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Quinsigamond Iron Wire Works
| Name | Quinsigamond Iron Wire Works |
| Ortssitz | Worcester (Mass.) |
| Art des Unternehmens | Drahtfabrik |
| Anmerkungen | Eigentümer: "Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Co.". 1868: "Washburn Wire Works" mit "Ichabod Washburn & Moen" als Eigentümer. Siehe auch "The Worchester Wire Co.". |
| Quellenangaben | [Wiley: American iron trade manual (1874) 38] [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 344] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1831 |
Ichabod Washburn baut eine kleine Drahtfabrik in Northville, Worcester County. |
| 1834 |
Gründung durch Ichabod Washburn, der vorher in der Drahtherstellung in Northville, Worcester County, tätig war |
| 1850 |
Philip L. Moen wird Teilhaber von Washburn. |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Draht |
1874 |
[Wiley: American iron trade (1874)] |
1874 |
[Wiley: American iron trade (1874)] |
Vorgabe: Wire |
| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | Worcester has long been known as one of the most flourishing and enterprising of the interior cities of New England, and noted especially for the variety and extent of its manufactures. The leading interest in the city, judged by the amount of the product (which is now considerably more than the statistics show), is Wire Drawing; and the oldest and largest of the establishments in this manufacture is the "Washburn Wire Works." These works were founded in 1834, by Ichabod Washburn, who had previously been engaged in making wire at Northville, Worcester County, where he built a small factory as early as 1831. At that time Wire Drawing as an American manufacture was in its infancy - in fact Card Wire was not made from the rods to any extent in this country. What little had been made was of an inferior quality, that tended to excite a prejudice against American wire. This prejudice Mr. Wash-burn resolved to overcome, which could only be done by making an article of better quality than the imported; and that he did this, is evident from the fact that in five years after he had built the Grove Mill card wire was no longer imported. In this he was aided first by the protection afforded by a favorable tariff, and secondly by a large home demand. The County of Worcester has long been the principal seat of the manufacture of Cards, both hand and machine, in this country. Here the Earles, for three generations, and other celebrated makers of cards and card-clothing, have pursued this important branch of business. Indeed, until recently but few cards were made out of Massachusetts. But, more than to either of these circumstances, his success was due to the fact of employing novel and original machinery, that not only improved the quality of the wire, but increased the product. In 1851, at the London International Exhibition, it was freely admitted by the large wire manufacturers of England that the Americans had machinery superior to theirs, and that they were able to make four times as much wire with the same number of hands as was ordinarily done in that country. Card Wire continued to be for many years the leading article of manufacture at the Washburn Works, bat as otber kinds became in- demand facilities were provided for producing them. When the invention of the Telegraph had induced an extensive demand for wire for telegraphic purposes, Mr. Washburn directed his attention to its manufacture, especially to Galvanized Wire, which is a better conductor of the electric fluid than ordinary wire. Previous to the adoption of the process of galvanizing, the scale had to be removed from the wire by means that required an exposure to acids from fifteen to twenty minutes, which rendered it brittle. To obviate this defect Mr. Washburn secured the control of an English patent for a process by which the wire is passed through a tube heated so as to bring it up to a slight red heat, and then through a cold acid bath, remaining in it however hardly a second, from which it emerges in a perfectly clean condition, and not injured as it usually is when long exposed to acids. Wire made in this way has borne the weight of trees falling upon it without breaking. The importance of great tenacity in telegraphic wire is too evident to need remark. The following Table represents the common numbers of iron wire used for this purpose, and its strength as plain wire, and also when coated with zinc - the figures representing in pounds the strain at which each had broken: Plain iron. No. 6: 2.300 Plain iron, 2.390 Galvanized; No. 7: 2.010 Plain iron, 2.210 Galvanized; No. 8: 1.820 Plain iron, 1.985 Galvanized; No. 9: 1.520 Plain iron, 1.665 Galvanized; No. 10: 1.270 Plain iron, 1.385 Galvanized; No. 11: 1.043 Plain iron, 1.155 Galvanized; No. 12: 832 Plain iron, 992 Galvanized; No. 13: 631 Plain iron, 886 Galvanized. Messrs. Washburn and Moen are the only makers of Patent Galvanized Wire in the United States, and notwithstanding it is established that the system which they have adopted uniformly secures the additional strength of 12|- per cent, in tension, and the same in the section power, over any other mode of galvanizing yet adopted, they sell it at same prices charged by others for the ordinary wire. When the popularity of Hoop Skirts created a demand for Crinoline Wire, this firm engaged extensively in its manufacture, and they are now by far the largest producers of this wire in the United States. The steel used in making crinoline wire is imported from England in the form of coiled rods of about 1/4 of an inch in thickness. The first operation to which it is subjected, is heating it to about a bright-red heat, in a furnace adapted for the purpose,, by which it is softened. It is next cleansed with an acid to remove all oxide from its surface, after which it is coated with rye-flour and dried in a special apparatus. It is now ready for drawing, which consists in reducing the steel rod to a much less diameter and at the same time greatly extending its length. One end of the rod is first pointed on an anvil down to the size or number to which it is to be drawn on the "gauge plate." The wire, after it has been pointed, is passed through a hole of the proper size in a steel draw-plate, which is secured fast to the drawing-frame, and is then carried forward and fastened to a drawing-block placed upon the top of a revolving vertical spindle on the drawing-frame. As the block revolves it winds the steel rod around it and pulls it through the hole in the steel draw-plate, reducing its size to wire gauge called No. 7. It takes no less than ten-horse power to draw the steel rod down to wire during this first operation, which compresses the atoms of the metal very close together, rendering it hard and brittle. Before it can be drawn a second time it requires to be softened again in the annealing furnace, and afterwards cleansed in the same manner as it was prepared for the first drawing operation. It is then drawn through a smaller hole in a draw-plate and reduced two sizes, and so on until it has been reduced to the requisite size and what was a few yards in length has been extended to two thousand yards. It is then flattened by drawing from one reel and passing it between a pair of pressure steel rollers. After this the flattened wire is next hardened by passing it through a bath of red-hot lead, then through a trough of oil where it is quenched, then through a bath of slightly-melted lead heated to such a heat as will reduce it to the right temper - requiring much practical experience to secure the proper temper. This process for tempering is patented by this firm. Messrs. Washburn & Moen have facilities for making thirty tons of Crinoline Wire per week. They furnish wires for others to cover, and have also over 900 machines employed in covering wire. This process may be described as follows: The wire, after being tempered, is taken to the Covering Room on reels, which are placed in a frame near the floor and the wire passed up through the middle of the braiding machines and wound upon a top-reel. In passing upward, a spool carriage, similar in almost every respect to a cord-braiding machine, and carrying several spools of cotton yarn, covers the wire with cords. The spools are moved back and forth in grooves by a series of small sun-and-planet wheels underneath the roll-plate, and while they are thus moved they braid the yarn around the wire and thus perfect it ready to be sent to the warehouse. Not less than 250.000 yards of flattened steel wire are covered daily in this manufactory, and when running day and night double that quantity. This firm are also the principal and we believe the sole makers in this country of Wire for Musical Instruments. Previous to 1850 all the pianoforte wire was imported, and the business was monopolized by a single house in England. At the solicitation of the late Mr. Chicker-ing, of Boston, Messrs. Washburn & Moen were induced to engage in the maaufacture of Wire for Piano Strings, and have succeeded in producing a quality of wire that is superceding the English. The great value of this class of wire consists in its power of tension, which depends largely upon the practical skill of the manufacturer and the processes employed in tempering. Mr. Washburn invented a mode of tempering wire longitudinally, for which he obtained a patent, and the wire made at these works is distinguished not only for great strength but uniformity of temper, smoothness of surface, and high finish. Jt is used in all the best pianos made in this country. This firm also make fine Plated Wire, which is wound around the bass strings of other musical instruments. Besides these leading descriptions of wire, the firm make all the varieties of Steel "Wire for Needles and for Machinery and Springs, and also wire from refined iron for Gun Screws - in fact all kinds of round, flat or oval, iron and steel Wire. Since 1850 Mr. Philip L. Moen has been associated with Mr. Washburn in the proprietorship of these works, and has had charge of the financial department of the affairs of the establishment. Mr. Moen is regarded by the community in which he lives as one of their best financiers. The firm have two mills in Worcester, the Grove Mill in the northern part of the city, which has a roof 1500 feet in length, and a smaller mill in the southern part of the city, where the course kinds of wire are made. They employ about 600 hands, including 40 females, and produce an annual value exceeding a million of dollars. The increase in the demand for Wire within the last twenty-five years has been enormous. When Mr Washburn commenced, in 1831, his production was limited to about 300 pounds per day : now his works alone produce about 7 tons of Iron and 5 tons of Steel Wire per day - and the product of the whole country, it is estimated, is about 90 tons a day. In Great Britain there has been a similar increase. About sixty years ago nearly or quite the whole product of iron wire in England was made at Prestwood, and taken to Birmingham with a two-horse team twice a week. It did not probably exceed four tons per week. Now one firm in Manchester manufactures 165 tons per week, and this is probably not more than one-tenth of what is made weekly in Great Britain. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 344] |
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