the Rufus Bliss Manufacturing Co.

R. Bliss Mfg. Co. clamp, labeling period 1874-1891.

It's true what they say, apparently, about more to love.

The main reason I post this--- aside from the fact that I find 19th century wood clamps to be nearly perfect objects in terms of function and aesthetics--- is it's size. The thing is enormous, with each jaw-piece at 24-inches and spindles at 27-28 inches. I placed a Stanley #65 block plane, 7 inches in length, alongside for visual perspective.

Each piece of the clamp, in addition to the Bliss stamp on the jaw-ends, is marked with the name "E.J. Hickey". A little research has yet to bring up any relevant information, so if anyone seeing this has anything on an E.J. Hickey contemporary to the clamp--- likely from Rhode Island as this is where it was both manufactured and acquired--- please drop a note.

Farrell Logan & Son Iron Works

Farrell Logan & Son Iron Works, about 1870

Logan Iron Works, "manufacturers of high and low pressure boilers and tanks of all descriptions," was located at 58 Commercial Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, and was operated by Farrell Logan and his son William J. Logan. Very little by way of biographical information is to be found for Farrell Logan, but the 1855 Census for Kings County, Brooklyn, Wards 17-19, lists his age as 27--- placing his year of birth at 1828. The census lists his occupation as 'Boiler Maker.'

Advertisement from Long Island And Where to Go: A Descriptive Work Compiled for the Long Island Railroad Company for the Use and Benefit of Its Patrons, 1877:

Farrell Logan's obituary from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 1879:

"Information of the sudden death of Mr. Farrell Logan at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday last, was received at Greenpoint last evening. Mr. Logan had started to visit a sister resident in the State of Iowa, when within thirty miles of the town where the sister resided, Mr. Logan was compelled by illness to stop at Cedar Rapids where he died. The family of the deceased have been spending the summer at Whitestone, L.I. and were first apprised of the sad event this morning. Mr. Logan conducted an extensive machine and foundry business in Commercial Street, and has been a resident of Greenpoint about thirty years. He had occupied the position of Vice President of the Greenpoint Savings Bank during the past four years. The body will be brought to this city on Thursday by William, eldest son of the deceased."

William J. Logan continued on as head of the Logan Iron Works until 1914, when the Commercial Street plant, and the business, closed. He died in 1920, and the following is in an excerpt from a short bio written up in Transactions, Journal of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers at the time of his death:

"William J. Logan...was born in New York City on April 21, 1853. He was a graduate of Cooper Union and became a member of the bar of the State of New York although he never engaged in active practice.

As a boy he was apprenticed to his father who was engaged in the fabrication of steel...subsequently Mr. Logan began a parter of his father. After the elder Mr. Logan's death, the business was conducted by Mr. William Logan and his brother and was incorporated under the name of the Logan Iron Works.

Mr. Logan was best known for his skill and ability in the fabrication of steel for special purposes--- the construction of tanks, holders, equipment for oil works, sugar houses, bridges, water towers, boilers and gas works. The cutting shields used in underground and tunnel construction, together with air locks and appurtenant mechanical devices, were also features of his work.

Mr. Logan was one of the earliest members of the society, joining the organization in 1880 and holding a life membership."

Finally, a photo of Farrell Logan & Son Iron Works as it now stands. One building is completely gone, leaving an empty lot and nothing for explanation. What is left of 58 Commercial Street is, in any case, reasonably intact--- minus an arched entryway and a fourth, bricked, window:

the American Enameled Brick & Tile Co.

This white enameled brick, manufactured by the American Enameled Brick and Tile Co., was found in Brooklyn, New York, on a street in South Williamsburg. The enameling certainly makes it at least slightly less common as bricks go, and this particular example, due to the location of the find, was likely used as a face brick on a building front- an alternative aesthetic choice to the ubiquitous red brick. Often, enameled bricks actually had a much more practical application- in bathrooms, kitchens, laundries, hospitals, breweries, and abattoirs- anywhere a higher standard of sanitary conditions was required.

This brick is also notable because it is stamped with its year of manufacture- 1924. I've yet to see another American Enameled Brick and Tile Co. brick with any kind of dating, and would be interested to hear from anyone who has seen others.

The American Enameled Brick and Tile Co. was established in 1893 in South River, New Jersey, by Julius Steurberg, his son Herbert Steurberg, and Francis Booraem. With offices in New York City, they were major players in the city's construction- their bricks being used for the wall facings of the newly built subway system, among very many other things.

In June, 1934, the South River plant was destroyed by fire, never to be rebuilt, thus ending the brief history of the company.

Advertisement from The Architectural League of New York Illustrated Catalog of 1897:

Advertisement from Architecture and Building, January 1912:

In this postcard view of the Raritan River Railroad bridge, the buildings of the American Enameled Brick and Tile Co. can be seen to the left of the tracks, c. 1915 (courtesy of South River Historical and Preservation Society):

the first one

Apparently, all things have a beginning, and so begins this blog.

It will be about many things. Old tools especially, but also their makers, as I parade publicly a weakness/obsessive disorder for ferreting out the tiniest details of the lives and work of the names and companies stamped into the tools I acquire. It’s all history after all, the devil in there, fixing these sometimes obscure and forgotten objects to a specific point in time, and to a place. This space should serve then as a repository for my notes--- hopefully of interest or use to someone other than myself.

So, tools.

Anything and everything else that I find to be of interest is fair game, which might serve as fair warning. Hudson River brick makers, old screws, found objects, random history, the high cost of living, demolition sites, empty lots, and my own attempts at making things with wood will likely make regular appearances.

And finally, speaking to regularity, I hope to get to 2-3 posts every week. A semi-regular thing, with any luck. We’ll see how it goes.