The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-10
OWENS PLANT IS
ONE OF LARGEST
LOCAL CONCERNS
Turns Out Record Number Of
catsup and Grapejuice
Bottles for Trade.

Fairmont, fortunately, is not de.
pendent for fame upon any one san
gle industry but the concern which
directs wide public attention to the
city and helps more largely than
ANYTHING else. to make the city ma
:rionallys known, is the Owens Bot:
tie Co.'S factory No. 3, 4Fa1rmont's
largest single Industry.
The local plant is big link IN
"a chain of plants operated. by the
company, whose general offices are
in Toledo. Ohio, the other manufac-
turing establishment being az
Clarksburg. w. Va, Charleston, w.
Va. and Glass boro, n. J.
But it is one of the largest of the
four plants and has a capacity that
makes one wonder how the COM
pany could possibly find market
for all it's output.
Factory No. 8 of the Owens sys-
TEN is devoted almost entirely to
the manufacture of grape juice and
catsup bottles, which are machine.
made and are turned out at the
rate of $500 gross or eight rail-
road carloads a day The storage
capacitye of the eight cars is 504,.
600 singles bottles.
At this rate it is seen that the
yearly capacity is 136. 100000 bot
ties per year, a figure so large as
to elude the Imagination. To burn
out this almost fantStic number o..
bottles the company employs con-
tinuous1y an average of 600 skilled
artizans, of long experience in the
glass manufacturing business, who
command first class wages and
draw an aggregate fabout $4,000
monthly, which is largely returned
to the Golfers of local merchants
and business men in exchange for
the necessities and comforts OF
life.
Employees of the local plant o.
the most model conditions, the
buildings being thoroughly mod
ern in every way, with arrange
ments for the admission of more
than the standard requirements of
light and air per worker and other
precautions made for the comfort
and pleasure OF the employees.
Accidents are carefully guarded
against by the most up to date.
safety. devices known; sanitation
is assured by adoption of the latest.
advice Of science in. this respect
and every known appliance has
been installed to permit the indi-S
vidual workers to tlrn out the
greatest amount of work with the
least expenditure of physical en-
ergy. =.
Altogether the plant is a work
shop that leaves nothing to be de-
sired and the care of the operators
for the workers has been reward
ed by increased interest and in
creased output on the part Of the
latter.
S. S. Cochrane Is manager OF the
Owens Scompany's factories, SPEND
ing portion of his time at each oil
the different plants.
The local plant is directly under
the charge of w. G. Cole, brilliant
executive and administrator, who
recently came here from Clarks-
burg, where he had charge OF the
plant at that place.
Mr.. Cole is a live, aggressive and
progressive business man who
works on the hypothesis that his
employees are unit in the equip
ment Of the plant,-but human
unit, which deserves more consid-
Grafton than the machinery and he
therefore takes every means to pro
tect and help them and his sys-
tenn has made them feel their part
in the business, has increased their
interest and made them satisfied,
acontented and happy.