Plan for Historic White Mills and the Dorflinger Glass Works (May, 2001)
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The Original or First Upper Factory of the Wayne County Glass Works, C. Dorflinger & Co. later called C. Dorflinger and Sons (Blowing Shop, Cutting Shop and Showroom 1865-1892)
May 1865 - "Mr. Dorflinger has bought the [old] Kimble property on the left bank of the Lackawaxen six miles below this borough [Honesdale], and opposite the White Mills. He will immediately erect thereon a Glass Works, and expects to get into operation this coming fall. Experienced, competent, [and] enterprising he cannot fail being successful in this new enterprise, as he has been in his old ones" - The Republic
Sept. 1865 - "New Glass Factory - The Glass Works of the Messrs. Dorflinger [his brother, Edward, helped in White Mills until 1870 when he moved back to New York, to manage the Long Island Flint Glass Works. He died Sept. 21, 1878] near the White Mills, on the Hawley Road, are completed, and the manufacture of lamps and lamp chimneys is now being extensively carried on" - The Wayne County Herald
Oct. 1865 - "Mr. Dorflinger has already projected and commenced a great enlargement of his glass works at White Mills. He has been running on lamps, globes and chimneys but will probably in time branch into various kinds of white wares" - The Republic
Mar. 1866 - "Mr. Dorflinger will expend $25,000.00 in improvements on his glass works at the White Mills during the season" - The Republic
May 1866 - List of people who built Dorflinger's first cutting shop and showroom: James Adams - Mason, J.E. Maderville - Carpenter, Messrs. J. Galt and I. Irvin Roofers, and Knapp & Charlesworth - Manufacturers of Portable and Stationary Steam Engines. Total paid to these men, for labor alone, by Dorflinger $11,683.60 - C. Dorflinger's Receipt Book
Mid 1867 - "Cutting shop opened. John J. O'Connor came from New York to…White Mills, where he started cutting with only one frame, which he operated himself. The shop grew under the supervision of Mr. O'Connor with skilled workmen coming from Greenpoint." - The Citizen, April 1893
Jan. 1868 - The first and only ad in a local newspaper for Dorflinger stated:
Elegant Glassware, the subscriber, having made arrangements with the proprietor of the Wayne Co. Glass Factory, at White Mills, for the exclusive sale of his manufactures in this market, has now on hand, and will sell at factory prices, a full assortment of elegant Plain, Cut and Engraved GLASS-WARE, of every description, including GOBLETS, CHAMPAGNE Ales and Tumblers, together with Fancy Articles of Beautiful Design and Finish, specially adapted to the Holiday Trade. GLASS-WARE MADE TO ORDER. All orders left at the factory, or at my store, will be promptly attended to, and the goods delivered through the Honesdale Agency.
C. PETERSEN
Having made arrangement with Mr. Petersen, as above, all parties desirous of obtaining goods from my works will please leave their orders with him.
C. DORFLINGER
Jan. 1869 - In what is apparently a series of articles about enterprises in the county, the Wayne County Herald included as the second article in its series this detailed account of the "Dorflinger's Glass Works":
The pot room, which is about 130 feet in length and 40 in width…. As may naturally be supposed the crucibles in which the glass is melted are subjected to a most intense heat for a long time, and it is necessary that the best material should be used, and the greatest care observed in their construction. They are made of the purest clay, which is procured by this establishment from EnglanD&Hellip;The masses are carefully picked, brushed, ground, and sifted, moistened with water and kneaded into a uniform paste. It is then laid by for a season to ripen. Before used it is mixed with a proportion of old pots ground. The process of making the pots is similar to the manipulations of clay in ordinary potteries. The pots for flint glass are about forty inches deep, and from thirty to forty inches in diameter, covered in at the top, and having a mouth at the side through which the materials (first, a beautiful white sand, obtained by this establishment from Berkshire Co., Mass. calcined, stiffed, and washed; second, red lead; and third, pearlash. Nitre is generally added as a fourth ingredient of the body of glass…. The above four substances constitute the main article; to which may be added arsenic and manganese, of which a small quantity is used to purify the color of the glass and insure its transparency) are introduced and the glass extracted. When finished they are very carefully dried, first in the atmospheric temperature, and finally in a stove floor. When it is desired to place them in their positions in the furnace, which is termed setting the pots, they are first tempered for four or five days at a red heat in a small vault adapted to the purpose. When completely annealed they are transferred as quickly as possible to their place in the fire. This is a most dangerous and exciting performance. The working breast of the hot furnace must be laid bare so as to open a breach for the extraction of the faulty pot and the insertion of a fresh one, both glowing at a white heat. The test of endurance which the workmen are obliged to undergo during this operation, when exposed for so long a time to the direct radiations of the flame must be seen to be appreciated.
The raw materials of flint glass [mentioned above] are always mixed with about a third or fourth of their weight of broken crystal of like quantity. The mixture is then ready for melting and is taken to the furnaces, where it is thrown into pots with a shovel; more being added whenever the preceding portions by melting subside, the object being a pot full of glass, to facilitate the skimming off of impurities.
When the pots are sufficiently filled their mouths are closed with clay, with the exception of a small hole below, for the escape of a liquid saline matter. The glass requires about 48 hours for melting, when, if fine and free from air bubbles it is ready for working, being about the consistency of honey.
When we entered the "factory" or furnace room, the process of "blowing" was in full blast…. The melting furnaces in this room, which is 100 feet long by 60 feet in breadth, are two, each of which contains seven pots. Only one furnace, however, is kept running at a time. The "glory hole"…is a furnace, conical in form, located in the centre of the building, with circular openings in the arches, and used in the various stages of the manufacture of articles for reheating them. The fuel used is wood, as coal would contaminate the glass [at this stage]…. The process which a lamp chimney undergoes is perhaps as simple as any, and its description may serve to give our readers an idea of the work. These useful articles are made principally on a punta-rod [the writer means a blowpipe], which is simply an iron tube, from four to five feet in length. Indeed this is the glass worker's chief instrument. This rod is thrust into the molten mass. - When a sufficient quantity adheres to the end of it to meet the wants of the workman, he withdraws it, and fashions it into a cylindrical form by rolling it upon the marver, or iron slab. Then he applies his mouth to the end of the punta-rod and blows [Note: here again the writer means a blowpipe, because a Punty, not "punta-rod" is a solid rod used to add small amounts or "bits" of glass for handles or decorations and to hold an object after it has been removed from the blowpipe]. The cylinder of glass is inflated and assumes a pear shape. The workman now by a dexterous swinging motion gives this pear an elongated form, approximating to the desired length and shape of a chimney - Then placing the rod across the arms of his chair and rolling it rapidly, he shapes it with an iron instrument [Puchellas], and opens one end, leaving the other still attached to the rod. An assistant takes it to the master-workman, who causes it to be reheated in the working [glory] hole, and when it is sufficiently soft, completes the opening and detaches it from the rod. The opened end is now attached to another rod, again reheated and completed. Then it is carried to the annealing surface. The whole operation does not require over two minutes.
Many articles, such as lamps, pitchers, etc. are blown either in part or wholly in moulds; the mould giving the external shape, the internal cavity being formed by the blowing of the workman.
The annealing furnaces are brick ovens each sixty feet in length reaching from the factory to the cutting room, with a fire at one end only. The articles are introduced into the fire end and gradually drawn through the oven thus cooling slowly. If glass be allowed to cool suddenly after fusion, it becomes exceedingly brittle, and liable to break from the least scratch or jar, or even from a slight but sudden change of temperature…. This is prevented by the annealing process, which requires from five, six or eight hours to as many days, according to the particular kind of articles.
Next is the cutting room, it is 175 feet long by 32 feet wide and is located in a stone building with a slate roof. Along the entire length of the building a line of shafting driven by steam power gives motion to the various wheels by which the glass is cut and polished. Flint ware is best adapted to receive polished facets, both on account of its relative softness and its higher refractive power, which gives luster to its surface. Stone is used for grinding and tin for polishing the ware previously ground. Grooves are cut out with iron wheels with the aid of sand and water. - Copper with emery and oil is used for various delineations. Cork discs are also employed for polishing. The cutting of deep indentations and of grooves is usually performed with the iron disc with sand and water, which are allowed to constantly trickle down form a wooden hopper placed right over it. Finer markings which are to remain without luster are made with small copper discs, emery and oil. The polishing is effected by the edge of the tin disc, which is from time to time moistened with putty [white oxide of tin] and water. The cork disc is also employed for this purpose, with putty. The several processes are committed to different workmen on the principle of division of labor, so that each may become expert in his own work. A number of females are employed in the cutting room. When articles are finished in this department, if they do not require engraving, they are sent to the packing room below, where they are carefully stowed into hogsheads and barrels preparatory for shipment to New York. If they are to be engraved they are sent to the sample room, where an expert is prepared with the necessary machinery to give them the finishing touches. This process is exceedingly wonderful and interesting, all the delicate tracings of vines and flowers, and the angles and curves of initials, being put on with an assortment of little wheels. This factory has an unusually accomplished workman in this department, and hence is able to turn out ware which will bear comparison with the best specimens of any other establishment.
The first floor of the cutting building is devoted to pacing, the making of moulds, and the steam engines, of which there are two, of 25 and 10 horse power respectively, the larger one having been built at the works of Messrs. Knapp and Charlesworth of this borough. The office is also on this floor, including the telegraph, which put the factory into instant communication with the outer world. By means of this convenience, Mr. Dorflinger and his Honesdale agent, Mr. Petersen, are always within speaking distance, and an order left at the store one minute can be in process of filling at the factory the next. We may state here that any of the glass-ware manufactured at the White Mills works can be purchased quite as cheaply at Mr. Petersen's as at the factory, and that he keeps on hand as good an assortment of samples as could be seen upon application to Mr. Dorflinger himself.
The sample building is a splendid stone structure, 75 feet long by 24 feet wide, three stories high, with a slate roof. It is finished in the most attractive style, the floors being of the best material, and the walls and ceilings elaborately frescoed. Tables run the entire length of the room, upon which are arranged a large variety of cut and engraved ware. Before leaving the factory, we may state that four hundred tons of Berkshire sand are annually used by this establishment, which employs in all its departments 182 hands, working from seven o'clock in the morning till six in the evening every day in the year."
Feb 4, 1869 - "Dorflinger's Glass Works. We learn that Mr. Dorflinger designs doubling the capacity of his already extensive works, during the coming season. He now has in his employ 44 married men and 25 single. [This represents 69 employees, in the previous article the number of employees was stated at 182 hands, a difference of 113 people. The first number probably represents the blowers, cutters, and the engraver. But to make up the difference, there were wood choppers, pot makers, fire stokers, mould makers, blacksmiths, carpenters, machinists, coopers, washers, sorters, packers, teamsters, watchmen, bookkeepers and salesmen]. All the children who are large enough to do anything are also engaged in different capacities, about the premises…. No window glass is made at this establishment, the workmen being engaged in the exclusive manufacture of vases, cut glass tumblers, and other finer branches of the business." - The Wayne Citizen
June 1871 -"…Fire broke out in the glass factory of C. Dorflinger, at White Mills. The employees went vigorously to work with buckets, etc. and after a sharp contest subdued the flames. We have not learned the amount of damage sustained, but understand that is was not great." [This was the first factory fire.] - The Wayne Citizen
Early 1874 - Glass made and cut here for Pres. Ulysses S. Grant. - The Glass Club Bulletin, Fall 1988, identifying President and Mrs. Grant's Dorflinger Glass.
Oct. 1874 - "A pair of magnificent goblets, designed to be presented to Gov. Hartranft and S.E. Dimmic, Attorney General of the State, by Mr. C. Dorflinger. They were manufactured at the glass works at White Mills. They are made of the purest material and are engraved in the most perfect manner by the best skilled workmen. Each bears the coat of arms of the State; above it is the name of the gentleman to whom it is to be given, the office he represents and the year." - The Wayne Citizen
Feb. 1876 - "Mr. C. Dorflinger of White Mills Glass Works has invented a process of manufacture which renders glass practically unbreakable, and which is pronounced by competent judges to be a great improvement on the celebrated Bastie process. He is making a specialty of his discovery in the manufacture of lamp chimneys and has already sufficient orders to keep his works running to their full capacity for months to come" - The Wayne County Herald
June 1876 -"Glass made and cut here for the Centennial at Philadelphia.
We find the following just tribute to the display of cut glassware made at the Centennial Exhibition by Mr. Dorflinger, in the Crockery and Glassware Journal of New York:
Dorflinger Glass Company, White Mills, Pa. - A tall and graceful crystal epergne first attracts the eye on approaching the case containing the goods of this well-known glass works. It stands above the other specimens of their make. The stem of this epergne is cut into a hundred angles and stands upon a richly designed base. The whole structure is about five feet high. There are three fruit receivers upon it of the purest crystal, elegantly ornamented and cut. These rise one above another, decreasing in size, and surmounted by a beautifully shaped bouquet holder of the same style of finish. The glass-ware in this case is of the finest description, and all cut and engraved in the most superb designs. The shapes are also all graceful and artistic. The ware shown includes decanters, pitchers, goblets, wines, druggist goods, etc. in the purest crystal.
At the front of the case stands the Centennial Set "par excellence". The set consists of wine glasses and a decanter. The decanter, symbolic of the general government, stands surrounded by thirty-eight states of the union. It bears three panels, on one of which is engraved the Goddess of Liberty, on the second the United States Coat of Arms, with the motto, "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable;" on the third is the crest of the City of Philadelphia, with the name of the mayor and the date 1876. Each wine glass bears the coat-of-arms of the State of which it is the representative, the name of its governor, and also the figures, 1876. As a work of art in glass this is believed to surpass anything in the country. The stems of the wine glasses are cut with six faces [facets], and the foot or base is of a very rich and entirely unique pattern. The bowl is a mass of the finest diamond cut work arranged in symmetrical figures. The set was designed by Mr. C. Dorflinger and was made at the company's works at White Mills. The designer intends presenting it, at the conclusion of the exhibition, to the City of Philadelphia, to be preserved as a memento in the future of the great centennial of the nation's freedom.
A number of wine glasses of different sizes and designs occupy another portion of the case. These are decorated with the very finest sporting scenes, floral ornaments and delicate vines. In the sporting scenes the figures of animals and men and women are splendidly done, and most accurate in every drawing. These are said, by good judges, to be unsurpassed in their engraving by anything in this country. The connoisseur in crystal ware could spend hours examining these samples from the Dorflinger Glass Company, and yet, when seeing them again, discover new beauties."
Sept. 1876 - "The Centennial Awards were made last Wednesday [Sept. 27, 1876] and formally announced. The system acted upon differs from all previous affairs of the kind in giving medals, all of bronze to exhibitors of similar articles, and in explaining the element of merit in each exhibit, but not pronouncing any one as superior to the others.
Where articles are worthy of an award because of some peculiar merit the judges have made the award and given the reasons for it, but no product is pronounced the best of its class. Each medal is thus accompanied by a brief report stating why the exhibit was deemed worthy of award, and a copy of this report, which is signed by a judge and approved by as many in the examining group as concurred in it, was furnished to the exhibitor with authority to reproduce it in any way deemed most to his advantage. It is in this substitution of the written opinion of the judges in each case, in place of the anonymous verdict of a jury, and not in the medals that the value of the award consists. In the second group, consisting of pottery, glass, etc., we find an award given as follows: Dorflinger Glass Co., United States, White Mills, Wayne County, Penn., Glass Table Wares." - The Wayne Citizen
Feb. 1877 - "…[Dorflinger] now filling an order for 72,000 hand lamps, to be shipped to Japan…" - The Wayne Citizen
Mar. 1877 - "The Dorflinger Glass Works are manufacturing a very heavy order for blue glass lamp globes for one of the largest firms in the country." - The Wayne Citizen
May 1877 - "…The Masonic Grand Officers accompanied by Ex-Mayor Richard Vaux and Hon. George W. Wood, of Philadelphia arrived in town via Delaware and Hudson Company's mountain route. During the afternoon they took carriages and visited the White Mills Glass Works, and were shown through the different departments of the establishments, by the proprietor, Mr. Dorflinger…" - The Wayne Citizen
Jan. 1878 - "The Dorflinger Glass Works is published among the list of corporations doing business in New York with a capital of $200,000." - The Wayne County Herald
Aug. 1878 - [Note: News story about Company A of the City Guard of Scranton camping at Honesdale and touring Wayne County. The following is part of that article:]
"…Accompanied by our Honesdale friends, we were allowed to examine the Dorflinger Glass Works, of whose reputation for turning out first-class work, their record at the Centennial, the supplies furnished by them for the Smithsonian Institute, and the magnificent display of "cut crystal' in their sample room attest.
…We were shown all the processes of making the cut crystal from the blowing through the annealing and cutting to the enameling and engraving, and in the showroom were allowed to examine the richest specimens of the art to be found in this country." - The Wayne County Herald
Sept. 1878 - "…an elegant cut-glass goblet of immense size, made to order for Company A, Scranton City Guard, as a souvenir of their late visit to Dorflinger's glass works. The goblet has a shield cut on one side upon which are engraved a pair of crossed muskets with a cartridge box hanging in the center, upon which is the inscription: "Co. A.S.C.G." Below a sword and pen are crossed upon which stands an owl. The goblet is protected by a handsome black walnut and glass case." - The Wayne County Herald
Jan. 1879 - "Mr. C. Dorflinger paid his employees in the White Mills Glass Works in gold." - The Wayne Citizen
Feb. 1879 - "…The Carbondale Loan Exhibition…[has] an elegant assortment of cut glass from the Dorflinger Glass Works that should not be overlooked." - The Wayne Citizen
Apr. 1879 - "Mr. C. Dorflinger recently purchased four hundred tons of coal of the Penn'a Coal Co., at Hawley, for use in his glass works at White Mills. It gave employment to quite a number of teams and men to transport it to his place of business." - The Wayne Citizen
June 1879 - "About the finest specimen of the photographer's art we ever saw is Hensel's picture of the interior of the show room of Dorflinger's glass works, with all its magnificent belongings. It is a piece of work any artist might be proud of." [This might be the photo on Page 82 of DORFLINGER: America's Finest Glass, 1852-1921 by John Quentin Feller. The glass in the photo predates his "about 1900" guess] - The Wayne County Herald
July 1879 - Honesdale, The Gravity and etc. - The following article from the pen of Miss Susan E. Dickinson, appeared in the New York Herald, July 14th:
"…Five miles from Honesdale, on this road, just half way from Hawley are situated White Mills, Mr. C. Dorflinger's famous glass works, where the finest cut glass in America is made. These works are kept continually busy, filling orders for Europe as well as for America. Mr. Dorflinger and his son are extremely kind and courteous to visitors, taking great pains to show and explain the process of shaping and cutting glass. The skill needed for the latter process is very great, and it is a delight to stand and watch some delicate and graceful pattern grow under the hands of the artisan.
Some of Mr. Dorflinger's best cutters are women. The only pressed glass that is made in the establishment are the stoppers for vials. The storeroom where the finished glass is arranged on long shelves and tables, as large orders grow toward completion, is a beautiful sight, with its wealth of gleaming crystal. Among it were many specimens of delicate ruby and sapphire glass - the color is burned on."
Feb. 1880 - "The people of White Mills have done nobly for the relief of the famishing in Ireland. Through their committee, Messrs. J.J. O'Connor, Thomas Hollingsworth, Daniel Driscoll and Patrick Gaffney [all these men were glass blowers but O'Connor, who was foreman of the cutting shop] forwarded $126.75 to the [New York] Herald fund last week." - The Wayne County Herald
Aug. 1880 -" The Region of the Moosic
The following article from the pen of the well-known writer Miss S.E. Dickinson appeared in the New York Daily Graphic in its issue of July 27th:"
"…Half way between the two quiet towns [Honesdale and Hawley] is White Mills, the famous Dorflinger Glass Works, where the finest flint glass made in America is produceD&Hellip;. Mr. Dorflinger employs here over 200 men. In the cutting and engraving department, where the highest skilled labor is requisite, some of his best workers are women. It is certainly a department of labor peculiarly well fitted for them…. Then we were so fortunate as to be able to see the store rooms, in which just then part of a large order was accumulated before being sent away, under the chaperonage of Mr. Dorflinger himself - who took time to allow us to examine the exquisite designs and to explain how the ruby glass was made with gold, and the blue with cobalt and the colors burned in…"
June 1881 - "Dorflinger's glass factory at White Mills gives steady employment to 55 cutters and 10 engravers. There is probably no establishment in the United States employing a larger force than this, and certainly none turning out finer work." - The Wayne County Herald
June 1881 - "Mr. Dorflinger, having definitely decided to put in gas at this White Mills Glass Works, the contract has been given to Mr. J.H. Sutton of Honesdale, who will at once commence operations. Works will be erected capable of supplying five hundred burners, to include the factory…. The gas will be manufactured by the Maxim Gas Machine, of Philadelphia, of which Mr. Sutton is the agent for this section." - The Wayne Citizen
-"John Flanagan…drowneD&Hellip;30 years old, and leaves a wife and three children. He was a native of Glasgow, Scotland. He first came to this country in 1871. In 1878 he returned to Europe, but came back in 1879, and has ever since been employed in the White Mills glass factory. He had charge of the engraving department; and was himself a first-class workman…" - The Wayne County Herald
- "John Flanagan…was a native of Scotland, and emigrated to this country from Glasgow some eight to ten years ago [1871]. He was a glass engraver, and after working in or near New York until the business depression of 1873 affected the glass manufacture, returned to Scotland. Later he again came to this country and was employed as foreman of the engraving department at White Mills. He was a superior workman, with special skill as a designer. About a year and a half ago he sent for his mother and five younger brothers and sisters, and established them at White Mills…" - The Wayne Citizen
Aug. 1881 - "A paragraph in the New York Tribune stating that a splendid set of glass-ware had been presented to Mrs. Garfield [the President had been shot on July 3 and died September 19] by a manufacturer who declined to have his name mentioned, leads people hereabout to believe that they could make a shrewd guess as to the identity of the donor. We have but a short distance to travel to find glass answering the description, and a manufacturer of just such characteristic modesty and generosity." - The Wayne County Herald
The New York Tribune, of July 28th contained this paragraph:
"Mrs. Garfield has just received a gift of beautiful glassware from some American manufacturers who were so unselfish and considerate that they sent the ware through another firm and would not allow their names to be mentioned."
"It is the general impression of this vicinity, and we think rightly, too, that the above mentioned ware was made at one of the most celebrated factories in the United States, and located not over ten miles from Honesdale." - The Wayne Citizen
Dec. 1881 - "A Narrow Escape from Instant Death. On Friday evening last, a singular accident occurred at the Dorflinger Glass Works which it seems almost miraculous did not result in loss of life or at least serious injury to some of the employees in the cutting department. The cutters work on stone disks fitted on frames about breast high and driven by belts connecting the main shaft with pulleys on the shafts of the stones. At the time mentioned, R.F. McComb Jr., one of the cutters who had been temporarily away from his frame, was returning to it, and had reached within four feet of it in front when the belt in some way became entangled, and in an instant the entire frame, with the stone and other attachments was drawn up to the main shaft. There it wedged between the shaft and the floor above and completely stopped the powerful machinery of the cutting room for perhaps a minute, when the frame broke loose and fell with a crash. The small pulley and stone were then whirled by the released machinery about the shaft with such velocity that the stone was scattered in pieces about the room. The frame and attachment weighed probably 500 pounds, and had Mr. McComb been a step farther forward at the moment of the mishap, or been struck by the flying fragments of the stone he could hardly have escaped fatal injury. We understand that accidents of this nature are not very unusual in such establishments." - The Wayne County Herald
Oct. 1882 - "The Herald recently instructed its "Walker and Talker" to visit White Mills and to see for himself what the firm of C. Dorflinger & Sons [the name of the company was changed from The Dorflinger Glass Co. to C. Dorflinger & Sons in 1881, when his sons joined the family business] are doing. It was a pleasant mission we entered upon: the drive was a charming one, and upon presentation of a letter of introduction, we met with a most courteous reception. We wished to learn something of the processes involved in the manufacture of fine glass, and Mr. C.H.[Charles Henry] Dorflinger [the youngest son] kindly volunteered to act as "guide, philosopher and friend" in a stroll through the works.
First, we visited the mixing room - the abnitio of glass working. Here, in troughs we found "batches" of the mixture which is destined to assume so many beautiful shapes. This "batch" is a compound of sand, which comes from Berkshire, Mass., soda ash, oxide of lead, pearlash, nitre, manganese and arsenic. The sand preponderates, and the mixture is "gritty" to the touch and not especially pleasing to the eye.
We had the pleasure of next seeing a "pot" filled with this mixture. Adjoining the mixing room is the furnace room or "glass house" proper. This is a large apartment…. In this apartment are two furnaces of seven pots each, each pot having capacity for holding about 2,500 pounds of the mixture, which, subjected to a white heat becomes liquefied and subject to the manipulation of the "blower".
Before speaking of the processes of glass making that we witnessed, we will refer for a moment to these "pots". Very exaggerated specimens of the potters' art are they and we watched their construction. The clay used is imported from Germany
[in 1869, it was stated, the clay then came from England] - it is peculiarly free from extraneous matter, and yet it is carefully inspected and every impurity removed. Mixed with water this clay is trodden under foot by an able bodied man, in his bare feet, who regularly enters upon a "go-as-you-please" gait for three weeks at a stretch - time allowed for meals and sleep. The potter takes this clay and layer upon layer, fashions the pot - he can't work by the ordinary potter's method, for the base of his immense "pot" doesn't rest upon a revolving disk - he must fashion it from a fixed, or central point, and that this is a work of time, may be fancied when we state that each pot represents about $50.00 expense, that it takes about five weeks to make a set of eight pieces, and that four months time is required to dry each piece before it is fit to place in the furnace. In each pot is a ring - about three times the size of a full grown bologna sausage: it is detached from the port itself, and, as it floats upon the molten glass, its use is to separate impurities from the mass, and all "gathering" of glass is made from within the circle prescribed by this ring.
Referring again to the furnace room. As we look about us we see half a regiment of boys and men, each busy as can be…. The "blower" holds a conspicuous place, and yet he wears his blushing honors meekly. He is a "central figure" - a planet - around which a number of satellites revolve. He is an artist, upon his skill depends much of the success of the business, for, it the ware made be false or imperfect as it leaves his hands, no after-manipulation can rectify the error. Each "blower" has four assistants: one "gatherer", one boy to hold the mould, one to "knock off" or "clean off" the irons, and one to carry the ware to the Glory Hole or to [the] "leer", as the case may be, depending upon the ware; the leer is an annealing furnace where the ware is virtually "tempered". The "Glory Hole" - a miniature Hades - heated by oil [in 1869 it was heated by wood], is presided over by "gaffers" or finishers. A certain class of work does not pass through the hands of those ministering to the "Glory Hole", but most of it does.
From the "leer" the finer grades of goods - those that are to be cut, pass to the cutting room, presided over by J.J. O'Connor, who has 85 employees in his department, nearly all of whom are skilled workmen. This cutting room (or rooms, rather, for there are two) has two line shafts, with cutters' benches at short intervals. There are, we see, grades or distinctions in cutting, as in every other branch of the business; first we notice the iron wheel (a thin disc of about 24 inches in diameter) whose surface is constantly moistened by a stream of sand and water. This iron wheel does the rough outline cutting; next the ware passes to a "stone wheel", where the fine work is done, and afterward, the "wood wheel" gets in work, burnishing and polishing the material.
We also visited the engraving department. Here we saw a number of men at work, their only working tool being a copper wheel of about two inches in diameter (and some of these wheels are less than 1/8 inch in diameter). These wheels revolve rapidly, presenting a very fine cutting edge, and, with his eye and brain for guides the workman holds the goblet or dish or other article to this minute wheel and traces and develops images, monograms or other adornments at will. This department, to our mind, is the most interesting of any in the works, for it calls for a high type of artistic skill - a man can't be educated to it - he must be a born engraver to succeed.
The "stopper room" is also exceedingly interesting,…it suffices to say that the same painstaking care in all the working details is shown, and that the product is equally perfect.
Next we visited two "sample rooms". They seemed like veritable halls of fairydom, and among the work on exhibition are specimens of the glass-maker's handicraft that are, unquestionably, par excellence. In looking at the beautiful cutting and the exquisite tracery of leaf, twig and vine, of the perfect portrayal of animal life, at the combination of monograms, and at the formation of the ware itself, we are fairly lost in wonder - we can hardly realize that the dull looking material we saw in the "mixing room can be made to
assume such shape and comeliness - it seems as if some magician's wand must have been waved, and that more than mortal skill has been manifesting creative power.
We might amplify these "notes" to an indefinite extent. A few words relative to the personnel of the firm, and we close. The co-partners are: C. Dorflinger and his sons, Wm. F., L.J., and C.H. Dorflinger. Mr. Dorflinger, Sr., is a native of Lorraine. He is now 54 years of age, and since he was a lad of 12 years he has been connected with the glass-making industry. In the year 1845 he came to this country, and in 1851 engaged as a manufacturer of Brooklyn; in September 1865 he began manufacturing here [White Mills, Pa.]. Then the works employed not far from 100 persons [the paper stated in 1869 "…employs in all its departments 182 hands…."]; now its payroll shows 300 employees, and the disbursement for wages is $10,000 per month, or $120,000 per year. Not only is Mr. Dorflinger a thorough practical manufactacturer [Sic.] but he is one of the best to be found in the world. That is a broad statement, but facts abundantly justify it. His sons have virtually grown up in the business and are perfectly conversant with it. As boys and men they have worked at it, and each is competent to fill the place he does in the management of the enterprise - an enterprise that may in all fairness be designated as the leading one of its kind in the United States."
Oct. 1882 - "Telephone connection was established on Tuesday [Oct. 10] afternoon between Honesdale and Hawley, conversation being carried on with the greatest ease. The central office is at Petersen's from whence communications can be had with the following places…the Dorflinger Glass Works…" - The Wayne Citizen
Nov. 1882 - "The Dorflinger Glass Works last week shipped to the National Bazaar, Art and Industrial Exposition, Washington, to be sold in aid of the Garfield monument, an elegant set of glass, valued at $100. The design is entirely new and original…. The fair will occupy the rotunda and adjacent rooms of the Capitol from Nov. 25 to Dec. 3 and will be attended by people from all parts of the Union.
- Dr. J.W. Kesler, on behalf of Capt. Jame Ham Post [Post 198 G.A.R.] has received the following acknowledgment from Dr. J.K.P. Gleeson, Secretary of the National Bazaar, Industrial and Art Exposition, now being held in Washington, for the benefit of the Garfield monument fund:
Washington, D.C. Nov. 16, 1882
DEAR SIR: I am directed by the Penn'a Board of Commissioners, to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 11th instant, announcing that your Post G.A.R., and a few citizens of Honesdale have sent to the "Garfield Fair" an elegant glass gift, valued at $100 and to thank you, and through you, your post, and the citizens of your city, for this very generous response to our appeal on behalf of the "Garfield Monument Fund".
I am sir very respectfully,
J.K.P. GLEESON, Secretary"
The Wayne Citizen
Mid 1883 - By this time the new or lower cutting shop was in operation. Now with frames moved out, the old or original cutting shop [built 1866-67], in the upper factory became on the 1st floor, a moulding shop, offices for the company, and a packing room. On the second floor was storage and the stoppering department. It was about this time that the storage sheds were added on the north-west side (or the end) of the old cutting building, and on the north-west side of the Ware or Showroom.
The Labor Movement & Dorflinger Glass
By the 1880's, labor unions were starting to grow in America. First, the Knights of Labor tried to bring together skilled (including glassworkers) and unskilled labor into one large national union. The second and more powerful group in the area was the American Flint Glass Worker's Union of North America, which formed the White Mills Local Union No. 88.
The first strike in a Wayne County glass factory happened in June 1882 at the Honesdale Glass Works (a Dorflinger subsidiary - founded in 1873). The Wayne County Herald covered the story under the heading: "The Trouble at the Honesdale Glass Works, Why the Men have Struck and Why the Company will not Yield." The newspaper ended the story by saying, "…we have endeavored to get at the bottom facts of the case [it was about the number of apprentices the factory took in]. Looking at the statements of both parties and applying to them the ordinary judgment of laymen…in this case the blowers are in the wrong."
In July 1882, less than a month after the strike the newspaper talks of a new glass factory at Hawley (the Hawley Glass Works - another Dorflinger subsidiary). Some of the workers, superintendent, and the bookkeeper all came from the Honesdale Glass Works. One wonders if they moved because of the strike there.
But troubles soon followed them. In December 1885 the "gatherers" at the Hawley glass factory struck for advanced wages. "Finding however that the works could be run without their services, they made application to resume work at the old rates, and were permitted to take their places back…." - The Wayne County Herald. A year later, in December 1886, at the Hawley glass factory the fires were drawn, and the paper said "…it is not likely that they will be put in again…." because of the Glass Blower's Union. However, the factory reopened in January 1887, but it was true, the unions were here and gathering strength. Dorflinger was digging in his heels for the coming rounds.
Mid 1887 -"An alarm of fire was given a few minutes before 11 o'clock last evening, the Pennsylvania Coal Company's freight house, East Hawley…. The building was in flames before [being] discovered it must have been set on fire between 10 and 11 o'clock. The Hawley Glass Company [Dorflinger's] had some three hundred dollars of property in the building. The firing of the building must have been the work of an incendiary." - The Wayne Independent
Oct. 1887 - "The matter of a reward of $500 for the arrest and conviction of the incendiary who fired the barn and stable of the Honesdale Glass Works [Dorflinger's] resulting in the complete destruction of the entire building and contents including a team of fine horses involving a total loss of $1,500 is brought to the attention of our readers in this issue. We learn from the manager of the Honesdale Glass Works, whose property was thus destroyed on the night of Monday last, October 24th, at 10:15 p.m., that there was no light of any kind, or fire, used in the building for the previous twenty-four hours; the windows and doors were all securely fastened or nailed up; the teamster neither drinks nor smokes, and there was no possibility of the fire resulting from accident in any way. [If Dorflinger took these precautions at a subsidiary, he must have also done this, or more, at the main factory in White Mills]. The incendiary doubtless well considered his opportunity…It is to be hoped the liberal reward offered will result in the speedy arrest and conviction of the guilty party." - The Wayne County Herald. It was about this time, and after these two incidents, that Dorflinger built a high wooden fence with gates around the White Mills Glass Works for protection.
Jan. 1888 - "General Strike Among Flint Glass Blowers - A general strike and one that affects the glass factory of Dorflinger & Sons at White Mills, was inaugurated last Saturday [December 31, 1887] when the flint glass blowers of the entire country concluded to quit work pending a settlement with the manufacturers with regard to certain rights, rules, and regulations which they claim should govern the management of the various factories comprising the American Flint and Lime Glass Manufacturers' Association. This strike affects every factory, the proprietors of which belong to the association.
Pending negotiations, and we understand that 15 days time has been granted on each side for amicable settlement, the furnaces in all the flint glass factories will be banked.
As we understand, it is not so much a question of wages as one of the rules regulating the management of the factories, the glass blowers particularly objecting to the admission of more than a stipulated number of apprentices, and also insisting on the right of at least having a hearing in the matter of hiring and discharging hands.
They also object to Rule No. 2 of the Manufacturers Association, which reads as follows:
"Employers or employees must not discriminate against any individual because he or she is, or is not, a member of any organization."
A conference of the glass manufacturers of the country is now in session at Pittsburgh. - The Wayne County Herald
The strike had finally hit home, in White Mills, shutting down the original blowing factory, for the first time since it was built in 1865. With no plain glass or blanks being made, there was soon nothing for the cutters to work on, and they too joined the blowers on strike. "These extensive glass works, the most celebrated in the country, are now practically idle, and the loss, then thousand dollars a month, will be likely to quite materially affect our local business interests." - The Wayne Independent
March 1888 - "Strikes are a great investment for skilled workmen, putting money in their pockets and bread in the mouths of their families, with a vengeance. For instance - the blowers at Dorflinger's establishment at White Mills have been out for some weeks, their wages previously having averaged $4.00 per day. Since the strike some of them have been employed on the double tracks of the Honesdale Branch [Railroad] at $1.10 per day" - The Honesdale Citizen
Dorflinger was down but not out. Letters being sent to Mr. T.G. Hawkes of Corning, N.Y. tell the tale: Feb 7, 1888 "…Thanks for the blanks sent…."; Feb 13, 1888 "…We will have some ruby and amber hocks on way from EnglanD&Hellip;."; Mar. 23, 1888 "…We have a lot on way from EnglanD&Hellip;."; Apr. 7, 1888 "…We send you a sample today and would request that you have 15 blanks made for us…. Please hurry along the water bottles now on order. We are running one small furnace with non-union men and hope to increase our force very soon - Very Truly Yours, C. Dorflinger & Sons"
Apr. 1888 - "Four shops at the White Mills Glass Works resumed work this week, with a force of non-union men, which is rapidly increasing. Yesterday, James Smith of Brooklyn, the leading authority in the east on the Flint Glass Blowers Union, appeared on the scene, but we have not yet learned how far his efforts have affected the situation." - The Honesdale Citizen
May 1888 - "C. Dorflinger & Sons glass works at White Mills are running with non-union men. A large number of the old employees have gone back." - The Wayne Independent
Aug. 1888 - "A warrant was issued on Monday for the arrest of a fellow by the name of [George] Barber, of White Mills, who was charged with an assault upon a man by the name of [George] Grave. The trouble grew out of a quarrel that was started by Barber who is a union man, calling Graves, who is a non-union man, a "scab". Barber has so far eluded arrest." - The Wayne Independent
Aug 1988 - Dorflinger wrote to T.G. Hawkes of Corning, N.Y., "…We started today another first class castor place shop and in the course of ten days will be prepared to make anything you may require in best goods - We have two more first glass shops coming over, [one shop supposed to be the best in Europe for large work] and in the course of [the] next 30 days you will see some work done in this "scab" works that will do your heart good. The union is working hard against us, but we are now on top and propose to stay there…." He writes Hawkes again on Aug. 27, 1888, "…You may send your moulds [for blowing glass blanks] on any time you wish. We are prepared now to do your work. - Yours Truly, C. Dorflinger & Sons"
Oct. 1888 - "The Society of the American Mechanical Engineers of the United States met in Scranton last week. On Thursday they had an excursion to Honesdale via the Erie and Wyoming railroads, stopping at Hawley, to make a tour of the silk mill, and in White Mills to inspect the glass works. The entire party numbered 152…." - The Honesdale Citizen
Nov. 1888 - "The glass blowers in general are jubilant over the election of Harrison." - The Wayne Independent Because the republicans said they would fight for protection of American industries and workmen.
Dec. 1888 - "White Mills . . the glass blowers are working night and day…" The Wayne Independent
Apr. 1891 - "The Dorflingers of White Mills, have made a contract with the Beilman brothers to take down one of the large brick chimney stocks connected with their works and a series of scaffolds has been constructed inside the stack to facilitate the work. On Monday last the top scaffold, upon which George Beilman was working, gave way and down he went with a shower of brick, mortar, boards, and tools accompanying him through scaffold after scaffold until he landed on terra firma, sixty feet below his starting point. Strange to say that with the exception of a few scratches and bruises he was but little injured." [In the paintings and engravings, the shorter chimney on the right appears to be square but in an 1889-1890 photo it is round. So one thinks that the chimneys on the upper or original blowing factory were being replaced at this time. They were then 25 years old, while the chimneys on the lower or new factory, which we will talk about later, were only 6 years old].
Dec. 1891 - Set of 496 different pieces of cut glass sent to Washington D.C. for President Harrison made by C. Dorflinger & Sons White Mills, Pa. [It is most likely that some of the blanks for this set were blown in this, the upper or original blowing factory].
May 1892 - "The Dorflinger Glass Works in Ashes….
Watchman Watson was on duty at quarter past twelve yesterday morning. He had just made his round, stopping for a moment in front of the shipping house. [See Mid 1883 to Mid 1884, shipping house was the storage shed, added to the front of the Ware or Showroom] which fronted against the open door of the central engine house [this was ground level of the old cutting shop] where fireman Freethy was on duty…. Watson stepped into the engine house for a few minutes and then started out for a fresh inspection of the works. He had hardly passed the threshold, when the engineer discovered a blaze, then about as large as a hogshead, [a large barrel with a capacity equal to 62 gallons] in the shipping room. He promptly blew the steam whistle, as Watson rushed to the stables, within a few feet of the fire, to release the horses. Unable to open doors, he fired his pistol, and very soon workmen and villagers were rushing from all points and turning their hands to whatever seemed most urgent in the hope of subduing the flames and saving the property. The horses were rescued with considerable difficulty, but beyond this but little could be accomplished. In an incredibly short space of time the fire had enveloped the shop and stock rooms over the shipping house, and was spreading in every direction…. The losses had been appalling. From the shipping rooms the flames spread to the stock and show rooms; thence to the original glass, containing also the packing rooms, the upper engine house, the machine shop and the stopper grinding rooms;…the immense storage sheds, full of packages of costly goods;…Besides the buildings the loss is a very serious one. Thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of finished and unfinished ware was consumed; blanks for the supply of nearly all the cutting shops in the country were melted, hundreds of favorite and special moulds were lost…. The loss in money can at this writing be only approximately stated. The best informed put it in the neighborhood of $175,000; upon which there was insurance…between $20,000 and $30,000…
The origin of the conflagration is as yet a mystery, but as the flames were first discovered where no light or fire is ever permitted or needed, winter or summer, it is generally believed to have been the work of an incendiary. If so, considering the uniform courtesy with which the Messrs. Dorflinger ever treat all with whom they come into social or business contact, it is hard to conceive what could have been the motive for such a terrible crime. [Everything points to the union for starting the fire. The early 1890's saw some of the worst labor unrest. Less than a month later started the strike in the steel mill in Homestead, Pa., that left several Pinkerton agents dead]
The Dorflinger Glass Works are owned and operated by Mr. Christian Dorflinger and his three sons, William, who manages the store of the firm, No. 36 Murray Street, New York, Louis J., whose residence is in Honesdale [Pa.], and Charles who lives with his father's family at the works [in White Mills]." - The Wayne County Herald
After 27 years, and 25 years of work respectively, the first blowing factory [1865] and the first cutting factory [1867] were now gone. The original or upper factory was turned into a pile of smoking stones and ashes.
The New or Lower Factory 1875 - 1892
The following relates to the history of the new or lower factory. The word "new" used here is very confusing. In this context, "new" refers to the lower factory started in 1875 or ten years after the original or upper factory, and not the post-fire [1892] reconstruction of upper factory buildings.
May 1875 - "Mr. Dorflinger is erecting for some New York parties, upon his property at White Mills, a building 25 by 100 feet, and two stories high, for the manufacture of decorative glass ware, such as druggists labels and c. These have heretofore been made separate from the bottles and afterwards attached to them. By some new process, to accomplish which experiments have been made for some time past at Mr. Dorflinger's glass works, the labels will now be blown into the bottles themselves making them much more lasting." - The Wayne Citizen
Sept. 1875 - "Among the recent specimens of the work done at Dorflinger's Glass Factory are some elegant toilet bottles for Dr. Avery's [a Honesdale dentist] odontine, with the label blown in the glass by a new process. When such artistic workmanship thus supplements the well-known excellence of this preparation for the teeth, a bottle of the odontine becomes more than ever a toilet necessity." - The Wayne Citizen
Sept. 1875 - "A large addition has been made to the Dorflinger Glass Works for the purpose of manufacturing druggist's bottles, with gilded decorations burnt in the glass. It is something entirely new, and far surpasses in elegance and durability the old and blotched glass label. The Dorflinger works is the only place in the world where these are manufactured, as the patentee has taken up his residence in the mills." - The Hawley Times
Nov. 1875 - "GLASS! How Glass is Made and Who Makes it. A trip through the glass factory of C. Dorflinger of the White Mills…. GLASS LABELS. Prof. E.L. Witte, the only manufacturer of glass labels which are a part of the bottle itself is located at this point. The old style of labels, he claims, was liable to fall off from the effects of excessive cold or heat. His labels being a part of the bottle, remedies this difficulty. Those who work for him are imported from France, England and Bohemia. He has a branch office in New York…" - The Hawley Times
Feb. 1876 - "FROM WHITE MILLS…Mr. Whitte [Witte] has returned from the city with quite an encouragement in his business…. "
Nov. 1876 - One of the decorators for Mr. Witte was a man by the name of William Christen. His work was so outstanding that he opened his own shop in the same building, seen by this ad:
"Baker & Bennett have recently introduced into the Honesdale market a new variety of dinner and tea sets, of decorated glass and china, manufactured by W. Christen, at White Mills. Mr. Christen is one of the leading artists in this class of good, and his work is not surpassed by any in the market. Monograms, floral and landscape painting, on glass and china sets, glass labels for druggists, & c., will be executed in the most tasteful manner, and may be ordered through Baker & Bennett. This work is fully equal to the best imported ware, and is especially suitable for holiday presents." - The Wayne Citizen
Frederick Dorflinger Suydam, in his booklet about his grandfather entitled "CHRISTIAN DORFLINGER - A Miracle in Glass", talked about William Christen. He said: "Sometime around 1870 [we now know from tax records it was in 1875], a Swiss decorator by the name of Christern [Sic.] came to White Mills, where for several years [until 1880] he maintained a home and workshop. He was an artisan of singular ability whose talents were concentrated upon the decorating of chinaware [and glass] most of which he sold commercially. As a large portion of the subjects depicted in his works reflected such native scenes as the village, factory and surrounding countryside, he has added materially to the preservation of the town's early history."
William Christen worked in White Mills only 5 years (1875-1880), hence glass and china decorated by him are rare. Here is a list of known examples of Christen's work from this period:
Porcelain Gravy Boat - Decorated and lettered "St. Charles" for St. Charles Hotel in White Mills. In 1873 this became Christian Dorflinger Home. 1875. Loaned to the Dorflinger Museum.
Stoppered Cologne Bottle - Opaque white glass, with the word "Centennial" in gold script. 1876. Dorflinger Museum.
Stoppered Cologne Bottle - Opaque white glass with multicolored decoration and the word "Mary" for Mary Elizabeth Dorflinger [oldest daughter of Christian]. Ca. 1876. Loaned to the Dorflinger Museum.
Porcelain Water Pitcher - Painted on one side a panorama of the village of White Mills, showing the glass works and the D&H Canal Ca. 1877. On the other side is C. Dorflinger's home, the former St. Charles Hotel, under the lip a view of C. Dorflinger's farm [today the Dorflinger Museum], and opposite the handle is displayed the saw mill operated by Fred Farnhan. Ca 1877.
Porcelain Plate - Painted with panorama of the village of White Mills [same as side of pitcher]. Ca. 1877. Collection of the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Porcelain Tea Cup and Saucer [from same service as the plate] - Tea cup painted with panorama of the village of White Mills, same as plate and water pitcher. Ca. 1877. Private Collection.
Porcelain Coffee Cup and Saucer [from same service as the plate] - Coffee cup painted showing close-up view of building housing packing department and showroom with upper or original blowing factory in background. Ca. 1877. Private Collection.
Several Dessert Plates[attributed to Christen] - Painted with fruits and flowers. These plates were wedding gifts to Louis James [2nd oldest son of Christian] and Ada Reed Dorflinger. 1878. Private Collection.
Oil Painting on Canvas [very rare, most known work on china or glass] - Showing panorama of the village of White Mills. This painting is different from the views painted on porcelain [pitcher, plate, coffee and tea cups] by the addition of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in the background [Cornerstone laid in 1878, church not completed until 1882]. 1879. June Dorflinger Hardy Collection.
In the over-all views of White Mills, painted on porcelain and canvas, William Christen shows us a rare glimpse of his and Prof. E.L. Witte's factory, the only known complete representations. In the paintings we see the glass works with two tall chimney stacks rising above the horizon. The first one on the left is the 1865 blowing shop, the second one [lower than the first] on the right is the 1867 cutting shop [there is a third short fat chimney on the right, which is also on the 1865 blowing shop]. At the base of the second chimney is a long two story building showing just a door on the first floor, and 17 windows on the second floor. This is Prof. Witte's and W. Christen's decorating shop. On the left side is a red roofed addition with two small chimneys. These are the decorating kilns, the taller one for firing china, the shorter one for glass [paint fuses to china at 1333°, and to glass at 1120°, hence the higher the temperature, the taller the chimney, for draft]. The house-looking building in the foreground is Rosswork's Hotel.
July 1879 - "On Tuesday of last week a brother of E.L. Witte, druggist ware manufacturer at White Mills, came up from the city [New York] to pay him a visit. The day was exceedingly warm, and the young man indulged freely in ice water on the way. At Turner's he ate a piece of apple pie. Arriving at White Mills he was found to be seriously ill with cholera morbus, which resulted in peritonitis. On Saturday he died, and his remains were taken to New York." - The Wayne County Herald
This sad occurrence is the last working reference to Prof. E.L. Witte's Shop. With the death of his brother, he disappears from all accounts of White Mills after this point. He may have gone back to New York, to take care of family.
May 1879 - Honesdale Loan Exhibition in the M.E. Church Booklet, Class K. Miscellaneous, Page 49, Item 1361 China, decorated by W. Christian [sic.] who was also listed as the owner.
This is the last working reference for William Christen, even though his name appears on the tax records for one more year. Sadly, he too disappears from all accounts of White Mills after 1880.
But what happened to the building after Witte and Christen were gone? We get a hint of its fate in -
June 1881 - "Mr. Dorflinger is arranging a new cutting department, for his already extensive works. This action has been rendered necessary by his rapidly increasing business. In consequence of this a new engine is to be added, the requisite steam being furnished by his present set of boilers." - The Wayne Citizen
[Note the word "arranging" in the newspaper story, not "building" a new cutting department. This is because the building was already there, the Witte and Christen shop. An addition may have been added to the back of the building at this time, for the engraving room and to house a 40-hp engine. This addition was not part of the original decorating shop of 1875 but we do not know the exact date of construction].
Oct. 1882 - In a newspaper story entitled "The Dorflinger Glass Works - How Glass is Made and Who Makes it," we read: "…this cutting room [or rooms rather, for there are two]…. The second cutting room was, second floor of the old Witte and Christen shop."
June 1883 - "It is reported that extensive additions are to be made to the White Mills Glass Works." - The Wayne Citizen
Aug. 1883 - "A large stone building is being erected by Mr. Dorflinger at his White Mills glass factory, to be used in connection with his already extensive establishment." - The Wayne Citizen
Dec. 1883 - "In order to accommodate his rapidly increasing business, Mr. Dorflinger has just completed and has now ready for use at his White Mills Glass Works, two large buildings, one 64 by 80 feet, the basement being of stone, the second floor of wood, to be used as a furnace room. The other entirely of stone, 40 x 125 feet, and two stories in height to be occupied by the cutting department." - The Wayne Citizen
Early 1880's - By the early 1880's, Christian Dorflinger with his sons was operating the White Mills glass factory, and he had a business interest in the Honesdale and Hawley glass factories. White Mills produced blanks and fine cut glass, Honesdale and Hawley produced fruit jars, bottles, demijohns, and lamp chimneys. Dorflinger had been selling blanks for years, first from the Greenpoint L.I., New York works and then from the White Mills works. But with a boom in glass cutting establishments across the country, a huge supply of blanks was needed. The original or upper factory was remodeled for this need, the making, packing and selling of blanks. The new or lower factory was an update of the original, with a state-of-the-art blowing and cutting shop and showrooms.
July 1885 - For a more detailed description of the new or lower factory we turn to the Sanborn Map Company, map for July 1885. This shows the new or lower factory was now comprised of a blowing shop fifty to sixty feet high and eighty feet long by sixty feet in width [the newspaper said sixty four feet in width] built of wood with a basement of stone. It had a cement floor over a brick arched ceiling in the basement, and one eight-pot glass furnace on the first floor, fueled by coal. The roof was iron clad. This building abutted the new stone cutting shop. The blowing shop had two annealing ovens with brick arch openings that extended sixty feet into the stone cutting shop.
Next, the stone cutting building is three stories in height, counting the basement, and one hundred and sixty feet long and thirty-five feet wide [the newspaper said one hundred and twenty five feet long and forty feet wide] made of native stone. The building is built into a side hill so both first and second floor have a ground level entrance. This too has a brick arched ceiling in the basement, and also on the first floor. On the left side (north-west) of the building at the basement level was a storage room for blanks, ninety feet long and twenty-five feet wide. The roof in the front was three feet above ground, in the back it was even with the ground. The annealing room was on the first floor, with a stone floor, with a cutting and engraving room [in the back] on second, with a cement floor. The cutting room had a 75-hp engine that turned the hundred or more cutting wheels. The engraving room had a 6-hp engine. The engines were powered by two boilers in a wooden frame addition on the back of this building. The boiler room had an iron chimney on a stone base, fifty-five feet high. The stone cutting shop had a slate roof with a transom.
Abutting the stone cutting shop on the south-east side at right angles was the old wooden Witte and Christen decorating /cutting shop which now became a ware [show] room for finished cut glass. Adjacent to this on the back was a second engraving room with a 40-hp engine.
Finally, lighting for the factory is gasoline gas, heat is steam, and for protection from fire water pipes run throughout the building from the pond above the works.
July 1887 - The heavy rainfall of last week caused considerable damage…at the Dorflinger Glass Works in White Mills, the giving away of a dam above the factory [the pond above the works] converted the outlet stream into a torrent which cut a channel for itself through the boiler room and cutting shop. Work was necessarily suspended for some days, and the damage is estimated at not less than $1,000. - The Wayne Co. Herald.
Late 1880's—The new stone two story office/showroom was built. In Mathews' History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania, 1886, is a birds' eye view of the Wayne County Glass Works, or C. Dorflinger & Sons, White Mills. The engraving shows to the left of center, a square Italianate Style, two story building with a cupola, which previous writers have said was the office. A check of the Sanborn Map for July 1885 shows no building on that site. But the map does show the office of the company, located in the upper factory, to the right of the large chimney on the stone building in the front. [note: the awnings over the windows in the 1886 engraving, this shows it was still there a year later.]
If the Italianate building in the engraving was the proposed office it is shown in the wrong location. The real office is much closer to the new of lower stone cutting shop. There is only a narrow driveway between the two buildings. The Mathews' history engraver had used his artistic license to portray an imaginary view of an office building never built.
In Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass, 1852-1921 by John Quentin Feller, on Page 92, Fig.8-07 he states "…employees posed in front of the office building which was constructed after the 1892 fire to replace an earlier structure." In a photograph of White Mills, taken prior to 1890, by L. Hensel [a photographer from Hawley] we see the roof line of the office building. This proves it was not constructed after 1892. The present stone office/showroom was built between 1886 and 1890
It is thirty by forty feet, two stories high of native stone with a slate roof. This building was also built into the side of a hill, so each floor had a ground level entrance. There are six large windows on the southwest [three on first, and three on second floor] and five on the southeast [two with a door on first, and three on second floor].
Inside on first floor was the offices, they were trimed and paneled in walnut and chesnut lumber. The partitions between the entrance hall and the front and back office is frosted rolled figured glass, form the chair rail to the ceiling. The glass obscured your vision into the office but did not obstruct the light [this was especially true in the back office which has no windows, because of the side of the hill.] The back office, however, does have a fireplace. Back to the entrance hall, the staircase rises to the right, to the second floor.
The second floor was one large room used as a glass showroom. At the top of the open staircase was a door [as you look at the back wall it was on the right] which lead outside. In the middle of the same wall was fireplace with an ornate Victorian overmantle with beveled mirrors. The only other furniture in the room was two long tables, laden with cut glass.
Jan. 1888 —All the blowers employed by Dorflinger & Sons, at White Mills, are out on a strike…the strike includes the blowers in all the flint glass works in the country…—The Citizen.
This strike affected the blowing shops in both the upper and this the lower factories. Note: details and facts of the "Blowing Strike" are included in the section on the "Original or First Upper Factory."
But by late Jan. the strike of the blowers had spread to the glass cutters, how housed in the new Lower Factory as we see by these letters:
Mr. T.G. Hawkes Jan. 23, 1888
Dear Sir—
We have discharged nine of our cutters, these are men I spoke to you about. They are the leading society men [union] here and are all good cutters—a couple of them are well acquainted with Mr. John Hoare [J. Hoare & Co. Cut Glass] & may go up there looking for work—Will you…see that none of these men are hired by Mr. Hoare.
There is not other place for them to look for work but in Corning (NY)
Yours very truly
L.J.Dorflinger
The next day Dorflinger writes again;
Mr. T.G. Hawkes Jan. 24, 1888
Corning NY
Dear Sir,
About sixty of our cutters walked out of the shop this morning, this because we discharge the leaders of the union—we will not experience much trouble, we think will be able to run ab't 40 frames regularly, will keep you posted.
Our men gave us no notice whatever—asked for the reinstatement of discharge men, this we positively refused and they simply walked out.
Yours
C. Dorflinger & Sons
A newspaper story published two days later had a different take on why the strike occurred. Note, there is no mention of the word "union" to the public.
"Glass Cutter's Strike at White Mills"
"It will be remembered by our readers that owing to a disagreement between the flint glass blowers and flint glass manufacturers in this country in regard to the adoption of certain rules regarding the employment of men, all the factories and employees in the United States quit work about three weeks ago. This suspension threw into idleness over 100 men at Messrs. Dorflinger & Sons'Works at White Mills, these were glass blowers. The cutters belonging to a different union from the blowers. The disagreement mentioned did not effect them a they continued work.
On Saturday last [Jan. 21] the stock of plain glass becoming reduced owing to the blowers not working, the firm notified nine of their men that in two weeks time their services would not be longer needed. There is an agreement existing between the firm and employees that when a man is to be dismissed he is to be given two weeks notice and when a employee is going to quit he must give his employer notice the same length of time before leaving.
On Tuesday [Jan 24], a committee appointed by the glass cutters waited upon Mr. Dorflinger and informed him that if the men who had received notice of dismissal were not reinstated all of the cutters would strike.
The committee was informed that owing to the want of plain stock to work (blanks) the firm would probably be obliged to continue a gradual reduction of the force. Upon receiving this information the cutters, numbering about 85, went out taking with them several of the apprentices.
These extensive glass works, the most celebrated in the country, are now practically idle, ant the loss of their pay roll, which disbursed in the community [is] ten thousand dollars a month, will be likely to quite materially effect our [Honesdale] local business interests." The Wayne County Herald
Feb-Apr 1888—Again letters being sent to Mr. T.G. Hawkes of Corning N.Y. give us the true picture:
Feb 13, 1888 "we have 40 frames running now."
Apr 27, 1888 "we have 60 frames running now but are short on good workmen. We are gaining slowly but will have everything non-union or bust."
May 1888— C. Dorflinger & Sons Glass Works at White Mills are running with non-union men. A large number of the old employees have gone back—The Wayne Independent
Oct. 1889— "Dorflinger", as a trade mark of fine cut glass, is becoming much sought after among purchasers of high grade goods of that description. The "Dorflinger" brand is extremely advertised as the best cut glass in the world, and only experts can detect the slightest difference between the White Mills product and the best Bohemian ward of world wide reputation. The Wayne County Independent
June 1891— In 1891 Caroline Harrison [wife of President Benjamin Harrison] ordered new china and glassware for the White House. For the first time since 1861 a new design for the state glassware service was chosen. Samples of glass were sent by M.W. Beveridge, a Washington, D.C. retailer, to the White House, "…and the one selected for acceptance has the straight shape and the Russian cut, with the coat of arms of the United States engraved in medallion like the finished goblet." [letter to M.W. Beveridge from Col. Oswald Ernst, commissioner of public buildings, in charge of The White House, Washington, D.C., June 17, 1891]. Beveridge placed the order for the glassware with C. Dorflinger & Sons, White Mills, Pa.
Oct 1891— Mrs Walter E. Dimmick, of Washington, D.C., was the guest of Honesdale relatives, several days last week. She was formerly Miss Mary Lord, of Honesdale and is a niece of President Harrison and member of his [White House] household. [Could she have been here checking on the Dorflinger Glass for the White House?]—The Wayne Citizen.
Nov 1891—The beautiful set of rich cut glass, made at the extensive establishement of C. Dorflinger & Sons, at White Mills in this county, for the use of the White House, was completed a few days ago, and has been on exhibition in New York City for a brief season. The Jewelers' Circular, of the latter city, under date of Nov 18th says of the set"
"The popularity and extensive application of American rich cut glass is exemplified in the set manufactured for the state dining room of the White House, at Washington, by C. Dorflinger & Sons. This set consists of forty-two dozen pieces of stemware, comprising of water bottles, decanters, goblets, wines, champagnes and finger bowls, of which there are five dozen of each. There are no flat pieces, as dishes and bowls. The appropriation was not large enough to cover the cost of a set including every variety of article made in cut glass, so only those pieces which may be considered articles of necessity were made. As it is, the cost of the set is estimated at $6,000. [note: in ,White House Glassware: Two Centuries of Presidential Entertaining, by Jane Shadel Spillman, Page 99, she states, "the Harrision glassware set cost $1,973.50", considerably lower than the $6,000 the newspaper reported.]
The pattern embodied in each piece may be scarcely called a special one. However, as the spaces allowed for the coat of arms affected to a degree the character of the cutting, the pattern contains several new features. The well known and beautiful Russian pattern, a harmonious combination of hobnails, stars and rosettes, forms the foundation of the design.
A salient feature of the set is the coat of arms of the United States engraved upon each piece. The engraving is of the most exquisite workmanship, the many details being as accurately defined as if the work were in steel. The design of the coat of arms is as follows: First, a shield, graceful in outline is into the glass. It is elegantly beveled and highly polished. Upon this polished slab is engraved the coat of arms, which consists of the eagle with arrows and olive branches in its talons, a ribbon with the motto, E. Pluribus Unum and the field of stars and stripes. The breast of the eagle displays a small shield bearing stripes. These engravings were done by hand, and such careful work was demanded of the artists that but two engravings could be finished a day by one man.
This set of cut glass is regarded as the finest ever turned out. The greatest care has been exercised in the cutting, polishing and all other processes. The glass is of the most perfect quality and color, while the cuttings are deep, well defined and faultless. The completion of this set will not only maintain the high reputation which C. Dorflinger & Sons have enjoyed for many years, but will, if possible, add to it. Altogether the set is an eminent example of what can be done in the way of manufacturing cut glass in the United States. The cut glass industry of the United States is one of which all public spirited citizens may be proud. American cut glass contains all the qualities of art that can possibly be embodied in productions of this class." The Wayne Citizen.
Dec. 1891— The Washington Star has the following concerning the magnificent set of cut glass ware recently finished for President Harrison, this country: In one of the large widows of Beveridge's China Store, 1215 F Street, there is a more than unusually handsome and interesting display of cut glass that has attracted crowds of spectators. It is a set of specimens of the great collection of cut glass for table use that was made on a special order for the White House. The entire set comprises 496 different pieces and includes all the various articles that could possibly be wanted for a state dinner. There are, for example, more than a half dozen styles of glasses alone [there was just a half dozen: goblet, saucer champagne, claret, sauterne, sherry, and apollinaris tumbler.] and carafes, plates [ice cream plates] and bowls [finger bowls] that could not but appeal to the heart of every lover of handsome cut glass. The cutting is all in what is known as the Russian style, selected by Mrs. Harrison herself, and on each piece there is a shield upon which is cut [engraved] the national coat of arms. This is done in the best manner known to the cutters' art and is an interesting and distinctive feature of the set. This collection, which is regarded as in many respects the finest ever made in this country is the work of C. Dorflinger & Sons, White Mills, Pa.—The Wayne Independent
Dec. 1891— The elegant set of cut glassware sent to the White House lately from our glass factory at White Mills, and about which the paper have had so much to say, was brought into use for the first time on Thursday last [Dec. 17, 1891] at Mrs. Harrison's luncheon. Some? Court journal says of the occasion: The long table was spread in the state dining hall, which was for the first time used since it has been newly decorated. The elegant new set of cut glass recently purchased under Mrs. Harrison's selection, was in use for the first time. The Marine Band was stationed in the private dining room, just across the corridor, lending the charm of music to the occasion. Those seated included Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. McKee, Mrs. Morton, Mrs. Dimmick, Mrs. Parker,…besides Mrs. Harrison, who was a long time resident of Honesdale, (Pa), Mrs. Dimmick and Mrs. Parker were born and brought up here. It takes this little burgh to fill the ranks of high society. -The Wayne Co. Herald
May 1892— The Dorflinger Glass Works in Ashes
[in the story or timeline of the original or first upper factory I talked about where the fire originated and how it spread. Now in this account the same fire has progressed to the new or lower factory.]…A noisy brook runs directly through the works [next to the stone cutting shop] but he heat of the blazing buildings made the use of its waters impossible, and the supply for the buckets which were brought into requistion, was obtained from springs and wells. When it was discovered that the fire was likely to get beyond local control, an unsuccessful effort was made to telegraph or telephone to Honesdale for assistance, and a messenger was sent here [Honesdale] for help from our fire department. Upon his arrival arrangements were promptly made to proceed to the conflagration. Hose was reeled off into wagons, leaving, however, one steamer and a sufficient supply of hose for Honesdale, in case of a fire during the night. While their preparations were being made permission was obtained from the authorities to take the engine out of the borough, and as soon, as possible, an efficient force of our firemen, under charge of foreman Ham, with steamer R.W. Ham, drawn by four horses, started for the scene of destruction, making the five mile run over a hilly and otherwise difficult road in fifty minutes. Late as they unavoidably were, however, they were in time to do an immense amount of service, saving, with the exception of the roof and some of the interior woodwork, what is known as the "new factory", [or lower factory] containing the largest furnace….Before they arrived the losses had been appalling…the flames spread [from the original or first upper factory]…to the lower boiler and engine house [note: The Wayne Citizen stated that "…the boilers which the engineer saved by letting out the water."]; The original Witte Cutting Shop [Witte—Christian Decorating/Cutting shop]…, and finally the grand three-story stone cutting shop—believed to be fire proof which was erected and equipped at a cost understood to have been between forty and fifty thousand dollars, and which was stocked with not less than $20,000 worth of blanks. The metal roof of the new [blowing] factory, an immense structure adjoining, presenting a supposed fire proof external surface of stone and iron, was warped and twisted by the intense heat, and much of the interior woodwork of the building destroyed, but it is the opinion of the Messrs. Dorflinger that they will be able to so far repair damages in this factory as to permit a resumption of blowing with a week or ten days…, perhaps worst of all, all of the designs and patterns for fine cut glass work—such for instance as the notable set recently furnished the White House on the order of President Harrison, for which the house had become famous, shared in the general destruction…As stated, it is the hope of the firm to have at least the new furnace in blast within a week or ten days, in which case the disaster will not bear so heavily upon cutters employed in other establishments throughout the country which depend upon the White Mills concern for blanks; but it will be months before the scar of this terrible conflagration will be obliterated from the fair face of our thrifty suburb. The Wayne County Herald.
After seventeen years of service, the first building of the new, or lower factory, the old Witte & Christian Decorating/Cutting Shop, now used as a ware/show room was gone. The latest additions, the "new" blowing and cutting shops, after only nine years of work, were severely damaged. But these could be rebuilt, and that was exactly what Dorflinger had in mind for the whole glass works.
May 1892—…the energy and philosophy of the proprietors were shown in the fact that while the ruins were still smoking, a contract was being made for the erection of a new factory, to be equal [or better] to the old one in every respect. M.W. Simons, of Hawley has the contract for replacing the buildings. Of the 350 men thrown out of employment, some will enter the employ of Clark & Co. [another glass cutting firm in Honesdale, Pa.]; The married men will be provided with employment in clearing away the debris and in helping in the erection of the new buildings and all will remain in the vicinity with the promise of speedy re-employment. In three months, the proprietors assure us, the new factory will be in full running order. The Wayne Citizen
C. Dorflinger & Sons Glass Works [both Upper and Lower factories] 1892—1921
As the plant was being reconstructed the title of C. Dorflinger & Sons Glass Works (M'f'rs of Fine Glass, Plain & Cut) seems to become the norm. The headings of the "Upper" and "Lower" factories begin to fade, so they will now be listed as one, but if there is a location distinction, I will list it. Note: In the 1892 rebuilding accounts the term "new" means the partly demolished, now rebuilt nine year old 1883, lower factory, and "upper" means the totally destroyed but completely rebuilt factory on the site of the 1865 original. So "new" is the older building and "upper" is the recently rebuilt building.
In Louis J. Dorflinger's [Christian's second son] diary he records on May 27, 1892 [two days after the fire] "50 T [tons] Brick ordered fro C.A. & A.R. Hedges, Cornwall on Hudson at 7.00 per T [ton] delivered on cars [railroad] at White Mills." The next day [May 28, 1892] he wrote, "ordered 2 car loads of boards from L.B. Wood Lumber Co." so with the debris being cleared away, and the building materials starting to arrive, the Phoenix was rising from the ashes.
June 1892— "White Mills Echoes"
Two of three days' work on the engine in the new cutting shop [1883] will put it in good running order, while all the boilers connected with the various buildings are available for use again.
There are two large pot rooms connected with the establishment, and the fire did not injure them in the least. Each of the rooms contained twenty pots, valued at $50 each.
The day after the fire telegrams from various parts of the country commenced pouring in with offers of assistance in the way of blanks, the use of factories for cutting purposes, and with words of sympathy.
A large quantity of uninjured blanks after the fire, were found in the basement of the new [1883] cutting shop.
The walls of the new [1883] cutting shop are of stone and only need to be taken down to the tops of the second story windows, not being damaged below that point.
Six hundred boxes and barrels of glass ware, ready for shipment, were destroyed. Many of the spindles, mills, hangars, pulleys, etc. can be utilized again.
Lying on an outside platform, just above where the fire started, were several boxes of elegant ware, designed as an outfit for a drug store in St. Louis, to be opened June 1st. They would have been shipped the next morning but there was no time to save them, and all were destroyed. The Wayne Citizen
June 1892— Back in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary he wrote: "Work was resumed in the new [1883 blowing] factory Friday, June 3/92" Because the building was still standing, after the fire, is the reason it was rebuilt so quickly. [9 days] The Wayne County Herald of May 26, 1892 stated "…it is the opinion of the Messrs. Dorflinger that they will be able to so far repair damages in this factory as to permit a resumption of blowing within a week or ten days." And they did it with one day to spare.
July 1892— Dorflinger & Sons have most generously presented the Honesdale Fire Department with $75, as a slight remuneration for the services rendered by a few members upon the occasion of the recent fire at White Mills, where our firemen did most excellent service. The money will be expended in assisting to fit up the new fireman's hall [second floor of Honesdale's City Hall], soon to be completed. In addition to this the firm paid all the expenses of the teams, etc. required to transport the steamer and hose truck to the fire, and rewarded all the men who accompanied the apparatus.—The Wayne Citizen
List in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary as follows:
"July 2, 1892
Settled with the firemen for services night of fire as follows—
Protection Engine Co. $75
Wallace Ham 1 dz. Cut tumblers
Geo. Whitney 1 (cut) water b(ottle)
John Lyons $5
F. Mc Mullin $5
Louis — $5
Harry Reed & Team $10
Whitney's bill for 4 horses $15
[total cash of $115 plus the cut glass]"
Mid July 1892—In a little less than a month and a half, the 1883 cutting shop was rebuilt within its original stone walls. Just nine months before this shop had turned out the exceptional set of cut glass for President Harrison. Louis J. Dorflinger wrote, "Monday July 11, 1892, commenced cutting in the rebuilt cutting shop." Once again fine cut glass would be made at White Mills for the rich and famous.
Late July 1892—But even at this fast pace, Dorflinger was becoming impatient. He wanted the whole complex (including and entirely new upper factory) done now. Time was money. At the end of June he had summoned Richard H. Brown, a contractor from Honesdale to come and see about helping (Louis J. Dorflinger diary—June 24, 1892), Mr. Simons his architect and builder from Hawley. By late July 1892 the following appeared in the Wayne Citizen:
"Many inquiries have been made during the past week as to why work was discontinued on the new [Honesdale] borough buildings. R.H. Brown has the contract here, as well as for part of the new buildings of Dorflinger & Sons, at White Mills. The latter being in a great hurry to have their work completed, Mr. Brown's mechanics on the Town Hall were sent there to assist in completing the factory building with all possible dispatch.
Aug 1892— "Monday Aug 8/92 Commenced blowing glass in Upper factory." Louis J. Dorflinger's diary. Note: this "upper factory" was on the site of the original 1865 works. On page 30 of Christian Dorflinger: A Miracle in Glass by Fred Suydam, White Mills, 1950, bottom photo, right, we see the "upper factory" after the fire. Only two melting furnaces remained. These had been rebuilt by the Beilman brothers just one year before the fire, and is probably why they survived. This factory was reconstructed in a little over two months.
Mid Aug 1892—Monday's issue of the Scranton Tribune said: "It is expected that before winter the celebrated White Mills glass works of Dorflinger & Sons will be running as formerly. The village of White Mills is to be congratulated on the fact that its chief industry is owned by men of such push and enterprise that they cannot be daunted by the most appalling disasters. Only those who gazed upon the pile of ruins that morning after the fire can realize what energy and push must be displayed to rebuild, refurnish with machinery and again set in operation the plant, the productions of which have become famous in all parts of the United States.—The Wayne Citizen.
Sept 1892—On the night of May 24th (25th) nearly the entire extensive plant of Dorflinger & Sons at White Mills, was blotted out by fire. With the characteristic energy of the firm the work of rebuilding was commenced, even while the ruins were still smoking, and progressed rapidly, so that by the end of this week [Saturday Sept. 10] all of the new buildings will have been completed and the work…resumed with the full force of 410 employees.—The Wayne Citizen.
With the Glass Works now rebuilt, lets take a closer look at them. In his book, Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass, 1852-1921, John Quentin Feller, on page 49, makes the statement "…the physical plant itself changed little after the rebuilding that followed the fire in 1892…there were two complete, self-contained plants functioning in tandem, each with its own glassblowing house, cutting shop [since glass cutting was introduced to White Mills in 1867, there has only been one cutting shop, in the upper factory from 1867 to 1883, in that year moved to the new lower factory. There from 1883 to 1892, restored after the fire and remained there until closing in 1921], mixing department, stock room, washing and packing facilities, (and) pot-making shed,…" This is not correct. The "upper" and "lower" factories were not identical (either before, as I have already shown or) after the fire.
What was the "upper factory" now contained: blowing factory with two furnaces, glory hole, and mixing room; pot house [built in 1865, untouched by 1892 fire, and used until 1921, the only building to span the 56 years of the Dorflinger Glass Works] with mould storage on second floor; machine shop with stock room above; packing room with stopper room above; blacksmith shop with iron storage; and storage building.
The buildings that once constituted the "lower factory" was now: blowing factory with one furnace, glory hole and mixing room; glass cutting shop with storage for blanks; boiler plant and coal bin; tumbler building; packing building with tumblers and stoppers on second floor [the tumbler and packing buildings were connected to themselves, and the cutting shop, by a second floor bridge.]; putty house; and office with show room above on second floor.
The following is a sample of entries in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary for the first year of the newly rebuilt factory:
"Sept 1892— CK [check] to Higgins & Seiter for $183. being 2 ½% rebate on purchases from July 1st, 91 to July 1st, 92. $7327.14 2 ½% [note: In Revis' American Cut and Engraved Glass on page 147 he states, "for many years the firm of Higgins & Seiter in New York City were wholesale distributors of fine china and glass. They issued several illustrated catalogues showing their fine selection of brilliantly cut glass; unfortunately, without naming the actual manufacturer of the wares…" This entry now proves what we have known for a long time, Higgins & Seiter sold Dorflinger glass.]
"Oct 4, 1892— sent to Mrs. Bryce c/o United States G. (Glass) Co. Pittsburg (Pa) 1-10" 700 salad-Florentine 1 pr. Salad forks—Royal for hospital fair." [note: In Dorflinger's American Cut Glass Catalogue ca. 1896, page 30? Is a 10 inch #700 (shape of blank) bowl cut in "Florentine" pattern for $28.00 and the mis-matched salad forks in "Royal" pattern sold for $13.00 a pair.]
"no date on top of page—E.R. Simpson here (Oct) 11th (1892) gave him order for fire pump to cost $420 in Scranton (Pa)." [note: Dorflinger was taking no chances after the late fire, and was investing in this Duplex fire pump placed in the boiler room of the factory. We see how the pump worked, in a newspaper story about J.J. O'Conners' store and house fire in White Mills on April 4, 1897…the fire department maintained by Dorflinger & Sons did all that was possible under the circumstances. Its water supply comes from two ponds above the village. From the lower pond, a four inch pipe runs to the glass works; thence the water is carried in a three inch pipe, with hydrants at various points, and hose reels, containing altogether 1,000 feet of hose, convenient of access. A powerful force pump, at the termination of the four-inch main drives the water with a pressure sufficient to throw it over any building in the village…]
"Nov 22, 1892—Prof. J. E. Benedict of Smithsonian Institution here stay (ed) over night and left on Wednesday morning train for Harrisburg" [note: on page 122 of Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass, 1852-1921, by John Feller, is a photograph of a specimen jar, factory sample made for the Smithsonian.]
"June 21, 1893—Ralph G. Potter Inspector of the Middle States Ins. [Insurance] Bureau here. He measured all the building and made a complete new map of the works. Left here at 4:30 pm." [note: I think he is updating the Sanborn Insurance Map after the re-building of the works, (KR)].
"July 1893— stock [of cut glass] on hand at 36 Murray St. [Dorflinger's wholesale showroom in New York City] July 1, 1893—$85,150.56" [note: this store was run by Christian Dorflinger's eldest son, William F. Dorflinger].
Aug 1893— "New Honors for Wayne (Co)—Lake Ariel to have a Regatta—A Day of great interest provided by the Scranton Press Club…the prizes are valuable and costly—gold medals to each winner, silk banners to the clubs they represent, and besides in each of the four, four-oared events, there will be valuable silver cups, excepting the senior four oared shell, for which the prize is a product of the genius of Wayne Co.—a magnificent Dorflinger punch bowl, cut from a special design and unlike any in the world. This is the "Dorflinger Prize" and as such it will be a source of pride to thousands of Wayne Counteans to see it raced for…—The Wayne Co. Herald.
Dec. 1893— "What are considered the luxuries of life are the first to feel the effects of hard times, as they greatly lessen the sales thereof. For this reason the force of employees of Dorflinger & Sons of White Mills…engaged in the manufacture of cut glass have laid off a portion of their men…" The Wayne Citizen [The country was in a four-year depression that started in Feb 1893. Underlying causes for the depression were industrial expansion, rapidly dwindling gold reserves, and economic slump in Europe, and poor crop harvests in the South and West.
In July 1894, the report of the Secretary of Internal Affairs of Pennsylvania's industries was completed for 1893. It contained the returns of 424 leading manufacturing establishments, with a comparison with the corresponding returns for 1892. In the glass manufacture, the decrease in the number of employees was 9.2%; in wages 30% and in value of product, 26%.
In late 1893 the Wilson-Gorman Act was being debated in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. The bill was to reduce the McKinley Tariff on imported goods from 48% to 41%. If passed European glass would pour into the U.S. market. So Dorflinger bribeD&Hellip;er sent a gift to his congressman, as we see in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary, to help him vote in their favor:
"Dec 29, 1893—Sent to M. B. Wright—Congressman at Washington the following glassware—
6—#520 (shape) clarets—Parisian (pattern)
6— " wines " "
6— " champ. Tumb." "
6—.." ½ pt. " "all above sent by exp. (express) chges (charges) prepaid." (note: Champ. Tumb. is champagne tumbler).
Sadly the "gift" didn't work, the bill passed the House and Senate, but because of "add ons" President Cleveland (who was in favor of a low tariff) denounced it, but allowed it to become a law without his signature.]
Jan. 1894— Despite the hard times the glass cutting establishment of Dorflinger & Sons, at White Mills, still continues to give employment to several hundred people. The Wayne Citizen.
Hard times bring lower prices on blanks sold to other cutting shops, as seen in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary:
"Feb'y 17, 1894—Wrote to J.D. Bergen [cut glass manufacturer from Meriden, Connecticut] and made prices of blanks at .30 cents instead of .35 cents and .40 cents excepting punch bowls which remain at .35 cents lb."
"Feb'y 20 1894—Wrote to Clark & Co. [cut glass manufacturer from Honesdale] making price of mould dishes .30 cents per lb. Instead of .35 cents—no other change."
May 1894—…Mr. O'Conner (J. S. O'Conner Cut Glass, Hawley. O'Conner was head of the Dorflinger Cutting Shop from 1867 until 1890, when he moved to Hawley to start his own glass cutting business.) has also recently received a large order for the executive mansion [White House, Washington, D.C.], comprising of water bottles, flagans, bowls, jugs, etc. to match those now in use, and work has been commenced on them. They will be handsomely engraved."—The Wayne Citizen.
O'Conner bought all his blanks exclusively from Dorflinger, who may also have helped cut this set. So indirectly this is another White House order for White Mills.
Slowly the country's economic slump was turning around. Glass manufacturers began an extensive advertising campaign of pride in "Made in the USA" by making the buying public aware of "American Rich Cut Glass". However, White Mills had marketed "Dorflinger's American Cut Glass", since 1889. In fact, Dorflinger in 1894, was even advertising a pattern called "American" to help buy domestic and increase production. It worked:
"July 30/94— started work in cutting shop—shop has been idle since June 30/94. Stoppering Shop [grinding stoppers for decanters and bottles] started Thursday Aug 2/94" -Louis J. Dorflinger's diary.
Sept 1894— Dorflinger & Sons' establishment at White Mills is now running full handed in all departments—The Wayne Citizen
A major change was coming to White Mills in the fall of 1894. The electric light. The evolution of this event is taken from Louis J. Dorflinger's diary:
"Oct. 4/94— 3:30 p.m. Holmes Electric light man with helper arrived here via Honesdale"
"Oct. 5/94— Jordan [the helper?] the electric light man started work."
Undated Entry—"work completed on the electric light plant Thursday the 25th (Oct) but dynamo refused to work—Jordan left on Friday morning the 26th—Holmes here—Holmes left 27th & ret'd 30th—left again 31st."
"Oct 31/94— Weds. Commenced running cutting shop until 8 p.m.—had to use gas as electric light was not ready."
"Nov 10/94— New dynamo arrived by express on evening train—express ch'ges $59.15"
"Nov 12/94— at 5:30 p.m. got electric lights at work."
"Nov 13/94— Holmes & Jordan both here and left for Paterson—electric lights working all O.K." [note: Paterson, N.J. was where William Dorflinger lived, Louis' older brother.]
"Nov. 19/94—settled with John E. Beggs for electric lights as follows
contract 618.00
add for new dynamo 198
816
less for two arch lamps 30.00
786.
bills for pulleys and etc. 39.84
825.84
less for express fit (freight) ch'ges pd. & etc. 95.23
730.61New dynamo was allowed
For at rate of— 273.00
He allowed for old one 75.00
Making net 198.00"Nov 26/94 2 p.m. Jordan came to work to put in the two extra arc lights."
Electric lights were introduced to Honesdale in 1887, the first town in Wayne Co. to have them. Now seven years later electric lights were on in White Mills. Why the long delay? Remember the elder Dorflinger started his career in 1852 making glass chimneys for burning fluid [later kerosene] lamps, and gas shades. Both chimneys and shades also made up a large part of the White Mills business, so don't encourage a new form of lighting, that doesn't need either. But after almost a decade, since their introduction into the area, Christian Dorflinger must have been convinced electric lights were not just a passing fad.
The next month Louis J. Dorflinger recorded in his diary, just in time for Christmas:
"Dec 23/94— sent from Luyties Bros. & Kisster N.Y. [importers of wines, brandies, etc.] a box, as per bill filed, to each of the following blank customers—
T.G. Hawkes (Corning, NY)
J.D. Bergen & Co. (Meriden, Conn)
J.S. O'Conner (Hawley, PA)
T.B. Clark & Co. (Honesdale, PA)
McCue & Earl (New York, NY)
Packwood & Co. (Sandwich, Mass.)Replies from above filed with bill."
Cost 143.80
Note: What a wonderful find, is this list of blank customers. There were other cutting shops, to be sure, being supplied with Dorflinger blanks, but this list is the major ones, big enough for a Christmas box of wines & liquors. Each Co. received in their box a total of twelve bottles. This was broken down into Madeira, Port, Sherry, Brandy, Scotch, an H.G. [?] Whisky.
Feb 1895— Dorflinger & Sons of White Mills with their usual generosity, have present(ed) to the managers of the Scranton Kirmess, an elegant cut glass punch bowl to be disposed of, as are all the profits, for the benefit of the Lackawanna Hospital.—The Wayne Citizen
May 1895— the glass blowing department of Dorflingers' works at White Mills will be shut down for an indefinite period, say the Hawley Times—The Wayne Independent.
"Wednesday May 8/95—G. [George] Beilman & helper commenced work on the lower furnace taking down the stack, this furnace went out Friday May 3/95 (see above—The Wayne Independent) All lower factory hands commenced work in the upper glass house Monday May 6/95" Louis J. Dorflinger diary
Note: This stack on the lower furnace was the original 1883 chimney, that survived the 1892 fire. The chimneys on the upper factory had been rebuilt in 1891.
June 1895— It may not be generally known, but it is nevertheless a fact that this little out of the way neck-o-woods called Wayne County supplies more tables of the rich with their chief ornaments than any other county of the same size in the world. Three—quarter of the heavy glass "blanks" out of which the glistening goblets, prismatic punchbowls and the thousand and one dainty shapes in glass are cut are blown at C. Dorflinger & Sons, at White Mills, five miles below here (Honesdale). Besides supplying so large a share of the blanks, the Dorflinger's have a large cutting shop which…turns out more of the same gem-like glass, as stated above, than any other territory of equal extent. Not only do our establishments take the lead in product but the quality of the ware is nowhere excelled. Not so long ago the high rollers would have nothing but imported glass. It is so no longer. Wayne County work stands as high at least in the market as that from any other place or country. Since the destructive fire at White Mills which destroyed all the fine samples accumulated during many years, the Dorflinger's have fitted up an elegant show room over their offices, where one may see enough of the costly glittering glass to make the Gould and Vanderbilts green with envy.—The Wayne Co. Herald.
June 1895— Clark & Co., the Honesdale glass cutters, have just shipped a large bill of tableware to ex-President Harrison…Wayne County is rapidly obtaining a first-class reputation for the excellence and brilliancy of its glassware. [Dorflinger made blanks for ex-President Harrison's set.]—The Wayne Citizen.
July 1895— The White Mills glass works have shut down for the annual inventory and replacing two boilers. [Louis J. Dorflinger's diary says the boilers came from the Scranton Supply & Manufacturing Co. and cost $2,075.65]—The Wayne Independent.
July 1895— Dorflinger & Sons, of White Mills, will start up their factory and glass cutting establishment, next Monday, which will give 400 people employment. New and larger boilers have been put in, as well as a new gas machine. The old boilers were shipped to Scranton, to be used in a new silk mill.—The Wayne Citizen.
Feb 1896— Our Glass Cutting Industry—…Dorflinger & Sons…[this] industry furnish labor for hundreds of men and boys [talking about all four cutting shops at that time]. Apprentices are taken under contract to serve three, four, or five years at wages ranging from 75 cents to $1.25 per day according to the term of apprenticeship. A skilled workman commands good wages…—The Wayne Independent.
July 1896— There is considerable talk of organizing a McKinley and Hobart Club from among the glass cutters and blowers of Honesdale and White Mills. Last Thursday 300 glass workers of Massillon, Ohio made a visit to Wm. McKinley, the champion of protection [McKinley had won the Republican Presidential nomination in St. Louis in June 1896]. Their president, Joseph H. Grapevine, said:
This industry owed its success in this country to the protective principle. The Wilson (-Gorman) bill (of 1894) resulted in an immediate cut in wages of 14 per cent to glass workers, and they felt that they owed a debt of gratitude to Major McKinley for his work in Congress on their behalf.—The Wayne Citizen
Aug. 1896— A McKinley Club was organized at White Mills on Tuesday evening [Aug 25, 1896], with a membership of 116, in a total of 137 voters registered in the district. Its officers are as follows:
Wm. H. Ham [Dorflinger's book-keeper], president; C. Dorflinger [founder of the glass works], J.S. O'Conner [past foreman of the cutting shop, runs a general store and post office in White Mills, and a glass cutting factory in Hawley], E.A. Dorflinger [founder's cousin runs company store and is the Erie Railroad's White Mills agent], Geo. M. Connolly, Geo. W. Daniels, John Conklin, C.H. Dorflinger [founder's son], Marcus Elmore [owner of White Mills Excelsior Factory], Jas. J. O'Conner [brother of J.S., now foreman of the cutting shop], Chas. Doubleman [name is spelled Dobelmann, once a Dorflinger salesman, now owner of the Hotel Lafayette in White Mills], and Wm Ellison Sr., vice presidents; John Glossenger, secretary; Wm. Garry, Monroe Keesler, and E.J. McGregor, executive committee.—The Wayne Citizen
Nov 1896— White Mills—For grandeur and completeness the McKinley ratification parade here on Saturday (Nov 7) greatly exceeded expectations and it might easily be noted as the greatest event of this kind that ever transpired within our town. Ere dusk had scarcely settled, the arrangement were encouraged by a general and handsome display of fireworks which were kept up along the whole line of march. The demonstration was ideal and one that will undoubtably remain as a fond memory with those who realized the scene which by individual efforts was made to represent the conscientious sentiment of a vast majority of the people of White Mills who advocated and earnestly believe in the policies of President-elect McKinley. The parade was organized near the base ball ground and was formed as follows: thirty-two saddled horses with riders draped in the national colors;…Hawley Cornet Band; 80 glass cutters wearing shop aprons, about 100 boys and young men; White Mills Cornet band; [and] 250 glass workers. The parade moved up Spring Hill, down the Main Street, up the front street, and back to the base ball grounds…—The Wayne Independent.
Nov 1896— The glass industry in Wayne County, which gives employment to about 1000 people [in Honesdale, White Mills, and Hawley, PA], is very perceptibly feeling the boom in business, caused by McKinley's election.—The Wayne Citizen.
Dec. 1896— The Dorflinger works at White Mills expect to employ a full working force by the first of the new year.—The Wayne Independent.
One thing Dorflinger noticed in the flood of imported glass in the 1890's [especially from Stevens and Williams Glass Factory in England] was "Intaglio" decoration. Intaglio is a technique mid-way between copper wheel engraving and stone cutting. The small stone wheels used to produce "stone-engraving" cannot reproduce the drawing-like quality of the copper wheel, but it has greater flexibility than the geometric patterns done by a cutting wheel. The simple, but classic, intaglio designs of stone engraving [mainly leaves and flowers] would be cheaper and faster to make. So we see in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary that C. Dorflinger & Sons wasted no time in trying this new form of glass decoration.—"Walter Graham—English stone engraver arrived in White Mills, Thursday, Feb. 11/97 and went to work Friday morning the 12th".
May 1897— Young factory workers must understand that no one under 16 years of age who cannot read or write will be allowed to work in Pa. Factories after Jan. 1, 1898. Get out your books, sharpen your pens and go for the three R's!—The Wayne Co. Herald.
President William McKinley made an issue of Tariff protection, the core of his party's creed. High tariffs, he argued, would assure prosperity for workingmen, lucrative domestic markets for farmers, and a united and prosperous people. Sponsored by Republican representative Nelson R. Dingley of Maine, a bill to restore the high protective tariff worked its way through the House and Senate.
In Louis J. Dorflinger's diary we see the Dorflingers traveled to Washington, D.C. twice to check on the bill's progress: "C.H.D. [Charles Henry Dorflinger, Christian's youngest son] went to Washington, D.C. Wed. morning May 26th ret'd [returned] home Saturday May 29/97" and "C.D. [Christian Dorflinger], L.J.D. [Louis J. Dorflinger] and Dwight [Louis J. Dorflinger's son] started for Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning June 30 and arriveD&Hellip;8:30 same evening—stopped at the Arlington. Left Washington Saturday morning July 3rd and arrived home same evening."
On July 7, 1897, Congress enacted the Dingley Tariff whose rates were even higher than the McKinley Tariff of 1890. It reflected a consensus among Republican businessmen that American prosperity depended on keeping foreign goods out of the US markets.
Mar. 1898— Glass cutting is one of the principal industries of Wayne County, giving employment as it does to over 700 people. Clark & Co. and Gibbs, Kelly & Co., Honesdale; Dorflinger & Sons, White Mills; and J.S. O'Conner, Hawley. These establishments are all running full handed, and on orders, mainly?.—The Wayne Citizen.
Mar 1898— Wayne County's cut glass is fast obtaining a world-wide and deserving reputation for being first class in every particular. Mr. J.S. O'Conner, of the Hawley Cut Glass factory, has just shipped a fine set of two hundred pieces to St. Petersburg, Russia. [the Dorflinger Glass Works in White Mills made blanks for this set.]—The Wayne Citizen.
Oct. 1898— The cut glass establishments at Hawley, White Mills [Dorflingers], and Honesdale are all rushed with orders, which will probably necessitate the running of the factories at night to keep up with the demand.—The Wayne Citizen
"Monday Oct 17 (1898)—started the new crimping machine"—Louis J. Dorflinger's diary.
"Mr. Wetton came to White Mills Sunday Oct 30th (1898) Ret'd home Monday afternoon 31st"—Louis J. Dorflinger's diary (Ernest D. Wetton, was to become one of the best and most well known salesmen to work for C. Dorflinger & Sons. He carried the famous "ring binder" catalog, with leather covers stamped in gold "C. Dorflinger & Sons, New York." This catalog has survived intact, and is today in a private collection.
Mar. 1899— William K. Vanderbilt II married Virginia Graham Fair on March 26, 1899. One of the wedding gifts was a set of Glassware ordered from Tiffany's in New York, who designed the glass, their elaborate, gold washed, silver holders. Tiffany's subcontracted the blowing and cutting of the glass to Dorflinger & Sons in White Mills, PA. Some of the surviving pieces, from this order include; two blanks for wine ewers, one green and one cranberry; one green blank for a cream pitcher; one green wine ewer, stone engraved to clear; and one cranberry water goblet bowl, stone engraved to clear. Because each of the pieces required a silver base, Tiffany's provided the Dorflinger's with copper templets to indicate the needed diameter of the glass piece. Two templets also survive, one for a water pitcher, and one for a sugar bowl.
Each of the glass items has a peg on the bottom with two notches on each side, which made it possible to securely attach them to the silver base. These three blanks and two engraved pieces were never sent to Tiffany's to receive their silver bases and handles. The Dorflinger factory made extra pieces in case of accidental breakage during shipment. If a piece was damaged, a replacement could be sent out immediately without causing production trouble for the factory.
The glass was stone engraved by Walter Graham. Because of its popularity, as seen in this order, in less than a month and a half Walter Graham's brother, Andrew, was brought to White Mills, PA, from England to help with the orders.
Aug. 1899— The lines of the Hawley Light and Power Company are to be extended to White Mills, for the purpose of illumination.—The Wayne Citizen.
"Sept 20th (1899) Electric lights from Hawley put on to try." Louis J. Dorflinger's diary."
Sept. 1899— The Hawley Electric Company have extended their wires to White Mills, for the use of stores, dwellings, etc. There is some talk of illuminating the streets of the latter thriving town with electric lights.—The Wayne Citizen. [note: In this news item there is no mention of the glass factory. But remember in Oct. and Nov. 1894, the factory installed its own electric light plant. The Factory was probably direct current, but now because the lines were run from Hawley, the town of White Mills was alternating current.]
Nov. 1899— "Tuesday, Nov. 14th (1899) Mr. Anderson, Surveyor of D & H C Co. [Delaware and Hudson Canal Co.] came here to see us about the D & H C land at canal that we wish to buy"—Louis J. Dorflinger's diary. Note: On Nov. 5, 1898, the last canal boat left Honesdale, Pa. and after three score and ten years of navigation the canal closed. Now Dorflinger wanted to buy the land, owned by them, between his factory and the river.
Nov. 1899— Dorflinger & Sons' extensive glass cutting establishment at White Mills with its 425 employees is doing an immense business. J.S. O'Connor, at Hawley with 150 men, is rushed with orders, causing the skilled workmen to labor nights. T.B. Clark & Co., The Maple City and Gibbs, Kelly & Co. [Honesdale's glass cutting shops] are equally busy."—The Wayne Citizen.
Here we see the Honesdale and Hawley shops are pushed so hard to fill the orders, they are working nights. But the bubble was about to burst for them. Louis J. Dorflinger writes in his diary:
Apr. May 1900 "Glass cutters in Honesdale went out on strike—Saturday April 7/1900" and "O'Connor's cutters struck Saturday May 3/1900."
But no cutters strike at Dorflinger's. C. Dorflinger & Sons had made a promise back in May 1888, after their first and only strike, to operate with non-union men, and the workers never walked out again.
"Strike of the glass cutters was declared off on Mon Dec. 2/1900 (in) Honesdale and Hawley."—Louis J. Dorflinger's diary. But the seven month strike was too much for O'Connor in Hawley, and by the time it was settled, he had moved his cut glass factory to Goshen, N.Y.
While the strike was causing other cut glass manufacturers headaches, C. Dorflinger & Sons were talking about expanding into the decorating business once more, as we see in Louis J. Dorflinger's diary: "W.F.D. [William Francis Dorflinger, Christian's oldest son] and Mr. Prosch of Bawd? & Dotter came to White Mills Tuesday eve May 29th and returned home Wed. afternoon 30th."
June 1900— Messrs. C. Dorflinger and Sons of White Mills have been awarded a gold medal for their cut glass at an exposition held in Austria [where Mr. Carl Prosch of Bawd? & Dotter was born.]—The Wayne Co. Herald.
This exposition probably proved to the Dorflinger's, the public's great interest in the "Art Nouveau" movement. They had been aware of the style [in Europe] since the 1890's, but now it was taking the glass industry by storm. "Art Nouveau" included trends such as gold monogramming, enameling, cameo [etched], and other types of gilding and decoration.
Carl Prosch had been a designer for Bawo? & Dotter, Manufacturers, importers, and commission merchants. Their factories were located in Limoges, Carlsbad, and Steinsehoenau, where they produced china, glassware, pottery, clocks, bronzes, and Parisian specialties. Prosch proved his proficiency in the business of the industry and in 1890 was sent to the New York office of Bawd? & Dotter as a sales representative.
In the late 1890's, C. Dorflinger & Sons of White Mills, PA, sent some sample items to Bawd? & Dotter to be decorated. The success of these gold decorated sample items, was more than the Dorflinger's could have hoped for. Upon this success, the Dorflinger's enticed Carl Prosch back into designing. They recognized his artistic talent and offered him a position as manager and chief designer of their new decorating Co.
So Carl Prosch in partnership with the Dorflinger's, moved from New York to Honesdale, Pa. A building on Maple Ave. in Seelyville (just outside of Honesdale was leased to C. Dorflinger & Sons, this would become the home of Honesdale Decorating Co. the business was to decorate Dorflinger's glass exclusively. Blanks of cased [two layers of color] glass for the cameo items, and stemware was made in White Mills, then sent to Honesdale [five miles away] to be decorated. Louis J. Dorflinger added in his diary: " Mr. Prosch started work in the decorating shop with two men Wednesday Jan'y 2/1901.
With business booming in the old line of "Brilliant Cut Glass" and the new line of "Art Nouveau Glass" it was time once more to bring the White Mills factory up-to-date. Louis J. Dorflinger writes: "Walter Wood & Mr. Allen of the Westinghouse Co. of Philadelphia here Sunday Mar 17 (1901) to see about new electric plant." Seven months later he reported: "The Westinghouse man came to White Mills Monday Oct. 14 (1901) and finished up work on Electric Plant." This power plant was built in the factory yard, mid-way between the upper and lower factories. Because the plant was built by Westinghouse, it was now alternating current, like the rest of town.
The early 1900's saw several new cut glass factories spring up. Between 1900 and 1910 there were 23 new glass cutting shops started in Honesdale and Hawley alone, and they all needed blanks to cut. Add to this, the shops outside of Wayne Co., or the state of Pa. and you can see why Dorflinger was pushed to the limit in blowing blanks for sale.
Apr. 1902— C. Dorflinger & Sons are erecting a new [blowing] factory [this will make three, the upper, the lower, and the new]…our little town keeps up its record for industry and progressiveness.—The Wayne Independent.
June 1902— White Mills…Dorflinger & Sons' new glass factory is being pushed toward completion as rapidly as is possible. The first story is made of native blue stone. It occupies the whole ground formerly covered by the Gill Hotel yard and garden [new factory being built east of the 1883/92 lower blowing factory]…the new glass house is an addition to the large plant which Dorflinger & Sons have operated here for years.—The Wayne Independent.
In the middle of all this new construction, and order was received, from VanHeusen Charles Co. of Albany N.Y., for the White House in Washington, D.C. President Theodore Roosevelt's wife Edith wanted new goblets, clarets, cordials, handled punch cups, plates, and finger bowls for the private dining room. Mrs. Roosevelt apparently decided to add to the Lincoln—pattern set rather than to the Russian set, in use since 1891. The Lincoln—pattern set was first made for the White House by Dorflinger, at his Greenpoint Flint Glass Works, Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1861. Now forty-one years later Dorflinger was cutting and engraving the Lincoln—pattern again, but this time at White Mills, Pa.
Sept. 1902— Last of the Honesdale Glass Works—The glass factory at East Honesdale is being torn down by Dorflinger & Sons, who recently purchased W.W. Weston's interest in the plant. The brick and other useful material is being hauled to White Mills for the new factory at that place…. This plant has a history…On June 4, 1847 Jacob Faatz broke ground for [this] factory at Tracyville [now East Honesdale]…It passed into the hands of Henry Dart and James R. Dickson. They shipped a large quantity of glass [windows] overland to California which was so long on the way that the firm failed and R. F. Lord and T.H.R. Tracy were the next owners. They were succeeded in 1849 by James Brookfield, who improved the property. [In 1853, James M. Brookfield and E.V. White were awarded a US patent, for a furnace to burn anthracite coal as the sole source of fuel in the manufacture of glass, that they installed in this factory in 1851]…The works prospered until the flood of 1861, which causes the reservoir…to give away and the plant was carried into the Lackawaxen River.
Eleven years later (1872) the Honesdale Glass Works was incorporated by Christian Dorflinger, W.W. Weston, C.S. Minor, Wm. Weiss, W.H. Ham, and J.A. Terrel and the plant was rebuilt by them…[now the oldest Wayne Co. glass works was going to become part of the newest]—The Wayne Independent.
Sept. 1902— A City Summer Guest Visits Dorflinger's Glass Works—…A young lady in the packing room told me many interesting things. When a country girl is put to work in the winter on a grinding machine her arms invariably become chapped from the flying spray. She is promptly advised that she has contracted a terrible malady called "grinders measles." This distresses her greatly. Her co-workers are full of sympathy, however, and proceed to besmear her afflicted parts with second grade machine oil, telling her the "Boss" pay for it out of his own pocket at a dollar a bottle.
Poor little country maid! I can see her now, sitting there grinding demurely away, axle-grease dripping from both elbows, her heart all a-flutter with apprehension over that mythical scourge, the horrible "grinder's measles." And as the scene pictures itself more vividly before my imagination, I hear the soft strains from the opening bars of that famous international farce-comedy, "Florodora": "tell me pretty maiden, are there any more at home like you?"…S.C.J. Henderson—The Wayne Independent.
Oct. 1902— White Mills—Newell McCain met with a serious accident on Monday a few minutes before noon. He was engaged with a gang of carpenters finishing the new glass factory and while sitting on a beam about six feet from the floor, he lost his balance and fell off backwards striking his head against a stone abutment and the iron floor. Friends gathered around him and Dr. Gavitt was called. Mr. McCain was at once taken to his home where he lies in a critical condition being still unconscious.—The Wayne Independent.
Oct. 1902— Our glass cutting industries…are working over time to fill orders.—The Wayne Independent.
Nov. 1902— White Mills—The new glass [blowing] factory opened this morning. This is an up-to-date factory and shows to everyone that Charles Dorflinger [Christian's youngest son and plant manager] knows how to have a glass house built."—The Wayne Independent.
"The new 16 pot furnace started up Monday Nov. 10th. Glass in good shape & shops at work."—Louis J. Dorflinger Diary.
Feb. 1903— Dorflinger & Sons of White Mills now have the names of 477 people on the pay rolls. This does not include members of the firm, office employees and some others."—The Honesdale Citizen
July 1903— "Monday July 20/03 L.J.D. [Louis J. Dorflinger] endorsed note of the H.D. Co. [Honesdale Decorating Co.] for $6,000. at the Wayne Co. Savings Bank to pay for the factory building [they had leased it since 1901] and property next to Clarks [T.B. Clark cutting shop on Maple Ave.] Deed made out to C.D.&S [C. Dorflinger & Sons] see all papers & etc. in safe…" Louis J. Dorflinger Diary.
Nov. 1903— "Penna Globe Gas man arrived here [White Mills] Tuesday morning Nov 17th to repair gas machine [this was the old Maxim Gas Machine installed in 1881.] finished up & returned home via Scranton Thursday eve Nov. 19th." Louis J. Dorflinger's Diary.
Dec. 1903— "Monday P.M. Nov 30th—Man from Pittsburg[h] arrived to put in Pyrometer [an electrical thermometer for measuring high temperatures.] at lower factory. Left for home Monday Dec. 7—here all week—material delayed in arriving."—Louis J. Dorflinger's Diary.
Apr. 1904— C. Dorflinger & Sons are fitting up a cutting shop at White Mills to make room for a number of Corning (N.Y.) men who have entered employ.—The Wayne Independent.
These men were from H.P. Sinclaire Cut Glass Co. of Corning, N.Y. The business had just formed and "While Sinclaire looked for a factory site (in Corning, N.Y.), eight or more of his cutters worked in White Mills at C. Dorflinger & Sons (some came as early as Feb. 1904)…(and) they turned Dorflinger blanks into the first Sinclaire gut glass…" H.P. Sinclaire, Jr. Glassmaker, Volume I by Estelle Sinclaire Farrar, Farrar Books, Garden City, NY, 1974. Sinclaire's men left White Mills for their new Corning, N.Y. factory on June 22, 1904.
In March 1904, Christian Dorflinger celebrated his 76th birthday. Four months later his glass factory was incorporated. This does not seem that it was done to go public, sell the stock and raise capital. Because the stock was divided between, Christian Dorflinger and his three sons, William F., Louis J., and Charles H., equally. The reason for incorporation was in case of litigation, only the company could be sued and not the individual members of the firm. Louis wrote in his diary: "L.J.D. (Louis J. Dorflinger) went to N.Y. Thursday p.m. July 7/04 and ret'd home Friday p.m. 8th organized & etc. new C.D. & S. Inc. (C. Dorflinger & Sons, Inc.)." and "Thursday July 28—first meeting of C.D. & Sons Inc and all assests & liabilities of C.D. & S transferred to C.D. & S. Inc."
In, "Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass, 1852-1921" by John Quentin Feller, on page 51 he states "…on July 28, the directors of C. Dorflinger and Sons, Pennsylvania, met and selected William as president, Charles as vice-president, Louis, treasurer, and Louis' son Dwight, secretary. Christian Dorflinger, now seventy-six took no part in these meetings…." But the Philippi Directory of Honesdale, Hawley, and White Mills 1906-07, list "C. Dorflinger & Sons-C. Dorflinger, pres.; C.H. Dorflinger, sec.; L.J. Dorflinger, treas.; mnfrs Glassware." And the Calkin-Kelly Directory of Honesdale, East Honesdale, Hawley, White Mills, and Seelyville 1912-13 states "Dorflinger Christian, pres. C. Dorflinger & Sons."
Mar. 1905— "Monday Mar. 6/05 Mr. Evans here from the fish Commission office of Harrisburg and left order for hatching jars—"Louis J. Dorflinger Diary.
Late Mar. 1905—"Our business with the Erie (Railroad) Co. year ending Dec. 1904.
Passenger 636.88
Freight 12806.46
Express 1706.00
Total 15,149.34
Louis J. Dorflinger Diary
May 1905— The new glass blowing factory built in 1902, was about to be converted from coal to gas, in 1905—"Mr. Jensen started work on the new gas furnace Weds. Morning May 21/05 [the contract with J. O. Jensen was signed on May 16/05, cost $7650.]" Louis J. Dorflinger Diary.
Aug. 1905— Dorflinger had finely entered the 20th century, after 53 years of making lamp chimneys and gas light shades, he was now going to blow electric light bulbs. "Aug 24/05 made contract with Consolidated Elec. Lamp Co. of Danvers, Mass for bulbs
Pioneer brand @ 11 cents
Acme brand @ 15 cents
Contract filed away in Aug. letters." LJD Diary
Aug. 1905— "Weds. Aug 30/05 new stack for gas furnace completed—stack 100 ft. high estimated to contain 30,000 brick & total cost material and labor less than $800." LJD Diary.
Sept. 1905— "Friday p.m. Sept 1st/05 put fire in the new gas furnace. Pots were set in the new furnace Wed's Sept. 13th. Furnace melting glass & expect to be working from it Monday Sept. 18th—full force [of men] went to work Tuesday Spet 19." LJD Diary.
Jan. 1906— "Coal purchased 6 mos. July to Jan 1/06
[United Coal Co. Pittsburg, Pa] Pitts Soft Coal 2893.43
J.B. Duvall & Co., Buffalo, NY Duvall Soft Coal 731.03
Lump Coal 6904.70
Buck Coal 1825.07
Total 12354.23
LJD Diary
Note: The soft coal was for the Gas machine to make gas for the furnace.
In late 1905 an order arrived in White Mills, for two dozen each of finger bowls, goblets, and ice cream plates, cut and engraved to match the Harrison Russian Service, in use at the White House. The order was placed by Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt.
"Jos. Hasselbauer (sic) Engraver from Corning here Tuesday Jan'y 2/06" LJD Diary.
Joseph F. Haselbauer cam to this country in 1866 and studied engraving with Augustus Haselbauer [probably and older brother]. Circumstantial evidence suggests that they worked for Hoare & Dailey Glass Cutters, whose shop was in the Dorflinger factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, N.Y.
In 1875 when Joseph's Training was completed and he became a master-engraver he struck out on his own. That same year he married Mary Smith from Corning, N.Y. and settled there. But he seems to move where-ever his work took him, while his wife and children stayed in Corning. He worked for Dorflinger on the original 1891 Russian White House order for President Harrison.
Mar. 1906— Van Heusen delivered to the White House 24 goblets, 23 ice cream plates, and 21 finger bowls, blown and cut by Dorflinger and engraved by Haselbauer, on March 31, 1906. In early May, one ice cream plate and three finger bowls arrived completing the set.
June 1906— In June another White House order arrived at C. Dorflinger & Sons from Galt? & Brother, Jewellers, their exclusive agents in Washington, D.C. This order was for one dozen each of: water goblets, apollinaris (water) tumblers, champagne glasses, sherry glasses, and finger bowls. The cost of this set was $655.05.
July 1906— "Joe Hasselbauer (sic) & his son (Frederick) here Friday July 6/06" LJD Diary.
The first order was 36 pieces, now with this order almost doubled to 60, Haselbauer brought his son to help. Later Roosevelt ordered three dozen brandy-and-soda tumblers, the first time this shape was used in the White House. The glass was delivered on October 31, 1906, with a total of 168 pieces made by C. Dorflinger & Sons for the White House that year.
Dec. 1906— "LJD [Louis J. Dorflinger] went to N.Y. Thursday p.m. Dec. 6—met Harman & Mr. Rohe (?) at 36 Murray St. Friday morning 7th in reference to Plaza Hotel order Ret'd home Friday eve 7th" LJD Diary. Note: Wine glass shown on pg. 70, fig. 6-15 of "Dorflinger: America's Finest Glass, 1852-1921" by J.Q. Feller, but he lists the date at "…about 1914-1918."
After 1906 times and tastes were changing. If you were going to compete in the glass business at this time you had to change too. The most obvious way was to save labor costs by introducing less time consuming motifs. Or to move away from heavy, intricate, rich cut glass, towards thinner glass with light, simple designs either engraved or acid etched. So in 1907, C. Dorflinger & Sons, introduced their Kalana Art Glass line.
Jan. 1907— Charles O. Northwood, Designer & Etcher starts working at Dorflinger's. In the "Lower Factory"half of the tumbler building was raised to a second story and connected to the second floor of the packing building. Originally, this second floor was for tumblers and stoppers, but they were moved out, and a third floor was added. Both the second and new third floor of the packing building and the new second floor of half the tumbler building, became the new etching dept. headed by Northwood.
Mass production of "Kalana Art Glass" acid etched at Dorflinger's was accomplished in the following manner: First, the glass blank was coated with an acid resistant [Eugene Dorflinger stated that paraffin was used to coat the surface of the glass] Next, the designs were transferred to the coated glass. This was done using copper templates of the flowers [the Kalana Art Glass series, consisted of 25 different flowers], their outlines were drawn through the wax, then with the template removed fine details were drawn through by hand [note: most all this work was done by women]. Now the glass was exposed to hydrofluoric acid [the only acid which will affect glass.] It was used in various strengths and for different lengths of time, to accomplish the desired effects. Usually the glassware is dipped into the acid bath, with entire trays being emersed at once. Finally, the action of the acid is stopped by dipping the glassware into plain water.
Even though this sounds complicated, you must remember that the etching process at this time was the cheapest, fastest way to decorate glass.
The Kalana designs and its relation to forms were in accord with the Art Nouveau Movement. Modernism is exemplified particularly in the "Kalana Lily" design. You can see the "subtle interplay of lines and mat surfaces." The Lily pieces required at least 5 separate acid baths, and adorned at least 36 different forms throughout its production lifetime from 1907 through 1921.
Kalana Lily and Kalana Poppy were the first designs made. This occurred in 1907. Subsequent to that, additional patterns were designed and produced up until the factory closing in 1921.
Certain Kalana patterns were hand-colored or tinted, these were called the "Florida" line.
April 1908— "Saturday Apr 25 commenced shutting down for Saturdays." LJD Diary
Mar. 1910— "Glass Cutter in Honesdale went on strike Tuesday Mar. 29" LJD Diary. This strike caused many Honesdale cutting shops to pull up stakes and move, some out of the country, others out of state. Again no problem with Dorflinger's non-union workmen, but they did suffer some loss in the blank business.
April 1910— "W. Wallace Kemp of C.M. Kemp Mfg. Co. Balto Gas Apparatus here Thursday Apr. 14/10
May 1910— "Clarence A. Jones of the Kemp Co. started work on gas machine Weds A.M. May 25/10" LJD Diary. Note: This machine only five years old.
Dec. 1910— "C.H.D. [Charles Henry Dorflinger—Christian's youngest son and factory manager] went to Phila. via Scranton Sunday 18th to attend meeting of Glass Mfrs. At the Hotel Walton regarding child labor bills—ret'd Tuesday A.M. train via N.Y. Dec. 20/10"—LJD Diary.
Jan 1911— "Mother [Elizabeth Dorflinger—Christian's wife] was taken sick Tuesday Jan 10th passed away Monday night 16th 11:45…" [Elizabeth was 79 years old, and had been married for 59 years, her death was a terrible blow for Christian] LJD Diary.
Mar. 1911— "Sat'day Mar 18th Maple City Cutting Shop closed down." LJD Diary. This meant another loss in the blank business.
June 1911— "Mr. Northwood & family started for England [where they were from] Tuesday A.M. 20th, sailed on the Lusitania Weds A.M. 21st. Arrived June 26/11" LJD Diary. They returned to White Mills Aug. 4.
Feb. 1912— In late 1911, C. Dorflinger & Sons procured an order through Dulin & Martin, a Washington D.C., retailer for President Taft at the White House. The glassware executed for the order was one dozen brandy & soda glasses, two dozen sherries, and two dozen champagne tumblers in the Russian pattern, delivered Feb. 19, 1912.
Aug 1912— "Factory all closed down Weds. Aug 28/12 to let help attend Home Week Celebration in Honesdale and the fireman's parade." LJD Diary.
Feb. 1913— The Sixteenth Amendment (to the US Constitution) ratified, making income taxes legal, Feb. 25 1913. With the introduction of personal income tax, came an unwillingness of succeeding generations to live as their parents had. Maintenance of such huge homes, or great mansions of the Gilded Age, became a burden rather than a triumph. These great mansions held formal dining rooms filled with cut glass.
Mar. 1913— "Walter Graham left Saturday Mar 1/13" LJD Diary. After working at Dorflinger's for sixteen years, he could see it was time to move on.
June 1913— "Commencing Monday June 16 Cutting Shop closed down at 5 p.m." LJD Diary.
Oct. 1913— "John C.D. [John Christian Dorflinger, son of Eugene Dorflinger, Christian's cousin, and foreman of the cutting shop] and Tom Gill [a bookkeeper for C. Dorflinger & Sons] left for Philadelphia via New York Tuesday p.m. Oct. 7/13 taking the cut glass [baseball] bat to be presented to Eddie Murphy in Phila on Wednesday Oct. 8/13—ret'd home Thursday a.m. Oct 9/13"—LJD Diary.
Eddie Murphy was a White Mills boy, and had played on the White Mills baseball team, in 1907. John Christian Dorflinger was the manager of the local team and a friend of Eddie's. So when Murphy, a right fielder made it to the World Series of 1913, with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics, his former friends at Dorflinger's, had to do something for the local diamond star who made it to the big time. They fashioned him a gut glass bat, of regulation size and shape.
The bat was to be presented by Governor John K. Tener, who was detained by official duties and could not be present. So in his absence the gift was made by his old home town baseball manager, John C. Dorflinger. But in these tough times, Louis J. Dorflinger kept track of the cost. According to his diary "Baseball bat made for Eddie Murphy cost to cut 13.60, glass 4.50, case 7.25, total cost 25.35"
Dec. 1913— "…water tank fire Saturday night Dec. 13/13" LJD Diary. The water tank was located up the hill on the northwest corner of the factory site. The capacity of the tank was 75,000 gallons. The tank itself was wood sitting on a stone base, in front was a small pump house used to fill the tank. The water tank was built after 1903, I think c. 1905. The water tank was rebuilt and was still standing as of 1920.
July 1914— "Lower factory struck by lightning (July 10, 1914) Friday about 1:30 p.m. Roof took fire but was promptly put out by the firemen—no damage done." LJD Diary.
Sept. 1914— "Mr. Northwood broke his knee cap on golf grounds Honesdale Sat. Sept 12/14" LJD Diary. Now their chief designer of the Kalana line, and head of the etching Dept. would be incapacitated for months. This could not have come at a worse time. Only a little over a month before Germany had declared war against France and England. First, on the minds of Christian Dorflinger and his workers, were their families still living in Europe, and the inevitable effects the war would have on them. Second, what would happen to the raw materials, for making glass that came from Europe, if the war dragged on.
Dec. 1914— "Closed down cutting shop Thursday Dec. 10/14—no work." LJD Diary.
In "Dorflinger…" by Feller, on page 57, he states, "in 1910, the company's gross income amounted to $230,000 and by the end of 1914, total sales for the past twelve months had slid to a disappointing $101,500."
Jan 1915— "Roughers started up Monday morning Jan'y 11/15" LJD Diary. The cutting shop was up and running again after being closed for a month.
Jan 1915— "Mr. Northwood came down to his shop Thursday afternoon Jan'y 21/15 for a short time" LJD Diary.
Mar. 1915— On Tuesday Mar 16 1915 Christian Dorflinger was 87 years old. The family had a party at the "big house" [Dorflinger home at the foot of Charles St.] with a few invited guests. Christian looked old and tired, but I doubt that anyone realized this birthday would be his last.
Aug. 1915— "C.D. [Christian Dorflinger] had a stroke Thursday A.M. Aug 5 about 10 o'clock—Stevenson nurse from Hawley took charge at once." LJD Diary.
"On Monday the 9th, there was a second paralytic stroke, resulting in the stricken man lapsing into an unconscious condition…" The Wayne Citizen.
"Christian Dorflinger passed away Weds. Afternoon Aug. 11/15 at 3:25" LJD Diary
In a local newspaper, Dorflinger's obituary covered four columns and included a two column wide engraving of him, done thirty years prior. The word was almost as outdated: "at length, fatigued with life, he bravely fell"—life story of Christian Dorflinger, who fell asleep at his home in White Mills after a long and useful career, during which he earned a prominent place in the history of old Wayne County," was the heading. It went on, "When the dark angel of death crossed Wayne County by the way of White Mills on Wednesday at 3:30 o'clock p.m. and called Christian Dorflinger from this life…" The Wayne Citizen. But the bottom line was that White Mills had lost its best friend and Wayne County its foremost citizen.
"Christian Dorflinger's funeral services were held Friday afternoon Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. Rev J. R. Atkinson [his son-in-law] officiating. Interment in Greenwood Cemetery [Brooklyn, N.Y.] Sat P.M. Aug 14/15—Sp'l [special] car [added] on the 722 Train…factory and shops all closed down Weds. Aug. 11/15 at 4 p.m." LJD Diary
"Long before the train was due to arrive from Honesdale, an immense throng of men had assembled, composed of factory employees, local townsfolk and many others from the surrounding countryside, most of whom had at one time or another learned to know Christian Dorflinger as their benefactor. Forming two solid ranks on either side of the road and extending the full quarter mile [from the big house] to the Erie Depot, they stood uncovered, with bowed heads, in silent and final salute to their good friend who was forever leaving the town he loved so well and where his happiest and most prosperous years had been spent." Christian Dorflinger: A Miracle in Glass, by Frederick Dorflinger Suydam.
Oct. 1915— The times were still hard for glass factories and especially at Dorflinger's, now with Christian gone. The Dorflinger plant at White Mills is running on three-quarters time, employing a force of 350 men. If conditions improve as they have the past few weeks, it is expected that the shop will be operated on full time, which means that 500 men will be employed—The Wayne Citizen
On Oct. 12, 1915, shortly after Christian's death, Louis Dorflinger wrote,"settled with Mr. Northwood in full Tuesday." The next day he stated, "Gene Dorflinger [Eugene Dorflinger, Jr., Louis' second cousin] started in Northwood's shop Wed. A.M. Oct/13/15" Eugene, designed at this time "Pond Lily" the only Kalana pattern not done by Charles O. Northwood.
"Chas. O. Northwood and family left for Sandwich (Mass) Tuesday Nov 9/1915" LJD Diary.
Jan 1916— The U.S. National Museum [Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.] was planning an exhibition of glass and how it was made. C.G. Gilbert, curator of the division of mineral technology, contacted C. Dorflinger & Sons to see if they would like to participate.