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THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. |
397 |
The proper making of tackle-blocks, so that they shall be strong, durable, and
adapted to their uses, is a department of work in which skilful Bay-State workmen
have achieved unusual success. The chief establishment in this line in America
is the Boston and Lockport Block Company, whose factories are at East Boston
(Mass.) and Lockport (N. Y.). Here is made the vast majority of all the tackle-blocks
used in this country. Many of these are covered by special patents. The self-adjusting
five-roller bushed tackle-blocks, for durability and for ease of hoisting excel
everything in this line, and received a gold medal from the Massachusetts Charitable
Mechanic Association, in 1890. The Batts Patent Differential Hoist, by means
of which one man can hoist full capacity even up to ten thousand pounds, is
probably the simplest and most durable hoist in the market, and is used by bridge-builders,
machine-shops, and others. This, too, was awarded a gold-medal by the Mechanic
Association. Their Metaline Bushed Block is self-lubricating, and was the first
of its kind ever introduced to the public (by this firm, in 1876). The tackle-blocks
made by this company are sold over a wide territory, not only throughout this
country, but many foreign countries. Their uses are unlimited for all hoisting purposes. The Boston & Lockport Company was incorporated in 1887, with
a paid-in capital of $300,000, and was a consolidation of the Bagnall &
Loud Block Company of Boston (established in 1840) and the Penfield Block Co.,
of Lockport (N. Y.). The success of this establishment has been due mainly to
its superior quality of goods, with thoroughly trustworthy workmanship. The
five-pointed star, which is the patented trade-mark, is always indicative of
the best grades.
Massachusetts holds the supremacy in brush making; and the most complete brush-factory
in the world is that of John L. Whiting & Son, in Boston. It is near the
site of old Fort Hill, and is a large handsome brick building, with an acre
and a half of floor space, especially erected by this firm in 1884, for its
own business, which has been a marked success from its founding in 1864. The
notable features of this business are the number and variety of new machines
and original processes introduced by the Whitings, and the large corps of skilled
brush-makers employed, ensuring an excellent uniformity of product, and a vast
output, besides an absolute reduction in the prices of staple brushes. There
are 500 men engaged in these works; and the product includes an immense variety
of brushes for painters, varnishers, and white-washers, besides finer articles
for artists, and many for household use. The Whiting products are sent to all
parts of the Union, and also to various foreign countries, wherever brushes
are used.
Asbestos is a mineral of many uses. It is indestructible by any degree of
heat or any ordinary acids; hence, for fire-proofing and non-conducting it is
invaluable. It is a species of rock, usually found in connection with serpentine,
but it possesses fibres and textures as delicate as silk. Until the discovery
of mines at Thetford, in Canada, and their successful working by modern machinery
by the Asbestos Packing Company of Boston, the chief supply came from the mountains
in Italy. While there is found an abundance of poor grades, the Canadian mines
are the main source of the best qualities. Early in this century asbestos
CAPTIONS:
EAST BOSTON: BOSTON & LOCKPORT BLOCK CO.
BOSTON: JOHN L. WHITING & SON.
BOSTON: ASBESTOS PACKING CO.
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