Charles Hill Morgan

USEFUL LIFE OF CHAS. H. MORGAN ENDED BY DEATH

 [From The Worcester Gazette, Tuesday. January 10, 1911]

Worcester Man Achieved Fame, Honor all Over World for His Contributions to Steel Industry.

Charles Hill Morgan, a leading factor in the steel industry of this country and prominent in the religious, business and educational life of Worcester, died at 3:40 o'clock this morning in his residence at 28 Catherine street, two days after his 80th birthday. Death came after an illness extending over 14 years which caused him to retire from active business about four years ago.

Always active, before his illness took a serious turn, in religious and educational matters, he made many friends in Worcester and other cities, and he attained a position in the industrial life of the world where royalty honored him and the most distinguished men of his line placed him at their head.

Wherever steel is made in the world today, the name of Charles H. Morgan is known, as he contributed much to the development of that great industry, especially in the Invention of machinery which made it easy to handle the great masses of the super heated metal as it is fashioned into so many things today.

He also developed machinery which put paper bag making in the United States on a commercial basis and he was the pioneer steel spring manufacturer of the country.

Although never a public office holder, few names were better known in Worcester where he did so much to build the business, religious and educational life of the city, especially through his connection with Worcester Tech.

The funeral arrangements have not been made but the service will probably be Thursday.' afternoon.

Charles Hill Morgan was born Jan. 8th, 1831, in Rochester, New York. His parents, Hiram and Clarissa L. (Rich) Morgan were of old New England stock, the line of his father going back to Miles Morgan, one of the founders of Springfield, who came to this country in 1636 from Bristol, England, and whose line in turn has been traced in Wales by an enthusiastic antiquary to A.D. 605. His ancestors served in the Colonial, French and Indian and Revolutionary wars.

Mr. Morgan's father, having been a mechanic of limited means, the son Charles was obliged to work in a factory at the age of 12, and his early education was that afforded by the Massachusetts district school of seventy years ago, and short terms in the Lancaster Academy.

When fifteen he entered the machine shop of his uncle, J.B. Parker of Clinton, Mass. as an apprentice.

At seventeen he determined to learn mechanical drawing and through his efforts a class for the study of this subject was formed, taught by John C. Hoadley, late honored member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, then civil engineer of the Clinton mills. Those few lessons in drawing, taken at night, after twelve hours of work in the shop, were the most important factor in establishing Mr. Morgan's mechanical career, and perhaps of several in that class.

In 1852, when twenty one, Mr. Morgan was put in charge of the Clinton Mills Dye- fibufifti He devoted himself to the study of chemistry with great zeal, and filled his new position with entire success, gaining valuable experience in the management of subordinates. In this year (1852) he married Harriet T. Plympton of Shrewsbury, Mass. who died a few years later, leaving one son, Charles Henry Morgan.

For a time Mr. Morgan was draftsman for the Lawrence Machine Company. Later, from 1855 to I860, he was mechanical draftsman for the distinguished Inventor and manufacturer, Erastus B. Bigelow. In association with him and Charles H. Katers, the agent of the Clinton Wire Cloth Mills, Mr. Morgan gained an invaluable experience and may be said to have been trained in a hive of invention. Mr. Morgan introduced a system of designing and constructing can curves for looms. This system proved of great value and was later the subject of a valuable peper read before tha Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and subsequently published by Mr. Morgan in pamphlet form.

PERFECTED PAPER BAG MACHINE

Forming a partnership in I860 with his brother Francis H. Morgan, he was for several years engaged in the manufacture of paper bags in Philadelphia, and during a part of this time a paper mill was operated by the firm near Coatsvllle, Pa. Previous to this time the imperfections in machinery had made paper bag making in the United States anything but a success. Mr. Morgan perfected the equipment eo that the business was placed on a commercial footing in the United States.

During his residence in Philadelphia, in 1863 he married Rebecca A. Beagary, who survives him with four children: Harriet M. Mitchell of East Orange, S.J., Charlotte M. McFadden, Paul B. Morgan and Ralph L. Morgan of Worcester.

In 1864 Hon. Ichabod Washbum was in need of a superintendent for his works, for the manufacture of wire at Worcester. His friends at Clinton, engaged in the manufacture of machinery and wirecloth, warmly recommended Mr. Morgan. Mr. Washburn accordingly engaged Mr. Morgan as superintendent of manufacturing for the firm of Washburn and Moen Mfg. Co. of Worcester. Four years later, when a joint stock company was organized and Incorporated under the name of Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company, Mr. Morgan was general superintendent. He made many trips to Europe for the purpose of visiting the mills of England, France and Sweden, Germany and Belgium. From those visits, from publications devoted to wire manufacturing, and from patents. Issued both in Europe and America, he kept himself informed of all changes made or improvements adopted. The fruit of this devotion was seen in the increased excellence, variety and amount of the company's manufactures. He was for 11 years one of the directors of the company.

Mr. Morgan had been most prominently identified with the development of the continuous rolling mill, and today in steel centers the world over, the continuous mill well known as the Morgan mill.

DEVELOPED ROLLING MILL

The first continuous mill was designed and originally constructed by George Bedson, in Manchester, England. One of these mills was purchased by Washburn A. Moen Mfg. Co. and erected in Worcester in 1869 and constituted a great advance over the rolling previously practiced. It soon became evident that the means of handling the product of the mill were inadequate and the first important step in development was the power reel designed by Mr. Morgan to replace the old time hand-operated reel.

Mr. Morgan's second, and very important contribution to this system, that, indeed, which marked the great difference between the Bedson Mill and the Morgan Mill, was the practical development of a continuous train of horizontal roll, the Bedson mill having had alternate sets of horizontal and vertical rolls. This was accomplished by providing intermediate "twist guides", which gave to the metal being rolled the necessary quarter turn between the successive sets of rolls, and proved to be so successful, that the Morgan mill is now in use.

Nine years after the construction of the Bedson mill, another mill, from new designs furnished by Mr. Morgan, was built on the Belgian and Continuous plans. This mill, the result of Mr. Morgan's studies, was known as the combination mill.

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