Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Some very neat windmill history. Thanks for posting.

sure have learned a lot about these mills in the last week makes me more optimistic about Jim getting one.

I'm trying my best to find him one.

Patience....good things take time sometimes.

Dang ... I haven't checked in here in a week and I find a new 6 page thread!! What a great read!!!!

Thanks for posting the very cool history!

I am going to revive this thread because I got something to add and it belongs here. First of all, from what I understand there were two distinct models of his windmill, one, the more common, was almost an exact Eclipse model copy, the one in NM could very well be one of them, who knows, a family may have owned it in Ohio and taken it west with them, seen that before. The other model was the one as in the colored photos we saw earlier, a very attractive and more sophisticated mill and probably the model seen on the estates in the East. He also made a power mill but I don't have much on it. The one thing I would like to know and maybe someone can help me, what color were they? Did they follow the Eclipse Green? Were the Eclipse copies and the fancy ones the same color? I have not seen anything to say one way or the other? There is a catalog in the Smithsonian's card catalog but I have no idea how to access it or what it would cost?

I have been sending a lot of letters to places trying to track down more information. Oakdale NY had a large diameter one that was recently destroyed and this is my correspondence regarding its fate with their historical society.--- "Hi Aaron! OHS doesn't have many pics of the windmill's "works". Here's what I have. I don't believe any part of the windmill was saved. This battle was waged long before the actual base of the windmill was razed. The upper parts were taken down for safety reasons before it became a centerpiece of the Windmill Gate community. They "remade" it as a Dutch windmill and then just let it rot. There was a group trying to preserve it at the time but preservation wasn't foremost in most peoples minds at the time and the battle was swiftly lost."

Obviously, I was almost physically sick when I heard they junked it.

From the Brooklyn Life Paper 3/21/1914

Ad 1899-The Jersey City News December 26, 1899

' VOL. x. -NO. 6255 THE DAY’S EVENTS Many Christmas Celebrations In Homes and Institutions. THE CORCORAN DINNER Windmill Employer Had an Intellectual and Gastronomic Feast. In accordance with his usual custom Andrew J. Corcoran, proprietor of the windmill factory at Thirteenth street and Jersey avenue, distributed turkeys, cigars and Christmas cheer to all his employes on Saturday evening. For twenty-four years Mr. Corcoran has never failed to do this. The event of Saturday last was one of the best arranged of the twenty-four. All have been very pleasing episodes. The v employes gathered as usual, partook of refreshments, substantial and otherwise, sang songs and gave recitations. But it was an intellectual as well as a gastronimic feast, and the participants declared that they enjoyed the former even more than the latter, excellent as were both features The decorations were more elaborate than usual, were artistic and of a National tone.- The entire ceiling of that portion of the loft devoted to the festivities was covered with red, white and blue fluted hands, radiating from a circular windmill fan that formed the centrepiece. The walls were covered with flags, the American The Irish flag with Sts green field and golden harp was conspicuous. Shields and portraits of Washington and naval and military heroes of the late war with Spain formed part of the decoration?. Japanese lanterns were suspended from a frieze of national colors. A long table extending along the centre of the banquet hall was draped with American flags. In its centre was a pyramid of red boxes containing cranberries, to be given away with t?he turkeys. The pyramid was crowned with a trio of flags, the American, the Irish and the Cuban. Two other pyramids formed of boxes of fragrant Havanas also decorated the table. A table running the length of the eastern wall was heaped with recently dressed turkeys, tagged with the names of those for whom they were intended. The hall was brilliantly lighted wTith red, white and blue incandescent electric lights artistically arranged. The power for them had been dragged from the very -winds that drift above the factory through the medium of the big windmill that adorned its roof. A corps of expert volunteer waiters composed of workmen of the factory served sandwiches of all kinds, even to sturgeon, boiled eggs and liquid refreshments of every sort. They wore gingham - aprons and never for a moment relaxed their efforts to see that everybody present was bounteously served. William O. Corcoran, a son of the proprietor, was toastmaster and occupied a seat at the head of the table. The workmen were seated along the sides of the room. Back of the toastmaster sat the guests, among whom were Mayor Edward Hoos, ex-Congressman Thomas McEwan, James Luby, editor of the “Jersey City News;” Cresswell McLaughlin, Counsellor William H. Speer and Assemblyman Hall. In between the songs sung by the workmen and the speches made by the guests there were selections from a phonograph operated at one end of the hall. At the conclusion of a short and witty speech the toastmaster introduced “the representative singer and rag time warbler of the shop," who opened up the ball with “I an’t Seen No Messenger Boy.” A whistling solo from the phonograph followed and brought forth from the toastmaster an individual call for refreshments. He gave himself away in the remark that phonographic selections always made him thirsty. John Luther, introduced as one of “the sweetest •f young men1 singers,” sang a solo, and James Armstrong of the woodshop displayed some skill on the violin. John Sheldon, ‘'the boy fire fighter,” who recently put out a fire with a hand fire extinguisher was introduced and bowed his thanks to the applause which greeted him. Peter Verbout, vouched for in the highest words of praise as a singer by 1,16 ivaotiiHUj ICl oaug AUO jyxoiu tlXJU tue Flame." Young Mr. Corcoran applied very high soundings epithets to all the singers of the factory. John White was introduced as ‘‘the greatest singer of the age.” Robert G. Corcoran led In the annual chorus of “The Band Played On.” The orchestra, by the way, had failed to put in an appearance, but the crowd sang on. Workman Lutz was introduced as “a distinguished German professor,” and sang a humorous song. Letters of regret at being unable to be present were received from Walter T, Owens, Morris Fanshawe, Civil Engineer Henry D. Dickinson, the Rev. Father Brady, of St. Mary’s Church and others. Then began the intellectual feast. Mayor Hoos was introduced. He said he felt honored at the invitation to take part in such Christmas eve festivities. He regretted having been unable to attend the former celebrations, but was glad to see such evidence of close relationship existing between employer and employes. It was a good lesson. If corporations would only learn that lesson there would be no such things as strikes. A factory run on such principles was a credit, the Mayor said, to the city. He said that, as Mayor of Jersey City, he was exceedingly proud of such an establishment. Mr. Corcoran, he declared, was a man of large heart. He had started life as a workman and he knew how to appreciate and sympathize with workmen. To share profits with workmen was a wise thing, he said, for any employer. It would make any employer successful ir» his business. The Mayor said he was glad to be present, and, concluded, laughingly: “I want to be popular, you know.” This brought down the fyuse. Ex-Congressman Thomas McEwan was the next speaker. He first paid his respect to Mayor Hoos, and' said that gentleman was like an eagle and was apt to sore high. Even if the State would not profit by his election as Governor, he said, it would at least leave a vacant chair in the Mayor’s office, and he added, "That’s what I’m after.” The ex-Oongressman. discussed the problem of capital and labor. It could be easily solved If employers would only carry out the Savior's teach ing of the golden rule. He held that if a man did not love his fellow man, not only on Christmas eve, but throughout the year, he could not properly love his wife and family. Mr. McEwan also dilated upon the uses of the windmill, and referred to his recent visit to the wheat belt in Minnesota and other parts of the Northwest, and showed to what uses the windmill was put there. He said the men while at work making them in the factory should remember that they are building machines that actually cheapen grain and were therefore cheapening their food. He alluded to the fact that Mr. Corcoran s windmills were shipped to all parts of the globe, and added that he had “planted an army of bc-res all over the world, even in the distant Boerland of South Africa. The ex-Congressman was followed by Mr. James Luby, \vho impressed upon the workmen of the factory their relations not only to their employer but to society ! at large. With an apologetic glance at the Mayor and the ex-Congressman, he said that he was not looking for office and w'hat he had to say to the workmen assembled came straight from his heart. He said he was happy to be with them on such an occasion; that he had read much of these annual celebrations and they had greatly interested him. "I have great sympathy for the workingman,” he said; “I am one myself. I have only regard for men wrho work. I include all, whether the man- works with his head or his hand, so long as he works for the progress of his race of fellowmen. The minister, the actor, even the lawyer ! and the politician” (smiling at Counsellor i Speer, the Mayor and Mr. McEwan) “are i working earnestly for progress. Why I should there be any dissatisfaction with j a man simply because he is a workman, I so long as he does the best he can do. 1 All of us are on a plane there. All a man j can do is to do his best. If that is done ; conscientiously he stands as high as anyone else in the eyes of his fellowman. I Mr. L.uby alluded to his visit below ! stairs, inspecting the machinery of the I factory. He said every workman had-nis I place in the factory, the same as the machinerv. He compared them to the boilers, the engine, the fuel, the original element out of which the power was produced. The proprietor he compared to the steam chests of the boilers. The foremen and the workmen were the wheels and the shaftings and belts Chat ran such marvellous appliances. Even the apprentice was like the nuts on the bolts. If a pin was taken out it jarred the whole machinery. Every one could feel that he was as good as another. And so it should be in life’s existence. But there were owed a duty to himself. He should cultivate himself. The speaker recalled a conversation he overheard once in which a man said he could not do a certain thing because he was only a business man. Fault should have been found with him, the speaker said, for not being something more than a business man. He called the workmen's attention to the fact that for ten cents they could find out more than George Washington could for a thousand dollars. For ten cents, through the meuium of libraries, etc., they could secure more literature, more high thought of the world than was at the disposal of kings and philosophers a thousand, even a hundred, years ago. Through the newspapers. he said, they could read all the questions of special policy. "Elevate your natures.” he said, "and be all God Almighty intended you to be. This is the season for presents, and jewelry is always in order for a Christmas present. The famous English poet. Matthew Arnold, has added much to his fame by his definition of a certain sort of gems, as “ ‘Jewels, five words long, That, on the stretched forefinger of all time, sparkle forever.’ “I will make you a Christmas present tonight. I will give you a jewel that you can take home with you, and from which you can derive infinite pleasure and profit. It is just five words long. It is The Cultivation of the Individual.” Counsellor Speer followed in an address substantiating what the previous speaker said. Workingmen, he said, should embrace every opportunity to advance their intelligence. They should ascertain their needs and then demand them of the lawmakers. The workingman's weapon, he declared, was the ballot, and if wielded with intelligence success was possible and defeat impossible. Cresswell McLaughlin, the irrepressible, was the next speaker. He criticized the toastmaster for the manner in which he was introduced. He took it that he was looked upon as a funny man, and suavely remarked that that was a sad way to crucify genius. “A man,” he said, “who does nothing but entertain the public dies a pauper, -and I have no ambition in that direction.” He said the workingmen should feel proud in having Mayors, editors, law-makers and public-spirited men join them on such an occasion and learn of great things that are transpiring in the world. Summing up all that had been said concerning success, he declared his belief that success or failure meant ability and disposition to grasp opportunities. Then he dropped into his peculiarly humorous vein and had some fun at t>he expense of the ex-Congressman. He said Mr. MeEwan was the irresistible football of polities—an India rubber sphere. “You can kick him all over, but you can’t kick him out of shape," said Mr. McLaughlin. Then facetiodsly alluding to Mr. McEwan’s Mayoralty boom he drawled out something about Honest Tom’s m-aroh I around the cycles of eternity and pictured I him hobbling oft on crutches to the "doom I of time, when perhaps his ambitions j might be realized.” He told a good joke on Mr. MeEwan In connection with hints about a certain pair of “Oxford ties.” Mr. MeEwan during ‘his stay in Washington stopped at the Oxford Hotel. Accord xug uixi. cue cA-cuu^icsaman was ar-oused one night by an attache of the hotel. “ ‘Get up! Get up!' shouted the hotel attache," said Mr. McLaughlin. “ ‘There’s burglars in the house!’ ‘‘Get out! Get out!’ shouted- the then* Congressman, raising his head from his pillow! There may be thieves in' the Senate, hut none in, the House!’ " Then Mr. McLaughlin re-dropped inft-o a serious vein,and wound up his brilliant address with the remark that there wasn’t "a star in- the firmament too high for th© aspirations of an- American.” The best speech of the evening was made by Mr. Brown, the oldest old employe of the factory, whose conscience led him to divulge the secret of a conspiracy hatched, by the workmen. He was trembling with age and emotion, and at the conclusion of his story presented Mr. Corcoran with a beautiful ebony gold headed cane on behalf of the factory employes. Mr. Corcoran gracefully accepted the gift. He said that it was the first intimation that he had from his employes that they considered he lacked % disposition for discipline. He had never had occasion to use a club, a cane or a whip. He said the year just closing had been one of the most successful in the history of the factory, and while he was not in the habit of refusing orders, if he got none before the i first day of March his factory would be kept busy turning out windmills to fill past orders. He pointed with pride to the i brilliant light that filled the room and said the power had been dragged from the winds above his factory and that there was much in that direction yet to explore. _ MERRY DAY AT INSTITUTIONS. Jail. Almshouse asd Penitentiary Inmates Given a Good Christmas. It was an unusually merry Christmas at the county Institutions and was thoroughly enjoyed by the Inmates, although some of them are In the shadow of death, others have long sentences to Imprlsonmen, either present or prospective, and a large proportion of them are paupers. The prisoners In the County Jail fared well through the liberality of Sheriff Ruempler. They were provided with a , poultry dinner, under the supervision of Warden Sullivan and Matron Murray, and they enjoyed It to the fullest extent. The officials of the jail enpoyed the enjoyment of their Involuntary guests. Colonel John Grimes, warden of the Penitentiary; aWrden Ryan of the Alms- ‘ house and Superintendent King of the i

The Jersey City News December 26, 1899

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