My friend, Judy Pierce, of Plessis, N. Y., recently brought up a question about a silk mill having been in Theresa, N. Y. some time during the early 1900’s. Judy found an obit for a Dickhout uncle who was employed in a silk mill in Gouverneur, N. Y., transferring there from Theresa, N. Y. The text of the obit follows under the 1917 articles below. Being curious Judy and I have gotten ourselves into a research project which as Judy says has taken on a life of its own. We are observing a tremendous amount of interest in this topic.

I have since been in contact with Gerald Desormeau of Theresa who wrote that his wife's mother, Anna Mohrherr, worked in the silk mill at Theresa when she was 16 years of age (1913). Gerald kindly contributed a postcard photo (see above) of the mill, indicating that it was on the south bank of the Indian River. In later years the building housed a Ford garage owned by Lawrence Gilman. Mr. Desormeau also sent a photo of the garage which isn't included here.

We’ve found only a few articles on the old newspaper sites and surely there must be some more information out there - perhaps from people whose ancestors worked in these mills. The sparce information certainly doesn’t reveal just what the process involved and what was the end product. There are several sites on the Internet which provide great enlightenment about the ancient art of silk making in the orient.

We have one report of a silk train being involved in a crash somewhere between Ogdensburg and Rouse’s Point -- possibly even in Redwood, N. Y. The silk trains, probably never delivered silk to Northern New York, per se, but rather travelled through our northern counties on their way from ports near Vancouver, Canada, to New York City, where the silk was sold in huge volumes to traders. If anyone can provide more information on the crash near Redwood, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Getting back to the crash, the first article below, explains the reason for the tremendous speeds these silk trains travelled. I’m sure there must have been interesting aspects surrounding these highly valuable ladings. There was a serious accident in about 1912 in MN where many people were killed as a result of a railroad crash there.

We would appreciate hearing from anyone who is willing to contribute information on this subject.

Please send to [email protected]

Shirley Farone
updated Sept. 30, 2012

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Watertown Herald, Saturday, February 12, 1910 - Page 2

The Silk Special
Fast Train That Carries Raw Ma-
terials Across the Continent

When a fast steamer from Yokohama, Shanghai or Canton, the great silk ports of the orient, docks at Vancouver, Tacoma, or Seattle or San Francisco, a special train stands ready on the pier awaiting her arrival. It is not the private conveyance of some transportation king or multimillionaire or of any of the passengers who throng the decks, nor does it tarry for the sacks of letters from the far east. Its coaches do not shine with the refulgence of varnish or plate glass, their paint is dull, and they are windowless, like express cars. The side doors toward the ship are open. This special is the emporer of trains. It is reserved for the costliest of all freight--raw silk. When it starts eastword its lading will be worth a fortune--a million and a half, perhaps two millions, of dollars.

A giant locomotive, built for speed with driving wheels greater in diameter than the height of a tall man, back down and is coupled on to the cars now sealed and locked and ready. With clanging bell and hissing steam the train glides out and, with a burst of speed that seems exultant, takes the main rails for the long journey. The silk must be landed in New York in five days. Even the United States mail will not travel faster across the continent. Day and night the silk train rushes eastward over mountains and plains, across deserts and through great cities. It never stops except to change engines. Then it waits for only a moment. Another giant locomotive, oiled and groomed and fit, is always waiting to take up the race.

The silk train is run as a special. If a limited loses time and gets in the way the limited has to fret on a siding while the silk train roars by in a whirlwind of dust. The silk special runs on no schedule except that of the greatest speed consistent with safety. The chief dispatcher of each division listens watchfully to the news of its progress coming in over the wires from one signal tower and station after another. While the silk train is yet a thousand miles away it is being prepared for. The capabilities of engineer and engines are thoroughly discussed by division dispatchers and trainmasters, and the men and machines with the highest capacity for speed are picked. Tracks are cleared and a thousand details are arranged so that there will be no delay in hurrying this huge projectile across the continent. Harper’s Weekly

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1903

............The silk mill went down, was rescurrected by a Watertown man and again flourishes. Young R. B. Taggart rescued the silk mill by buying it and inducing New Jersey people to come here and run it. Black River water provides so good for dyeing and washing, and as female strikes are a thing unknown here, negotiations are pending for more silk mills. Really, as the plans now anticipated are _(unclear)_____________ through, Watertown will have over 4,000 people employed in the manufacture of silk before this year we have just begun is ended. Mr. Taggart is the leader of the movement and he isn’t blowing his trumpet from the housetops.

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1910 CENSUS

Regarding the silk mill in Theresa -- can't find much - but it was called Theresa Silk Mill, Inc. and they were there for sure in 1910 because the 1910 census shows several people who worked in a "silk mill" who lived in Theresa. Many were boarders in one of the hotels there -- the supt., a Mr. James Moore, a Scotish man and his family lived in a hotel in 1910. I can't find the location of this mill --

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1912

Watertown Herald, October 5, 1912

An account about the silk industry taken from a Watertown Chamber of Commerce report:

..........“The 10-hour day has been cut down to nine hours. It is estimated that between 400 and 500 girls and minors in local manufacturing plants will derive six additional hours a week for recreation as a result of the 54-hour law which became effective throughout the state Tuesday. Locally, the knitting and silk mills are affected to the greatest extend.”

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1913

Watertown Herald, Saturday, April 18, 1913 - front page

New Silk Company.

Theresa, April 15. -- A new silk company has sprung into existence here and in a few days will be operating the silk mill at Mill and Foundry streets. The new company, composed of men well versed in silk industry and from the silk centers of New Jersey, will take on a local name and will be known as the Indian River Silk Co. This fact became known Tuesday when representatives of the company reached here to confer with local business men about the transfer of the property. For the past few months the silk business here has been conducted by the Lincoln Silk Co., and the stationery to be used by the new firm will be printed to read, “Indian River Silk Co., Successors to the Lincoln Silk Co.”

The new company, will start under as favorable conditions as any company could. They are well equipped financially and with valuable experience in the silk business. They have a selling end of the business, under their control, and this will help much in the ready sale of their products. The manager of the manufacturing end of the business will remove to this place and give the factory here his personal attention.

The local mill is equipped with 70 looms, and derives its power from the Hydro-Electric Power Co. here. It is expected that the mill will be pushed to its fullest capacity.

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1914

Watertown Herald - Saturday, June 27, 1914

VOCK BUYS WATER POWER

Theresa, June 26. -- A real estate deal of importance to this village was consummated last Saturday afternoon when James B. Vock purchased the real estate and all water rights of the E. D. Sheeley estate. He at once sold one half interest to Dr. F. L. Santway. This water power has been in the possession of the Sheeley estate since 1867 when the late E. D. Sheeley purchased it. This power will be now operated by the Hydro-Electric Power Co., which a few years ago developed the lower falls and erected a power house. The power company then purchased the water power of Stockwell & Parker and also that of James Wakefield.

About three years ago Vock and Santway purchased the old red mill of the lower falls formerly owned by Collis & Porter and at once annexed the water rights to Hydro Electric Power Co.

The new power will be added to the Hydro-Power Co., which now owns rights on the upper falls except that of the grist mill property on the oppossite side of the river owned by Snell and Makepeace. The purchase makes the corporation the largest power owner at this place and gives it the controlling interest.

James B. Vock has purchased from F. L. Santway one-half interest in the Theresa Electric Light Co., which will be now conducted under the same name as formerly. George Heller will continue the sash, door and blind factory. The water rights now owned by this company will be operated with the Hydro Co., which is furnishing power for the Theresa Silk mills, the Theresa Electric Light Co., and the operation of the old red mill

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1916

In 1916, a silk mill under that name Indian River Silk Co. advertised in the Watertown newspaper for help - just said Theresa, N. Y.

Along about 1917 looks like it was moved from Theresa to Gouverneur - possibly a merge with a mill called Cortland-Gouverneur Silk Mill. At least that's what I found in an obit for one Maude Wava Thomas who died as a result of an auto accident near Theresa. That obit stated that this lady was a graduate of Theresa High School having moved to Gouverneur as a result of a move by her family (father) to Gouverneur from Theresa, where her father had been working. Hard to tell just what year the mill moved out of Theresa to Gouverneur.

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Watertown Herald - September 30, 1916

Carthage, Sept. 27 -- The contract for the erection of the new building in Adelaide Street for the Carthage Silk Mills, Inc. was awarded to H. I. Starkweather of this village. There were five bids on the plans. Work will be started immediately and it is planned to have the building ready by December 1. The building will be constructed of concrete brick and will be two stories in height and with dimensions of 138 by 51 feet.

HUNTER DROWNS IN SYLVIA LAKE
Overturns boat in anxiety to fire at ducks
J.E. DICKHAUT, GOUVERNEUR

Gouverneur, Oct 22.--Sylvia Lake claimed its first victim at 6 Sunday morning. When John Edward Dickhaut of this village, formerly of Theresa, lost his life. When the boat he was using overturned near Robinson's cottage on the west side of the lake. The fatality occured where the water is over 100 feet in depth and up to last evening the body had not been recovered.

Mr. Dickhaut, who since last January had been employed as engineer in the local silk weaving mill and Henry Miller, of the clothing firm of Miller & Bockus of this village, went to the lake the previous evening to spend Sunday there. Early that morning they saw some ducks near the west shore of the lake and put out a boat to endeavor to secure some. They rowed to within shooting distance of the birds, when Mr. Dickhaut arose to fire. He stepped on the side of the trail craft and it overturned suddenly, pitching both men into the water. It is understood that Mr. Dickhaut was not a good swimmer but Mr. Miller is an expert in the water. He assisted Mr. Dickhaut to grasp the overturned craft and warned him to hold fast until he could swim ashore and procure another boat. Mr. Miller made the trip safely but when he looked back Mr. Dickhaut had disappeared. He raised an alarm and searchers worked all day but the water is of such a depth that it was found very difficult to secure grappling tools that could be used to any advantage.

Sometime in late 1920's (turns out to have been 4 May 1920) - there occurred a Silk Train Accident -

Between Theresa and Redwood
Jefferson County, N. Y.
NOTE:

Joyce Hunter Manning of Redwood, N. Y. contributed the photo and text (below) - Joyce explained these images were saved by her father-in-law, who worked locally for the railroad at the time of the accident.

The Silk Train Accident
Between Theresa & Redwood ca. early 1920's
Photos contributed by Joyce Hunter Manning. Note 9-29-2012: After more research it is strongly thought that this accident did not involve the Silk Train - rather that the accident involved a regular train and while cleaning up, there was indeed a Silk Train which was diverted during that time. (See Ogdensburgh Journal of May 4, 1920.)

Note written on back of above photo.

NOTE: February 27, 2012: At long last! an article from the Ogdensburg Journal, dated 4, 1920s been found and gives me grounds for believing the text in their article refers to the accident in the photo sent to me by Judy Pierce:

Ogdensburg Journal, May 4, 1920

BAD FREIGHT
WRECK ON THE
UTICA BRANCH

Eight Cars Derailed Near Red-
wood and Traffic Is
Blocked.

Eight cars of freight train No. 35, bound from Carthage to Ogdensburg, were derailed between Redwood and South Hammond stations on the Utica division of the Central yesterday, causing a blockade that tied up the division of the day. The wrecking train from Watertown was sent to the scene, arriving at 5 p.m., and the work of replacing the derailed cars and opening the line was started immediately. The New York sleeper which is attached to train 76 leaving here by way of Morristown at 7 p.m. old time was attached to 96, leaving here for Dekalb at 6 p.m. old time. Passengers leaving here on train 76 at 7 p.m. old time were transferred around the wreck. This necessitated a delay of about two hours and the train did not get back to Ogdensburg with northern bound passengers, the Watertown papers and mail until a late hour. No one was injured in the wreck, which was the worst that has occurred on the northern section of the Utica branch in a long time.

A special silk train of seventeen cars which was to have been dispatched via Morristown was routed by way of Dekalb.

* * * * * * * *

Note: February 28, 2012 - Michele DeMario of Syracuse, N. Y., sent the following photos found in a family scrapbook. Four of the photos on this scrapbook page were taken of a train accident sometime during the 1920's - site unknown. An Uncle Will of some degree (name unknown at this time) was killed in the train wreck. The picnic photo may be from the Burington or Nellis families of the Watertown, N. Y. area. Please write me for Michele's e-mail addy should anyone have input.

Train Accident
location unknown - 1920's

Photos contributed by Michele DeMario.

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1921

1921 - June 2, 1921 - an ad appeared in the Watertown Daily Times for:

HELP WANTED -- FEMALE
WANTED ---- GIRLS
Apply

Toohey Silk Mills
Newall and Lepper Streets
(probably Watertown)

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1926

1926 - on the tax assessment rolls -

Toohey Silk Mills - 417 Newell Street, Watertown, N. Y.

______________________________

E-Mail references to the 5-4-1920 Accident referred to above.

From Alan Vanderpool who authored a book about silk trains (see text):

"I am the author of "Silk Roads Across North America." You can look this up on Google but put quotation marks around the name when you do so.

"Please send me any information you can find about the silk train wreck your article refers to.

"I very much doubt the accuracy of the hand-written text on the back of the photograph of the wreck.

"As far as I have been able to determine the Canadian Pacific Railway delivered all its cars of silk to the New York Central Railroad at Ogdensburg, New York. The CPR silk trains terminated at Prescott ON, and were ferried across the St Lawrence River by a ferryboat company jointly owned by the CPR and NYCRR. Given that the accident happened near Theresa this was a much more likely routing for the silk train in question, rather than via Rouses Point. If the train had crossed the border at Rouses Point it would have gone straight south to New York City, well to the east of Theresa.

"I also doubt the story about the Chinese. Chinese were transported across Canada on CPR silk trains. But they were "in bond" and the railway had to pay the Government $500.00 for every passenger missing at Prescott. While the entry of silk was not dutiable on entry into the USA, the bales were still inspected carefully by US Customs to ensure that they held silk only and not other dutiable material. Any Chinese passengers would have been in passenger cars, and not in box-cars as was the silk. Therefore, even if Canadian officials were un-cooperative , and failed to advise US immigration of the Chinese passengers it would have been very obvious to US officials that passengers were coming into the US. As far as I can make out, the US was much more liberal with respect to the immigration of Chinese than was Canada - certainly there were a lot more Chinese labourers building the US transcontinental railroads than built the Canadian ones.

"Almost all the silk landed on the west coast went to warehouses in the NYC/NJ area. Small amounts were dropped off at Chicago, Indianapolis, Winnipeg and Montreal (most for trans-shipment to Britain). It was conveyed by the fast silk trains. But silk leaving NYC by rail, went in individual box or baggage cars - as distinct from entire trains - to the 800 plus mills in the general area. to be processed into marketable goods such as fabric, dresses, stockings, thread, ties etc. These were normal passenger trains, proceeding at passenger train speeds, and at times many were held up, and the bales of raw or manufactured silk, stolen." e-mail dated April 22, 2009)

************

A second e-mail, dated May 18, 2009 from Alan Vanderpool provides further enlightenment:

"Yes, you may certainly use my name and refer to my book and my e-mail to you, providing of course you acknowledge the source.

"For some reason a number of sources refer to silk trains from Montreal to New York City via Rouse's Point. Presumably they didn't do enough research to know that the Canadian Pacific silk trains only went to Prescott ON and then by ferry to Ogdensburg NY. Montreal to New York was a very common route for people to travel between Canada and the US, so presumably some people thought this was the route of silk trains. The first train in Canada in 1836 by the way. eliminated a long portage between the Lake Champlain river system and the St Lawrence River near Montreal.

"I have contacted some railway buffs by e-mail, but they know nothing about the alledged accident. Also, it was not reported by the Transportation Safety Board, but their surviving accident reports seem to deal only with accidents where there were fatalities.

"The Canadian National silk trains entered the US in the Buffalo area.

"The Fulton County reference, notes several silk trains going through the counties between Ogdensburg and Utica. But none running south from Rouse's Point!

"There were telegraph poles alongside all railway tracks, so that train despatchers could contact telegraph operators in depots along the railway line. So a utility pole in the photograph would not be unique or help to identify a location.

"I have also seen the odd article in the Ogdensburg newspaper about Chinese immigration. It seems a logical point of entry into the US given that they crossed Canada in Canadian Pacific passenger cars attached to silk trains. But it seems to me very unlikely that they would have escaped US Customs and Immigration."

MORE READER RESPONSE

An e-mail from Karen Patruno of Arizona included a photo of the interior of a silkmill in Buffalo, N. Y. This mill was owned by Karen's g-grandfather, Edward Brauch. The mill operated into the 1950's probably under the name of Brauch Bros. Karen stated at one time the mill made linings for coats and later made silk ribbons for flowers. Photo below:

____________________________________________________________________________

Note 1/12/2010: I received a note from Esther Roblin which makes reference to the building photographed immediately above:

"Hi Ms. Farone,

"I happened to be looking for information about a building in Buffalo New York that my family owns. It is, in fact, as far as I can see, the very building you mention in your article and for which you published pictures of a silk mill. My father bought the building in the 1950's when it was known as Duffy Silk Mill. It is a building of around 100,000 square feet. It has always been my understanding that the silk was manufactured into parachutes during the 2nd world war and also was made into ladies' silk stockings. When both of these uses were no longer needed (stockings were beginning to be made from nylon) the silk mill was no longer viable. My father used the building in a number of ways--to manufacture canvas fronts and coat pads for men's suits; he started one of the first discount drug stores for which he became the target of irate dealers; and as a retail site for all kinds of goods from groceries to clothing that he bought as distressed merchandise. I was very excited to see photos of the inside of the building as it was in the days of the silk mill.

" Signed: Esther Roblin - [email protected]"

Esther wrote that she would love to hear from anyone else who might remember the silk mill in Buffalo. "It is a wonderful old building. The pictures you posted are the first I've seen--I can almost place where in the building they might have been taken."

Send an e-mail to Esther Roblin

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March 17, 2011 - Received a letter from a Marc Dunn who is also interested in the "silk mills" of the past:

"I saw your article on the internet regarding silk mills. My grandfather worked for the Duffy family for 60 or 65 years. I have a desk pen set and watch indicating this service. I know he started in either Fort Plain or Phoenix, New York, then moved to Buffalo. I have 7-8 photos from the Buffalo Silk Mill that was located on Broadway. I too am interested in learning more about the mills and will continue to look on the internet......"

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September 29, 2012 - Once again, another interested reader, Mr. Greg Hall, has shared photos of the train accident of May 4, 1920, which happened in the Theresa-Redwood-South Hammond area. Mr. Hall is working on a project called "Road to the Most Magnificent River." As one reads more about this May 1920 accident, one tends to believe that this accident did not involve a silktrain, as the text on the back of the postcard above tends to convey. Go here to see the photos Greg sent:

Ogdensburgh Journal - May 4, 1920

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