Hadley Company
Spool-Cotton Manufactory.
This company was organized in 1863. It has a capital stock of $600,000, with but few stockholders, all of whom reside in the eastern part of the State. The company owns about 14 acres of land, on which are the mills and tenements.
The central part of the mill is 80 by 48 feet, four stories high, and a wing on either side, each 200 by 60 feet, three stories high, with an additional east wing 200 by 60 feet, two stories high, to which a tower is attached, 30 by 30 feet. The picker-room is 200 by 48 feet, and the combing-room 96 by 48 feet, each one story high. The dye-house is 160 by 60 feet, and the repair shop 140 by 40 feet, each two stories high, with a stock house 200 by 30 feet, one story high, besides the finishing mill 100 by 40 feet, and the office building. It will thus be seen that there are about four acres of flooring in these buildings, or as much as is contained in a tract of land one and a half times as large as Hampden Park. The company owns six large blocks, containing 53 tenements, where many of its employes find a home.
Work was begun on the stone foundations of what are known as the cottages, Feb. 4, 1848. April 4, 1848, the first stone was laid in the foundations of the office building, and April 15th of the same year the foundation of the blocks was begun. The first brick was laid in the office building April 18th, and in the blocks May 16, 1848. May 11th of the same year the "Cataract House" was opened as a hotel. Work was begun on the picker- and combing-room Oct. 26, 1848, and November 7th, following, a ball was given in the office building. It was not till Sept. 13, 1849, that the first brick was laid in the mill proper. The brick-work of the mill and tenements was all done under the direction of Charles McClellan, of Chicopee.
The mills were built by the Hadley Falls Company, and used for a machine-shop until the company began to use it.
In 1859, the Holyoke Water-Power Company having succeeded to the rights of the Hadley Falls Company in 1857, sold the property to John C. Whitin, who was sole director of the work as long as it was used as a shop. Much of the machinery now used in the mill, and that formerly used in the Hampden Mills, including the turbine-wheels and conduit-pipes of iron was made in this old shop, some of it after the shop became the property of the Hadley company. The pipes, fixtures, and apparatus of the gas-works, with the gasometer and castings were also made here.
Its power is furnished by water from the Connecticut River, which turns two large water wheels of the Boyden patent, equal to 500 horse-power and using eight mills power.
Mr. J.S. Davis, the long-time agent of the Lyman Mills, had been instrumental in the formation of the company, and on its organization, or in April, 1863, he was appointed agent for the company, with Wm. Grover, then master-mechanic of the Lyman Mills as superintendent. Work was begun at once toward putting in machinery for the manufacture of spool cotton, and Mr. Grover went to Europe in the interests of the new company. Mr. Davis having resigned the agency, Mr. Grover was appointed in his stead in May, 1867.
The officers of the company now are George W. Lyman, President; Arthur T. Lyman, Treasurer; J.N. Morrill, Clerk; Wm. Grover, Agent and Superintendent; C.L. Farrington, Paymaster. The position of paymaster has been held by C.H. Heywood, George A. Heywood, F.S. Davis, L.D. Thayer, and C.L. Farrington. Mr. Farrington, the present paymaster, has held the position since 1869. William Widdowson, assistant paymaster, was appointed in 1872.
Though this is known as a thread-mill, only about one-third of its product is made into thread. The remaining two-thirds are sold either for yarn, twine, or warp. The company has quite an extensive trade in seine twines, and often in the twisting rooms are found 40 or 50 kinds and numbers of twine and yarn at one time. The entire annual product is 727,315 pounds of yarn. Some of the finest is sold to the woolen manufacturers, and is worked into the woolen so as to make the silk-mixed goods which have been so popular in market.
Very much of the cotton used is the Egyptian cotton, which is shipped directly to the company from England. American cotton is used to some extent, and this comes from Texas and Mississippi, the "Peeler" cotton forming a large portion of the American cotton used.
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