Lehigh
Car, Wheel & Axle Works
Citations on
this page are from the following sources:
Burkhart & Gemmel,
p.29
Bartholomew &
Metz, p. 45
Portrait
& Biographical Record (1894)
The
story of Fuller Company began in 1868 when James
W. Fuller, Jr. joined the young company of Lehigh
Car, Wheel & Axle, begun in 1866. Principals
of the firm were an uncle, Charles D. Fuller and
brother-in-laws William
R. Thomas, James
Thomas and James
H. McKee. They reorganized the firm as McKee,
Fuller and Company, but continued to trade under
the name Lehigh Car, Wheel & Axle.
The
company manufactured iron wheels for railroad cars on eight acres located
directly across the Lehigh River from the present day intersection of Irving
and Lehigh Streets. The era (1880-1890) of rapid expansion of railway lines had
not commenced and business was slow, limited to fifteen wheels per day. The
need constantly to re-invest profits into the facility discouraged the
partners. William R. Thomas moved south in 1871, and his brother James followed
a year later. The panic of 1873 and the death of Charles D. Fuller (1873)
placed additional hardships on the remaining two partners; James H. McKee and
James W. Fuller, Jr.
In
1880 the Erie Railroad announced its intention to buy a large quantity of
complete, eight wheel, railroad cars with wooden bin enclosures. They proposed
to issue promissory notes as payment. This arrangement would force any
consenting firm to privately finance the project. Fuller pledged the entire
assets of McKee, Fuller and secured the contract.
Needing
additional manufacturing space, the firm purchased the adjoining car plant,
Frederick and Beck (1866-1873) which had lain idle for years and was owned by
the National Bank of Catasauqua. Fuller telegraphed James Thomas in Alabama,
requesting that he re-open the Davies and Thomas Foundry. He guaranteed Thomas
work for one year for the manufacture of small castings.
Great
success followed and in 1883 William W. McKee (son of James McKee and
son-in-law of James Thomas) and Benjamin Franklin Swartz (salesman) were
admitted as stockholders. By 1884 the firm's gross yearly revenues reached
$4,000,000. Fifteen hundred men were employed and the small hamlet of
Fullerton, which Fuller designed in 1870, became a thriving village. Through
Mr. Fuller's dual capacities as manager and traveling salesman, working 15 to
18 hours per day, the enterprise became spectacularly successful.
James
McKee died in 1895 and his shares were purchased by the firm. Incorporation
under the name Lehigh, Car, Wheel & Axle Works was accomplished in 1901 and
the three remaining partners realized the benefits of incorporation and
protected the firm's assets from lengthy inheritance quarrels.
The
plant facilities encompassed sixty acres, stretching along the western banks of
the Lehigh River between the river and Lower Catasauqua Road.
During
the early 1900's, the Lehigh Valley became the cement capital of the world,
with no fewer than 18 cement plants located within a 75 mile radius of Lehigh
Car, Wheel & Axle Works. Fuller recognized the restrictive growth
opportunities of the railway industry and the unlimited future potential of the
cement industry. He gradually switched the facilities from the manufacture of
railroad cars to that of machinery servicing the cement mills. William McKee
died in 1905 and B. Franklin Swartz in 1909. Fuller purchased all outstanding
stock and became the sole stockholder. Late in 1909 Fuller retired from the
daily business of the firm and his son, Colonel James W. Fuller became
president.
James
W. Fuller, Jr. died one year later, 1910. Fuller's family inherited the stock
of Lehigh Car, Wheel & Axle; namely, Kate (nee Thomas), James' wife, and
surviving children - Maud, wife of Dr. Louis A. Salade, Mary Louise, wife of H.
D. McCaskey and Colonel James W. Fuller (an honorary title of Lieutenant Colonel
given him by Pennsylvania Governor John K. Tener).
The
husbands of Blanche and Mary Louise doubted the future success of the firm and
urged their wives to sell their shares to Colonel Fuller. It is assumed that
Kate and Maud also relinquished their shares because Colonel Fuller emerged as
the sole stokholder. Joseph Elverson remained active with the firm, first as
chemist and later as secretary and treasurer. (At age 88, in his obituary, he
was listed as consultant to Babcock and Wilcox, successor of Lehigh Car, Wheel
& Axle.)
In
1910, at age 37, Colonel Fuller appeared sufficiently prepared to handle the
responsibilities of running the company. He inherited his father's keen
business sense and, through his mother Kate's lineage, he also had an inquiring
and inventive mind. (His grandfather was Hopkin Thomas, master mechanic and
teacher of many early iron entrepreneurs.)
Colonel
Fuller understood the company intimately, having gathered this knowledge during
nineteen years of employment. Instead of attending college, upon graduation
from Haverford Preparatory School, the Colonel apprenticed himself to the
machinist and molders at Lehigh Car, Wheel & Axle. He acquired an expert's
knowledge of the company's products and principles of mechanical engineering.
He was promoted from Secretary to Treasurer to General Sales Manager and
finally to President. He invented the Fuller Mill, a device designed to grind
clinker rock and coal used in the manufacture of cement.
Portrait &
Biographical Record (1894)
Railroad tracks three miles in length extend around the works, enhancing the facilities for the reception of raw material and transportation of products. In addition to the buildings already named, there is a boiler house with four boilers, that furnish power for the car department; also a carpenter shop, 24x62 feet, and two standpipes. One of these is used for oil, which is pumped into the standpipe every morning and let out again at night, the tank holding a sufficient amount for a day's supply.
The
town of Fullerton was laid out by Mr. Fuller in 1870, and was named in his
honor. The works of which he is manager, and in the success of which he is
largely interested, do an immense business, and their products are larger than
those of all the factories in Catasauqua combined. Until recently he and Mr.
McKee were the sole proprietors, but four other gentlemen now own an interest
in the concern. While they have met with some misfortunes, including the
burning out of the forge on two occasions, in the main the history of the
Lehigh Car Wheel and Axle Works is one of unexampled prosperity, and their entire
losses aggregate not more than $15,000 since the firm was organized.
Source: Railway
Review, Jan. 6, 1883
One of the
largest of the railroad product suppliers in Lehigh County was the car-wheel
works built in 1866 by James W. Fuller and James McKee. This firm, known as
McKee, Fuller & Company until 1901 when it was incorporated as the Lehigh
Car Wheel and Axle Works, was formed originally to manufacture only car wheels.
It grew slowly until 1880, when Fuller succeeded in obtaining a contract from
the Erie Railroad to build 1,849 eight‑wheeled railroad cars. In order to
complete this contract, McKee and Fuller purchased the vacant Frederick car
shops which adjoined the south end of their plant and also installed a forge
shop to make their own axles. By 1884, the firm employed 1,500 workers and its
sales reached $4,000,000 per annum. In 1891 car‑building was discontinued
and the firm began manufacturing crushing machinery as the Lehigh Fuller
Pulverizing Mills. The reorganized successor to this firm, the Fuller Company,
now occupies the former site of the once‑famous Crane Iron Company.
Display at the 1876
International Exposition
History of Lehigh County, 1914
Account.
On
or about March 13, 1866, a co‑partnership
was formed by James W. Fuller, Charles D. Fuller, James H. McKee, James Thomas
and William A. Thomas under the name of McKee, Fuller and Company to engage in
the manufacture of Car Wheels. A tract of land was selected on the line of the
C. & F. R. R., west of the Round House, but upon further investigation it
was thought advisable to erect the plant on the main line of the L. V. R. R.,
and a tract of about eight acres of land was purchased from Jacob Lazarus,
which is now a part of the operations of the present Company.
The
plant originally had a capacity of fifteen wheels per day. The market for the
output was limited and the railroad people were not anxious to try a new wheel
which had not demonstrated a reputation, and Mr. Fuller in later years was
heard to say that were he to live his life over, he would hesitate long before
he would engage in an enterprise so fraught with danger to human life and
destruction of property as a possible faulty wheel.
On
account of the limited market and the panic of 1873‑8, the returns were small, and it was
also necessary to reinvest the net proceeds in the purchase of adjoining land
and additional machinery. Some of the partners dropped out and ten years later
James H. McKee and James W. Fuller only remained as partners.
They
then struggled along with varying success and discouragements until 1880, when
the Erie Railroad desired to purchase a large quantity of modern eight wheeled
cars. Inasmuch as the successful contractor was obliged to finance the
proposition by taking car trust debentures in payment, there were few proposals
for the contract. Mr. Fuller undertook this immense proposition, and finally
succeeded, after long negotiations, by pledging the private fortunes of the
partners. A favorable contract was made and the firm purchased the car plant of
Frederick and Beck, which had been idle for some years, then owned by the
National Bank of Catasauqua, and at once became busy. At one time the lumber
arrived so fast that every siding was blocked with laden cars between Allentown
and Catasauqua, and for a time fifteen hundred men were employed and Fullerton
became a thriving village.
At
this time Mr. Fuller telegraphed to his brother‑in‑law, James Thomas, then residing in Alabama, if he would
come north and re‑open
the Davies Foundry, he would give him an order for the small castings,
sufficient to keep the foundry busy for one year. This offer was accepted and
Mr. Thomas came north at once.
From
this time on the success of the firm was assured and on February 13, 1883,
William W. McKee and B. Frank Swartz were admitted to the firm. At about the
same time a forge to forge the axles was added, and the business increased so
fast that in the first six months of 1883 they built, complete, eighteen
hundred forty‑nine
eight‑wheeled cars.
This business amounted to $2,800,000 for the year. The capacity of the works in
1884 was sufficient to do a business of $4,000,000 per annum.
During
these years James W. Fuller's application to his business was incessant, and
for the first six years he was not only the Manager, but Traveling Salesman,
working generally fifteen to eighteen hours in every twenty‑four. It was nothing unusual for him to
arrive from the west at East Penn Junction, and walk home at midnight, stopping
at the works to see if his watchman was on duty and all was right at the plant.
It
was this constant devotion to the business interests of the firm, and pluck and
determination that wrested success from a failing enterprise.
After
the death of James H. McKee, the interest of his several heirs was placed on
sale and acquired by the remaining members of the firm. It became a necessity, owing
to the large interests involved, so as to prevent jeopardy to the interests of
the others in case of the death of the remaining partner interested, to
incorporate the plant. A charter was obtained February 5, 1901, and the
outstanding interests purchased, and the business continued under the name of
"The Lehigh Car, Wheel & Axle Works."
For
some years the business has changed. Wooden cars are no longer made and the
railroads manufacture their own wheels. The plant is now principally engaged in
manufacturing machinery for cement companies and has a large foreign trade.
The
plant comprises sixty acres. The railroad tracks were removed to the eastern
end of the plant, the old public road was vacated and new roads were opened so
as to form a continuous acreage. The company maintains a reputation as up‑to‑date in the business world, and employs a large force of
competent mechanics and workmen of high intelligence and character.
1873 Receipt (Jack
Koehler Collection)
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Rev. January 2013