The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1907-03-07

war again with England in 1912. the
foundries cast cannon balls destined
for His Majesty's ships, and many
chain shot and canister for the smooth
bores of those days were turned out
at Allaire. The smelling WORKS pass
ed through the hands of half Il doz-
en- different owners, and finally into
those of James p. Allaire. He was
rich man and influential one in those
days, and he soon built up thriving
community, that grew and grew dur
ing the sixteen years of its success,
until there were over 500 men there
employed in his great industries. He
was the head and he was the heart
of the community. All his employees
lived in his little town, and all the in
habitants of Allaire worked for him,
for he controlled every industry there.
AN BND TO GREATNESS.
But there came an end to all his
greatness. In 1888 coal was discover
ed in the Pennsylvania mountains,
and it became so much cheaper to
snelt the iron found there with the
coal that was there also than it was to
sinelt it in New Jersey, where char
coal was procured only by great labor,
that the Allaire prices were soon
underbid and the output of its
foundries became II drug on the
market. Allaire had all his fortune
invested in his New Jersey enter
prises aud the village that had been
built up around them, and within
year he was ruined man. One after
another of his furnaces had to be shut
down, and finally the last foundry
succumbed, and lie gave up the IN
equal struggle. His employees all
moved away. for there was no work
for them, but the owners of the ruined
village Ii, ed ON in their secluded
homestead, aud patiently watched
one after another of the familiar
buildings disappear and the more
substantial walls decay and cruinble
away before them. There in the mid
die of his own Frankenstein, surround
ed by the evidences of his greatne
and his bitter downfall, the senior
Allaire died in May, 1853 He was
descendant of the famous old French
Huguenot AIluires who settled New
Rochelle way back in 1880, and he lies
there now, buried near the home OF
his ancestors.
His was a gigantic undertaking,
and one that would have made him
many times millionaire had not the
( i'll tim discovery of coal ruined his
enterprise. II e had made a fortune
in the manufacture of iron before he
started the Allaire plant He found
ed the Alaire Iron Works in New
York City just above Corlears Hook
in the latter part of the last century,
and was one of the best known of New
York's early manufacturers. 1t was
in 1922 that he formed the stock COM
pany that purchased a tract of land
in New Jersey, part of which is now
Allaire, and it originally included
fully 5000 acres along the seacoast.
He owned q large majority of the
stock in this company, and he man
aged the gigantic undertaking. With
ia ten years after he had bought
Allaire he had spent half million
dollars in the industries represented
there, and he became by far the most
influential iron manufacturer near
the metropolis. There was only one
mill, one furnace and about fifteen
houses when he took possession, but
before his downfall a whole village of
nearly 1000 inhabitants had grown
from this little plant.
18th of July at AIIaire.
The following account of the 4th of
July celebration at Allaire, taken
from the issue OF 1HE MONMOUTH
INQUIRER of July 9th, 1885, will be in
teresting reading to the present
generations
In accordance with previous arr
engagements made, the 59th Anniver-
sary of American Independence was
celebrated by the citizens of Howell
at Howell Works, in an unusual and
spirited manner.
The day was ushered in by a dis
charge of Cannon, and ringing of
Bells. At half past 10 O'Clock, pro-
cession was formed under the direc-
ton of the Marshall. w. Good, and
proceeded to the Church, where, after
an appropriate and fervent prayer by
the Rev. Mr. Tansor, the Declaration
of Independence was read by j. b.
Calhoun-an original ode was sung by
the choir-and an excellent and pa
triotic Grafton was deliveredby Doctor
Disbrow; after which another piece Of
Music from the Choir; when the Bene-
diction was pronounced by the same
aeev'd Gentleman.
dsAfter leaving the Church. the coln-
pany repaired to the Howell Works
House, where the company sat down
to stsmptuous dinner, prepared for
the occasion by our Hostess, Mrs.
Dickerson. in her best style.