Fall Rivers' Industries

C . Borden, 1896-1900. A. B. Sanford was succeeded
as treasurer in 1896 by Edward B .
Jennings, who served until the plant entered
the New England Cotton Yarn Company i n
1899. Charles R. Danielson is superintendent
of this plant and also of the Sanfor d
Spinning .
The Sanford Spinning Company, which i s
now also a part of the New England Cotto n
Yarn Company, was started in 1891 throug h
the efforts of Arnold B. Sanford and Arthu r
H. Mason, who became president and treasurer,
respectively, to meet a growing demand
for colored and fancy yarns. Th e
capital was $400,000, increased in 1893 t o
$500,000. The first mill was of three stories,
374x100, with a dye house 150x68, 2½ storie s
high. The plant now has 37,364 mule spin-
dles, employs 700 hands, and has a weekl y
production of 120,000 pounds . Mr. Sanfor d
was president from 1891-97 ; Frank S. Ste -
vens, 1897-98, and Charles B . Cook from 189 8
till the corporation was merged in the Yar n
Company in 1899. Arthur H. Mason was
treasurer during the entire period.
The Parker mills were incorporated i n
May, 1895, largely through the efforts of Set h
A. Borden Leontine Lincoln and James E .
Osborn, of this city, and William H . Parker,
of Lowell, and a mill three stories in height ,
397½x148 feet wide, erected. The capita l
stock when incorporated was $450,000, bu t
was increased October 18, 1895, to $500,000 .
The plant contained originally 998 looms an d
45,704 spindles. Later the looms were in -
creased to 1,088 and the spindles to 48,968 ,
which is the present equipment. The mill is
equipped for weaving goods of the fines t
yarns. In May, 1899 the capital was increased
to $800,000, and a mill built in Warren,
R. I. The present capacity of that mill i s
41,294 spindles and 1,382 looms .
William H. Parker, of Lowell, was the firs t
president, and on his death, in 1898, Hon .
Leontine Lincoln was elected to this offic e
and has acted as president ever since. Seth
A . Borden has been treasurer of the corpo -
ration since its organization. The directors
are George E. Parker, Stephen A. Jenks ,
Fred W. Easton, Leontine Lincoln, Jame s
E. Osborn, John D. Flint, George C. Silsbury
and Seth A . Borden .
The Arkwright mills were incorporated in
1897 for the manufacture of fine cotto n
goods, with a capital of $450,000, and erecte d
a four-story stone mill 395x127 feet ; Joseph
A. Bowen, the first president, and John P .
Bodge, the treasurer, are still in office . The
HISTORY OF FALL RIVER 87
corporation has 60,368 frame spindles an d
1,403 looms, of which 1,043 are more tha n
32 inches in width. It employs 500 hands
and has a weekly production of from 5,00 0
to 7,000 pieces, depending on kind of good s
being made. The directors are Joseph A .
Bowen, Leontine Lincoln, Thomas D .
Covel, William H. Jennings, Chauncey H .
Sears, James M . Morton, Jr ., D. H. Cornell ;
Spencer Borden, Jr., John P . Bodge. Superintendent,
C . C. Pierson .
Durfee Mills.-A charter of incorporation
under the name of Durfee Mills, wa s
granted Bradford M . C. Durfee, David A .
Brayton and John S . Brayton, of Fall River ,
Mass., on February 15, 1866 . The mills wer e
named in memory of Bradford Durfee, whos e
son Bradford M . C. Durfee was the larges t
stockholder in the corporation. Eleve n
acres of land on the south side of Pleasan t
street and the west side of Eight Rod Way .
now Plymouth avenue, were selected as th e
site upon which to erect the mills . The first
mill, 376x72 feet, with five stories an d
pitched roof, was erected of granite an d
equipped with the best machinery .
On January 1, 1867, the engines wer e
first started, in March, the first cloth was
made, and in November of that year the mil l
was in full operation. In 1871 Durfee Mil l
No. 2, a duplicate of mill No . 1, was built an d
equipped, thus doubling the production of
print cloths of this corporation . In 1880 the
plant was further enlarged by the erection
of mill No. 3, 127x44 feet.
During 1884 and 1885 two stories were
added to the ell of No. 2 mill. The mill was
revamped, new boilers were installed, new
engines replaced the geared engines, warp
frame spinning was introduced to take th e
place of mules : and the mill was generally
toned up. A new cotton house, 264x93 feet ,
was completed in 1887, and the No. 2 weav e
shed was built in 1893 .
Extensive repairs and alterations wer e
made in No. 1 mill during 1894 . New engines,
boilers, picking, carding and fram e
spinning for warp and weft were installed at
a large outlay and the mill was greatly im -
proved. A building containing the clot h
room and repair shop was erected in 1895 .
In 1904 new engines were installed to assist
the others in No . 2 mill; new picking
machinery, carding and spinning frame s
were added. There are 137,488 frame spindles
and 3,514 looms in the plant .
The Durfee mills are equipped to mak e
wide, medium and narrow cloths of dif-