Company History: A. B. Farquhar
(Page 3 of 8)
September/October 1992
Gail E. Knauer
Following the Civil War, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Works
expanded steadily. During periods of slack U. S. trade, the company
was carried by a growing export trade. The first export order was a
shipment of plows to Paraguay in 1870, at which time Farquhar
claimed that his company was the first American manufacturer to
export farm implements to South America. In 1876, a rice thresher
was shipped to a buyer in Japan. On checking with the Japanese
buyer as to whether the machine had proven satisfactory, Farquhar
was informed that, indeed, the machine was so good that the
Japanese were now manufacturing it themselves, and would not
therefore need to purchase any more!
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An export office was established in New York City in 1878, which
was transferred to York in 1931.
The company shops were again destroyed by fire in 1876, but were
again rebuilt; all the reconstruction, with the exception of the
bricklaying, was completed by the company's own men.
By 1884, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Works was the most
important industry in town, occupying nearly an entire city block
bounded by North Duke, North George, East Court and East Gay
Streets in the heart of downtown York. The company's address
was 142 N. Duke Street, York.
The January 12, 1884 issue of Scientific American included a
lengthy article on the thriving company; the issue's cover
featured engravings of all aspects of production at the factory.
Around 1883, large additions to the works had been made, bringing
the total floor space of the shops to a half million square feet.
The plant covered several acres, and included machine, engine and
boiler shops, bolt and nut factory, planning and saw mills, brass
and iron foundries, and forging, shearing and polishing rooms. The
buildings were all brick or iron, with slate or metal roofs. The
plant had its own system of water mains and hydrants and hosepipe
for fire protection, along with a system of perforated
'sprinkler' pipes in the woodworking shops. All buildings
were lighted with electricity.
The weekly consumption of materials averaged over 150,000 lbs.
of iron, 10,000 lbs. of steel, and 50,000 to 100,000 feet of
lumber. All output was fully warranted, and the business was
recording average annual increases of 15-20 percent. Increasing
southern trade had necessitated the opening of a branch store and
factory, the Central City Iron Works in Macon, Georgia. This
southern trade was reflected in the manufacture of rice threshers,
cotton gin horse powers, and cotton planters.
Among the products manufactured by the company were the Ajax and
Pennsylvania steam engines. The Ajax traction engine was made with
a steel boiler, and had springs in the wheel hubs to prevent
jarring. The Ajax portable, a center crank type engine, was noted
for having its pedestals and cross-head guides cast solid with the
bedplate, making 'give' of the engine impossible. The
company also manufactured a vertical engine, in 2 to 6 HP, just
right for situations where light power was needed. A 6 HP vertical
engine, 150-180 r.p.m., with 6x8 bore and stroke, 36' flywheel,
6' 6' boiler height, 26' boiler diameter, weighing 2500
lbs. complete and mounted on two wheels, sold for $510 in the 1884
catalog. Special note was made that not one of the company's
boilers had ever been known to explode.
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