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In 1816 Carver, Washburn & Company, a partnership, began making gins at Bridgewater, Massachusetts. These gins were practically made in a blacksmith's shop and only a few produced per year. They were the first made in New England. This operation continued until 1852, at which time the plant was destroyed by fire. This company was succeeded by Bates, Hyde & Company, who in 1852 began making gins on a large scale, mostly for export. They manufactured small hand gins. Being near Boston, the facilities of the harbor made exporting an easy matter. In 1857 S. P. Gates, after leaving school, entered the employ of Bates, Hyde & Company as assistant to Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde died in 1877 and Mr. Gates became Treasurer of the company, at the same time purchasing Mr. Hyde's stock. The company was then reorganized as the Eagle Cotton Gin Company. F. A. Gammons, who operated a box factory which burned in 1876, became connected with the Eagle Cotton Gin Company, taking charge of the manufacturing. He came South each year to obtain agency outlets for the Company. The Company enjoyed a good export business consisting of hand gins. Their machinery was unusually well finished, the wood being of maple finished in a natural color and attracting much attention. In addition to their export trade, the Company developed a large trade in the South on single gins, feeders and condensers. The machinery was shipped largely by water to Savannah, New Orleans, Galveston, and their export was principally to Brazil. After the development of the System Outfit in 1886, they, like others, were forced to give consideration to discontinuing the manufacture of gins alone or producing the complete outfit. The complete outfit required the manufacture of cotton elevators, lint flues and double box presses. This they elected to do. At the time the Eagle Cotton Gin Company was acquired by Continental Gin Company in 1899, a great portion of Eagle's business was in Texas. In the early days of the Company, the employees were given rum upon the arrival of a son or daughter, or even a new calf or colt. When the Company discontinued this practice, the men voted a strike. The Eagle Cotton Gin Company has the record of the first strike in the industry. Information from The Story Of The Continental Gin Company 1900-1952 by Algernon L. Smith Vice Chairman of the Board Edited by James F. Sulzby, Jr. Printed by The Birmingham Publishing Company Copyright 1952 Continental Gin Company
Below: Eagle History Information in a letter from Samual Gates to Mr A. L. Smith 1910 Nov. 4, 1910 Mr. A. L. Smith, Sales Manager Continental Gin Company, Birmingham, Alabama HISTORY OF THE BRIDGEWATER (EAGLE) COTTON GIN COMPANY - 1833 to Dec. 1st, 1899 Dear Sir:- Your favor of October 28th is received. The Eagle Cotton Gin was first manufactured by Bates, Hyde & Co. of Bridgewater, Mass., a co-partnership of nine members, which was organized and commenced business in 1833. The partners were George W. Bates, Samuel Ward Bates, Joseph A. Hyde, Waldo Ames, Ephriam H. Sprague, Asa Copeland, Edwin Keith, Philo Keith, and Asa P. Keith. The last four men had worked in the cotton gin factory of Carver, Washburn & Company, which was established in Bridgewater about 1816, and we think was the first cotton gin factory in the Northern States. The partners were all, excepting Mr. Ames, young men from about 25 to 35 years of age, with little money but good abilities, ambition and courage, and with the knowledge gained from Carver, Washburn & Co., believed they could manufacture gins and carry on a successful business. The Bateses (G. W. and S. W) were well to do farmers, and furnished some capital. Mr. Waldo Ames had been a good foundryman and also furnished some capital, but never worked much with the company. He was an uncle of Mr. Hyde. The Bateses were Mr. Hyde's cousins, and the three Keiths were brothers of Mr. Hyde's wife, Mr. Joseph A. Hyde was a man of ability and education and had had some business and office experience in Boston and he was the office and business man and Treasurer of the company until his death in 1877. Mr. Asa Copeland was an able and ingenious man and good mechanic and was the first foreman of the factory but was soon succeeded by Cap. Edwin Keith who filled the position well until his death in 1860. Mr. Copeland had charge of the machine shop many years and invented several improvements in the gin. He went South several times for the Company; his judgment was much relied upon. Mr. Philo Keith had charge of the b1aclcsmithing and later of the saw making until his death in 1876. Mr. Asa P. Keith was in the wood working department and at one time went South for the company. Mr. Sprague set saws and grates and went South for the company. Messrs. Nathan H. Dunphe, Henry Perkins, Lloyd Parsons, C. D. Copeland, Lorenzo Copeland, Edwin H. Keith, Sumner Keith, Samuel P. Gates and a few others Joined the company during the years from about 1840 to 1871. Mr. Dunphe traveled South for the company about 25 years and was very successful in getting orders. Mr. Parsons also went South several years and had general charge of the traveling men (5 or 6) and the collections, etc, and later, say from 1864 to 1877 he attended to the New York export trade, a part of the time spending three days each week there . Mr. Henry Perkins had a foundry on our premises for many years previous to building his new one on the opposite side of the railroad, about 1865 and furnished the company with its castings. His sons continue the business and furnish us castings at the present time. Upon the death of Capt. Edwin Keith in 1860 his son, Sumner Keith, was appointed foreman of the factory and he was succeeded by his brother, Edwin H. Keith in 1872 who continued until 1882. Asa Copeland ,Philo Keith and Henry Perkins were directors of the company a large part of the time. .Mr. Gates entered the office of the company after leaving school in 1857 and became Mr. Hyde's assistant and after Mr. Hyde's death, and succeeded him as Treasurer of the company. Mr. Hyde died Sept. 23, 1877 and the company was incorporated under the laws of Mass. October 23, 1877. Mr. Lloyd Parsons was chosen President and Samuel P. Gates, Clerk and Treasurer, and Edgar Parker and wife Frances A. Parker (Mr Hyde's daughter), Henry Perkins, and Sumner Keith, Directors. After serving one year as President, Mr. Parsons was succeeded by Henry Perkins until the company sold out to the Continental Gin Company December 1st, 1899. Mr. Gates continued as Clerk and Treasurer from the organization of the Eagle Cotton Gin Co. until bought by the Continental Gin Company. . Mr. S. Lorin Keith has been a valuable man in the in office of the company as bookkeeper, paymaster, etc, since 1864 and Mr. H. W. Bragdon since 1883, and Mr. H. M. Dunphe since 1896 and they are all now in the Bridgewater office of the Continental Gin Company. The first shop in 1833 was situated near the center of the village and was purchased from Mr. E. H. Sprague and Mr. Albert Fobes, who had used it as a wheelwright shop. A small steam engine was used; the first engine in town and perhaps in the county. The railroad from Boston reached Bridgewater in 1846 on its way to Fall River and in 1848 Bates, Hyde & Company moved their business to the preset location on the Railroad having built a larger factory there and moved their first shop near it for the storehouse, etc. The factory was destroyed by fire April 1st, 1850 and the use of the old factory of Carver, Washburn & Co. who had practically given up business, was offered by that company to Bates, Hyde & Co. to make up the gins for which they had orders and this favor was gratefully accepted. In the Autumn of 1850 the factory was rebuilt on the same location and with the extensive additions made in 1865 and 1866, etc, is the factory now used by the Continental Gin Co. Mr. Hyde had relatives and acquaintances and relatives in Boston engaged, in shipping and he early took advantage of all opportunities to send sample gins (mostly hand gins) to foreign countries, where cotton was grown and probably his efforts in that direction advertised the Eagle gin well and helped materially in giving us such a large export trade. The high price of cotton during the war 1861-1865 and for several years afterward caused a great foreign demand for gins and we were unable to fill all our orders although we enlarged our factory extensively in 1865 and again in 1866. In March 1866 we shipped on orders 654 gins mostly hand gins but some power gins. Mr. F. C. Gammons entered the employ of the company in July 1876 and very soon after the loss by fire of his and his partners' wooden box factory. He went South for the company first in 1878 and in 1881 he was appointed agent for the company and had charge of the factory until its purchase by the Continental Gin Company. He did much hard work in making such changes in the gins as the new requirements demanded and in building elevators, presses, etc, so that the Eagle outfit had a high reputation and was in good demand when the Continental Gin Company purchased the business. He took one or more trips South each year to attend to Sales, collections etc, He was made Vice President in 1898. Mr. Joseph E. Carver (son of Eleazer Carver) was in our employ much of the time from about 1878 to 1890 and rendered valuable service in improving our machinery. He also went South for us once or twice. He had been connected with his father in the manufacture of gins and had carried on the business on his own account for several years. He had been South many times and his experience was very useful to us. Mr. George L. Rollins, Eugene Whiting and C. S. Atwood all of whom were valuable men in our factory, went South for us several times during the years from 1885 to 1899, to erect outfits, etc. Although Bates, Hyde & Company was a co-partnership, each partner' had a certain number of shares, and we think there were thirty shares in all and that the par value of the original shares was $1000.00, which would make the original capital $30,000.00. On the death of Mr. Ames, the company bought his stock (2 shares) and sunk it, leaving 28 shares, afterwards increased (doubled) to 56 shares, to enable some of the owners to divide thier interest with their sons. etc. The amount of the capital stock was not changed by these transactions. About 1866 these shares would probably have sold for say $4000.00 each, making the capital or net assets of the company at that time about $240,000.00. About 1852 Mr. Hyde bought the two Bates' interests which gave him practically control of the company. After Mr.Hyde's death, Mr. Gates bought (in 1887) the interest formerly owned by Mr. Hyde of his heirs, thus acquiring the control of the company. When the Company was incorporated in 1877, as the, Eagle Cotton Gin Co., each of the shares of Bates, Hyde &; Co. was represented by ten shares of Eagle Cotton Gin Company, thus making the captial of the Eagle Cotton Gin Co. $56,000.00 which was never changed, although the assets of the company increased until the time of going into the Continental Gin Company for $131,496.02. Commencing in 1833, as stated, the business was small for many years; about fifty gins a year was not an uncommon production. Of course, there was but little machinery in those days and most of the work had to be done by hand. The company had the usual trials in commencing business those days, of scarcity of money, sometimes friction amongst the partners; arranging for and moving to present location, 1848, to get on the Railroad and the fire in 1850; law suits about 1852, for infringement of Carvers patents, etc. But after about that time the volume of business increased to a good amount and by 1860 the company was prosperous and happy. Previous to the advent of the Railroad the gins were carted to Boston by the farmers of the town on ox teams and shipped on sai1ing vessels to New Orleans, Mobile, Galveston Etc. and then shipped up the rivers to the plantations. We had a good trade with the large planters on the Mississippi, Red, Ouachita, Tennnssee, Yazoo, Arkansas and other rivers especially in the rich country around Natchez and Vicksburg. In addition to our traveling men, our agents in New Orleans, Natchez, Vicksburg, Memphis, Yazoo City, et, c, did a good business for us. Mr. William L. Cushing was our agent in New Orleans for 40 years from 1855 to 1895 when he died. Mr. E. B. Baker was a very valuable agent at Natchez, Miss., and sold many gins between 1850 and 1870 to the wealthy planters in that region. William McCutcheon & Co., did a good business for us in Vicksburg, Miss. Harrison & Wyatt in Yazoo City, Harris, Wormley & Company in Memphis, Tenn., and Rogers & Pope. in Mobile, Alabama.Of course in 1861 but little business was done. In 1862 the export trade commenced to increase and continued to grow until 1866 which was our best year. We had however a good foreign trade until about 1872 when the price of cotton having become low, our trade fell off and business was dull for several years. During all this time we had rather neglected the Southern market which had been less profitable to us. Mr. Hyde's health was declining and the company was not very active until sometime after his death in 1877. About 1880 greater efforts were put forth for the Southern business gradually increased until at the time of going into the Continental Gin Company we were doing a business of between $200,000.00 and $300,000.00 a year. Continental Gin Company S.P. Gates |
