The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-14

facture Of emery wheels. AS the
business grew a stock company was
formed which is now doing very ex-
tensive business under the firm name
of the Morton Emery Wheel CO.
Gilbert Burt. still living was anoth-
er of the potters and Edward II.
Moore. who afterwards became a
travelling salesman, spending his en-
tire life in the employ OF the com
pany. William Bates was also with
the firm nearly all his life. Patrick
Hogan was custodian of the wood
yard for more than thirty-five years
and never failed to have spruce
gum stick saved up for the children
of the family even when ten years
had elapsed since their last call
Moses and Elijah Greenslet. called
affectionately Uncle Moses and
Uncle Lie by every one in the
pottery, John and Michael Hogan,
who ground the clay and doubtless
many others would be named if only
some member of the old firm were
here to call them off. After the fire
in 1873 the Norton company made
nothing but stoneware. Some of the
large urns and flower pots are con-
sidered decorative and Mr.. Oatman
recommends that they be preserved
At the time of the Philadelphia
Centennial the company made large
quantities of miniature brown jugs
with the dates 1776-1S76 stamped on
them. These we're the special work
of John Norton and the firm wished
to send him to Philadelphia at this
time to turn the jugs on wheel in
the exhibition, but Johnnie" as he
was called. being a modest man re
fused the honor.
The potter's trade is an exceedingly
difficult one to master requiring four
years of close application The whole
process is most interesting from the
grinding of the clay in the pit, the
mixing in the right proportions, the
throwing and pounding of the piece of
clay till it is the right texture and
size for the wheel; the skillful shap-
ing of the lump of clay on the wheel
till jar or jug grows as if by magic
under the hand of the expert potter.
Then came the free hand decoration
in cobalt blue drawn on the ware be-
fore firing, which also took skill and
in the hands of some men showed
real artistic merit. The process Of
firing, setting and drawing the kiln
all required great care and was en-
trusted to no novice. The salt glaze
was produced by throwing salt on the
ware in the kiln shortly before the
kiln was drawn or opened. This vap-
orized and penetrated every crack
and crevice. The ware remained in
the kiln about forty-eight hours. For
the brown glaze used on inside of
jars and for flower pots a special clay
was brought from Albany.
The clay for the ware came from
Long Island and New Jersey and was
mixed in the proportion of two to one
producing very hard and non porous
ware said to be the best on the mar.
ket. When potteries began to spring
up in the middle west located near
their clay beds, 1t was found more
and more difficult TO compete with
them; for although their clay pro-
duced an inferior quality of ware, it
answered for household purposes and
could be sold more cheaply. So the
manufacture was gradually discon-
tinued and the old kilns were fired for
the last time.
e. L. Norton, at the time of his
death, was negotiating with potters
making a different line of ware with
the prospect of manufacturing again.
AT this time the firm were doing a
good business in the wholesaling Of