The Manufacture of Engines, Saw Mills and Grain Separators

At the International Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the judges found, after minute examination, 'that the 'Eclipse' farm engine gave the best results of any that were tested.' We quote the above from the report of the award; the highest honors that could be awarded were accordingly bestowed upon Frick & Company's engine.

In the summer of 1880, an engine was shipped by them to Australia for exhibition at the exposition then in progress at Melbourne, and there their engine was recommended for the first award and gold medal of honor. This was a noteworthy victory, the contest being unusually severe and the competition great, as at this exhibition there were twenty-nine farm engines from England and other countries competing for the distinguished award that had never been won by an American manufacturer.

The highest awards were always won by Frick and Co. when competing for honors, and the last distinction paid their engine was in October last, at the St. Louis Fair, where they earned the first award of $100 in gold over fourteen competitors.

The factory, as shown in our engraving, is, as a whole, an elegant and imposing brick structure, and its equipments are unsurpassed: each department is conveniently arranged for the proper prosecution of its particular business, and the machinery and small tools employed are of the latest and best designs.

While it is impossible to convey a full and just idea of the magnitude and completeness of these works, something can be learned from the dimensions of the buildings, which we give below:

FRICK & COS PORTABLE SAW MILL

Machine shop, 2 floors ........ 56 x 300 each.
Foundry .............................. 50 x 120
Smith shop .......................... 50 x 120
Boiler shop .......................... 90 x 120
Wood ................................ 100 x 120
Pattern, 2 floors .................. 90 x 180 each.
Paint ................................... 45 x 90
Storeroom, 2 floors ............ 30 x 50 each.
Testing shop ........................ 40 x 50

The total floor area, including storage and other buildings not shown above, is over 100,000 square feet.

The view in the center of the group on our title page shows the extensive and systematic arrangement of the shops, eleven in number, which together with ample and substantial sheds, reservoir, force pump house, and stables, cover an area of over eight acres.

The office, seen in the foreground of the engraving is commodious and admirably arranged for the requirements of the business, and although isolated from the buildings, communication is had with each department of the works, and with the bank and business centers of the town, either by telegraph, telephone, speaking tubes, or a system of steam signals with which the works are provided. West of the offices will be seen the pump house and reservoir, and in the former is located a large duplex Worthington steam pump, and a boiler in which fire is kept constantly. Connected with the pump is a complete system of water mains, hydrants, and coils of hose, which, with a body of men trained for the work, constitutes an efficient fire department. The reservoir is supplied from the west branch of the Antietam, which flows within a short distance of the works, and on the banks of which is located a second pump house and pump.