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George Chatterton
| Name | George Chatterton |
| Ortssitz | Providence (R.I.) |
| Art des Unternehmens | Feilenfabrik |
| Anmerkungen | Bezeichnet 1868 als "George Chatterton's File Manufactory". |
| Quellenangaben | [Wiley: American iron trade manual (1874) 158] [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 395] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1839 |
George Chatterton kommt in die USA und wählt Providence für seine weitere Tätigkeit. |
| 1851 |
Chatterton besucht England und trifft Vereinbarungen für die Leiferung von bestem englischem Stahl. |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Feilen |
1874 |
[Wiley: American iron trade (1874)] |
1874 |
[Wiley: American iron trade (1874)] |
Vorgabe: Files |
| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | In Providence, is one of the most notable establishments of the kind in the country. It is not at all remarkable for the extent of the buildings or amount of its products, but as the place where the most highly prized File is made that is sold in the American market. Mr. Chatterton is a descendant of a long line of File-makers. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, were File-makers in England. He served an apprenticeship in the celebrated manufactory of W. & S. Butcher, of Sheffield, and learned all that could be acquired of the art in the best shops in England. Having made himself obnoxious to the English government by a too strenuous advocacy of Reform, at a time when less latitude of opinion was tolerated than now, he came to the United States, in 1839, and chose Providence as the field of his future operations. Commencing with no capital but a thorough knowledge of his trade, he had difficulties to surmount which only those can appreciate who have gone through a similar ordeal. It is said that he frequently travelled two hundred miles on foot, exhibiting samples and soliciting orders. His skill and perseverance, however, triumphed over the, obstacles in his way originating in the want of capital, and after ten years' labor he found himself in a position to undertake operations on a larger scale. In 1851, he visited England, and made arrangements to secure constant supplies of the best qualities of English Steel, both for use in his own manufactures and for sale to others. On his return he secured a building where he could have the advantage of steam power, and fitted it with all the modern appliances for the successful prosecution of his business. At this time he employs about thirty men in his File Manufactory, has an engine of thirty-five horse power, and is, besides, a large importer of English Steel. Within the time comprised in his business career in America, there have been several large establishments organized for manufacturing Files by machinery, but none have as yet succeeded in producing an article that has superseded, in the favor of manufacturers, the Chatter ton Hand-Cut File. There is a radical difference in the operation of making Files by machinery and cutting them by hand-labor. Cutting by machinery presupposes an absolute number of teeth in the blank to be cut, entirely independent of any conditional requisites to insure sharpness in the tooth; and as these conditions constantly vary during the operation of cutting, the most improved machines have failed to produce uniformity as regards sharpness and depth of the teeth produced. In hand-cutting, the sharper the chisel the sharper the tooth, while regularity and evenness are the result of mechanical skill and practice. The number of teeth to make a good File is not absolute, provided the requisite sharpness is obtained. Mr. Chatterton has steadily adhered to the rule of selling his Files to consumers direct, and not through the agency of middle-men. During the late Rebellion he supplied the National Armories with the finer class of Files used in the manufacture of guns. These files were formerly imported, and their manufacture in this country was an important element of national economy. Mr. Chatterton belongs to the class of foreigners whom America delights to honor. Bringing with them skill, patience, and sturdy perseverance, they establish industries that are the bulwark of civilization, and a guarantee to a nation of real and substantial, not nominal independence. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 395] |
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