Newark Watch Company/Cornell Watch Company (As of 1888) IN 1893, Mr. N. B. Sherwood went to New York to try and interest capital in the organization of a watch factory. Messrs. Louis S. Fellows and Shell became interested in the idea and decided to try the experiment. A room was rented and Mr. Sherwood started building the machinery for the enterprise. He had under him a corps of efficient workmen but after a few months some misunderstandings arose between himself and Mr. Arthur Wadsworth who succeeded him. Messrs. Fellows & Shell purchased a building in Newark, N.J. and latered it over to serve as a factory. The machinery and tools were moved into it in 1864 and the name "The Newark Watch Company" was adopted. The parties interested were Augustus, Robert, and Edward Shell, and Lewis S. Fellow. The original model was made by Mr. Wadsworth, and was 18 size, and closely resembled an English watch then on the market. The first watches were all key-wind; but later on a stem-wind movement was made, but was pronounced a failure. The movements were called, "Robert Fellows", "Edward Bevin", and "Newark Watch Company". The stem wind was named "The Arthur Wadsworth," after the inventor. The company manufactured in all about 3,000 watches, but was gradually running behind. Accordingly in 1869 negotiations were entered into with the Cornell Watch Company, then organized at Chicago. Mr. Paul Cornell, after whom the new factory was named, was a wealthy real-estate dealer of Chicago, owning large tracts of land in the vicinity of Grand Crossing, a few miles south of Chicago. He conceived the idea that a watch factory would be a good speculation, and if located on his property would "boom" its sale. In company with J. C. Adams he set about organizing a company and in 1870 one was formed with a capital of $200,000. Previous to the organization of the company, Mr. Adams negotiated with the Newark Company and the results was that the Cornell Company purchased the plant for $125,000, giving stock in that amount as payment. Mr. Cornell set aside thirty acres of land as a site for the factory, erected a building at a cost of $75,000, taking stock in the company for that amount. The officers of the company were as follows: President Paul Cornell Vice President C. M. Cady Secretary, J. B. Jackson Treasurer, Robert Shell General Manager, T. C. Williams General Agent J. C. Adams. In August, 1871 (just prior to the Chicago fire), the new building was complete and the machinery, etc., and the Newark factory brought on. The departments were as follows: Machine shop Plate room Train room Screw room Regulator and Stud room Polishing room Wheel and Pinion Finishing room Stem-wind room Pinion and Wheel room Escape Wheel Cutting room Jewel and Pallet room Setting-up room Adjusting room Dial room fourteen in all. Owing to the frequent changes made in the heads of the various departments it is almost impossible to give a list of the department superintendents with any degree of accuracy. The following gentlemen, however, maybe named as having held various positions of trust during the career of this factory at Grand Crossing: Albert Troller, now superintendent of the Rockford Company J. W. Hurd, late superintendent of the Aurora Company John Penny, now with the Elgin Company John Logan, now foreman of springing in the Waltham factory John Lucus Chas Boland Frank Styles E. Sandoz C. O. Kidder G. Wheeler Geo. D. Clark G. A. Kendrick W. W. Pioer J. J. Newton Isaac Holmes Chas. Pegler Alph. Jackson C. R. Bacon The old movement made by the Newark Company was improved on and the new machinery and a great many new tools made. The company manufactured ten grades of movements as follows: "Paul Cornell" "J. C. Adams" "Geo F. Root" "John Evans" "H. N. Hibbard" "E. S. Williams" "C. T. Bowen" "C. M. Cady" "Geo W. Waite" "Ladies Stem Wind" The were all size 18 with exception of the ladies movement and the greater majority were full plate and double sunk dial. Expansion balances were used. The Paul Cornell and C. M. Cady models were stem-winders and the balance key winders. The ladies movement proved a failure in spite of the fact that a trade paper in existence at the time said: "One great feature of the Cornell Watch Co. is that they are the first in the county who have manufactured and introduced a Ladies Stem Winding Watch, which is, perhaps, in finished and originality of design, one of the greatest improvements of the age." Mr Cornell came to the conclusion that the Cornell Company was going to be a great success, and accordingly he began to purchase the stock as fast as possible, until, in about 1872, he found himself almost, sole "monarch of all I survey." Two years after, however he found the concern was not the successful one he had anticipated, and was ready to unload his stock. After corresponding with several parties he at length entered in to negotiations with W. C. Ralston, a wealth banker of San Francisco. In the fall of 1874 the entire plant was conveyed to the latter place, and such employes as could be induced to were also taken to California. Mr. Cornell's object in moving the factory was to take advantage of Chinese labor, which was then very cheap and plentiful in San Francisco. The new concern was called the Cornell Watch Company of San Francisco, with a capital of $250,000. The new company paid $100,000 for the Grand Crossing plant, which was then established as being worth $175,000. The officers were: President, W. C. Ralston Vice President, Oliver Eldridge Secretary and Treasurer, James Cox An old building on Fourth Street was remodeled as a factory. An effort was made to introduce Chinese labor, but the employees struck and raised so many obstacles in the was that the attempt was abandoned. In 1875 it was discovered that the company was in a critical position and in the fall of that year Mr. Ralston, the President, committed suicide. January 1, 1876 the factory closed. The California Watch Company succeeded the old company with a capital stock of $250,000. Berkeley, a suburb of Oakland, was decided on as a site for the factory. A building was erected at the cost of $20,000. The old machinery was place in the new factory, but operation were not resumed, as the company was undecided whether to start up with the old machinery or build new. They finally started up with the old tools and were not in a condition to get new ones. They kept the machine shop running, however, until the summer of 1876, when the entire works were closed up. Mr. Albert Troller, the present superintendent of the Rockford factory, made arrangements with Messrs. Glickauf & Newhouse, then of San Francisco, to take the balance of the movements in the factory. In January, 1877, Mr. Troller bought all the unfinished material, leased the building and proceeded to finish up all the movements. The movements were all finished early in the summer of 1877. The building and machinery were taken possession of by the Berkeley Land Association, the machinery being eventually sold to the Independent Watch Company of Fredonia, New York. Tim Sweet TIMEKEEPR2@AOL.COM M.O.S.T (MY OWN SWEET TIME) WATCH COMPANY. 14002 Tuckey Lane El Paso, TX 79927 U.S.A. (915) 852-2409 (See my add in the MART) Look for my Web site at: http://www.cyperportal.net/watches/timhome.html Requests and comments welcome enjoy