THE JONES STORY (1845 - 1958)
CHAPTER FOUR - E. D. Jones and Sons Company
Photo
at left - Edward Dorr Griffin Jones (circa 1890-1900). Click photo to enlarge.
By 1890, E. D. Jones realized that his sons were showing promise that merited consideration of a different business arrangement. He might have stopped to reflect back over forty-five extremely active years, when he had been a journeyman, millwright, small scale employer of other millwrights, manufacturer, designer of equipment, his own salesman, his own financial expert; in short an astute businessman who had learned mostly by his own wit, energy and natural ability. His opportunity was no different than that available to others, yet others tried but for various reasons failed to generate the same success, or dropped out altogether. What he accomplished was not by himself alone, because most of these first forty-five years lie was in some manner associated in business with others, while at the same time the contracting arrangements made with the paper mills seemed to be his own effort. Even here he was not without loyal support of his crew of men who he had trained and many had been with him for a long time.
|
Photos at left - Equipment display. Click photo to enlarge. |
|
Photos at left - Hand drilling operation. Click photo to enlarge. |
Now in 1890, at the age of sixty-six, he formed a partnership with his sons, Harley and Archie, and the business became known as E. D. JONES AND SONS COMPANY. At the time of this partnership there was a third son, Samuel Ralph Jones, born 1878, who was still in school. Most men with forty-five years of intense activity would want to turn the reins over to others, but not E. D. for in this partnership arrangement he was very much the leader.
Henry dark, who was associated with E. D. Jones since his move to Pittsfield in 1867, had an attractive opportunity to buy the Tanner Shop in East Lee so he sold his interest in William dark to Jones' new partnership. Thus with this move E. D. Jones and Sons had complete ownership of all phases of their machinery manufacture.
Three years later in 1896, the business was incorporated under laws of Massachusetts with E.D.G. Jones as President and Harley E. Jones as Treasurer and Secretary. The business was capitalized at $60,000 with E. D. owning 400 shares and his sons 100 shares each. (Walter Noble initially had 100 shares but after a short time these were purchased by E. D. Jones). This capitalization was very modest by today's standards but the company was organized for growth.
During this period many different types of equipment were built, including items previously mentioned in the local dark advertisement; a full line of mill hardware such as line shafts, couplings, hangars, flat boxes, and special equipment to individual order.
|
Photo at left - "New" machine shop, built in 1894 (depot& McKay Streets) Click photo to enlarge. |
In 1894 a Niles boring and turning mill was ordered. Then it was discovered before its arrival that it was too large to fit in the old William dark machine shop. So the old shop was razed and a new three story building constructed to replace it. The first floor was planned for heavy machine tools, second for office quarters and light machine tools, while the third floor was planned for engineering and storage. This construction was accomplished before the electric motor was fully accepted and hand operated cranes were used. The shop's machinery was driven by means of line shafting, with rope and pulley transmission from one main line shaft to another. Power came from a steam engine located in the building on the west side of McKay Street, transmitted to a main line shaft in a tunnel under McKay Street to the 'new' machine on the east side of that street.
Tragedy struck in September 1896, when Harley E. Jones drowned. He left one daughter, Margaret (some years later married to Stanley P. Benton who later became the company's third President). Edward Archie Jones was made Secretary and Treasurer, this latter position he would retain for the rest of his life. It was E.A. who picked up much of the load of company operation.
Now important changes came on the horizon, electric power became a reality. William Stanley had long since demonstrated the principle of the transformer and possibility of practical transmission over considerable distances. The Stanley plant with backing of Pittsfield capital and far sighted individuals was already in operation. This plant in Pittsfield and the Edison plant in Schenectady were about to merge into the General Electric Company. Electricity was to change the whole concept of powering all kinds of equipment. Up to this time line shafting with its multiplicity of belts, pulleys, and gears was the only method of taking energy from a point of generation and delivering it to a point of use at some distance. Sooner or later, this possibility of delivering energy to a motor over electric conductors was due to change a substantial part of the work done by E. D. Jones and Sons Co. Even in their own shops, power was generated in the "old" plant on west side of McKay Street and delivered to the machine shop on the other side of the street by line shaft mounted in a tunnel running under the street. Take-off of this power was through rope drives to individual machines.
A fundamental decision was reached at the turn of the century: that the JONES organization must move in the direction of becoming a specialist, strengthening certain lines and eliminating others. This change did not occur rapidly; it was a principle in the minds of the two men guiding the company and not a published policy.
Photo
at left - First Majestic Jordan, 1901. Click photo to en large.
Jordan engines were added, the basic patents had long since expired. The machine had met limited acceptance as a supplement to the beater, but it had never been demonstrated that it could do the complete job of fiber preparation.
With extensive use of chemical wood pulp which required less treatment than rags, it became apparent that such a machine was an essential part of Jones" product line. Relationship was established with inventors, such as S. R. Wagg, who had concepts of blading arrangements, which were considered important. One of the early products was called the Wagg Majestic. Later, however, the name Wagg was dropped. Several sizes of these machines were built and in time their names, designating size became well known in the industry.
|
Photo at left - Cast iron mitre gear, hand finishing Young man at right is Walter T. Noble, later superintendent for many years. Click photo to enlarge. |
|
Photo at left - Niles boring & turning mil (circa 1895) (Note: rope drive, right rear). Click photo to enlarge. |
|
Photo at left - Typical papermill beater room (circa 1870- 1890) Click photo to enlarge. |
Originally these machines were belt driven, but shortly after the turn of the century direct electrical motor drives were used. Patents were acquired for moving the motor as the plug was adjusted, and this was before the days of telescopic coupling so this arrangement received immediate enthusiastic acceptance.
E. D. Jones and Sons Co. also made freight elevators in considerable numbers. These were not the sophisticated machines, which are accepted as standard today, but they were provided with many safety devices and in their day served quite well. Many of these continued in use half a century or more after their installation. Some of these found their way to far corners of the world, being part of equipment required to make a multi-floor paper mill complete. The last elevator was built about 1920 for shipment to China.
Photo
at left- Turbine waterwheel , background, Jones shop on Mckay Street. Click
photo to enlarge.
A turbine type waterwheel of C rocker design was another product that Jones and Sons made in considerable numbers. The company catalog of 1899 featured this product line in a number of sizes for both vertical and horizontal mounting, and it gave several pages of data and discussion. In time these wheels became extremely competitive and were subjected to rigid performance testing. As in the case of elevators the business was yielded to those who became specialists.
Photo at left- E. D. Jones & Sons co., catalog, 1899.
Click photo to enlarge.
The first full-time salesman was added in 1902: He was not called salesman; agent was the term used at that time and it was not until some years later that he was dignified with title of Sales Manager. This does not mean that for nearly sixty years, sales effort was neglected. Ouite to the contrary, Edward D. Jones did this job and did it very well. Shortly after joining the firm E. A. Jones frequently doubled in both engineering and sales capacities. Working with customers was one of E.A.'s greatest pleasures and was a role in which he eventually earned a wide reputation. However, time had come when the load was more than both father and son could carry, especially with an ever widening business circle. The demands on an agent then were enough to make their modern contemporaries wince. There was no such thing as a territory; wherever there were paper mills, or the proposal of a mill, there the agent must go. However, anything within range of a day or two travel would be handled by E. A. Jones from the home office, and by now the telephone had come into practical use, especially for short range communication.
Hence the agent packed his bags, boarded a sleeper and was off for a circuit that would keep him away sometimes weeks at a time. A two week sojourn was considered a short trip. Even the return to home base meant long hours spent preparing specifications, answering letters, setting orders in motion and doing many chores that present day salesmen might find completely out of range of their training. The whole supporting office staff at this time could be counted on the fingers of one hand. This "breather" at home was soon over and the cycle was a-gain repeated.
By 1903 demands for additional space stimulated the purchase of H. S.Russell's boiler shop adjacent to the new Jones Machine Shop to the south, on McKay St. This was refitted and equipped and the wall between the shops removed.
Photo
at left - Last handmade papermaking (L. L. Brown Paper Company, Adams, MA) Click
photo to enlarge.