Dalzell Axle Company

The making of axles as a specialized trade began in the 18th century, but the first North American makers of whom we have any record came somewhat later. Frederick Ive’s Mount Carmel Axle Works of New Haven, established in 1833, was one of the first in the field, and like most others in those days, his factory also produced springs and other hardware. By the 1870s there were several large factories making axles only, and one of the leaders was the Dalzell Axle Company of South Egremont. The founding genius of this company was David Dalzell, born in Scotland in 1811 and brought to America by his mother at an early age.

After leaving school Dalzell became an apprentice carriage trimmer with the firm of Robinson & Vanderbilt of Albany, New York. In 1831 he contracted with James Goold to trim the first six railway coaches constructed in America, and soon afterwards he started his own carriage business in Hudson, New York. In 1845 David Dalzell moved his carriage factory to South Egremont, located in the western part of Massachusetts not far from the famous Salisbury iron mines. Pittsfield, some twenty miles to the north, was already something of a factory center, making use of the local iron supply, and it was from there that Dalzell obtained his axles in the early days. Itinerant tradesmen were not uncommon in those parts then, and one day a rather seedy looking individual presented himself at the Dalzell shop seeking work, claiming to be skilled as a wheelwright and carriage smith, as well as being familiar with most other trades connected with carriage building. He was set to work building a stock of wheels, and when this was accomplished he offered to make axles too if he could be furnished with a lathe. This done, our stranger of many skills made for himself the taps, reamers and other necessary tools for axle making. His products turned out to be far superior to the axles Dalzell had been using up until then. Not surprisingly it was not long before other carriage makers were wanting them also, and, realizing that fate had given him the opportunity of producing something for which there was a keen demand and little competition, Dalzell decided to specialize in axle making.

A large factory building was put up and equipped with the best power lathes and other machinery for turning out axles that Dalzell determined would be better than any others on the market. How well he succeeded is shown by the list of customers he soon had, among them the leading builders of the day such as James Hall and Thomas Goddard of Boston, Jason Clapp of Pittsfield, Long & Silsby and James Goold of Albany, John R. Lawrence, Bradley & Pardee, Brewster & Baldwin, Wood Brothers of New York and William D. Rogers of Philadelphia. Dalzell introduced a method of forging his axles and collars from the solid bar instead of using welded collars. Other makers had tried forging the collars by the process known as "upsetting," that is, by making a swell in the metal at the desired place by means of heat and end pressure; the Dalzell method was to start with metal of the required diameter for the collar and then to draw out the axles arms or spindles by forging. He also adopted the case-hardening process which rendered the arms less susceptible to wear, and he overcame the tendency to fracture that other users of this technique had experienced.

Another specialty of his was the case-hardened wrought iron axle-box. By 1868 increasing business demanded a larger plant, and, taking into partnership his sons David Jr, and William C., the firm now became D. Dalzell & Sons. They had an exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, and introduced there the "Centennial Axle" which was guaranteed to run for a year without the need for removing the wheel. Another innovation shown there was Dalzell’s "Compensating or Spring Washer" which was to become a regular line for many years afterwards.

At the sadly early age of 37 David Dalzell Jr. died in March of 1878, and a notice the "The Hub" magazine described him as "distinguished for his business tact, energy, uprightness, and affable and pleasing manners." He was a director of the National Mahaiwe Bank and the Boston & Poughkeepsie Railroad. In June of the following year David Dalzell Sr. also died. Two years before, he had addressed the convention of the Carriage-Builders’ National Association at New Haven. Already appearing frail and speaking in a feeble voice he reviewed the story of his life and, evidently aware of his approaching end, he concluded, "Gentlemen, I am glad to have seen you, perhaps for the last time. I trust your society will prosper in the future, and that you will all do what you can to help each other, and to secure harmony between employer and employed. Good-bye!" In 1880 William C. Dalzell, the surviving son, took into partnership Roscoe C. Taft, a successful businessman from New York City, and the firm’s name then became the Dalzell Axle Company.

Further enlargement of the plant became necessary in 1884, and the firm was made a corporation. Some years before, the company had joined with Ives & Miller of New Haven in setting up the Dalzell & Ives Wrought Box Company to produce the wrought-iron hub-boxes invented and patented by David Dalzell Sr., and this enterprise formed a large part of the business at South Egremont. These boxes were claimed to be lighter than any other, less liable to break, nor to cause the axle to heat.

The axles were made from bars of iron or steel in the forging shop where, after being cut to length, the bars were heated in a petroleum-fired furnace and drawn down to form the axle-arms or spindles. The largest of the several power hammers used for this had been made by Dalzell, and so finely was it adjusted that it could deliver a mighty blow of 1,500 pounds or a gentle tap of a few ounces. The accurate work done in the hammer department meant that in the turning room the lathes had but little metal to remove. Axles with cylindrical arms, such as the Collinge’s, were turned on engine lathes, but those with tapered arms or spindles were turned on special axle turning machines called rams, constructed like turret lathes with special cutting knives. Also in the turning room were machines for cutting oil grooves, and for milling the edges of the collars and nuts, etc.

The next process, known as "ground fitting," was done by a special Dalzell method in which the axle-arms were polished with oil and emery to a standard size and a mirror-like finish. In most other factories each box was ground to its own axle-arm by means of oil and emery, but the Dalzell process produced much greater uniformity with as perfect a fit.

The final process was that of tempering and hardening, and for this as many as a dozen or so axles were packed in a retort with a ground bone and carbon mixture, and heated in a charcoal furnace to cherry heat for three to four hours according to size. The axles were then taken out and dipped in water. It was claimed that this process produced hardening to a greater depth than the old case-hardening process. Ten thousand bushels of charcoal a year were needed for this part of the operation.

The wrought-iron boxes were made out of wrought iron gas piping, cut to suitable lengths in an automatic machine. The pieces were then heated and "upset" to form the collars. Following this, the boxes were drilled out with fluted reamers, the outsides turned on engine lathes and then put through the tempering process. Lastly, they were carefully ground with oil and emery to make a perfect fit, the insides being made as smooth and true as a gun barrel.

The company prospered for many years and zealously sought to maintain it’s high reputation for excellence. For some fifteen years dividends of from 15% to 20% were paid, and by 1902 the company had up to 80 men on it’s payroll, capital assets had reached a peak of $77,000 and a dividend of 50% was declared. The early 1900’s saw the emergence of the automobile, and as it made inroads into the carriage trade, the company started to make crank and guiding axles for the new machines, but the directors did not really grasp the extent or speed of the changeover, and failed to expand to keep up with the new demands. By 1906 business had fallen off to such an extent that no dividends were declared. On November 5, 1909, the directors decided that they had no hope of running the business at a profit and subsequently voted to close the works down. The business was then liquidated and much of the remaining stock and machinery sold to the Cleveland Axle Company of Ohio.

This article originally appeared in The Carriage Journal, Winter 1977 issue, published by the Carriage Association of America