* rom
‘ (Continued from ‘Page Seventeen)
'nty-one complete {night-train
do.
The power house contains the, moat
power-plant
«i. vised
rffii‘il'nt
(‘Iill lvf‘
odern and
niplnrnt that
“ivnlcnt pulling power of
rds.
The rnutln:
-u'ghont tn.-
0 finished prmiur'l,
follows:
~ terials and the l'ih'il,
.»f the rn w
ill
we.
-1»...
i
m§4~-1"~ "a.
A‘n‘,’ .
m" "If.
-;4 .,_..
HUNT. \. "(HAHN
l~l \ lm- l'nwitlcnl
"scram
make the :ztm'lm lrmlllv one of the
raw pl'millr" : iniv "llllt irfn ll:~- mun-
factlu'v I»!' the hull. all into
gilt: hullliznzs Ly .lirml lullromi con-
N'tinn uni) liv- mum ii‘l" of the
rallrmul. \‘l l'h I‘m I‘.('t‘l"lilll ni' (h4-
Tunl. it is erwi in t'vr»;li'-mi’ rwwnls
In the lmswnmnt rrnrly for distribu—
tion in tllv \‘lll'I‘iH llvpnrlnil-nls.
From thm-w s‘whiu" spires it is
:handicd lly wnvvynrs iii-
,‘ret‘t to thr- pl w” “in r~ it is \vnriav’vl
ilnto thi‘ lllfs‘.
f The “iii-'li'i".
Baturniml l'n'v l;
('Ulllv‘
m
:.l1tny..l’14'i
sth’ll‘l-filil ll, grimy.
Shun il‘l'~‘ luv: it til-n:-
gwny with . ntirwly. 'l‘hv- mixing
machines Iil‘t‘ hmszl in airtight
grooms, and thw mers r~nrlu.«;.vl,
lo that the \tn-rkmv n will lie infirvlg'
'Iprotcv'tml fll‘lil lln- liiin"‘lHllf€ «r-
lfi‘cts of lnrrt'ur)~lmisuning The air
an the .Iilvnvlnl; limnn :In-i ”ho in
.‘lhe Varmint: llnonl i< :mlmnuwflly
rontrolloli fer nwr-ttlrw illlli li'lliPl’WJI-
iture.
} 'l‘lu' nflt'k Shop.
; The rcnmlnli» r of tin» lLIn-k Shop
pontaining tin [Winks and the var-
:ious sizing and thrill: Itl'H'V'H‘l' a are-
{so arrangml th.xt lhw hut, lvmllr-s will
clifoilow in :l sil‘ln'ilt lino: from de-
a
4
d
i
I
0
\
t
s
i
,n
-
I
.
v,
I
l
n
n
a
.
l
I
‘l
.
I
I
t
I
_’
u
p
.l
I
l
!
IRVI \‘G l. \VII,M()T
21ch Vice President
‘ I
mrtmcul to clepnrhnlnt.
and
i give 1.21m horse. povwr, or the.
sixty
material
pilnl. until it is innulc
somewhat
Tin fur. the trimming
“hit-h is to
l
ors. finished and trimmed. and con-
teycd to the basement for packing.
shipping, or storage. ’
The top floor of the Front Shop
is devoted to the manufacture of
straw hats, and is so arranged that
raw materials are delivered to it by
elevators. the materials routed in a
straight line from one end to the
other. and the finished product de-
liven-d to the shipping and storage
areas without crossing itself at any
point.
livery modern facility. not only
such as are used in the present Cro-
fut & Knapp plant and in _thc bet-
hat shops today. but those that have
been developed in other hat plants
and unique methods original with the
Crorut & Knapp organization, have
been installed. These facilities will
result in more intelligent workman.
ship. more fareful inspection. .less
imperfect work. and what is gen-
erally considered a most desirable
thing, an increased enthusiasm on
the part of the cmployes in the com-
pany's product. brought about by ex-
cellent working conditions. The very
lOcation of the plant adapts itself to
this. On the upper floors of the
Front Shop. the. cmpldyes can look
out over Long Island Sound and the
beautiful green farming sections of
Connecticut on the other.
The new Crofut & Knapp plant
eliminates the difficulties which are
so prevalent in the hat industry——
of plants that are not adapted to the
processes. This plant is not an ad-
dition to an old factory: it is built
on a. new site. and is flihampercd
by the necessity of joining it to a
plant now in cxistancc. It has not
been necessary. ‘1)(‘t‘aUSC of existing
buildings. to build first and then fit
the processes to than). The. proper
sequence of operation and location
of departments was determined and
THOR. JOHNSTONE
3d Vice President
at the, same time economical build-
ings were designed and the two
worked in togeiht‘r. in this way
the proper operation of the plant
has not been neglected or sacrificed
.to accommodate. the use of old struc-
lures.
Can Be Enlarged.
Every provision has been made
so that the plant can be expanded
by the addition of extra floors on
the original buildings, or by extend—
ing the original buildings have, been
side. The departments have been
arranged so that they can be extend-
ed to take care of increased pr0<
duction in an almost unlimited de-
gree without. secrificing the "cuso-
mm-bntlt" metho of production,
characteristic of the Crofut & Knapp
product.
A summary prepared by the Turn-
er Construction Company. gives the
following interesting figures: The
plant required 8.860 cubic yards of
l‘f‘vl’ll-rv‘lt‘. 750 tons of reinforced steel.
35.00" barrels of cement, 15.000
cubic yards of sand and gravel mix-
ed. The. cubic content of the build-
ing is about 3,000,000 cubic feet, the
dead weight about 21.000 tons. and
the total excavation about 20,000
cubic yards of earth. The window
area is about 80,000 square feet.
The main building is surmounted
by a tank weighing. with its struc-
turn. 250 tons and with a. capacity
I
g with in-
i ppectinn nrv‘ns arranged at each di-
1 Vision. anti :Ill steam is; removed by
3 zoom: :Hzll 4>.\i.:m.‘t {.1l‘R. and nil
‘ verhcnrl s‘wrling. with its raw“-
." flnt oil-llrimvin: on huts. is ('llml<
i lied. Th“ hut bulbs are then ta-
Efi‘n to the Front Shop by convey-
t": “
.
..'.-‘-—--
.ll p 1
. ‘ .
there is a pond}, ’
l I)" pfiitlcallyn
of 80,000 gallons of water to supply
the sprinkler system. ' ’ -
The capacity of the new plant is
about 1,500,000 hate a year or nearly
10 hats every working minute. Fif-
teen hundred skilled workmen. se-
lected for their ability to make hats
in the Crofut 8:. Knapp way will have
the distinction of being employed in
the new factory.
hlany Innovations.
The innovations in bat manufac-
lure that stand to the credit of the
Crofut 6; Knapp Company include
many improvements that are stand-
ard trade practice today. Some'
were such as could be protected by
patents, while the. greater lumber
wet quickly adopted by other fac-
tories and constitute contributions
to the general advancement of
American industry. '
,_The'list of such departures fromr
common methods must of necessity
be incomplete. but. it is not with-
out interest to record in this place
a few of the inventions that have‘
brought to the Crofut & Knapp or-
ganization the enviable reputation of
leadership in American hatananu-
facturins'.
The first Derby made in America
was a C. 62: K. Early in the '60‘s
James H. Knapp recognized the
value and importance of the “hard
hats" made in fingland. and the
first samples to reach this cmntry
came to him. Oid~timers might re-
member the sensation the new C. 8:.
K Dcrbies made in this country and
the impetus given to the industry
by their introduction. As long as
the Derby hat reigned, the C. 8; K
quality and style were the standard.
Some years later. the hydraulic
press succeeded the clumsv old
hand method of blocking and iron-
ing still! hats. Like the Derby itv
self. this improvement originated in
England. but Crofut. & Knapp were
thé first. manufacturers in this coun-
try to perfect its adaption to Ani-
crican methods. The revolution it
involved included practically every
process and manufacture and the
pressure of expense and the over-
turning of long-established methods
were too much for many of (no fac-
tories of that day and resulted in
the retirement of numbers of those
whom: versatility or resources were
not equal to the changes involved.
The old-time methods of distribu—
tion to the consumer lnclud-‘d the
service of the jobber as u ~'iddle—
nuln’bctwecn the factor: :95 the
retailer. In those days constant
pressure was brought to bear on
the factory to cheapen methods and
materials. and it was expected that
each season the manufacturer
would be called upon to become his
own worst. competitor in the produc-
tion of merchandise that might. be
sold at lower prices or bring larger
profits to the wholesaler. It was
not strange that a concern holding
the highest ideals in the'mattcr of
quality production should chafe un-
der such conditions, and Cr'Ifut &
Knapp cut the Gordian knot. by of-
fering its product directly to the,
retailer. In these days, when this
is the accepted method of market;
ing fine merchandise. it is hard to
.reulize what. courage this innovation
involved. It meant the breaking of
old ties, the casting of! of estab-
lished connections and the making
of enemies of those who had pre-
viousiy been the only source of or-
ders. Having taken the step. how-
ever. C & K. have ever since con-
sistently refused to allow their pro-
duct to pass through thehands of‘
jobbers in its progress from the fac-
tory to the head of the wearer.
John Gavan-gin
In 1913 John Cavanagh invented
and perfected I. new proce- of but
manufacture which has become unl-
versally known as the Caxanagb
_Edgo Process. The emphasis laid
upon the "edge" has somewhat ob-
scured the real value of this inno-
vation in that. the principal im-
provement is in the increased stur-
diness of wear and in the distinc-
tive character of the style. Even
though the felted edge. which is the
characterisuc mark of the process.
were covered with I. binding, which
is frequently done. or the edge cut
of! entirely, the benefit of the pro-
cess of manufacture remains. The
advantage of this method lies in
the increased tightness of the felt
and the inimitable handmade char-
acter of the product. It has been
claimed for a. “Cavanagh Edge Hat"
that it will outwcar any two hats of
similar quality made by tho old-
fashioned method. Imitation un—
der various names have been intro-
duced, but all of them lack the fun-
damental advantage—~the hand work
in hot water. by means of which the
permanent style is felted into the
hat.
The Reverse-Lap-Brim is an im-
provement in the manufacture of
straw hats invented by Philip N.
Knapp. The necessity for a greater
degree of comfort in the so called
:yacht' hat' was recognized and
various attempts have been made
to manufacture a flexible straw hat
of this type. They all had disad-
vantages which were entirely over-
come in the Reverse-Lap-Brlm in.
vention. This process avoids the
unsightly saving of the braid when
the regular oval is disturbed. ind
also provides extra strength at the»
point where it is most needy}, where."
the crown and brim Join. It
made possible the production of Ii.
stiff yacht shape and the «alert.
of a soft straw. ‘
Since hats were invented the
trade-mark of maker-erratum: had
been simply an “V‘. out and
no serious attun’tm
to turn it' 5-. decoration that
would add the attractiveness of
the hat until acarxvertoctcd In
original method of color printing.
The tune of appropriate designs made
by artists,
by m .H d‘tru‘litions of hstlprin-
mg. m engraved by artistic Ino-
WWII“ beg: work was used
for the animations.
4W“ ot-immoumnwoir
. ~01", ”gun ill-”m ”revolution of
straw hat with all on style of I“.
made ,
ability “unmatched, , i
390 < the mum-oddest! in.
l . ,. . V. . 1!! expert precl— ,
' 433.13.05.13 mantel-mt. »
JOHN OAVANAGH, President.
this important branch of hat-manu—
facturing.
Hut Boxu
In the olden times hat. boxes
were considered 'of sufficient impor—
tance to warrant the attention of
artists who exercised their imagin-
ation in taking advantage of the
graceful shape and broad spams for
decoration. ,_A celebrated art direc-
tor of a well-known magazlx‘e ga-
thered together a collection tf so-
callcd bandboxes. which it: today t'he.
treasured possession of a noted art
museum. A view of this collection
inspired the idea of reviving this
lost art by making Dobbs and C &
K boxes things of beauty and rdvcr-
Using value. The Crofut & Knapp
picture boxes have contributed won-
derfully to the fame of the C & K
product and naturally have not es-
caped the attention of the ‘mita-
tors. With designs based on sound
artistic lines they haVe never been
surpassed by any of their many
imitators. . '
’C S; 1‘: were the first hat-manu-
facturers to take advantage of na-
tional advertising as an economical
method of obtaining a wide distri-
bution of their product. Their use
of a double-centre spread. reproduc-
ing a painting by Edward Pcnfield,
in colors in the Saturday Excning
Post twenty years ago was an un-
heard-of example of enterprise in
the hat trade. Incidentally, 't gave
to C d: K soft hats a. market which
has never been lost. The Holman.
the well-known ptiiiication issued
by the Crofut & Knapp Company. is
in its twenty-third year. l'ntl the
war interrupted its circulation. it
but.
a.
went. by request. to every civilized
country on the globe. as Well as to
every part of the. L‘nitcd Stairs. It
is more than a “1011' house organ,
and has become a recogrizcd trade
paper of value to every dealer who
is interested in raisingthc standard
of the hat business.
20 Years Ago
Some twenty years ago practically
the highest price at which a. hat
could be sold was five dollars. The
introduction of the Knapp-Felt De
Luxe quality, backed by wide ad-
vertising and the vigorous support
of The llatman, broke the five-dol-
lar limit. and made the sale of fine
hats a possibility. It paved the way
for a range of qualities that has no
top limit and blazed the path to
greater prosperity in a business
that had been stifled by inventions.
For many years The Hatman. szngle-
handed. waged war against the
firmly entrenched idea that. when I.
man had bought one hat he was
equipped for every costume and
every occasion. \Vithin the past
year evidences of a gratifying awak-
cning have been seen. and mary in-
fluences are coming to the aid of the
Crofut & Knapp Company in 'ts ef-
fort to widen the activities of the
trade.
In the early days of the J ‘51—. 14
factory, after the Derbies intro-
duced by James II. Knapp had at-
tracted the fancy of the American
public, practically the whole pro-
duct was devoted to stlf’f hats. One
year in particular the whole winter
season was devdcd to the manufac-
ture of pearl fierbies. declmcd by
many to be the most attractive hat
gained forithexu the supremacy
ever produced. in order to make de-
liveries for spring.
There was a. spasmodic remand
for soft hats. but. their popularity
came by tits and starts. inspired by
the introduction of an occasional
style that started the young men to
wearing them. Even in those days
the slavery of the one-hat idea. held
the business in a. tight (map and
when a popular soft‘ hat was having
its vogue the stiff-hat business lan~
gulshed. ' .
Foreseeing the time when soft
hats would become a steady factor
in the trade and to put the, factory
beyond the possibility of slack sea-
sons of inactivity in stiff hats. the
Crofut & Knapp Company prepared
to enter into the manufacture of
soft hats on an extensive scale.
Largely increased facilities were ad-
dad in 1906 by taking over the
property across the street from the
main plant and equipping it as a
soft-hat. department. It is interest.-
ing to note as an indication of the
characteristic courage of C 8: K that
at the time these preparations were
made the sofa-hat business was in
the doldrums and gloomy predic-
tions were made on all sides that
soft hats were dead beyond the hope
of revival.
Advertising
Not only was a large sum of mo-
ney spent in preparations for the
business. but contracts were entered
’into for extensive advertising on a
scale beyond anything ever heard of
in the hat business. The ”max of
this publicity was on August 15
1906, when a double-centre spread
in colors appeared in the Saturday
Evening Post. from s. painting by
Edward Penneld, a streak of audac-
ity that fairly tool: ono's breath
away in those days.
means was employed to bring this
proposed publicity to the attention
most. and. it might be mud here,
there has never been a_:lull day In
the C a. K soft-bat shop since that
time. , '
A'Crofut & Knapp applied t: the
soft-hat busine- the some enter-
prise lathe introduction of new
styles and new methods, lInt had
the?
or
in tbc‘dt-
tempts of a stiff-hat factory to
make soft hats. everybody “'20 re.’
members the conditions that. exis—
ted at that time will admit
C 8.: K raised the standard
soft-hat business. just as in
later days they have put til;-
business on the map.
rf" tilt;
”.llr-se
tllhi .
cap
Within three years the C:o:'ut 6.
Knapp Company. has built up a. tusi—
ness approximating one million (10'-
lars in the.manufacturc. of cloth
hats and caps. Until (1.8.: K «r :crcd y‘
the field, the sale of cans
neglected and disliked feature c.’ lht:
headwear bug'fncss.
was a j .
A cap was sim- ,
ply a cap, and any old thing could
do so long as the price was cheap
Almost. no attention was paid 10 lll':
possibility of style or
C 8: K determined that this munch
of the trade should be brought. up
to the standard established for all
other articles of the wearing app-c.-
-rel of a. gentleman. and the univer—
sal testimony is that they have
raised the cap business to the honor-
able place occupied by othrr head-
wear.
by the introduction of the clamo—
teristic distinction of style and thc‘
nice attention to details that -s rec-
ognized in all of the Crofut d}: Knapp
products.
Dobbs & Co.
.(Dobbs & Co. is a separate corpora-
cha: actor. '
This has been accomplished_
ation. but all of the stock is owned :
by the Crotut & Knapp Co. Lobbs;
d: Co. operate)
The Dobbs shops have
distinction as the leading factors in
achieved 3
the world of fashion in a rcltlarle-: .'
biy short space of time.
Dobbs shop was opened at
The fin“. '
1342.
Fifth Avenue. near 28th Str»: 1, New 3
York City. September 15, lot-l. Al
the expiration of the lease ‘1 re-
moved next door at 244. a muuh
larger and more attractive store.
On May 1, r-1917,_vthe uptown shop
was opened at. 620 Fifth Auml.-,
near 50th Street, where was shortly ' "
added 2 \cht 50th Street. in which
building two floors were occupied
for the display of women's sport
apparel. The joining of the two
buildings fonned a T-silapcd room
with entrances on Fifth Avenue and
on \Vest 50th Street. 119cm1tiy
and 6 West 50th Street have been
acquired. which with the lung ‘LaS' s
.4:
on the whole buildings at 618 and:
620 Fifth Avenue provide ample
quarters for the accommoda'mn of
the remarkable growth or the Dobbs ,
business. “'ithin the past
the second floor at 620 Fifth Ave-
month
one has been handsomely fittrd up
and opened as an entension of the:
facilities of the
ment. The space at the corrmand
[of Dobbs includes 50 feet frontage
Eon Fifth Avenue and
75 feet
women's depart- '
Oil'-
W'est 50th Street. each of the ruild- .
ings being six stories in height.
The problem which almost -nvar-
iably confronts a. growing business
is the acquircment of room tor ex-
pansion. Rents around a success-
ful establishment are usually prom—1
bitive and even if additional space:
can be secured the cost is heart-
breaking. Removal means finest
starting over ain or, at least. scr—
ious interrup _bn of bustncss. Dobbs
8:. Co. are therefore to be congra-
tulated on the foresight rrhich pro-
vided the very large space 11: which
to grow without the slightest em-
barrassment and at an
based on low rentals.
In the upbullding of the robbs
business no sensational mtfhods
Were countenanced. The growth of
the splendid reputation of the house
has been fostered by a sound and
sane policy of ‘offerlng only the best
merchandise in exclusive styles and
with a keen appreciation of the de-
mands of a clientele of the highest
class. {it is appreciated by all who
know that the patronage sought af-
ter by Dobbs & Co. is the most dif-
dealt to secure and a false step at
any point will bring defeat. The
progress of the establishment has
been a steady advance until today
Dobbs & Co. are acknowledged by
disinterested observers to be the
leaders. not Agnly in men's head-
wear, but sport: apparel for wo-
men. Since the inception of the
establishment the policy has teen to
maintain 8. Men’s Shop with Tail-
ored Things for Women.
The pre-eminence of‘ Dobu &
Every possible
ofdealers ahead of time. withltbo i:
result that the increased facilities of - ‘
the factory were tuned to the .W'
expense
CEO. .1.
General 5- -
.H. DeWitt .
:Givanagh, t-Z...’
.Robcrt A. 110':
. idtnt. Irvin;
lVit‘e Pris? it ’
‘Adolph Ii. lit"
i ident. and 1'}.
:tute the Boer} -
Norwalk Chronicler