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


Continued From Page One)
orders than they can fill. Where it
used to take three weeks to get an or
Ger filled, it now takes three months,
ana the customers have to wait on the
finished work. This particular foundry
has all the work it can do, and orders
are still being received daily.
There is once more busy whirr
heard at the old Stark shoe factory on
Park avenue. The Worcester Slipper
company, j. p. Grosvenor proprietor
has moved in from its old place at 10
Mechanic street and is now working
hard to make up for the time lost in
moving.
The work of moving the machinery
began week ago yesterday, and We'd
nesday slippers were being made at
both places. Yesterday all the work was
being done at the new place, though all
the machinery is not yet in order. Mr..
Grosvenor thinks that the factory will
run on full time by the last of this week
however.
The move was made on account of
the increase in business. The company S
orders have doubled during the past
year and the building on Mechanic
street was found entirely too small to
permit of the necessary amount of work
being done. This is the busy season for
the slipper factory, which makes a
speciality of warm goods, beavers and
felts, but the necessity for larger quar-
ters became so imperative that Mr..
Grosvenor had no choice but to move.
Some new styles and shapes will be
added this year to the already large as
sortment Of the company and new ma
chinery will be installed Much of the
Old machinery used at the Mechanic
street factory has been placed in posi-
ton at the new factory, but some of it
has been sold to make room for new.
The increase in business will neeessitate
an increase in working force, and help
will be added as it is required. Just now
there is not room for many more hands
but as the machinery gets in order, the
force will be increased.
The National Wire Goods company is
buried beneath floor of orders that
breaks all records ever established in
the history of the business. Clerks in
the office were too busy to furnish The
Spy with accurate figures showing a
comparison of present business with
that of recent years, but the statement
was made that the company Is creating
for itself record business. Every avail
company is running full blast, ON full
time, and as many employees as can
be handled profitably are at work. If
the business Of the National Wire Goods
company IS affected by the rnanipula-
tons of the American Steel & Wire
company at all, its effect is found in
material increase of business and Of or
ders. The present prosperity has set the
Factory of the company in a hum that
nd &c &c n
beyond all previous records of the con-
Germ.
The George C. Whitney company last
year foresaw the Increased business
which this year promised, and has I'M
der construction large addition to its
Union street factory. Statesmen of the
company have just returned from an
extended western trip and orders for
the Christmas publications of the com
pany are the heaviest in the history of
the industry Although the dull season
is now at its height at the factory there
are considerably more hands employed
there than last year at this time, and
the force will be steadily increased from
this time until December.
John E. Lancaster, president Of the
Globe Corset company, says the out
look is better than at any time since
his firm engaged in business. It is in
creasing every day. Collections are
prompt and statesmen expect to do the
best business for years this fall.
AS an example of the situation, Mr..
Lancaster stated that during the first
six months of this year, the output
equalled so per cent of that for the en-
tire year of 1898. He expects the ensuing
six months to produce even better re-
suits. Ordinarily July and August are
the dull months in The corset business,
but this years business has proved an
exception to the rule, with the result
that the Globe Corset company estim-
ates a gain of 60 per cent over the bust
ness of the corresponding months year
ago. In the factory one third more
people are employed at present than
at the same time last year. Demands
of business have necessitated charging
the plant. Mr.. Lancaster says that re-
ports from other cities of the country
where the same line is pursued, as gath
cred from his statesmen, point to one of