Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-04-28
A BUSINESS CHANGE
Affecting a Large Number of
Residents.


With the sound of the 6 o'clock whist
les last Saturday evening business chang
occurred affecting large number of resi-
dents, and closing a manufacturing caree
to which Charles W. Osgood may wei
look back with full measure of satisfac
ton. The machine shop and foundry
business of Osgood Il Barker was bough
Friday by a syndicate who are to continue
and materially enlarge the business under
the corporate name of the Bellows Fall!
Machine company. The business was
turned over to the purchasers at the close
of work Saturday evening
The stockholders of the new company
are S. T. Coy, George b. Wheeler, James
II. Williams, Wallace White, Howard Par.
ker, Lavant NJ Read and John II. Will
liams. The meeting for organization was
held yesterday forenoon and these officers
were elected. President, S. T. Coy; vice
president, L. NJ. Read; treasurer, Geo,
Il. Wheeler clerk, John. II. Williams {;
general manager, Wallace White; super
intendent, Howard Parker. All the par
ties interested are citizens of Bellows Falls,
and all old residents except Mr.. Parker.
He and Mrs. Parker have lived at Towns
Hotel the past year or more, he being con-
nected with the Vacuum Dryer company
He Is an inventor of many important de-
vices and machines of great value.
C. w. Osgood, who has been the sole
owner, and has done business under the
firm name of Osgood & Barker since 1881,
retires from business for the present and
has no definite plan for the future. Neither
he nor his son, Col. f. G.. Osgood, expect
to leave Bellows Falls, at least for the
present. Mr.. Osgood's business career and
success in life is one of which any man
may justly feel proud.
AS boy of II years, in his native town,
North Andover, Mass, he was approached
by George L. Davis, of Davis & Furber,
machinists, and asked to go into their
shop to learn the trade, which he did.
From that time to the present, A years,
he has never been out of business day.
has never asked person for employment,
but on the other hand has furnished en-
ployment for hundreds of men, a number of
whom now in middle life have never
known another employer.
After learning his trade he went to Law
renee, Mass, where he was superintend-
ent of a shop until he came to Bellows
Falls in March, 1871, and established this
business in connection with William G.
Barker, who died in 1881. Mr.. Osgood
then assumed the whole control. The
firm in 1871 purchased the business of
Clark & Chapman, who had shop in a
frame building standing near the present
John T. Moore & Sons paper mill. Later
it was moved into large building which
stood just south of the present office of the
international Paper Company, and when
the Bellows Falls Canal company erected
five-story brick building (where the coating
mill now stands) the shop of Mr.. Osgood
occupied the whole of the first story. This
building, which was occupied on all the
stories above by the Vermont Farm Ma
chine company, was burned in 1885, 1t was
rebuilt and occupied by Mr. Osgood until
1891, when he bought the valuable Island
House property of the Charles Towns es-
tate, and erected the present modern and
commodious shop near the depot.
When the business was first established
by Osgood d Barker they built an extensive
foundry at the north end of the village,
which has grown with the development of
the business, and is one of the best in Yer
mont. 1t is equipped for casting iron,
brass and bronze in large quantities. The
foundry was destroyed by fire in 1881, but
quickly rebuilt.
The business employs about 60 men at
this time, 40 in the shop and 20 at the
foundry. During the last few months it
has been the most prosperous of any time
in its history, larger amount of finished
work being turned out than ever before in
the same length of time. While special
ty is made of the manufacture of paper
and pulp machinery, all varieties of ma
chine and foundry work are done.
The business is one of the more import.
ant of our place, and the change means
much to a wide circle of employees. Mr..
Osgoods relations have ever been of the
most pleasant nature with those in his en-
ploy, as evidenced by the long term of SER
vice of many. S. j. Coolidge began learn
ing his trade with Mr.. OsgOod over %
years ago and has never worked for any
one else. Chas. l.. Wheeler and +. p.
Kidder began work when Mr.. Osgood came
here in 1871, and John Holoran at the
foundry was working with Clark & Chap
man in 1871 when Mr. Osgood came here
and is still in the employ of the company.
Chas. S. Howard and Elmer K. Gould have
each been with Mr.. Osgood over 20 years.
Among those who learned their trade with
Osgood IL Barker, and have practically
never known any other employers are E.
w. Parsons, Clinton Hatch, Pat Kane, S.
j. Coolidge, E. f. Gould, Henry j. Blon-
din and f. E. Paul, most of whom have
earned their residences and lived to middle
life upon the salaries paid them by Mr.. Os-
goods business. Twelve other men have
worked for him over 10 years and eight
over 10 years. Wallace White and L. H.
Stearns have each been in Mr.. Osgood's
employ Is years, the former as draughts-
man and travelling representative and the
latter as bockkeeper and cashier. j. b. Cram
has worked in the pattern department over
10 years.
Upon the graduation of his son, Col. f.
q. Osgood, from the Institute of Technol-
ogy in Boston in 1886, he became associat-
ed with his father in the management of
the business and has so remained until the
present time.
Mr.. Osgood occupies prominent place
as a citizen, and has always been interest
ed in whatever tends to promote the we'll
fare of the town. He has been many
years a deacon of the Congregational
church and prominent in Sunday school
work, hoving one of the largest Sunday
school classes in the state, and one that
has national reputation. He deserves
the well-earned competency with which he
retires, at least for the present, from active
business.
One of the log piers from above the falls
came over the dam Monday whole, and is
lodged on the bank opposite the depot,
not broken.