Connecticut Historical Collections

Hamden is centrally situated in the county, and is bounded n. by Cheshire and VVallingford, e. by North Haven, s. by J\ew Haven, and w. by the West Rock range of mountains, separating it from Wood- bridge and Bethany. " Its average length is seven and a half miles, and its average breadth about three and a half, making about 26 square miles. A considerable section of the township is level ; the western border of it is mountainous, and the eastern considerably hilly. The township is situated between the West Rock range of mountains and the East Rock range. East Rock is the termination of an extensive greenstone range of mountains, which extends lar into the interior of New England, leading through Cheshire, Southington, Farmington, Simsbury and Grauby, into Massachusetts. It consists of a broken ridge, or a succession of hills, which become njore elevated as you pro- ceed from East Rock. At Farmington, Simsbury and Granby, tlie ridge is more continuous and lofiy, and bold in its features. "West Rock is the tenuination of the west range of the same mountain ; it extends as far into the interior as the western section of Southington, where it sub- sides, or more properly unites with the East Rock range, of which it is properly a branch. This range consists also of greenstone, and is a succession of eminences, and exhibits similar features to the other. Hamden is situated between these two ranges ; the one being upon its western, and the other upon its eastern border. IMount Caiinel, which is in some measure an insulated eminence, and appears to be a spur of the East Rock range, lies wholly within this town. This is one of the most elevated gr(;enstone eminences in the State. The greenstone of these mountains Ibi'uis an excellent building stone, and is extensively used for tliat |)urpose in New Haven. In the greenstone hills of this town, various minerals have been discovered. Iron pyrites, in minute pieces, and sometimes imperfectly crystallized, is found disseminated ; and sulphuret of copper is sometimes found, connected with crystallized quartz. At a distant period, a large mass of native copper, weighing about 90 lbs. was accidentally discovered upon one of the greenstone hills of this town. It was preserved for a long time, and the remains of it were used, not more than 15 or 20 yeai's since, in New Haven ; it was said to be very pure, and free from alloy. It is not known |)re- cisely upon what spot this mass of native copper was found ; but copper is now known to exist in various places, in tlie greenstone hills of this town. Lead, in small quantities, has also been found."* The following is a south view of the central part of the town, 5i miles from New Haven. The building on the extreme left with a sjiire is the Episcopal church : that on the right is the new hotel, erected the Pease and Niles' Gazeueer. 219 Central part of JLtmdcn. present year, (1836.) Tlie road seen passini; to the north is the turn- pike from New Haven to Hartford, on the Farniington route. The building seen in the extreme distance stands by the i\e\v Haven and Northampton canal ; the elevation beyond is Mount Carmel, which is 8 miles from New Haven. This mountain is one of tiie most striking objects seen when oil" the harbor of New Haven. Its western descent ia lofty and |)recipitous. The dufile at the foot of llie inuuntain is but barely sudicient in width to admit Mill ri\er, the turnpike and the canal, which at this place is cut through a solid rock. This place is called the Steps. The town is wateied by Mill ri\er, a fine mill stream, airording numerous sites for water works. There is 1 manu- factory, called the Carmel \\'orks, ()A miles from New Haven, for man- ufacturing coach and elliptic sjjrings, steps and axletrees : 1 carriage and 1 brass factory, 1 paper mill, and some minor establishments for manu- facturing purposes in other parts of the town. About three miles north from New Haven, upwards of 101) acres of land are now (183(5) in a state of preparation for raising mulberry trees, and extensive ])repara- tions are making for the silk business. The engraving on the next page shows the appeaiance of the little village of Whitneyville, as seen liom the rise of ground a few rods south, on the New Haven road. This spot, which is two miles from New Haven, is admirably adapted for manufacturing purposes, and justly admired for the romantic beauty of its scenery. The village owes its rise and name to Eli Whitney, Esq. the inventor of the cotton gin. East Rock, (the northern descent of which is seen in the en- graving,) a little distance s. k. of the village, I'ises to the j)erpendieular lieight of three hundred and seventy feet, and is a majestic feature in the landscape. A small but handsome Congregational church has been recently erected a little distance north of this village, and is beau- tifully situated among the cedars. .220 H A M n F. N . South view of Jl'hii/it i/L'i/lc, in ILiindcn. Mr, Whitney was born at Westborough, i\Iass. Due. 8th, 17G5. He was educated at Yale College, and soon alter he graduated went into the state of Georgia. " He had been but a sliort lime iii Georgia, befure be had an oppurlunity of conver- sing: with several respectable piaiiieis ol' thai Male, and of I'ie(|uently hcarinn: their conversations with each other. In these casual iiieetinRS, iiujiiiries relaiin^j to the most productive kinds of crops, were topics upon vvliich the planters dwell with pecu- liar interest. Here he learned, that no crop then produced in Georgia, yielded much profit ; that several attempts iiatl been made to laise a species of Cotton, known by the name of Green Seed Cotton ,- but which had never liccn cultivated for the purposes of commerce in any country. 'The planter.s informed him, tiial the shrub, which yielded this cotton, grew well in Georgia, aiul was ;ibiiiidaiilly pioitiutive ; but that its fibres adhered so closely to the seed, as \u be dclaehed with great ililliculty ; that no conven- ient and efficacious method of se|)araiing them jiad hiiherlu been discovered ; and that, if this diflieiiliv could be surmouuied, thi^ coilon would be a more profitable crop than any which had hiiheiUi been inir<'du( cd iiitu the souihein M'ciion of the United Stales. On these and oihei (Vcasions the wi.sli wasoUeii andaidently exjiressed, ihot a machine might be invenied lor this pur(lo^e ; and the declaration made, that such an invention would insure an independent fortune to its author. " A mind always awake and attentive lo every thing passing before it, could not easily suffer an object, on which so much stress was laid, to escape without examina- tion. IVIr. Whitney immetliaiely set himself lo iiivesiigaie the structure ol this pro- duct, and to devise means for rendering it \aluable to manlcind. Alicr puisuing liis inquiries duiing a few nuiuihs, he connived and e.xeculed, under the [lalronage of Phineas Miller, l"Nq. a respectable jdanler in Georgia, a niaetiine enliicly new, both in its form and principle, which elleelually answeied the puijiuse; and the utility of which has greatly e.xcecdeil every aiitici|iation. For this machine he obtained a patent: but, like many olhcr benefactors of the lie, had the mortification to see himself plundered of the benefits of his invention. The law, originally made to protect ihis sjieeies of properly, was imperfect : and al- most all the individuals, composing the courts and juries of Georgia, were personally interested. The machine was convened into a pidiiical engine : and demagogues rose into popularity by unfounded and vociferous declamaiion against lhiss])ecies of right, and the law which was made for its ]iiolection. " To give a detailed nccnuni of the expedients, to which recourse was had, in order to defeat the claims of Mr. Whitney, would carry me beyond my limits. Sutiice it to observe, that thirteen years of his patent term had expired, during which more than sixty suits were instituted in that state, before any decision on the vierits of his claim was obtained; and that, although every such decision has been in his favor, the ex- penses of prosecution have far exceeded what he has received from the citizens of Georgia. publi H A M T) F. N. 221 " The Legislature of South Carolina voted him $50,000 at; a purchase of the patent right for thai state. Tlie succeeding Lc^Mslaliue rescinded the vote, and ordered a suit to be instituted against liiin for the recovery of S-0,(l()0 of the purchase money, which had been paid. To the honor of many citizens of that state it ouglil to be ob- served, that this act was regarded by thcni with tiie detestaiion which K merited ; and that to their zealous and honorable exertions it was owing, that Mr. Whitney, after much delay and expense, was enabled to obtain a re-eslablishment of the contract. '■ The Legislature of North Carolina laid and collected a tax on such of his cotton machines as were then in use in that slate, and after deducting the expense of collec- tion, paid over the avails of the tax to Mr. Whitney. Though tiie cullivaiion of col- tou m the state uC North Carolina was then quite limited, and tiie amount which he received was small, yet tiie renuineraium from that siate, was ct)nsideied by him as more liberal, in pio))orlion to the use of his machines ihere, llian tlie amuuiii he re- ceived from Souih Carolina. " The only method of separating the hbrcs of this colion from the seed so as to leave it At for spinning, wliich was known, anlcri.ir lo this discovery, was to idrk out the seeds, one by one with the fingers; and it was tbouglu a jiioof of great dexterity, skill and industry, for one person to clean one |)ouiid in a day. Willi the aid of this ma- chine, a single person will, in one day, clean wiiii ease a thousand pounds. Asa labor saving machine, therefore, it has, perhaps never been rivalled.