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| I ------------ _-- A tl PORT PERRY STAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE -- Tuesday, September 20, 1988 -- 7 Early records indicate that the original foundry constructed on the Perry Street site was built about 1857 and was known as the Port Perry Foundry. Reference is made to the foundry in the De- cember 13,1866 issue of the Port Perry Standard which says; a large foundry and agricultural imple- ment manufactory on the north side of Perry Street, occupying about one acre of ground and compris- ing of two 30x60 builidings, and engine house and blacksmith shop are all nearly completed. The foun- dry is owned by a Mr. Gibson, who was reported to be a first-class workman. In approximatley November 1867 the foundry was purchased by Joseph Bigelow and Thos. Pax- ton, and was operated as Paxton, Tate & Co. in the manufacture of agricultural implements and mill ma- chinery, employing between 30 and 50 hands. Madison Williams took over ownership of the Paxton, Tate & Co. foundery located on Perry Street, Port Perry in 1897 and built it into a thriving business. Chief outputs of the foundry were quick cutting sawing machines and turbine water wheels. The foundry site saw many changes during this period, and at one time was chosen to become a great gas-engine factory - "The Weber Gas Engine Company." But the company went no further than building a large concrete foundation. In 1910 the old foundery was torn down after 40 years of opera- tion, but the Weber foundation still exists today on the property owned by Star publisher P. Hvidsten. After the Weber Gas Engine Company the property was sold to Mr. James Stonehouse who operated a creamery and then later it was operated by Mr. Allan Goode. In April 1918 Mr. Goode com- menced business as the Port Perry Creamery in a fine new building with up-to-date equipment. For a time, the buildings which had housed the creamery became the home of the Raymore Manu- facturing Company. This concern made electric heaters, but eventually went the way of the other factory attempts. The property was later sold to Mr. Murrell Goode who operated his bottling works there until July 1933 when a fire destroyed the entire Port Perry Bottling Works. Mr. Goode's home next to the buildings was saved. A new building was cont- History of the site of the Williams Foundry structed following the fire and the plant was operat- ed until January 1975 by Mr. Goode before being sold to Hobb's Beverages, who operated the bot- tling works until July 1977 when they ceased busi- ness. In 1984, the old bottling plant was torn down and the property sold to Peter and Nancy Hvidsten, who built a replica Victorian home on the old factory Story about the Madison Williams Foundr in Port Perry told by Joseph Bigelow in 1902 The foundry and machine business conducted by Mr. Williams is the largest employer of labor in Port Per- , and is the most valuable indust the town possesses. Indeed the citi- zens have good reason to be proud of this foundry, since its product is of very great value in the industrial world. One has only to have the privi- lege of going through the works, as the writer had recently, to be im- pressed with the importance of the manufacturing processes carried on there. This industry has been long esta- blished, dating back for 40 years. Previous to its passing into the hands of its present owner, it was for many ears carried on by Messrs. Paxton, Fait & Co., who sold to Mr. Williams in 1897. } Since Mr. Williams acquired the ownership the industry has been kept on the hum, and to-day it is known by its product from one ocean to the oth- er. The buildings and yards occupied by the works are on Perry Street and cover an area of some six acres alto- ether. The business office is entered on Perry Street, and immediately 0 ening off it is the machine shop - a place of much activity and great in- terest. Ponderous and many are the machines required to do the work, and here skilful and trained me- chanics guide the costly machines in their operations, and by them is pro- duced work requiring great strength and the utmost accuracy. In this shop may be found a large new planer costing $3,000. 'besides several smaller machines for a similar pur- ose; two boring mills, fires § four athes, shaper, gear cutter, shapin lathe, ww. 3 drill, radial drill steel saw, bolt cutter, etc. Immense in weight and gigantic in strength are these inventions for lightening and quickening and cheapening the manufacture of iron and steel into finished machine. Upstairs over the machine shop is the woodworking shop, where all the necessary machinery for that pur- pose may be seen at work. In the foundry a staff of moulders were seen preparing the moulds for casting - a process which takes place every second day. The sand for the moulds is obtained from Hamilton. Very large castings, weighing many hundreds of pounds, are made in this foundry, and besides all the castings required for their own use, the firm casts large pieces for out- side trade. The pattern room is a decidely inter- esting place, and many thousands of dollars are locked up in the hun- dreds, if not thousands of patterns that are stored away or kept for fre- quent use. There seem to be patterns of almost every conceivable size and shape, and were these to be lost or de- stroyed a grievous delay and loss would be occasioned in the maufac- ture of the product of the works. The blacksmith shop, storehouse for machines in course of construction, lumber sheds, all parts of the works were visited. The engine which fur- nishes the power to the plant is of 30 h.p. capacity. It also drives a con- densing plant, and from the boiler used heat is appled to all parts of the works. An electric light plant has been installed, and Mr. Williams manufactures his own light, which is available therefore, at any hour of the day or night, and this makes the work quite independent of the town's lighting plant. But readers may be more inter- ested in the output of the plant than the plant itself. Mr. Williams manufactures turbine water wheels and saw mill machinery, and the saw mill shown in engrav- ing has a capacity of 50,000 feet per day, and is a splendid machine. An- other most useful machine is the tie or log siding machine, which will cut over 3,000 ties in ten hours. There has long been wanted a machine which would slab opposite sides of a log at one operation, and do it rapidly and perfectly. This machine is pro- vided with two circular saws, and will slab both sides of logs from 4 1/2 to 20 inches in diameter and 30 inch- es in thickness. The Lane automatic shingle and heading machine, the Doherty shin- le and heading machine, the Cana- a Favorite, the Lockport shingle and heading machine, the improved lathe mill, the improved bolter, dou- ble edger, gang slab slasher, lumber trimmer, are made by Mr. Wil- liams, in fact every best variety of saw mill machinery is the product of this industry. The special attach- ments such as dogs, beams, set works, rope feed, guage rolls, etc., are of the latest devices for best ser- vice. The turbine machinery made by Mr. Williams is claimed to be the best on the market, and is made to suit all needs and with every desira- ble style of connections. The cata- logues suppled to enquirers by Mr. Williams give ample information as to the product of the works, and 'will give to intending purchasers much valuable information about the operations of both water wheels and saw mill machinery. Mr. Williams is the sole owner of this splendid industry, and is mak- ing a great success of it. Mr. Wil- liams is a native of Port Perry, and was engaged for years in conducting a liquor store before purchasing the foundry and machine works. He has had experience in the town council, having been on the Board for two years. He owns a good home on John Street. Mr. Williams through his product makes the name of Port Per- ry known from one end of the land to the other, for he finds a market for his machines all over the Dominion. May his industry long continue. to flourish. FROM PAGE 6 PORT PERRY STAR CHANGES HANDS After publishing the Star for 13 years, Per Hvidsten decided to re- tire and sold the company to his son Peter in January 1976. At the time of his retirement, he had seen the newspaper flourish from a circulation of 1,200 to an all-time high of 4,000 subscribers. For the next eight years, Mr. Hvidsten worked part-time in pro- duction of the Star, until he passed away on May 27, 1985 after a short illness. The Star continues to flourish in 1988 as a successful community newspaper, serving Port Perry and the Township of Scugog. -- i -- liars cam I ' » § 3 1]