|
|
N. Constable Co., Monarch Safe Manufactory
| Name | N. Constable Co., Monarch Safe Manufactory |
| Ortssitz | Saint Louis (Missouri) |
| Straße | North Main Street 263 |
| Art des Unternehmens | Tresorfabrik |
| Anmerkungen | N. Constable wurde Teilhaber von "Burke & Barnes", dann unter der Firma "Constable, Burke & Co.". |
| Quellenangaben | [Taylor/Crooks: Sketch book of St. Louis (1858) 229] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1839 |
N. Constable ist als Reisender für die "Asbestos Safe" in Pittsburgh tätig |
| 1844 |
Beginn der Geldschrankproduktion in Pittsburgh |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Geldschränke |
1844 |
Beginn |
1858 |
[Taylor/Crooks] |
|
| ZEIT | 1858 |
| THEMA | Beschreibung |
| TEXT | This company are engaged in the manufacture of the celebrated Fire Monarch Safe, at their extensive Works, at No. 263 North Main street, and are well known throughout the Valley of the Mississippi. The reputation of Constable's Fire Monarch Safe is wide-spread, there not being scarcely a village in the South and West but where one or more can be found. They have been tried and tested so often that they are now recognized as being the only truly safe Safe. As a resistant to the machinations of the burglar none can begin to compare, and, if the truth could be ascertained, we venture the assertion, that there is not a person in the United States that has been the recipient of so many heartfelt curses from that class of chevaliers d' industrie as Mr. Constable, and, on the other hand, thousands have bestowed upon him their blessings for the protection he has been able to extend to them. The list of letters and certificates which he has received in praise of the fire-resistant qualities would fill a volume much larger than this were they collected and published; but Mr. Constable has ever had a dislike to the system of bragging which obtains to such an extent among the majority of safe manufacturers, preferring to let the reputation of his safe exist upon its merits, and not upon the ideal writings of some penny-a-liner and a liberal supply of printer's ink. These safes have been exhibited at the State Fairs in Missouri and Illinois, and at every fair held during the last three years, and have always been the successful candidates for favor, carrying away the first premiums. They have never been known to disappoint the expectations of those who put their trust in them. These safes have been tested so thoroughly that Mr. Constable had difficulty in being able to meet the demands which were made upon him for them. He has lately largely added to the extent of his works and now keeps constantly on hand a supply in order to furnish his patrons at a moment's notice. This firm also engages extensively in the manufacture of Bank Locks. The lock which they are making and offering to the public is one of the latest inventions, and constructed upon the most approved style, both for security and durability. The reputation of these locks is not so wide as that of his safe; but we have been informed by those who have tried them, and by mechanics who are au fait in all that concerns such affairs, that they have not a superior, and we doubt not, when sufficient time shall have elapsed, that they will be recognized as worthy of the good qualities claimed for them. Mr. N. Constable, the senior partner of this firm, has been engaged in the manufacture of safes since the year 1844. He carried on business in Pittsburgh, commencing in that year. In 1839, we find him working journey work, for a small weekly stipend, on the Asbestos Safe, in Pittsburgh; this safe was at that time considered par excellence for fire; long years he labored hard from early morning till late at night, in his efforts to lay up something. While busily employed in the performance of manual labor his active mind was engaged in suggesting improvements, and, as we have above stated, he commenced in 1844 the manufacture of a safe to which he gave the name of the Phoenix. The success that attended his efforts was flattering in the extreme ? the safe accomplishing all that was claimed for it. Having disposed of his interest in the Phoenix Safe, he became associated with the firm of Burke & Barnes, under the style of Constable, Burke & Co.; the prosperity which attended this move is a guaranty of the articles they produced. He began to invest his capital in steamboats, which was considered to be about the best stock going; his interest on the river requiring his personal attention, he disposed of his interest in the Safe business. He soon found that he had "caught a Tartar;" the boating trade became miserably bad, and he was soon stripped of all he had accumulated by his hard labor. Then it was that he returned to his first love, and began again to look out for a proper place to commence the manufacture of safes. His perceptions led him to select St. Louis as the point to inaugurate operations. The causes which led him to make this selection was two-fold: first, the large number of extensive fires which were constantly occurring throughout the West ? the accessibility of the place by steamboats, facilitating the transportation of his safes to all parts of the country; and second, the easiness with which all the materials necessary for the proper construction of his wares could be procured. In 1850 we find him here working on his Monarch Safe ? a safe which is entirely free from dampness, and capable of resisting as great a degree of heat as any other manufactured. His commencement in the Mound City was not announced by a flourish of trumpets, but was carried on in a small, unasuming manner, and two or three years passed away before his articles became generally known. A lucky accident brought him more intimately into notice ? an extensive fire having occurred in which one or two of his safes were caught, and being the only ones that had saved their contents, he began to reap the rewards of his labor. He found business increasing so rapidly that he was compelled to enlarge his shop twice in one year. He is now prepared to manufacture to the extent of 150,000 per year, and hopes to be able to meet the demands which are made upon him from all quarters. He, in order to be more able to accomplish this end, associated with him Mr. D. Caughlan, a mechanic of known ability and means, as also of veracity and business habits. One house alone sold upwards of 40,000 worth of safes during the last year. Besides the Monarch Safe, Messrs. Constable & Co. are also manufacturing a burglar-proof safe of as good a quality as the ingenuity of man is capable of perfecting, which we are assured will resist any picklock of the Hobbs or any other school; also the drill sledge or chisel. Most of the following gentlemen are using the Monarch Safe, and we take the liberty of referring to them, to substantiate our assertions in regard to this excellent invention: Chouteau, Harrison & Valle; Child, Pratt & Co.; Durkee & Bullock; Shapleigh, Day & Co.; Eads & Nelson; Small, Wells & Co.; Fife & Micheal; Pittman & Brother; Gaty, McCune & Co.; Kingslands & Ferguson; Dowdall, Markham & Co.; Renfrew, Crozier & Pomeroy; Clark, Plant & Norris; Field, Beardsley & Co.; A. & J. Gardiner; Yeatman & Robinson; Exchange Bank. |
| QUELLE | [Taylor/Crooks: Sketch book of St. Louis (1858) 229] |
|
