The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-11-08
NO. 32

Iooley was exhausted Time was
also lost in getting stock from the
factory to fill orders, as West Haves
was furnished with mail only three
times a week.
With these handicaps, when tN
firm found itself financially embar.
rassed and unable to pay their debts,
Jacob Estey, of Brattleboro, VT, who
was an uncle of d. M. Estey, came
to their rescue with loan of $l6,0Oe
at lO per cent. interest with all the
assets of the company as security.
With this money Estev & TooIey
paid fifty cents on the dollar.
1t was clearly demonstrated that
the manufacture of furniture could
not be made profitable in the way il
was being conducted and at the sue>
gestion of Mr. Rigley, in 1875, the
business was removed to Owosso,
where two-story building, "a X 90.
was occupied for warehouse and
assembling. This was soon found
too small and the business was re-
moved to building known as the
handle factory. In very short time
this, too, was found too small and
two-story wooden building, SO x 100
was erected on piles, which was the
beginning Of what later became Fac
tory "A" the big collection of brick
buildings.
The company built two saw mills
outside OF Owosso, one band saw
mill III Owosso, manufacturing all
the lumber used in their business, un-
til they were compelled to abandos
their mills for lack of stumpaee.
Their yards contained from twelve 70
fourteen million feet of lumber on
sticks. With these facilities and the
big demand for medium grade OF
furniture on the coast and the Da.
kotas, Mr.. Estey conceived the idea
of building another factory equipped
for making this class of furniture in
particular and for an advertisement
it was decided to attempt to erect
same in six days. The foundation
was built; all the material necessary
was assembled on the ground; a sman
army of men divided into companies;
work designated for each to do. Mon
day morning of the first week of
February, 1890, the work was started
and in 5734 hours the building, 250a
SO feet, three stories and basement,
stood completed and designated as
Factory "B, the six-day factory. This
feat was more talked about than any
thing that had been done in the fur
niture business up to that time and
1T offers good illustration of one of
the characteristics of ID. M. Estey's
remarkable energy. With this add
tion to its facilities the Estey Manu-
featuring Co. became one of the four
largest producers of furniture in the
country. It's output was in the neigh.
borhood of $l,OO0000 per annum.
But all this had not been accom-
plished without business vicissitudes,
The original firm made failure
When the business was removed TO
Owosso, in 1875, it was conducted
under the name of Owosso Furni-
ture Co., Jacob Estey, proprietor
February 3, 1870 the business was in
corporated as the Estey Manufactur-
ing CO.. capital stock 100000, paid
in $53.350. 1t was controlled by ia.
cob Estey under his original loan,
The officers of the company were D.
M. Estey, president and treasurer,
Chas. f. Rigley, vice-president and
secretary. No further cash capital
was ever paid into the company and
this great institution was built up en-
tirely from its earnings.
Mr.. Rigley's first connection with
the business dates back 10 1871, at
Detroit,>Mich' He entered the employ
of Estey N& Tooley on July 4, 1877, ir
Continued on page four