The original Viscose Plant in Marcus Hook about 1925. The original plant opened in 1910. The above picture is the 400 block of 10th St. looking west.
Note: The last of the Viscose Plant the chimney came down this week. It was the first U.S. Plant to make artificial silk.
December 23, 1910–
Chester Times
WHEELS OF
INDUSTRY HUM AT OPENING OF LARGE PLANT
Works of the
American Viscose Company, One of the Biggest in the State, Put in Operation
Yesterday.
DESCRIPTION
OF THE NEW ESTABLISHMENT
One of the biggest concerns of
any kind in the State and said to be the only concern of its sort in the
country, and one which recently has been giving much work to Chesterites, thus
proving a boon in a slack season, is the American Viscose Company, located
within three or four miles of Chester, and which in the last few months has
practically grown up in our midst.
In spite of the fact that it is a
very extensive plant, neither its presence nor its mission, both of which are
important factors in the industrial growth of Chester, seem to be known
generally throughout the city.
FIRST PRODUCT
YESTERDAY
Yesterday the first complete
product of the plant was turned out and no better opportunity could be afforded
than now for presenting to the public in general some idea of the building and
its processes which have come, so to speak, as a God-send in the general
depressed business conditions of this winter.
The firm is under the management
of men who have really made a life study of the artificial silk business, the
majority of them being Englishmen or men who have spent a considerable part of
their lives studying the business on the other side of the ocean.
The officers or employers who
have headquarters in the local offices at Marcus Hook, whose names would be of
most direct interest to the people of this community are: Treasurer, F. S. Younghusband; manager, H. J.
Grant; chief engineer, James
Clayton; chief chemist, C. A.
Ernst; chief foreman, John Keegan.
WELL EQUIPPED
PLANT
The building, which is built of
fireproof material, entirely, is five stories high and covers an immense
area. It is mostly concrete construction
and is ventilated, lighted, heated and equipped in the most modern manner. On
the first floor are the offices, modern in every respect, which extend for over
a square along a fine concrete corridor.
Besides these, on the lower
floor, are the various conveniences for the employees, the large and
modernly-equipped lunch room, divided into separate parts for the male and
female workers, being the most attractive feature of this department.
Here the men and women can buy
their lunch, served by men employed for that purpose by the company, at the
exact cost price paid by the company, even though, as expected, it is carried
on at a loss to the latter. Various engines
and machinery are also located on the lower floor.
The second floor, which is
illuminated by the brightest arc lights, scattered in every department,
contains the twisting, winding and doubling machines, and will be the
headquarters of a hundred and fifty or two hundred men when the plant is put
into full operation, which will not be for six or seven months yet, the plan
being to increase the output of the plant gradually. The third floor is practically the same as
the second and contains, as in fact does the rest of the building, double
windows by which the temperature of the rooms can be tempered as desired. The
main department on the fourth floor contains the large sorting rooms, where
about two hundred girls are employed at the present time. The fifth floor
contains the racks and stretchers for the finished product, and the immense
drying room, which is about one hundred and twenty degrees all the time. From
this floor which is exceptionally high, can be obtained a fine view of the
surrounding country and of this city in particular.
Situated back of the main
building are the various sheds containing the different acid tanks and boiler
rooms. These, like the fifth floor, have above them sky lights and look like a
long line of hot houses when viewed from above.
THE ORIGINAL
PROCESS
The process of making the silk begins with the original
wood pulp, which is purchased by the company in lots and is shipped over the
lines of the Pennsylvania and Reading companies, the tracks of which run
directly into the yards of the plant. It is first ground in huge machines for
the purpose until it becomes a mass of fine white particles. It is then by
various processes changed into the form of a solid cake. Next, in the acid and
chemical rooms which carry out in every detail the modern ideas, it is put
through treatment in tanks or baths and comes forth through filters in an
amber-colored liquid form. There it is precipitated and runs from the tanks in
long silky threads on to the spindles. Last, by means of the spinning wheels it
is decomposed into cellulose and is practically the finished product.
IS WASHED AND
FILTERED
At various stages of the process, of course, it is put
through the washers, filters and dryers in different parts of the building. In
short, the wood-pulp is caused to react with caustic soda and carbon
disulphide, and in the form of xanthate spun and consequently decomposed into
cellulose. After the process it is taken to the sorting rooms, where the
different threads are classified; then, if desired, to the bleaching rooms. The
product in its various stages is forced to upper floors by means of immense
vacuum pumps. Through the courtesy of H. J. Grant, the manager of the concern,
the raw wood-pulp and the finished silk, which is very smooth and fine, can be
seen at the Times’ office. Mr. Grant says that the work at present is entirely
experimental although the results so far have more than exceeded the highest
expectations of the management. Employees are being taken on every day and it
is said are being paid somewhat above the average laborer’s wage. Residents
think it will be a great boom for Marcus Hook, and incidentally for this city.
DCHPN Monthly E-Newsletter |
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Happy Pride and Black Lives Matter Month! (Also Accordian Awareness Month but sadly no events for that) Check out all these events happening this month Read the announcements below for important information |
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Please check the websites for updated information before attending and be safe! * Indicates a free event. Some events require pre-registration and close when full. The list includes events in the surrounding areas as well. If you have an event you would like on this list on future e-newsletters, please submit by the end of the month to dchpn_planning@yahoo.com.
*History at Work Jun 25, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Newlin Grist Mill, 219 Cheyney Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342
Get a closer look at trades of the eighteenth century in Newlin’s “History at Work” series. Members of Newlin Grist Mill’s staff, volunteers, and outside artisans will demonstrate their crafts and talk with visitors about how different trades and skills were integral to life in colonial Pennsylvania.
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Three Mile Vision Tour Jun 25, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Rail Park, 1300 Noble St, Philadelphia, PA 19123
On this tour, you’ll learn about the history and ecology of the Rail Park, and its potential to become a greenway connecting 10+ Philly neighborhoods and 1000s of residents. Please note that this is a linear walking tour, extending 2 miles. Please plan to walk about 3.5-4 miles round trip. $15-20
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*Havertown Irish Festival Jun 25, 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM Manoa Shopping Center, rear lot, West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083 Live Music, Beer Garden, Food, Vendors, Kid's Fun Zone. Free admission, but $5 requested donation. | | |
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Manayunk Arts Festival Jun 25, 11:00 AM – Jun 26, 6:00 PM
Main Street, Manayunk, Main St, Philadelphia, PA 19127
We invite you to share in the tradition of excellence at the tri-state's largest outdoor, juried arts festival. Celebrating the best variety of fine arts and crafts from across the country, collectors, buyers, and designers will visit Main Street for this event.
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*Historic RittenhouseTown Fair Jun 25, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Historic Rittenhousetown , 208 Lincoln Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19144
Join us for a Community Day celebrating the Village that Paper making built. Hands on activities for all ages, Craft vendors, Local food & libations, Homestead tours, hike, horses, and more!. Vendor spaces and sponsorships still available.
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A Tour of Primitive Hall Jun 25, 1:00 PM – Jun 26, 3:00 PM
Primitive Hall, 830 N Chatham Rd, West Grove, PA 19390 Primitive Hall is a handsome manor house which stands today much as it did when it was constructed by Joseph Pennock in 1738. 2 groups, bring picnic while waiting. Register info@philachaptersah.org. $20 SAH members/$25 non. Priority to members before 6/17. | | |
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*B [ L ] O K P A R T Y Jun 26, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
BOK, 800 Mifflin St, Philadelphia, PA 19148
There will be activities for kids and adults of all ages: XL bouncy castle, food trucks, arts and crafts, live music, fire truck demos, and so much more!
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*Civil War Series at the Finley House Jun 29, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Finley House, 113 W Beechtree Ln, Wayne, PA 19087
Join Jim Segrave-Daly for a 4-week series discussing the Civil War in American history. From its causes & consequences to the almost-mythical figures involved, the Civil War's effects are still being felt today. Learn why it took a catastrophic event to remake America in "a new birth of freedom."
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*The Halifax Explosion and a Christmas Tradition Jun 29, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Swarthmore Public Library, 121 Park Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081
A Canadian province sends the City of Boston a Christmas tree each December. This tradition started over a century ago. Why would this Canadian province send a tree 700 miles annually? Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association member Dan Snyder will share the history behind this cherished tradition.
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*Pharaoh of the Sun: Akhenaten, Amarna, and Monotheism in Ancient Egypt Jun 30, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Zoom- registration required
Ancient Egyptian king Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten and soon declared that Egyptians would abandon the traditional worship of a pantheon of hundreds of gods and goddesses and focus instead on a single deity, the Aten. Did Akhenaten found the world’s first monotheistic religion?
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A Summer Sleepover On The USS New Jersey Jul 16, 4:30 PM – Jul 17, 12:00 PM
Battleship New Jersey, 100 Clinton St, Camden, NJ 08103
Are you passionate about once in a lifetime experiences? Radnor Memorial Library invites men and women, ages 18+ to join our group to experience a trip back in time and a chance to live like a sailor who worked on board the 45,000-ton USS New Jersey (BB-62). $75. Register before 6/11.
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TAKE ACTION: Ask Congress to support Thomas Paine memorial bill HR 6720 Please ask your member of Congress to support a just-introduced HR 6720, a bill to memorialize America’s “forgotten Founder” Thomas Paine in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, introduced legislation today to authorize the construction of a long-overdue D.C. memorial to Paine, noting: “Despite his catalytic role in founding America and our constitutional republic, Paine remains too often on the dark outskirts of history. It is way past time for Congress to give Paine the central place of respect and awe he deserves in our nation’s capital." Learn more and Take Action here PHMC needs your help- Baseline Survey PA SHPO needs your help in identifying places and spaces Pennsylvanians value in their communities. Your input is important in making this effort successful, and we welcome your recommendations of places that should be documented. Your feedback will inform the list of historic resources to be surveyed in each county and municipality. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PASHPO_baseline_survey Help Rebuild a Historical House A ca. 1710/1720 historic house in Ridley Creek State Park recently had a tree crash on it and there is a Go Fund Me appeal to raise money for its repair. Find out more and donate here DCHPN Webinars We recently had a Website Building Workshop in conjunction with Penn State Brandywine. If you missed it, watch the video here The next webinar is about Geocaching and how it can help bring visitors to your sites, and link it with things like America250. Fill out the Doodle poll here to help get a date. Learn more about geocaching here America 250 PA Delco America250PADelco is an official partner to America250PA. Help celebrate over 250 years of American history in Delaware County! The America250PADelco committee is an official county partner to America250PA, and is looking for organizations and individuals to help commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Our mission is to engage all Delaware County residents in the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by providing and supporting experiences, now through 2026, that ignite imaginations, elevate diverse stories, inspire service, and highlight the American founding and 250 years of American history through Delco’s unique lens. Follow us on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram Website Email: info@america250padelco.org |
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