Trouble With the Law
G.W. & F. Smith Iron company
In 1869 George W. Smith and Frankin Smith established an iron company at 409 Federal St. Not only did their company prosper, it endured through several generations and stood the test of time. Evidently, the company was one of the only manufacturer's of Talpey's patented seld-feeding table saw. It wasn't until the late 1890's when Boston's urban renewal project, known as the Southern Union Station Improvements project, began. During this time properties such as the G.W & F. Smith Iron Company were taken by eminent domain, destroyed, and replaced with train tracks stemming from South Station.
G.W & F. Smith Advertisment (figure 5)
Talpey's Patent Self-Feeding Table Saw (figure 6)
Trouble With the Law
In 1901, after the G.W. & F. Smith Iron Company moved their location away from Federal St. due to the urban renewal project, the same iron company found themselves in a lawsuit. The case is known as the Michael J. Conroy vs. G. W. and F. Smith Iron Company. Basically Michael Conroy, the plaintiff, worked for Morrill and Whiton Construction Company. They worked alongside the iron company, the defendant, in building a coal pocket at the State House in Boston. There is evidence that the defendant’s foreman, Sears, "wished to use the iron beam and fastened it to the chain to be hoisted and that the accident was due to his negligence in selecting a chain which manifestly was unfitted for this work." Essentially, this resulted in a 100 pound iron beam crashing down on the 26 year old plaintiff and he ended up suing the iron company for negligence even though the beam was being operated by the plaintiff’s employees.
The jury found that Sears was acting within the scope of his employment by the defendant and therefore was not negligent in his actions. (194 Mass. 468 (1907))
Citations
Figures 1-4 - Bromley, George Washington. Atlas of the City of Boston. Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley & Co., 1880, 82, 88, 95, 02. Boston Public Library, via Atlascope.
Figure 5 - Joslin, Jeff. G.W. & F. Smith Advertisement. VintageMachinery.org. 2018.
Figure 6 - Talpey's Patent Saw Bench. VintageMachinery.org. 2018.