History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

Only a few rooms and the more interesting opera- tions can be mentioned here. The main machinery- room is that in wliich the principal mechanical work is performed in the production of the metal |)arts of the sewing-machines. This fireproof room is L- shaped, .300 feet in length, 210 feet in width in one ])art and 100 feet in the other. Power is distributed from four main lines of shafting, which have not per- ceptibly deviated from correct adjustment since they were first placed in position, thirteen years ago. In this room are no less than 1003' separate machines for special mechanical operations, many of them seem- ingly po,sse.ssed of such intelligence and skill sis to direct and control their own movements, and only needing consciousness to rise to the plane of the skilled mechanic. To show how far division of labor is carried, it may be mentjioned that the well-known rotarj' hook under- goes one hundred and twenty-eight distinct operations, a glass-presser thirty -two, and a hemmer seventy. The i^imber of driving-belts which meet the view in this one room is, by actual count, 1676, of the total length of 39,510 feet, or but 90 feet less than 7^ miles. This is exclusive of short feed-belts, etc., of which there are probably as many more. Passing through a tunnel under the street, we reach the buildings in which are the foundr)' and the needle- factory. Of the former it need only be said that for convenience ami perfection of all appointments it is not surpa.ssed. .\s the sewing-machine proper is useless without the needle, the latter is, of course, an article of prime importance. No department of these works is more interesting than the mechanical processes of convert- ing steel wire into ))erfcctly finished needles. The distinct operations in the making of each needle now number thirty-three, having been recently reduced from fifty-two by improved nmchinerj-. /I. I I i>^ BRIDGEPORT. 101 The wocid-working or cabinet dopnrtment of this coiMpaiiy is under a sepai'ate organization, st_vle<l tlie Scwinjr-.Mai'liine Cabinet Company. Tlie main build- iniis of (bis department are two in nundier, eaeli rrli't feet in lengtli. Here is made all the furniture for the machines, from a plain table-top to the most elaborate and cxjiensive full ease or cal)inet. Tlie raw material, brought from .Vrkansas and elsewhere, is cut to dimen- sirjus in the company's saw-mill, and afterwards worked u]i into the desired forms. The excellent tiuish of the cabinet-work is obtained by the use of the \^ood-lilling invented by Mr. Wheeler, and patented .Ian. IS, 1S7(). The invention issaid t(j be one of great value, not only for sewing-nuichine work, but for all kiinls (jf wood- work where a sujjerior finish is desired. The present nundjer of employees in all depart- ments of the factory is about 12(M(, and the aggregate sum paid out to employies of the eonipany in thi' city of r.riilge)>ort U]i to the present liiue is not hss than $14,000,(1110. Mo-t of the workmen aje ol' a su- ]ierior class. The following table, recently compiled for tin: I'nited States Census Bureau, exhibits their nation- alities: N11111I..T l.rnn ill the UliitiNl Slatos SI12 ■' CiiiiHib 4 '• Iroliuiil 1SI7 " " <Mimiiiiv 101 ■• EiiKliiii'i 411 '• Sr,,ll;iii.l r, " '* ntliiT Kiiropeaii Cf.uiiitries... M Tciljil 11112 The merits of the Wheeler i^ \Vilson machine have been recognized at the ditferent World's Fairs. ,\wanls were made to the original machine at London, iu l.silii, and at Paris, in IX(J7, and to the improved No. t\ and No. 7, for sewing leather and heavy cloth, at Vicuna in 1873, and at riiiladelpliia in 1S70, while the only grand gold medal and grand prize dijdonui Lssued to sewing-machines at the Paris Exposition of IS;7.S was awarded to the Wheeler it Wilson sewing-ma<diine as excelling forgciu'ral use any of its eighty e(nnpetitors. As already stated, the original capital of the com- pany was .'i;li;;(l,(IOO, but an increase to .s!G(IO,UO(l was authorized by the Legislature in 1864, and a further increase to $1,()()0,(I(I1) in l.Sfilj. At this amount it still nomiindly renuiins, though the assets are nnu-h larger, an<l the stock sells for several times its par value. The l)resent officers and representatives of the comi)any are: Xathaniel Wheeler, President; W'W- liam II. Perry, Secretary and Treasurer; Frederick Hurd, President Sewing-.JIachine Calnnet Company; Isaac Holden, General Correspondi'Ut ami Superin- tendent of Agencies. The directors are .N. Wheeler, William H. Perry, of Bridgejiort ; S. JL Buckingham, James Elton, of Waterbury ; T. A. Warren, of New Haven; N. Shipman, of Hartford ; C. 1!. Erwin, of New^ Britain. Mr. Wheeler has now been president of this great nnmufacturing establishmeut for more than a quarter of a century. He has represented Bridgepmt iu the Legislature for several terms, and was <ine of the com- missiimers for building the new State Caidtol at Hart- ford. He has rendered valuable service to ISridgeport by the discharge of many pvdilic tr\ists, and is at the present time a director of the Public Library, of Moun- tain Grove Cemetery Association, and a mcmbi'rof the seho(d board and many other institutions, lie has always been a warm friend to tie' e;iu>e of education, and to his influence is largely due the decision ol' the town to erect a new high-schoid building upon tlolden Hill, which will be a cr.dit to the city. The organization of the pcrfci't system wdiidi ]ire- vails throughout these works reipures excellent busi- ness talent, and reflects great credit ujion Mr. William H. Perry, who has been ciniucctcd with the comjKiny almost since its organization. He was elected secre- tary Se])t. o, 185.0, and secretary ami tri'asurer .Inly lii, IS.'ii;, which oltice,with that of siiperintciidi'iil. he still holds. Mr. I'crry has also rcmlcrcil important services to Bridgeport for a niiHiber of years past as one of the board of park commissioners, and the city is much indebted to him for the i>resent excellent condition of the public pleasure-grounds. r.UlIXiKI'OttX DUIU.XC THE REBELLION. No adequate aci'ount of the part taken liy Bridge- port in the war of the Rebellion can hr compresse<l into the limits of a sketch like the present. Only a few leading incidents can be given here, but perhaps upon the fiundation now laid some fut\irc- historian may build a better editice. The surrender of Fort Sumter was on Sunday, April 14, ISia. On Monday, the l.')th. President Lincoln issued his proehunation calling liir seventy- live thousand men. On the folhiwing day, (iovcrnor Buckingham called for one regiment of three months' volunteers, and two days later lor a second regiment. Thursday, April 18th, sixteen car-loads of Massachu- setts volunteers passed through Bridgeport in route for lialtinmre, followed on Friday morning by twenty car-loads more, and on Sunday by still another iletach- ment. These troops were welconu'd by a great crowd at the depot, and in firing a salute to them, .\pril I'.Kh, Leopold Schmidt, a mendier of the (icrman rifle company of this city, was killeil, and a comraih' of the same company was woundeil, — the first ('011- necticut siddiers to tail. The same day the banks voted to loan to the Governor the sum of oiu' hundred tlnnisand dollars. Saturday evi'iung, April 20th, there was a great war-meeting, jiresided <iver by Hon. I>, 11. Sterling, mayor of the city. The "Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by the assembly, and great enthusiasm |irevailed. Some idea of the sjiirit of the meeting may be obtained from the resolutions which were introdiU'cd by Hon. Anujs S. Treat. It was umuiimously voted that the photographs and the autographs of every member of ! the companies now being raised should be preserved in ! the town archives, that ten thousand dollars should 102 HISTORY OP FAIEFIELT) COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. be raised for the families of the volunteers, and that when thoy left for tlie seat of war the whole popula- tion of tlie place should escort tliem to the depot. Of the ten thousand dollars voted, seven thousand were subscribed before the meeting closed. To Capt. (afterwards Col.) Richard Fitzgibbons and to Oapt. (afterwards Col.) John Speidel belongs the honor of being the first in the field. Their commands, sulj,se(]nently designated as Conijiany H, Fii-st Con- necticut Volunteers, and Rifle Company B, of the same regiment, escorted by the Wheeler & Wilson Band and a great procession, marched to the depot and took the cars on Tuesday, April 22d, followed, a few davs later, by ( 'ompany 1), Third Regiment, under command of ('apt. (afterwards Lieut. -Col.) Frederick H. Frye. Maj. Henry M. Hoyt, now the publisher of the Morning News, was first lieutenant of Capt. Fitzgibbons' company. Two hundred overcoats, two hundred sliirts, and a beautiful flag were presented to tiie volunteers by the ladies of Bridgeport, who liad toiled incessantly to make them since the proclama- tion was issued. On Saturday, April 2(!th, a town-meeting was held, Joscpli Thompson acting as moderator, at which it was voted that the town should borrow thirteen thou- sand dollars, — the sum of ten thousand dollars to be expended for the families of volunteers, and three thousand dollars in raising and equipping additional troops. Thanks were voted to the volunteers already enrolled, and to the patriotic women of the place. Hon. D. H. Sterling was authorized to negotiate the loan, and a committee of seven was chosen to dis- burse it. After this there was a lull in the excitement until July 12th, when the news of the battle of Bull Run was received. Earlj; in August, the time of the three months' volunteers having expired, they returned home, and were met with a hearty welcome. August 24th a picnic of the returned volunteers was held in Hough's (Jrove. The same day a ])eace- meeting at Stepney was broken up by a party from Bridgeport, and in tlu^ evening the office of the Farmer news|)aper was destroyed.