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Wason Manufacturing Company.
| Firmenname | Wason Manufacturing Company. |
| Ortssitz | Springfield (Mass.) |
| Art des Unternehmens | Wagenfabrik |
| Anmerkungen | - |
| Quellenangaben | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 334] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 1846 |
Anmietung eines Grundstück und Erstellung einer Werkstatt für den Bau von Güter- und Gepäckwagen. |
| 1847 |
Eintragung der "Springfield Car and Engine Co." mit einem Kapital von $100.000 |
| 1848 |
Die "Springfield Car and Engine Co." veräußern ihr Vermögen an "T. W. & C. Wason" |
| 1851 |
Thos. W. Wason wird Alleineigentümer durch Übernahme des Anteils seines Bruders. |
| 1851 |
Kauf einer Gießerei zur Herstellung von Wagenrädern |
| 1853 |
Thos. W. Wason veräußert die Hälfte seines Anteils an der Wagenfabrik an eine andere Person, welche die Firma "T. W. Wason & Co." errichtet. |
| 1862 |
Umwandlung von "T. W. Wason & Co." in "Wason Manufacturing Company" und Eintragung mit Thomas W. Wason, Präsident, George C. Fisk, Finanzleiter, Henry S. Hyde, Angestellter und L. 0. Hanson, Betriebsleiter. |
| Bezeichnung |
Bauzeit |
Hersteller |
| Dampfmaschine |
um 1868 |
Thurston, Gardner & Co. |
| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | The construction of Cars is comparatively a new department of manufactures in the United States, but in consequence of the vast and rapid extension of railroads it has become one of considerable magnitude. It is a singular fact that nearly all the companies that have been organized with a large capital for the prosecution of this business have not been successful, and those whose manufactories are now the largest, commenced with scarcely any capital except their individual enterprise and experience. About, twenty years ago, Thomas W. and Charles Wason commenced, on the banks of the Connecticut River, preparing lumber for Railroad Bridges, and did a small business in repairing and,building Gravel and Freight Cars. In 1846 they advanced a step forward by leasing a lot of ground on which they erected a shop for making Freight and Baggage Cars, procuring the wheels and most of their castings from a neighboring foundry. In 1848 the "Springfield Car and Engine Co.", which had been organized in the year preceding with a capital of $100.000, for the building of Cars and Engines, and had erected extensive buildings for the purpose and filled them with machinery, finding that the business could not be economically conducted under their existing organization, determined to dispose of their stock and tools in the Car department, and Messrs. T. W. & C. Wason became the purchasers. In 1851 Mr. Thos. W. Wason became sole proprietor of the works by-the purchase of his brother's interest, and in the latter part of the same year purchased a foundry for making Car Wheels and other castings. In 1853 he disposed of one-half his interest in the Car Manufactory to another person, which established the firm of T. W. Wason & Co., who continued business as a firm until 1862, when the "Wason Manufacturing Company" was organized, and incorporated with Thomas W. Wason, President, George C. Fisk, Treasurer, Henry S. Hyde, Clerk, and L. 0. Hanson, Superintendent. This Company is now largely engaged in the manufacture of every variety of Passenger, Emigrant, Baggage, Freight, Hand, and Horse Cars, and recently purchased the extensive property formerly owned by the "Springfield Car and Engine Company", the original cost of which with the buildings and machinery was over 120.000. The buildings, eligibly situated near the passenger depot at Springfield, are most substantially constructed, and cover nearly four acres of ground. They comprise a two-story brick building 270 feet long and 70 feet wide, occupied upon the lower floor by the offices, the engine-room (containing a 90-horse power engine, built by Thurston, Gardner & Co. of Providence, R.I., fitted with the "Corliss" cut-off), the machine shop, 80 by 70 feet, and the passenger and freight car-body and truck building departments; upon the upper floor by the cabinet room, where the seats, sash, doors, blinds, and inside work of passenger and street-cars are made, and by the street car-building department. The blacksmith shop is of brick, 180 feet long and 44 feet wide, and contains 30 fires. There are also a brick planing mill 70 by 44 feet, a brick dry-house, and 3 large wooden paint shops (in the second story of one of which is the upholstery department), having accommodations for painting 10 passenger cars, 16 freight cars, and 6 street cars at one time. The foundry, where all the car wheels and castings used by the Company are made, adjoins the Car Works, and occupies a brick building 112 by 70 feet. This branch of the business is still owned separate and apart from the car works. The machinery in the Car Works is of the most complete nature, no expense having been spared in the construction. Nothing is left to be done by hand that can by any possibility be accomplished by machinery, and a high degree of excellence in the products is thus necessarily attained. Cars from this establishment have been sent to Egypt, China, Brazil, Venezuela, and to all parts of the United States and Canadas. A large portion of the rolling stock upon the Pacific slope bears their trademark. Improvements are constantly being made in all classes of Cars, especially passenger and street cars, of which this company have turned out large numbers that for beauty of finish and thorough workmanship cannot be surpassed. The first Sleeping-Car ever built in this country came from these works; and since then addition after addition has been made to their conveniences, until now there seems no room for further improvement. About 300 men are now employed in these works, who receive monthly from ten to twelve thousand dollars. All the different departments are presided over by competent and experienced foremen, under the general superintendence of L. O. Hanson, a member of the late firm of T. W. Wason & Co. The Company use in their business about 1.000 tons of cast-iron, 450 tons bar-iron, 30.000 pounds of brass and composition castings, 450 tons of coal, and a million feet of lumber annually. The aggregate business, including car repairing, amounts to over 500.000 per year. The foundry, purchased in 1851 for the manufacture of car wheels, is now owned by Mr. T. W. Wason, S. W. Ladd, and G. W. Lawrence, trading under the name and firm of Wason, Ladd & Co, They manufacture exclusively Car Wheels, both single and double plated, and Railway Castings, furnishing the same not only to the Car Works but to a number of the leading New England railroad companies. Constant employment is afforded to 25 men, and upwards of 2000 tons of the best quality charcoal pig-iron are used annually. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 334] |
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