by Laurel | April 10th, 2013
10 April 1908
Lyman Mills, Holyoke
Addition to the Lyman mills, Another Story to be Put on — But New Five-Story Mill May be Delayed — Ten Per Cent Cut in Wages. — The Lyman Mills will ad another floor to their No. 4 Mill, raising the roof another story. Work was begun on the addition yesterday morning by Contractor Caspar Ranger, who has been awarded to contract for the change. The new room will not be occupied for two months at least and it had not been decided yesterday to what use the floor would be put. The new five-story mill planned for this spring may be delayed owning to the present slackness in the work, although the directors have not as yet definitely decided upon the matter. The tightness in the money market has affected the Lyman Mills in common with all the other mills in the country and the new building may wait for another year For some time the mills have been running but four days in the week and it was found necessary to put a 10 per cent cut in wages in effect the first of the month. Signs are not wanting that the cotton business is already picking up and it is hoped that at an early date the mills may again be running up to their capacity. The new building planned will add about 500 to the pay-rolls of the company and will cost over $100,000 to erect.
Concrete Houses in Vogue — New Method of Construction Likely to be Extensively Adopted soon. — Holyoke is beginning to take up the building of concrete houses and with the present high prices of lumber it is probably that in the future this style of construction will become more common. The grade of gravel needed for use in making the concrete blocks can easily be obtained in the city and already one firm has started in the business of erecting this style of building. There are only one or two of these houses as yet, one on St. Jerome Avenue by W. H. and J. R. Parfitt, and one in Elmwood by W. W. Salter, but it is understood that two cottages of this material will be erected in Oakdale this year by the Parfitts for O. D. Allyn. It is claimed for this style of construction that it is not only as cheap to erect as a wooden building but that the following cost for repairs is much less and that with the modern finishing that the trouble from dampness is obviated. The buildings of concrete now erected in the city have not been standing long enough so that a fair comparison between their cost of maintenance and that of the wooden building can’t be made.
What’s This in Holyoke: Cock Fight Said to Have been Pulled Off Between Local and Greenfield Birds. — It is said that a cocking main was held early yesterday morning at which a large number of Holyoke sports received fat wads of bills from their brethren of Greenfield. The Holyoke bird proved too good for anything raised in Franklin County, and the Greenfield poetry fanciers will procure another setting of eggs and try conclusions some weeks hence.
Five Story Block for Springdale. — Israel Ducharme was awarded the contract yesterday for the erection of the five-story brick block at Main and James streets in Springdale for A. J. Wildner and work will be started on the block at once. The building will contain nine tenements and a store and will cost about $24,000.
Adapted from The Springfield Republican.
