New Britain herald., 1916-12-09
z0Wn Topics

Although every citizen of New Rrit ain takes pride in knowing that the city Is the leading hardware manufac- turing city in the world, there are probably but few who realize that among other things New Britain has the largest cutlery factory in the World-Landers Frary & Clark-and the largest factory in world making carpenters tools, and holds more patents per capita than any city in the country. Yet this is so and the following article, the data for which mas been carefully gathered from au- thentlc sources by the American Trust company of Boston, is of great inter- est because it carefully traces the his tory of tool anl hardware. manufac- ture in New England, and at the same tlme has much to do with the early history of New Britain manufacture:
 inc frst iron foundry in New Eng land was built in 1642, and the first Iron pot made in New England was
 made In that foundry in the same year. The iron was from the bog ores or Eastern Massachusetts. The cast Iron hardware of New England began With that iron pot. The first forge shop Tn America with a trip hammer was built in Raynham, Mass, by James and Henry Leonard in 1852.
 Joseph Jenks, a native of Ham, mersmith, England, was the Tubal Cain of the Western Continent. Be- sides making the first casting, fire en- zine and 'engines for mills to go by water' he was in 1855 accorded a patent for seven years for an improve ment in scythes for the more speedy f,ro<r of f1,o made today is the same as that made by Jenks. He also made the first tools used by John Hull, the mint master.
 About 1720 a trip hammer was used in the manufacture of scythes, and soon after axes, adzes and other edge tools were forged with trip ham mers. The first regular iron rolling mill in America was built in Middle boro, Mass, in 1750. Tn the country of Plymouth in the year 1748, 500 muskets were made for the colony of Massa chusetts. They were deposited in a fort fn Boston harbor for safe keeping, and were carried away by the British at the evacuation of Boston at the beginning of the Revolutionary war.
 Hugh Orr, a Scotchman, began the manufacture of edge tools at Bridge water in 1750 and here the first can- non in this country were cast solid and the caliber bored. Muskets were also made by him.
 Capt. John Ames of Bridgewater, an intelligent blacksmith, began to make shovels by hand forging in 1776 as a business The shovels were heavy and clumsy, but his business in creased, though slowly. His son, Oliver Ames, increased the business and improved the quality of the shov- els In 1903 he removed the business to North Easton, where the manufac- ture of shovels etc. Is now a large in dustry
 Wrought nails were made In East ern Massachusetts in the early colon ial time by hand forging, as they were then and are now made in Eng land. They were exported until Alex ander Hamilton's tariff bill was adopt ed Tacks were also made at very early time by hand from strips of sheet iron.
 The first nails made by machinery in this country and probably the first in the world, cut and headed at one operation, were made by Samuel Rogers, at East Bridgewater in 1794.
  ments, is in use today.
 Copper bolts and wire nails were made at Two Mile River, Taunton, in 1777, and in 1925 the plant was al- tered to an anchor forge. At the time it closed in 1865 it was the oldest sue cessful iron works in this country.
 In the year 1798 there were in the counties of Plymouth and Bristol fourteen blast furnaces, six air fur naces, twenty forge shops, seven roll ing and sitting mills, and many trip hammer shops, nail shops and other shops for the manufacture of iron goods, including cut and ham mered or forged nails, tacks, wagon nails. etc., shovels, spades, scythes, saws, bells, cannon balls, firearms, iron buttons for clothing sheet iron for timing. hoes and other farming tools, edge tools, wire and card teeth for the card makers.
 Tn 1797 two Connecticut young men had finished term of apprenticeship with a jewe1er at StOckbridge, Mass. One was a New Britain young man named James North, and the other was an Eastman pton, Conn.,, young man named Barton. Each went to his home town and 1t will never be settled Whlcn OI Ille two Iie1ue I1le first sleigh bells for the market. East hampton claims the honor for Barton in 1797.
 The father of James North of New Britain was the village blacksmith of New Britain, and he probably did not like the idea of 9 competitor for vil- lage jobs in the person of his own son. The father advised his son James to make something to sell in Boston or New York; James took the advice of his father and went to Hartford and bought a brass head fire dog, a brass head shovel and tongs and three sizes of brass head pol1ers, all of English hro11plnt them tn his fath=