Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-23


of the city, and later developed into a
Hourishing industry catering extensive
" to export trade Mr.. Harrow was
employed in the factory in his boy
hood. later becoming one Of the part
ners of the business, and is therefore
familiar with its infancy and growth.
Mr.. Harrow article follows:
Personal RecoIlections Of A. G. Harrow
Of the Early Days Of the john
ston Ruffler Business.
: At the request of Allen Johnston.
will reproduce from the tablets Of my
memory some of what | consider the
interesting events of the early life or
the ruffler business. These recollec-
lions and "reminiscences will extend
hack over period of forty years and
It would be perfectly natural for
few errors to creep in as | am depend
ing entirely upon my memory for the
facts which follow.
On the 4th day of May 1871, at Z
a. M, l went to work for Johnston q
Co., the predecessors of the Johnston
Ruffler Co., at the munifcent salary OF
81 per day for ten hours work. Ny
duties called for a versatility of talent
as they ranged from sweeping out the
office, opening the mail, keeping the
books ,aanswering letters and carrying
water@to drink from the well in the
rear of the old Ottumwa House, which
atrthat time was located where the ST.
Louis Store of w. J. Donelan & Co.,
now stands.
At the above mentioned date. the
firm of Johnston & Co., was composed
of Allen Johnston, his brother w. T..
Johnston and W. T. Major.
Seven employees all told, were en-
ployed in the business besides the
proprietors. The infant industry was
located on the third floor Of the three
story building where the Arnold Jew
elry Co., is now located. On the first
floor of the above mentioned building
J. G. Meek had dry goods and notion
store. On the second floor in the
front rooms DR.. w. r Johnston prac-
ticed dentistry and DR.. j. Fl. Wiley a
practicing physician had his office. In
the rear rooms were the business ONCE
and testing room of Johnston & Co.,
where the rufflers were tried on ma
chimes before they were sent, out, to
see that they were working properly
If remember correctly the first
patent by Allen Johnston On the ruffler
was taken out in October, 1870. and
the second one in January Of 1871. In
January, 1871, w. T. Major paid Allen
and w. r. Johnston $4,000 for one
third interest in the business and pat
ents of Johnston & Co. Mr.. Major
raised the $4,000 to pay them by Civ
ing mortgages to two of his acqualnt-
ances on his home, corner OF Fourth
and Wapello streets, where A. c..
Leighton now resides.
The machinery and apparatus or
making the rufflers, when | went to
work for them, were of 4 very crude
nature. They had but one press, an
old style secondhand Stiles & Parker
No. Q; an old grind stone set on a
wooden frame with legs extending to
the floor was utilized as d pulley and
a belt from it to the front wheel On
the Stiles & Parker press connected
the two together; whenever the belt
thus connected would stretch little,
we would push the grind stone and
frame a little farther away from the
press, drive nails in the floor to an
Choir the same and go ahead until the
belt became too loose again; then we
would stop and 60 through the same
operation. When power was IN demand
to- cut out parts of the ruffler from
brass, what was most needed then was
some one with strong arm to turn
the grind stone. When my duties we're
slack in the Office, l used to 60 into
the shop and turn the grind stone; |
was quite strong in my right arm at
that time, as that year and for Two
years previous | had been pitcher IN
a baseball nine and the muscles OF my
right arm were in high state or Gull
tiyatjon as to strength and continuity
of exercise without firing, hence in
turning the grind stone | could make
a full hand.
James Keister was the mechanician
who had charge Of setting the dies in
the press for cutting out the brass
pieces of the ruffler before they were
nut together, and as stated before |
had charge OF the grind stone end or
the machinery.
The firm gave us piece work and
how distinctly do | remember the cut
ting out of the brass bed plates for
the Elias Howe bed plate ruiflerS: ,or
this work we were allowed $l.U0 per
thousand pieces, getting 10 cents and
Mr.. Keister 60 cents of the money re-
ceiyed for the above. The Howe bed
plates taxed my strength more severe
" than any other piece we cut out
In this connection | am pleased to
state that after improved machinery
had been installed in the rufflcr plant
in subsequent years. the same work
which we were paid S1.00 per thous-
and for was done at six and seven
cents per thousand and good wages
made by the operator.
Before starting into the ruffler bust
ness. w. T. Johnston was the agent in
OttumNa tps the Singer sewing ma