Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-09-18
VETERAN iron WORKER
GROWS REMINISCENT

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William Aten, Sr., the veteran iron
worker and we'll known citizen, is still
confined to his home, East Front street,
by lingering illness. He is seventy
five years of age. For forty-tivc years
he was an employe of the Big Mill. "
He is not only one of the very few
surviving who lived III Danville when
the mill was built, but he actually
assisted in its erection. His long
career is crowded with incident, show
ing to what extent i'll the generation
past, before the perfection of machin-
cry, Drawn and muscle were relied
upon in industrial achievements.
MI. Aten was born at Strawberry
Ridge i'll 1928. He assisted i'll hauling
the timber used in building the mill
here, in which the first L rail i'll Amer
lea was rolled. The timber, which
was the choicest and heaviest to be
found, Mr.. Aten says, was all cut IN
the vicinity of WashingtOnville-mOst-
ly between that point and Exchange.
In 1S47 Mr. Aten went to work i'll
the big MILL. He began as puddler
but after seven years he took up rail
strengthening. This work, which is
now mainly done by machinery, was
at that time the hardest employment
about the mill and required n man OF
great muscular development and en-
durance. The sledge welded weighed
over 90 pounds. Mr.. Aten worked at
rail strengthening for thirty eight
years leaving the employment in 1892.
AS rail straightener, he is credited
with perfor ming the biggest days
work on record In one day OF eleven
hours, he Strengthened rails, twenty
six feet long, aggregating in weight ll6
tons, Is cwt. gross. The record up to
that time was held by Jack Williams
of Phoenixville, who had crowded
more hours into the day and yet fallen
short of the weight Strengthened by
Mr.. Aten. The latter then issued a
challenge, inviting rail straightoners
in general and Jack Williams in par
ticular, to a contest. The challenge,
although printed in all the newspapers
of the country, was never accepted
Among Mr.. Aten's compeers as rail
straighteners were such well known
men as Alem Sechler, Charles Sechler,
Samuel mellow, James Murray and
William Hartzell.
In conversation Monday Mr.. Aten
gave an account of one of the early
labor troubles, which took place at
the big MILF in 1855, before it pass.
ed into the hands of Waterman q
Beaver. The men struck for cash pay
ment Previously Mr.. Aten said, they
had been obliged to take nearly all
their earnings out i'll trade at the
company store" and had seen no
cash for ten weeks. The strike lasted
for seven weeks and the men gained
their point.
The native workmen of Danville
were wholly without skill or expert
ence in the manufacture of iron rails.
They made rapid progress, however,
under the expert workmen brought
over from England and Wales and it
was not long before they themselves
were able to take charge of the differ
ent departments of work.
The early machinery was crude and
insufficient. The engine of 80 horse
power, which at that time was regard
ed little short of curiosity 1t was
ponderous piece of mechanism sup
ported on frame work of heavy logs
The mill was put in operation in
1S45. The arrival of the foreign work
men with their families, eight hund-
red in number, formed Il very interest
ing episode III the history of Danville.
Mr.. Aten says they all landed at about
the same time and came to Danville
in body. A large number of houses
on Northumberland and North Mill
street had been built to receive them
an a large number of others were built
after their arrival. OF those English
workmen so far as can be determined
but two survive at the present-Ed-
ward Foley and Richard Morrall, both
far advanced i'll years.
Mr.. Aten says that a conservative
estimate places the amount of iron
which passed through his hands dur
ing his career as an iron worker at
littla Iouo than N ,,,iIl;on +onr