The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-15

| iron, and, to meet this, manufacturers
of machinists' tools have been forced
to charge customers prices in excess
Of those that prevailed last year.
This is justlfiable Advance, as the
steamboat owners used to tell the
farmers along the Mississippi when
they charged more for carrying their
products after the pilots had demanded
and secured largely increased wages.
| Many of the orders received at Prem
| tice Bros, BlaisdelPs and other big
| machine shops of Worcester, come from
foreign countries, but SO great is the
demand Of the home market that the
| foreign orders would never be missed.
The Spy man was told that so great
was the demand for looms at the
Crompton- Knowes loom works that
| the corporation had been forced to is
sue an edict that no further orders
would be taken unless dated away
ahead.
To ascertain the truth of this state
| ment, the reporter called at the works,
| corner of Grand and Tainter streets,
and saw c. H. Hutchins, the presi-
dent
MIR. Hutchins would make no state
rnent either Way in regard to the story.
1t is an ironclad rule of the corpora
tion to make no public announcements
! in regard to the business of the con-
leern, ana he said he could not dexiate
from the rule, even to please his favor
tie paper.
The reporter used his eyes, however,
and noted that there was an air of
tremendous activity all through the
works.
By SAILING inquiries, too, he learned
| that business at the loom works is
simply humming,' and the largest
ff,pn nf r., Ii.
poration is being employed on the or
ders.
The carpet business was never bet
ter. At the Hogg & Whittan mills
in South Worcester everybody appears
to be SO busy that even lazy man
would get inspiration, shake off his
I9ethargy, ano long to identity himself
with the general hustle and hustle. Re-
ports from retailers all over the coun-
try show that the carpet trade is en-
1oying BOOM and in view of the
threatened rise in prices, dealers are
sending in orders by the wholesale.
From a commercial traveller who does
business with the local carpet mills,
The Spy reporter learned that 1t is the
same everywhere. The industrial boom
Is on from ocean to ocean, and from
the lakes to the gulf. The Bigelow
carpet works Of Clinton have been COM
PEELED 20 provide for a new and com
modious storehouse, four stories In
height, to meet their business expan-
sion, the Bowden Felting Company of
Millbury has added a number of Davis
& F'urber cards, and several fulling
| machines to their equipment, the
Saundersville cotton mill is to have a
new weave room to accommodate so
looms, and the Baskerville Manufacture
| ing Company has added so looms to its
equipment
At the machine shops the reporter
was informed that the business boom
had been followed by an increase in the
price of iron. This commercial traveller
said that the same was true Of the wool
| market. Certain grades Of domestic
wool are steadily rising in quoted
values and there is tendency, If this
continues, in favor of importing wool
| from foreign countries. He told as an
| instance of this, of the placing of Or
| ders for nearly million pounds of Irish
wool Of the finer grade.
In speaking of the condition of the
! market in regard to carpets, he said
| that the call for ingram carpets has
far surpassed all expectations of manu-
facturers and retailers. Brussels is not
| far behind, and altogether the out
| look is paved with asphalt without
rock or pitfall in sight
Caleb Colvin of the Caleb Colvin
foundry and l.. w. Pond Machine Com
pany was seen by a Spy man yesterday
afternoon in regard to the business
conditions in Worcester this summer as
shown by the work being done at the
foundry and machine shop. Mr.. Colvin
said: The machine shop and foundry
are busy places this summer we have
been building on to the foundry, and
thereby adding more help and now we
have one Of the largest foundries in the
city, full OF orders for six months If
not year to come. In the machine
shop we have orders booked for five
to six months ahead. Our business
looks bright and promising for the
| future, and the great changes which
we have made are certainly due to the
increase in business this year over
| former seasons.
Wyman g. Gordon, manufacturers
of drop forgings. hydraulic and steam
| hammer forgings, are doing a rushing
business Mr.. Gordon says that there
has been more business this year than
| ever before since the firm has been es
| tablished. More men by rs per cent are
being employed now than usual. and
there are orders ahead TOR months to
come. The general trade conditions
| throughout the country, especially in
| the iron and steel industries are ex-
cellent. The great drawback to the
manufacturer is the difficulty of getting
supplies. 1t seems, said Mr.. Gordon
| that the iron and steel mills have more
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J Continued on Page seven.)