New Britain herald., 1916-01-17
RockWell-Drake Co. Mill Begin
 Construction at Once
WILL RUSH WORK ON PLANT
Concern To Begin Operations Here With About Fifty Employes, In- creasing Number Gradually-Plans to Manufacture Own Machinery.

fifty men will be employed at the start, the company hopes to eventu- ally have a large plant giving en- ployment to several hundred people, Hugh Rockwell, an officer of the Rockwel1-D company, which re- gently filed articles of incorporation with the secretary of state, told a Her aid man this morning that the corporation expects to have work on it's new building here sufficiently advanced by the middle of March to have it's machin- cry installed and operations begun. The concern will manufacture ball bearings and machinery required for that business in the Plainville factory and if the plans of the men behind the venture do not go astray, there will be a busy industry in the eastern section of the town before the year Is ended.
 Lumber and other material to be used in the building which the corn- pany will construct on the land re- gently purchased by A. F. Rockwell of Bristol, was delivered here this morning and the erection of sheds in which tools will be kept while the work is in progress was started. The
 
 will be erected under the supervision of H. J. Brault, the company's en- gineer.
 MT. Rockwell said the plans are so arranged that the east and west walls will be but temporary affairs and can be readily removed when the company is ready to increase it's floor space. The building which Mr. Rockwell ad- o1 h1rt Io five of nf structures which the company pro- poses to erect, will be but one story high, and will be of brick construc- tion.
 Much of the machinery to be used in the plant has already been built and in two months the company ex- poets to have the walls and roof fin- ished and the remainder of the work for enough advanced to permit of it's installation. At the start, according to MT. Rockwell, the company will practically devote it's time to build Ing the machinery which it will re- quire and while the manufacture of ball bearings will be begun as soon as the shop is ready for occupancy, the business will not be done here on a very extensive scale at first. The company will make all it's own equip ment and consequently the plant will develop slowly.
 The plant will be operated under the direction of Hugh Rockwell and L. A. Drake, who is also an officer of the company the men dividing their time between Plainville and Hartford, it being the intention to keep the fac tory in the capitol city running at least until bigger shop is erected here.
 Although no announcement has been made to that effect, it is the gen. era1 belief that the senior member of the Rockwell family is behind the venture and the corporation will in a short time become an enterprising competitor of the New Departure company of Bristol, the presidency of which was recently taken from him. MT. Rockwells time is largely taken up with the interests of the Marlin Arms company and the Bristol Brass company and he probably will not de- vote a great deal of personal attention to the Plainville factory at least just now.
 It is said that a raid is planned on the employees of the New Depar- ture factory and the Rockwell-Drake people have hopes of getting a num- Der of the skilled workmen in the Bristol factory to work for them.
 Wants Merchants to Cooperate.
 Hoping to relieve the congestion on the railroads and bring about a re- moval of the freight embargo, which is causing much concern through out the state, the Connecticut Manufac- turers association has sent out an ap- peal to factory owners and merchants to avoid unnecessary delay in unload ing cars that they may be available for use. In letter to the TrumbulI Electric company, the association de- clares that the congestion has not been relieved in the slightest since the em bargo was ordered. In fact con- ditions are getting worse if any, thing.
 The associations investigation of the situation has revealed the fact that the average time for releasing cars in now eight days compared with three days in normal times. This would indicate that the manufactur- CTS and the merchants themselves are partially responsible for the exist ing conditions.
 F. IT. Wheeler, vice president of the company, said today that while the local concern has not been handicap- ped to any great extent as yet, be- cause of the embargo, it is liable to be seriously affected unless there is a speedy improvement in conditions. It has number of carloads of raw material on the road at the present time and no prospect of delivery.
 If the manufacturers and merchants will have their shipments unloaded without delay, MT. Wheeler believes there is bound to be a big improve ment, and perhaps an early removal Q tbo opo