for some time under consideration
would seem to confirm the opinions Q;
those who believe that Providence ia the
best place for ocean steamers TO be
cooked.
One of the greatest helps to the future
business Of Providence would be a bnt
wharfage on ths west side of the river
anu there seems to he little doubt now
that this will be obtained.
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

With the exception of the shipping
trade, progress has ever been .theswatch-
word Of our merchants. The splendid
standing of goods manufactured within
the city or in adjoining towns whose
owners reside here has made IL no diih-
cult matter, Notwithstanding the fierce
competition TO dispose of the products OF
our shops and mills.
= Toe large number OF new buildings
built here during the past few years OF
the substantial kind that they are, has
given new hopes TO all classes OF citizens.
For long time there was disposition
on the part of some rich men TO Invest
good por.ioa of their funds in enter
priyus outside OF the state. While many
oil tiected 10 this yet the money invested
thus, made a new market for our goods,
and having been of advantage to our
ne.ghbor distant though some OF them
were, tae change to the idea Of su0stsn-
tally booming Providence must To ap-
proved of by sll.
..New buildings such as we have had
built here lately are most convincing
proof OF the. faith of, all classes In the COM
muuity in the future of their native or
ed opted city. The new depot, the State
house and the new Normal school as well
as other structures that have recently
been fiaished mean much for Providence
ano this portion Of the country. This
city is the counting room for large
territory and no one will bsys any OBJ
jeciion to the spending OF money on
good Off ice furnishings.
The laying out OF the grounds around
the new state house and the Normal
school will give tue most careless trav-
elltr Oh the railroad sn opportunity to
witness the good taste Cf cur citizens.
The plans under consideration show that
the oity's breathing places now &c
nsmcrous end so handsome will have
worthy addition TO their number.
The growth in population has kept the
demand for schools always a little ahead
OF the supply though Provinence hs'
been remarkably generous In the educs-
tion of it's youth. The splendid special
schools and tho excellent system OF even
ing schools have done much good Tor tb'
mechanic and their irfiuence Is bound tc
felt Ia the fotsrs even more than has ye
been realized.
Our splendid chsritn ole institutions ar'
credit TO any community and In our In
crease In iiches. the wants Of the unfortu
mates have never been neglected. In
same wire and literal spirit that hs
The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-02-26

When explaining 30 the astoundcd stranger
within our gates that Providence contains
the greatest machine shop. the largest file
works and the most important screw fac
tory in the world. we do not forget 10
mention the fact that the Gorhsm Manu-
featuring Company IL the foremost silver
snithing establishment In this or any
other country. The history 81 this concern y
co.exi-tcnt with that OF the industry which
Is being considered. yabez Gorhsm. tho foun-
The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-06

(continued On Thlrd 20