Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-01-27

factory, new company known a
organized and manufacturin,
plant was installed in the buildin.
formerly occupied by the wholesale
grocery store, and this company il
now doing a prosperous business.
THE CANNING FACTORY.
The shoe factory was hardly un
der way before B. R. Stare repre-
senting the Mansfield Canning com
pany came to Webster City with a
proposition for starting a canning
factory. This institution wanted a
bonus of $4,000 in money and land
but it is doubtful if this amount was
raised. However, in the summer OF
1894, the canning factory was built
and contracts for the delivery OF
sweet corn were made with nearby
farmers. This factory did a good
business for several years but final
ly discontinued and the buildings
were torn down and removed.
WEBSTER CITY HOT WATER
HEATING COMPANY.
In 1892, Bunker and Hazard
came to Webster City and after re-
ceiving substantial encouragement
from the people in form of a bonus
to aid in securing grounds and
erecting shops, opened a foundry
and machine shop. Soon L. T. Bunk
er invented a steel radiator and COM
menced the manufacture of hot wat
err heating plants and became known
as the Webster City Hot Water
Heating Company. Later James
Kephart became interested in the
enterprise.
The factory was located at the
corner of Prospect and Third streets
in Webster City. At first this COM
pany did a thriving business and in
stalled quite a number of heating
plants in and about Webster City
but later the business ceased to
thrive and the concern was succeed
ed by the Webster City Steel Radia-
tor Company which confined it's op-
Grafton mainly to the manufacture
of steel radiators for hot water and
steam plants. This enterprise was
making good progress when in 1908
the buildings took fire and were en-
tirely destroyed.
MARTIN TELEPHONE COMPANY
commenced the erection of its tele-
phone exchange in Webster City in
the spring of 1894. It's founder, E.
H. Martin, was young man of linn
tied means and the first exchange
was a crude affair. Some fifteen
years before the Bell Company had
installed a telephone system in Web
ster City but after a short time it
was taken out and the service dis
Martins project was
we'll received and the exchange was
soon on a paying basis. AS the bust
ness increased, new and improved
apparatus was installed and lines
were extended throughout the
and today (1912) the COM
pany is prosperous and it's service is
satisfactory.
SIEVE FACTORY.
The student of Hamilton county
will not fail to notice that those en-
terprises that came to the county
because of some bonus or financial
inducement, were not very long liv-
ed or substantial and it is to be ex-
pected that most of them operated
almost entirely by means of the do
nations received. The shoe factory,
the canning factory, the Hot Water
Company, the Wholesale
Grocery Company, all of them aided
by our citizens, did not
prove to be permanent enterprises.
But in the year, 1892, there was
opened in Webster City az enter
prise that did not ask bonus.
Charles Closz had invented a separ-
ator seive and the Closz and Howard
Company commence
ed their manufacture. This insti-
tuition has grown steadily since it's
and today (1912) fur
nishes employment for about thirty
men.
RETARDER FACTORY.
In 1895, plasterer by the name
Of r. A. Conklin. discovered a pro-