The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-27
Great Merger of Industries Puts Bridgeport Corpora:
 tion in Control of Many Big Manufactories = One
 Plant to Supply Ford Company With Big Order.
Walter B. Lashar Confirms Story of Amalgamation of
 Two Snydicates Which
 Gives to Bridgeport Dom Z mating Place in Manufac-
 ture of All Sorts of Chains

The American Chain Co. of this ,city, of which Walter E.. Lashar, of lthis city, is treasurer and the chief owner, now dominates the entire chain industry of America.
 Chains of all sorts. ranging from the delicate watch chains with tiny links, to. ponderous anchor chains with links that weigh nearly one hum dred pounds, all come within the scope of the production of the Bridge port corporation, with it's local and out of town plants.
 Details of the amalgamation of chain manufactories are not made ip1b1ic, except i'll general way. But Mr Lashar today confirmed the state- ment that the Aieerican Chain Com tpany has taken s6yer the Standard Chain compAny's, plants. These in- cIude:
 One at Braddock, Penn
 One at St. Mary's, O.
 One at Marion. Indiana.
 Two at Columbus, O., including roll ing mill and chain plant.
 The Braddock, Penn., plant, is a huge rolling mill as well as a chain hmanufactory.
 Though it is believed in industrial circles today that the purchase has been made outright, MT. Lashar does not reveal the approximate purchase price rumored to be in the millions. The acquisition will increase the payroll of the American Chain com pany by 5000 men and will mean an Increased output of chain estimated at this time to be 75,000 tons annually. This volume is an enormous amount of chain when 1t is considered the present output of the American Chain company is something like 60,000 tons, annually. much of which Is small watch and household link: chain.
 The manufacture of tire chains by which the local plant and to a ,cer- tain extent the American Chain com pany, have achieved prestige now be- comes a minor factor in the general chain business which will be devel- 'oped under MT. Lashar and his asso- ciates' efforts. In the Columbus plant has been acquired the largest chain testing machine in the world and 1t is likely that hereafter the American Chain company will furnish the United States government with all its navy chain, and will take an active part in the maritime chain supply of the world following the European war.
 At the present time one of the new 1y acquired plants will be devoted to the production of castings for the Ford car, contracts for over one mill lion dollars having been taken over.
 The American Chain company with it's newly acquired property will have IF factories in all, including the three plants at York, Penn, two of which have recently been built. Outside of the United States there is one fac tory at London, England, now devoted to manufacturing war supplies and another at Niagara Falls, Ontario.
 With factory addition in Bridge port, partially finished which will give an additional floor space of be- tween 75,000 and 100000 square feet. Mir. Lashar said today that the pres ent combination of industry would in all probability greatly increase the business of the Bridgeport plant.