John Whitehead and Co. Syke-street, Preston
Our Local Industries. No. 18.
OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.
MESSRS. JOHN. WHITEHEAD AND CO. BRICK, TILE, AND SANITARY PIPES MACHINERY WORKS, SYKE-SREET.
(No. 18.)
This business was founded about the beginning of the present century, by the late Robert Parke, Esq, Lord of the Manor of Withnell, and was acquired from him by the late Mr. John Whitehead, with whom the present proprietor, Mr. R. C. Robinson, was for some time associated. Until the year 1872 the castings were made at the foundry, in Syke-street, and for the most part fitted up in Glover's-court, but at that time the machinery was transferred to Syke-street, and the whole of the operations have since, then been, carried on there in the Albert Works, under one roof, and additional plant of modern construction laid down. A great part of the machines made in those works have been sent abroad and there is hardly any country in the world where they are not now in operation. It will he observed that it was in the year 1849, at the York Meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, when the firm of John Whitehead and Co. was awarded its first prize, that meeting being also noteworthy from its being the first occasion on which the society put into operation that very useful instrument, the Dynamometer, which indicates the amount of power exerted by any machine to which it is applied. It was this test which tended mainly to place the Preston machines in the first position, it being discovered that the power required to drive them was much less than was needed to propel any other of the competing machines made in those works have been sent abroad and there is hardly any country in the world where they are not now in operation. It will he observed that it was in the year 1849, at the York Meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, when the firm of John Whitehead and Co. was awarded its first prize, that meeting being also noteworthy from its being the first occasion on which the society put into operation that very useful instrument, the Dynamometer, which indicates the amount of power exerted by any machine to which it is applied. It was this test which tended mainly to place the Preston machines in the first position, it being discovered that the power required to drive them was much less than was needed to propel any other of the competing machines.
The firm have no reason to complain of the patronage for we find it has done, and is still doing, work for Her Most Gracious Majesty, the Queen, the French Government, the King of Holland, the Italian Government, His Highness Mustapha Bey, the Republic of Bolivia, the Bavarian, Dutch, Ottoman Russian, and New Zealand Governments, as well as the Crown Agents for the Colonies and the major portion of the great land owners of Great Britain. In fact it would be difficult to say for whom the firm have not worked. In every case it is satisfactory to note that the excellence of the machines supplied has been invariably maintained and in no single instance has failure resulted from the working of the machinery. This is attributable to two causes, first, the perfect workmanship and, secondly, the pure quality of the iron and steel used. While on this subject we may incidentally allude, in a brief manner, to the verdicts passed by all countries upon the firm's machines. These are, summarily speaking, celebrated for their great strength, the excellence of the materials used, the simplicity of the parts, the high class workmanship, the small motive power required to drive them, the remarkable efficiency in actual working, and their great durability.
The works, as most of our readers are aware, have been in existence for a very long period of time during which several successive patents have been brought out, and the the demand for the machines, we are happy to state, is on the increase. To meet the demand thus made new and powerful machinery has been introduced into the various departments enabling the firm to execute the most argent orders satisfactorily. The staff of workmen employed is pre-eminently adequate for all emergencies, and no hesitation in consequence ever arises in the execution of the most pressing demands. The firm have largely exhibited in different parts of the world's international exhibitions, carrying off the first prises of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, at York, 1848; Norwich, 1849; Gloucester, 1853; Carlisle, 1855; Chelmsford, 1856; Waik, 1859; Belfast, 1862; Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1864; Leicester, 1868; Oxford, 1870; in addition to Paris International Agricultural Exhibition, 1856; Paris Universal Exhibition, 1867; Paris Universal Exhibition, 1878; Amsterdam, Royal Agricultural Society of Germany, 1857; Rotterdam, International Exhibition, 1858; Lille, International Exhibition, 1863; Capetown, South Africa, International Exhibition, 1877; and a variety of others. In all, as far as England is concerned, the firm have been awarded eleven of the Royal Agricultural Society's First Prizes, including the Silver Medal for Superior Excellence, thus maintaining a supremacy for thirty-seven years. In the matter of motive power the machinery is constructed with an earnest aim at the saving of power, whether hand, animal, or steam. The works are situated in Syke-street, occupying an extensive area of ground, and present a substantial and well finished appearance. The chief offices are well built, and, architecturally, are handsome and attractive exteriorly, while the interior is replete with every convenience common to such necessary departments. The draughtsmen's room is well lighted and adapted to the manipulation of the delicate and intricate mechanical drawings in constant use. The timekeeper's office, with which is combined the jobbing order department, is cosy, convenient, and well fitted. Before taking the shops in order we may briefly glance at the general yard, where we find #atacke# of pig iron and #henps# of the best machinery scrap icon, tiers of moulding boxes, a convenient coke shed, opposite which are two very large cupolas blown by powerful fans, for smelting purposes, sand shed and sand mixing pan-quite a novelty in iron works for the moulders' work, and driven by steam power. Adjacent is the dressing department, where the asperities of the castings are deftly removed, previous to sending the machines out. The firm, as may be readily imagined, turn out a great quantity of castings consequent upon the large orders regularly coming in. Leaving the yard we ascend to the pattern shop, where the workmen are busily employed in making patterns of fanciful description to the eye of the uninitiated, but, fanciful as it may seem, all have a very practical destiny before them. There are the usual series of of saws, common and fret or band saws, and other appliances usual in pattern making shops. It is astonishing how patterns accumulate in ironworks. Each year sees the accumulation increasing, and in these works every available spot is crammed with them. Above the pattern shop is a long and broad room filled with these indispensable articles and two large houses, adjoining the works, are utilised for the same purpose, and yet the cry is still for more room. In close proximity we have the joiners shop and the special room devoted to the manufacture of those parts of the brick machines which divide and cut the bricks in their clayey or plastic state. The moulding shop is a very spacious building, the walls being garnished with a multitude of patterns, which crop up wherever you look. Overhead is a travelling crane capable of lifting heavy weights. The arrangements for running the liquid metal from the cupolas are excellent, and the moulding department is so arranged that all the heavy castings take place in the immediate vicinity of the furnaces. At the end of the moulding shop is a large stove, the entrance to which is through large folding iron doors. This is utilized for drying the loam, and dry sand moulds previous to use for castings such as steam cylinders. By this means all the steam is extracted from the sand before the moulding is commenced. The plate and bench moulding shop is near to the foundry. Here all the lighter kinds of moulding are done. There are some elegant and very ornamental patterns hung about this shop used for tomb railings for cemeteries. The work turned out is chaste in pattern and artistic. We are now in the very thick of the fray as it were, in other words, in the midst of the many busy shops of the firm.
The shaping machine house, as it is called, contains two powerful shaping machines made by Oldham and Richards, the celebrated engineers, of Manchester. A few yards off, we find ourselves in No. 1 turning shop, which is long, lofty, and well lighted. Here may be seen the planing, shaping, and slotting operations to perfection. The machines are splendid ones, and on one side of the shop are ranged a fine collection of lathes for boring, turning, &c. Contiguous to this is No. 2 turning shop, where the heavy boring and turning is done. While there we saw some very heavy work in hand, manipulated with considerable skill and dexterity-a large pug shaft in particular, we noticed being turned for a huge brick machine, capable of turning out 20,000 bricks a day of 10 hours. The home of the sons of Vulcan yclept the black-smith's shop presents a most animated scene. Skill and dexterity, quickness of movement, manipulation of clever tools are most noticeable. The fires are many, blown by fans, and above each fire is a light crane enabling the smiths to handle heavy work with greater ease. The music of the anvils is at times dominated by the hoarse bass of the mighty steam hammer, and everything about the place is alive and bustling, indicative of the success which invariably attends the efforts of the brawny and swarthy denizens of these darksome regions. The steam hammer is principally used for punching the large shafts and holes, welding up, etc.
Here are made the collar shafts, and pug shafts, for the large brick machines. We noticed, too, a special lathe for cutting screws from the finest pitch up to six inches pitch. In the upper rooms, and not far from the pattern department, are the heavy and light fitting shops, which communicate with the lower or basement shops by means of a powerful hoist. Here are put together the seemingly complicated machines, but which in reality form one harmonious whole. One of the machines that was being fitted up while we were there was a large sanitary one for pipes, driven by a steam cylinder 36 inches diameter, and four feet stroke. To this is attached Robinson's patent dies for making socket heads for the pipes. The whole of the work is driven by a powerful engine and boiler, admirably adapted for the requirements of the works.
Among the machines made by this eminent firm are clay crushing mills and rollers, portable horizontal pug mills, vertical pug mills for steam power, brick-making machines of different sizes and power, clay wagons, brick-pressing machines, the architectural press, special rooting-tile press, the Ajax screening press, pipe and tile machines, improved pipe die and carrier off, horizontal pipe socketting machine, sanitary pipe making machine-much needed in Preston-the combination pug mill with tile machine, the potters wheel, and chain pumps. In these machines, clay is rendered thoroughly fit for use. In the mixing pan with pug mill, the clay is thoroughly mixed and incorporated in the pan, and then pugged in the mill to the desired consistency. The arms which revolve in the pan are slotted, so that the mixing knives may be moved along them, and set at any required distance from each other. The machine is most efficient in its operations, and of indispensable use in large undertakings. The first prize brick-making machines are of two classes-No. 1 pugging the clay, and making the brick;
No. 2 has four processes, viz., hoisting the clay, crushing it, pugging it, and making the brick. The latter is a splendid piece of mechanism, and is capable of turning out 25,000 bricks a day. The bricks are well pressed and made, and when made possess a very fine skin all over. The limits of space preclude us giving anything like a description of the valuable mechanical appliances produced by this firm, We can only incidentally allude to them, and those requiring detailed particulars would do well to write to the firm for their handsome illustrated explanatory catalogue. The machinery for making titles is very elaborate and artistic. These tiles are used for ventilation as well as used as an ornament and it struck us as we inspected the specimens in the show room that we are tending to a revival of the beautiful in house building about which the aesthetes so much rave now-a-days. Mr. Buskin's soul would be delighted with some of the tiles we saw and which were for a Prince's palace in Italy. So much does he esteem them that each tile is stamped with his name and address. In the important matter of sanitary pipes, the machines of this firm are a positive boom to the public. The perfection and quickness with which they can be made by machinery leaves no excuse for the sanitary authorities of large centres of population. These authorities, however, are so wedded to antiquated modes of manufacture that is almost useless to hope that their criminal inertness will move to the impetus of modern improvements. Comfortably housed in well drained buildings they seem insensible to the requirements of their poorer fellow beings who are popularly supposed to flourish in the midst of exhalation sufficient to poison and destroy the strongest frames. There is really no excuse whatever for deficient drainage in towns and suburban localities when sanitary pipes for the purpose are available at the lowest possible remunerative prices and capable of being produced in any quantity at the shortest notice. Sanitary pipes are an important factor in any system of sanitation, and the hitherto constantly made excuse of their immense cost attending the introduction of sanitary piping of large dimensions can no longer be made. The works are quite unique in the character of their manufactures and exemplify the axiom, that persistence in the manufacture of a few articles of undoubted excellence and workmanship, of public use, and in constant public demand, ensure in the long run a substantial and permanent success.
OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.
Date: Saturday, November 8, 1884
Publication: Preston Chronicle
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