Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/199

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COLUMBIA AXD MONTOUR COUNTIES

steam-heated, were erected alongside the freight car shops. 'Fhe passenger car finish­ ing, equipment, painting and varnishing shops, in r a n two stories, arc I, 0 I 0 by 130 feet. The several dcpanmcnts of the works are connected hy standard railroad tracks, which with tracks fo r storage measure more than thirty miles, on which are operated four loco­ motives, two locomotive cranes and two hun­ dred railroad cars owned by the plant for the inter-transfer o f materials. Up-to-<latc stor­ age battery electric engines are also in service at special points about the works. In 1907, when railroad buying in the United States reached its maximum, the Berw ick plant w as employing 5.500 men and produced its greatest output. In November o f that year, with twenty-five working days, a total o f 2,550 cars w as built, an average o f 10 2 fo r each working day, made up o f all steel passenger cars, all steel freight cars and steel underfram cs with wood superstructures. T h is is equivalent to four average freight trains per day. During the process o f continued develop­ ment to this writing in 19 14 many changes have occurred in the plants. When a fire de­ stroyed the grey iron foundry at the upper works a new and modem foundry took its >lace, located at the extreme north of the ower works. An iron machine shop 300 by 90 feet w as erected and in it grouped machin­ ery before scattered throughout other build­ ings. A nut factory fully equipped with novel machinery, operated electrically, w as erected fo r the production o f nuts used in the many plants of the company, cast and west, supplyin g a b o outside trade. ^ c plant o f to-day covers eighty-two acres o f land, has modem shops, equipped with ma­ chinery o f highest efficiency, is the largest sin­ gle plant of the fourteen owned by the A m eri­ can C ar and Foundry Company, the only one producing both passenger and freight cars, and embraces within itself more varied depart­ ments than any other. It has a capacity of two finished passenger cars d aily; sixty all steel coal cars o f fifty tons’ load, or their equiv­ alent in the varied cars o f other d c s i ™; 600 wheels fo r freight c a r s; 300 wheels fo r mine c a r s; 200 tons o f bar iro n; 50 tons o f flanged pipe; too tons o f grey iron castings, forgings, nuts and kindred products. T he plant has never known an absolute shut down, the di­ versity o f products, in the dullest times, keep­ ing a comfortable percentage o f workmen em­ ployed. “ S afe ty F irst” is to-day a watchword on the lips o f all superintendents and foremen.

F ifty thousands o f dollars have been expend­ ed in the last two years to safeguard ma­ chinery and prevent accidents to workmen, and the end of the expenditure is not yet. The management hopes to attain the h i ^ point where the works are “ fool p roof" in their npcration, so that even the careless may not be in danger. Temperance in Columbia county has its strongest advocate and support in these works. .Men given to the drink habit are excluded and the so-called moderate drinker finds he must change his plan o f life or look elsewhere fo r employment. Among the employees are many “ Old Tim ers”— the list is too long to he given in detail in this article. T he local management and shop oig;anization is made up of young men, com paratively speaking, and a very unusual fact is that the leaders arc either native Berwickians or have been connected with the plant all of their busi­ ness careers. A few of the names, with the positions into which they have grown through the years, are appended: W illiam F . I-ow ty, d istrk i m anager; C . G . Crispin, assistant district m anager; W illiam S . Johnson,general superintendent; Frank Fau st, superintendent car departm ent: I. H. Cattcrall, su])crin(endent rolling m ills; John A. K cpner, superintendent wood shops; L. E. H ess, super­ intendent steel car departm ent; J. Frank Lon g, local auditor; W. J. H arris, supply agent. T h e Am erican C a r and F o u n d ry Com pany The American C a r and Foundry Company w as incorporated Feb. 20, 1899. in N ew J e r ­ sey, fo r the purpose o f m anufacturing ra il­ w ay cars and supplies, pipe and lumber. T h e company manufactures cars o f all types, classes and construction; also cast iron w ater pipe, car wheels, merchant bar iron, pig iron, castings, fo ip n g s, interior woodwork, c a r floats, repair rarts and various other articles and supplies o f a miscellaneous character. T h e follow ing plants have been acquired from time to time, those marked with an asterisk being acquired at the time o f incorporation: Blooni.shui^ C ar M fg. C o.. .Bloom sburg. P a. •B u ffa lo C ar M fg. Co...............Buffalo, N. Y. Common Sense Bolster C o ... . .Chicago, 111. •E n sign M fg. C o .................Huntington. W. V a. Indianapolis C ar C o Indianapolis. Ind. Jackson & Sharpe C o ... . .W ilmington. D e l •Jackson & Woodin M fg. C o. .. .B erw ick, P a. “ M ichigan-Peninsular Co..........Detroit, Mich. •M issouri C ar & Foundry C o ...S t. Louis. M o. •M u rray, Dougal & C o....................Milton, P a.

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