Our Manufacturers, Hemingray is busier than ever

Our Manufacturers

Last evening a Times reporter encountered a number of our most prominent manufacturers from whom he gleaned a few interesting facts.

At Ball Brothers, Harry L. Streeter informed us that they were now running both the Glass works and Tin stamping factory and in both employment is furnished to over two hundred hands. At the Stamping works, which is a new factory built of brick, two stories high and over one hundred feet in length by forty in width, about seventy-five persons are busy making tin jackets for oil cans and tops for fruit jars. After a while other tinware will be made. At the glass works one hundred and twenty-five person find daily employment. Some of the employes are off with la grippe.

At Over’s Window glass works everything is being pushed to keep up with the orders and the employes, which number over ninety, can not complain of not having enough work. A number of them are laid up at home with la grippe.

The Maring-Hart (Boyceton) Window glass house like Over’s is kept bustling to keep pace with their orders, the only drawback being that a number of the 125 employes have la grippe. The accommodating bookkeeper, Mr. Clint Millikan, was found at his desk wearing his usual pleasant smile and willing to assist the needy, especially a poor newspaper reporter.

At the Pulp mill everything is at a stand still so far as the movement of the vast machinery is concerned. The addition of new machines will greatly enlarge the capacity of the works, and all will be in place and ready to start up in a few days. About twenty of the eighty men employed are in the grip of la grippe.

At the Nail Works Mr. A. E. Lyman, the gentlemanly clerk, says that their 200 employes are turning out from 2,000 to 2,500 kegs of nails per week which are shipped to all parts of the country. In addition from 40 to 50 tons of muck iron and a car load of cinders are shipped out daily. The muck iron goes to manufacturers at Pittsburg, Cleveland and other cities, where it is made up into sheet iron and other useful material. The cinders are used in making pig iron that comes back to the factory to be made up into nails. La grippe has a slight hold among the employes.

At the Muncie Casket Works about twenty-five hands are manufacturing caskets, which are shipped to all parts of the country, and are of the finest make. While engaged in conversation with Mr. Whitney, the general manager, he was interrupted by an order from Union City for one of the finest white caskets to be filled at once. The hands employed in the Casket Factory are compelled to put in extra time, and from present indications the factory will ere long cover acres of ground with its buildings and material.

At the Hemingray Glass Works all hands were too busy to engage in conversation but while Ralph Hemingray was lighting a fresh cigarette we learned that they never had done as much business as they are now doing and everything was working satisfactorily. The number of employes at the factory is 110, over a dozen of whom are laid up with the very popular la grippe. The proprietors claim that their elegant new office is grippe proof as there has been no case in that department as yet.

At the Bagging mill Mr. J. V. Doniphan, the superintendent, was at his post in a happy mood. His 225 employes are making lots of goods in a most satisfactory manner to the investors of the [dolle:$200,000] employed in that large institution. Still he was not jubilant at the large number of his employes who are sick with la grippe, although he recognizes that they’re in style.

At the Muncie Shoe and Leather Company’s elegant factory some fifty employes are busily engaged turning out hundreds of pairs of ladies and misses fine shoes on the fine machinery. The shoes go through a dozen different hands in their manufacture, requiring some very skilled workmen. The stock room of the factory is filled with the best obtainable stock, work thousands of dollars. The company is filling orders from all parts of the country. Mr. Hageman, the President, took the scribe through every department, even to the cellar full of water, a relic of the late flood.

At the Muncie Flint glass works nearly one hundred employes are making bottles and fine ware, and like the other factories, are kept quite busy to kept up with orders.

A Boyce & Meeks’ Handle works everything is in a flourishing condition with thirty hands employed.

At the Adams chilled plow works at Westside their business is slack on account of the season, but a number of employes are engaged preparing stock to be in readiness for the opening of the spring season.

The Chamberlain pump works at Westside is another of our enterprising manufactories that gives employment to a number of hands who are busy in their new quarters.

At the Bending works nearly one hundred men are as usual kept working day and night to keep up with the large demand for their goods.

At the Indiana Bridge works A. L. Johnson & Co.’s hardwood lumber mill, Muncie skewer factory, and many other smaller factories and mills everything is pushed to keep pace with the demands of customers.