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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-07-24, Page 52• • . PAGE11-4141MNMWS-RECOROMMIMAY, MY 24, 1975 45 C 45 -sauthalcle Of Mary Street, °WO Oral4eStreet • 'The Weerwell „ KiOtting FaCtorY (c) Copyright 1875 in 1881, T. Corbett, having successfully OPerated a woollen mill at the north end of William Street (see 69) took .7, poles as partner and built a Ile*, woollen mill On the south. side of Mary Streetetist of Orange. The boiler and engitte4roonr,20 black con- strimtion, was on, the west Of the site. Adjoinins to the east was the miWbtfflthIg10O bY36feet, three storeys high, and of frame construction. The mill 1,4„WaS designed for a capacity of 50,000 yards of cloth a year. It was a fulling millL, thus is, it processed raw woollen cloth to bring up the nap and 'close up the spaces in the weave. The mill was purchased in 1882 by W.D. Grahama cloth manufacturer from Riverdale, who retained Mr. Corbett as manager. It would appear that by 1887 the company was en- countering. financial difficulties for in that year Mr. Graham requested a 87000 loan from the Town. giving an undertaking to employ 30persons. The loan ,was .turned down. Probably because of slack " business. the company had ex- cess boiler capacity, and in 1888 entered into an agreement with the Reliance Electric , Light Company to use the excess for generating electricity. With a source of power established. the Reliance company began to obtails commercial custoniers for electric arc lighting. Lighting heretofore' in the town was by oil .... lampand to a much lesserdegree by acetylene gas generated on the consumer's premises. The Reliance company's interest was apparently in the Sale and _in- stallation of equipment rather then in the operation of the system. The Town became a customer for street lighting by are lamp in August 1888, and the lights game on in December. The woollen mill apparently ceased to be viable, andpwas closed -in 1889, theluilding being leased to tha. Oakes Organ Company. Mr. Graham, however, retained a fifty percent interest in the steam plant which, with the production of electricity and .provision of mechanical power to the Oakes company, had presumably become a paying proposition. "Met:lakes Organ Company had been founded by G.F. Oakes, probably in 1889 or a little before, It seems to have been beset with organizational probleins, for in 1890 Mr. Oakes separated frbm it. and set up on his own at the corner of Princess and Albert Streets (see 52). It is thought that the plant on. Mary Street then became the Clinton Organ. Company. Under this name it burned to the ground in August 1893. The steam plant was not serieusfy damaged in the fire and continued as a generating station. The burnt -over site remained , vacant until 1905 when NILE.' Spalding's knitting factory, prospering in Little England (see 19) required larger quarters. At this point the knitting company was reorganized as the Clinton Knitting Company wbose trade name in hosiery was •Wearwell. The officers of the new company were: Samuel Owen. president; John 'Jenkins, vice-president; W.P. Spalding, managing dire .Ctor; H.S. Combe, secretary treasurer; H.T. Rance and KM. or fine knitted good Combe, directors. Wlth capital stock of $25.000 and a 88000 loan from the Town the company built a new hosiery mill on the burnt - over siteotthe old woollen mill. The advantages of the site were the provisionof electricitY, steam and water from the adjoining power plant, the availability of the Mary Street drain for emp- tying the dye vats, and a central location in the town for a pedestrian labour forcer. The Main bu was on concrete construction, 90 by 45 feet, three storeys higb. and fiat topped. To the rear was a dye house about half the size of the main building., When electricity was supplied to the tow l)y the Hydro Electric Power Commission to 1914, using Niagara power, and the local steam generating station was closed, the knitting factory erected its own steam plant. The old woollen m• ill power plant is thought tohave been torn, down Shortly after it • ceas operations in 1914. The WearWelt factory Prottoered for Many year*. After the $ecood. World War there were several chews in ownership; and about 190 It was closed and was torn down - about 1970. The site has since been levelled and seeded to grass, giving no visible indication of its past. The year is probably 1929. That's Tom Morgan on the left and Tom Churchill ddrd 'from the left. The car looks like one Tom Morgan had at that time. • , SIIIIMIUM111111111111111111111111111111111011111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 MOM IMMIS MM. IMO AMR_ UMW OMNI SIM OMB • NM IMO NMI IMO IMO IMO O W▪ N IMO IMO al IMO MIS 411=111 1011110 NNW MUM .111111110 IMO GUM IMO IMMO OMR SIM IMO M▪ OO N▪ MI 1111111110 IMO 01111. ONOUMW SON 1111110 IWO 1 11111111111 11111111111111111111111M 1000 = aim Imo awe The W. G. Thompson Company is headed by Wes. -end John Thompson who -joined their father's firm in 1950. Mr. W. G. Thompson, their fattier, was raised ons farm near Palmerston and founded the company in 1924 In Blenheim with Jack and -Dave McKillop from whom he Jater purchased their combined interest. Branches were opened at Kent Bridge, Rodney and in 1931 Henson. In 1970 the Mitchell operation was purcha$ed from Schonderwoered Bros. Further expansion of the company was the Wanton plant In 1914. Sitice-1970 the Company has built 1,000,000 bu. storage a Mitchell and Hensel! Branches and have a combined intake Capacity of .150,900 bu. of beans or grain per day. • . Thompsoris has always maintained Its keen interest In reisiving, prOcessing and merchandising white beans. As this industry has grown the latest facilities and processing • equipment has been added. As tirn* went on the firm **ended Its iiitereet in corn, soyabeans, seed grains, ferthizeri and other farm pestkkles. In this the 51st Anniversary Year Managers Tony Bouw, Mitchell and Doug. Mann, Hensall and Staff of W. G. ThomPon &ions are proud to join our community In Its - Centennial Colebratkin. We Congratulate Clinton on 00 Years! 6. THOM PSON & SONS LTD. Imo OMR Mitchell 00..Phoie-348.8433: Henson Ow. Phu. 262-2527 ranuommoniaiimiummmumumaillitiiiimoimimiummiumummummimumumummumiminmusinumummommurid