Buffalo Express pictorial, 1891, article and partial transcription.pdf

Buffalo Express pictorial, 1891, article and partial transcription.pdf

### Summary of Topics in the Document

1. **Tonawanda Island Lumber District**:
- Described as a premier location for lumber storage and distribution.
- Advantages of its compact arrangement and easy accessibility for buyers.

2. **W. H. Sawyer Lumber Company**:
- Detailed history and growth of the company.
- Emphasis on their specialization in high-quality white pine and significant annual lumber handling.

3. **State Bank**:
- Role in supporting local commercial and manufacturing activities.
- Overview of the bank's growth and key personnel.

4. **Lumber Exchange Bank**:
- Its importance to the local economy.
- Expansion and relocation to a new building to accommodate growing business needs.

5. **George F. Rand, Banker**:
- George F. Rand’s contributions to banking in North Tonawanda.
- Description of his new banking office and its facilities.

6. **Jackson Lumber Company**:
- Recognition as the largest producer of pine timber in the state.
- Description of their advanced facilities and operations.

7. **Tonawanda Lumber Company**:
- Historical background and current operations.
- Details on their significant annual output and involvement in pine lands.

8. **Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company**:
- Revival and modernization of the Niagara River Furnace in Ironton.
- Plans for becoming a leading single-stack plant in the country.

9. **General Industrial Growth**:
- Overview of the rapid industrial and commercial growth in North Tonawanda.
- Developments in infrastructure, including electric power plants and water works.

10. **J. S. Bliss & Co.**:
- One of the oldest firms in North Tonawanda.
- Their significant role in the shingle and round pine timber market.
- Description of their operations and facilities.

### J. S. Bliss & Co.
- **History and Operations**: The firm began manufacturing shingles in 1876 and has grown significantly since. They handle large quantities of round pine timber, masts, spars, piles, and sawmill timber.
- **Production Capacity**: Their mill can produce 850,000 shingles a day, with a record of 56,000,000 in a single season.
- **Notable Achievements**: They own the powerful tug Samson for towing logs and have a highly efficient shingle mill on Tonawanda Creek.

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### VIEW OF TONAWANDA ISLAND

Tonawanda will prepare the reader for an account of the principal firms that are engaged in and contributing to this enormous volume of business. Opposite the village lies Tonawanda Island, the channel between which and the mainland forms Tonawanda harbor. The Island furnishes one of the finest tracts of land that nature could have provided for the pursuit of Tonawanda's chief industry. It is here that the reader is asked first to make a tour of inspection.

### Tonawanda Island

The Tonawanda Island Lumber District, which is shown in our largest illustration, is rapidly becoming famous as the *ne plus ultra* of all lumber plants. Being an island docked and navigable all around, it allows a compactness in the arrangement of the yards, which on any mainland would be impossible. Visiting buyers appreciate this feature of the district. They are able to get quickly into the midst of 100,000,000 feet of lumber without the usual long tramp to accomplish the same result, in a five-minute walk from North Tonawanda railroad station, they find lumber in front of them, lumber behind them, lumber on each side of them. In every direction millions of white pine are in sight, bright and clean, the gangways all planked, and an air of perfect neatness and cleanliness everywhere.

This property, when nothing but forest, fruit farms, and swamps, was purchased of our deceased townsman, William Wilkeson, by James R. Smith and Theodore S. Fassett with its development into a lumber district solely in view. This meant a very large operation for industrial development, requiring a heavy outlay of money to put the island into any shape for business also of $1,000,000, Mr. Lewis A. Hall becoming a director in the company, with a large holding of the stock. Railroad switch tracks ran into every yard, and while these tracks are owned by the N.Y.C. & H.R.R.R., all other roads have equal privileges on the Island by the provisions of the Bridge Charter.

The Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Co. are now building a $40,000 plant near the north end, to furnish power for an electric street railroad. These facilities, with a telephone service and telegraph office, leave but little to be desired. The docked frontage on the property is now nearly two miles in length. The Tonawanda City Water Works, located on the west side of the island, are fully described elsewhere.

The discouragements met by Messrs. Smith & Fassett in reaching the present grand development of the property are said to have been many and great, but the work is done, and the hurry and bustle of wheeling lumber from every direction, into planing mills or direct into cars, gives no outward evidence that but one year ago orchard and forest and swamp would have seen the sight where now three mammoth planing mills are throwing off their smoke high in air, and millions of lumber loom up in regular piles over 100 acres of level well-drained ground.

Great is North Tonawanda as a distributing market. Like our own Queen City, she reaches back over the Great Lakes for her supply, even to the farthest northwestern point of Lake Superior, landing the lumber in her immense yards from the huge steamships and barges at a low rate of freight, with which the railroads never can compete from the same manufacturing points. Then stretching out for her trade over the vast network of railroads running into every city and hamlet of any importance in the East and South, she finds markets commensurate with her great and growing volume of business.

### W. H. Sawyer Lumber Company

The yards, office, and mill of the W. H. Sawyer Lumber Company occupy the southern end of Tonawanda Island, where they have a most thoroughly equipped lumber plant.

Mr. W. H. Sawyer, the president, was a New Hampshire boy, who started a very small retail business in Worcester, Mass., about 22 years ago. The venture proved successful and increased year by year till he is now doing the largest retail lumber business in New England.

The plant at North Tonawanda was started about ten years ago as a feeder to Worcester, but soon became a regular competitor in the wholesale trade. Eight years ago Mr. A. C. Tuxbury became associated with Mr. Sawyer as agent and local manager, and during the four years of supervision by Mr. Tuxbury the business was nearly quadrupled. In January 1887, the W. H. Sawyer Lumber Co. was formed, with W. H. Sawyer, president; A. C. Tuxbury, treasurer; and C. E. Redfern, secretary. Mr. Redfern came from the well-known firm, the Skillings, Whitneys, Barnes Lumber Co., of Boston, with whom he had served for more than 20 years.

The company handled about 40 million feet of lumber last year, their sales aggregating nearly $1,000,000. The yard and mill accommodations at North Tonawanda proved too small for the rapidly increasing business, and the past spring the company moved its plant to its present location on the Island, where they have expended about $140,000. They have added shingle machinery and are now making fancy stock shingles.

This company makes a specialty of handling wide, choice, white pine, made from selected logs, and has ample facilities. They have placed on the lakes a fleet of vessels bearing the names of each of the officers of the company. They have a carrying capacity of 2,500,000 feet.

### The State Bank

Good banking facilities are a necessity to a commercial and manufacturing center like North Tonawanda. That thriving place is well provided with fiduciary institutions, which are as solid and prosperous as the community in which they are located. The State Bank was organized in May 1888, and has had an honorable and prosperous career. With a capital, surplus, and profits of $165,000, and a large line of deposits, it has been able to meet the wants of its customers, and to grow with the increase of the lumber and forwarding business. Mr. J. H. DeGraff, the president of the State Bank, has been identified with the business interests of North Tonawanda for many years. Mr. Benjamin L. Rand, the cashier, commands the confidence and esteem of a wide circle. The other officers are Christopf Schwinger, vice president, and Henry P. Smith, teller. The directors are H. DeGraff, C. Schwinger, T. S. Fassett, E. Smith, A. A. Bellinger, Robert L. Fryer, and Benjamin L. Rand. The banking office is in a handsome four-story brick block, which is an ornament to the town.

### The Lumber Exchange Bank

Another of the strong financial institutions of North Tonawanda is the Lumber Exchange Bank. It is composed of some of the wealthiest and most prosperous business men, and its liberal policy and careful management have won for it the confidence of the community and the prosperity which is the just reward of probity and ability. The capital of this bank was largely increased last year and now amounts to $200,000. The business was formerly done in a building on Webster Street, but the bank's new quarters are in the handsome building at the corner of Webster and Goundry streets, built by George F. Rand, one of the finest and best-arranged offices in Western New York. A view of the new bank building accompanies this sketch. It is conveniently located, and its accommodations are ample for the increasing business of the Lumber Exchange Bank for some time to come. The officers of the bank are: James S. Thompson, president; Joshua S. Bliss, vice-president; James H. Rand, cashier; William McLaren, assistant cashier. The board of directors consists of Joshua S. Bliss, George P. Smith, E. B. Simeon, P. S. Humphrey, J. S. Thompson, John W. Robinson, A. C. Tuxbury, Franklin Batt, and James H. Rand.

### George F. Rand, Banker

The name of George F. Rand is largely associated with the fiduciary institutions of North Tonawanda. Mr. George F. Rand, who now conducts a private banking business, was formerly assistant cashier of the State Bank for about five years. He resigned that office to engage in his present business. He opened his office on May 12, 1890, in his fine new building, which is situated near the center of the town, not far from the lumber districts, and is ably assisted by Mr. A. J. Fielden, formerly with the First National Bank of Brockport for several years. Mr. Rand conducts a banking business in all its branches. His new building contains two elegant fireproof vaults, one of which he uses for his own purposes, the other being employed by the Lumber Exchange Bank, which occupies the same building. The illustration already referred to well shows the substantial character of the edifice. Mr. Rand's office is handsomely fitted up in natural wood, the screens and desks being of quartered oak with beveled plate-glass windows. The private office contains an old-fashioned fireplace, with gas logs, handsome oak mantel, etc. The entire office is lighted with electricity and heated with steam, the walls and ceilings being handsomely frescoed. Not only Mr. Rand's office but the entire building is a credit to North Tonawanda.

### The Jackson Lumber Company

The Jackson Lumber Company of Lockport and North Tonawanda are the largest producers of pine timber in this State. They have a large mill at Lockport, but the one at Tonawanda, a view of which is given, is said by those who have experience and knowledge to be by far one of the handsomest and most complete sawmills in this country. Every labor-saving device known to the sawmill builder of

today is in this mill. The yearly capacity of the Tonawanda mill alone, on a ten-hour basis, is fully 15,000,000 feet, board measure, while if the mill is run 24 hours, as may be necessary, its capacity would be, of course, something over 35,000,000 feet. This firm has been sawing special bills, such as bridge timber, car, dock, ship, warehouse, and trestle timber for the past 40 years, and are the best and most favorably known timber firm in this State. The president, the Hon. James Jackson, Jr., has for many years been prominently identified with the lumber industry and politically in Western New York, while A. H. Ivins, vice-president, and J. Carl Jackson, secretary and treasurer of the company, though younger, are also men of thorough business capacity and have done much to make the Jackson Lumber Company what it is. One of the officers of the company states that its business has never been so large and prosperous as it is now. The secret of its success is promptness and shipment of only what the company knows will give satisfaction to the consumer. Its Tonawanda mill is well worth a visit. The evident pride with which everything is explained to the inexperienced visitor is fully justified by what may be seen there. With a single band saw this company is making 45,000 feet, board measure, of square timber every ten hours. It is fascinating to see the way this mill eats up round logs or to watch the machinery plane a stick 18 by 20 inches and 80 feet long on all four sides at once. With such facilities, and actuated by a determination to give quid pro quo, it is not strange that the Jackson Lumber Company has secured the enviable position it now occupies.

### Tonawanda Lumber Company

About 30 years ago the firm of H. P. Smith & Sons began doing business in Tonawanda and Michigan, bringing large quantities of long timber and lumber from the Wolverine State to the Tonawanda market. Out of this old and widely known firm has grown the Tonawanda Lumber Company, whose plant is among the largest at North Tonawanda. The officers of the company are George P. Smith, president, and Lewis Coon, secretary. Under this form, the company began doing business at North Tonawanda, in May 1885, under the name of the New-York Lumber & Wood-working Company, which was afterwards changed to the Tonawanda Lumber Company, its present title. The annual output is about 25,000,000 feet. The company is largely interested in Michigan and Canadian pine lands and ample shipping facilities. Mr. J. H. Kessler superintends the shipments.

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### THE NIAGARA RIVER FURNACE, IRONTON
**TONAWANDA IRON AND STEEL CO. LESSEES**

North of the village and owned by Buffalo capitalists, had remained idle for about 14 years, when several gentlemen, who had been engaged in similar business elsewhere, looking the ground over, believed that the market which in former years was inadequate in this region had at last grown up with the development of other industries. They formed a stock company, called the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Co., and leased the Niagara furnace. The fires were lighted nearly a year ago, amid much rejoicing on the part of North Tonawandians, and the product of the furnace found a ready and sufficient market. So prosperous has this business been during the brief time the new company has operated it, that improvement and partial rebuilding have become necessary. A large sum is being expended this summer in this manner. The furnace itself is to be replaced by an entirely new one 76 feet in height, flanked by three hot-blast stoves 70 feet high and 18 feet in diameter, with a chimney stack of 150 feet. Additional buildings are being erected and new machinery added. The management state that when finished next October it will be the finest and best equipped single-stack plant in the country. The citizens of North Tonawanda naturally consider the starting up of this long-neglected enterprise an important factor in the town's prosperity, and its influence is already seen in the rapidity with which that section is building up. It is also an important addition to the railroad and vessel interests of that section, handling each year in raw material received and pig iron shipped away over 800,000 tons, or about 890 tons per day. The company makes a strong, neutral, coke iron from Lake Superior ores and markets their product through Rogers, Brown, & Co., who have an office in Buffalo, distributing the pig iron principally through New York and Canada. The view of the works given herewith represents the plant as it was before the extensive alterations were begun, the latter not being sufficiently advanced to indicate the future appearance of the completed work. The enterprise of the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company adds much to the stability and prosperity of the region.

1891