Union Mechanical photos

[newshirt]

Does anyone have photos of the Union Mechanical bread box? I just have the one with an officer sitting on an upended box, partially obcuring the lettering.

I began to wonder if the words "Baltimore, Maryland" were printed on that box, but were obscured by the man's leg. Another photo might help.

[newshirt]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

Does anyone know where the Union Mechanical Baking Company was based out of?

[Doughboy]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

45 Leonard St
Baltimore MD

[newshirt]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

45 Leonard St
Baltimore MD

Do you have documentation of this? A photo with the word "Baltimore" on it? Or a written doc?

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

Does anyone know where the Union Mechanical Baking Company was based out of?

Some speculate that it might have been in fact 45 Leonard St in Brooklyn NY...which is right around the corner from where the Robert Stears Bread company at 93 Boerum St also in Brooklyn was located. I cant find any record of 45 Leonard Street in Baltimore. I often wonder about this ??

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=CZcDpEG_UjLoFZ0ebQIdzK6X-yn_iLiE_FvCiTEnm3JJcQVlYg&q=+93+Boerum+St,+Brooklyn,+NY+11206&aq=&sll=40.711484,-73.910522&sspn=0.060506,0.153637&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=93+Boerum+St,+Brooklyn,+Kings,+New+York+11206&z=16

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=CZcDpEG_UjLoFZ0ebQIdzK6X-yn_iLiE_FvCiTEnm3JJcQVlYg&q=45+Leonard+Street,+Brooklyn,+NY+11206&aq=0&sll=40.705693,-73.945396&sspn=0.007564,0.019205&gl=us&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=45+Leonard+St,+Brooklyn,+Kings,+New+York+11206&ll=40.704668,-73.946099&spn=0.007564,0.019205&z=16

Not to be confused with the Mechanical Bakery Company in Chicago Illinois.

Mechanical Bakery.—In 1858, Dr. Berdan, the famous sharpshooter, invented an oven for baking crackers, which worked automatically and continuously, greatly adding to the productive capacity of a bakery. It was brought to the attention of some of the representative capitalists of this city, and a joint-stock company was formed for putting it into practical use. Among those interested, were the late J. T. Ryerson, who became the president of the company and its general manager, Rumsey Bros. & Co., and the late E. C. Lamed. The company was incorporated under the name of the Chicago Mechanical Bakery Company. They erected a building on Clinton Street, between Lake and Ran
dolph, with three stories and basement. The oven alone cost $40,000, and was a very ingenious affair, but so complicated that it was liable to get out of order, and, in consequence, was expensive to keep in repair. It was very successful from the first, and bade fair to revolutionize the entire cracker business of the country. The company also made bread and pies, and did a general baking business for the city trade. Henry C. Childs was superintendent; William W. Shaw, now of Blake, Shaw & Co., had charge of the books; George Fyfe, now of Hay & Prentice, was shipping clerk; Elisha W. Case, of Case & Martin, had charge of the pie department; Alexander Moody and Charles E. Waters were employes; and, indeed, nearly every other prominent man in the baking business, now in the city, had something to do with it in one way or another. Besides the great Berdan oven, they ran four common ovens for bread, pies, etc. They employed about one hundred hands, ran fifteen teams, and kept two men on the road. Soon after the War broke out they opened a branch house in Louisville, Ky., and, obtaining a large contract from the Government, devoted the cracker department exclusively to the making of hard-bread for the Army. This was a fortunate stroke for the company, and while the War lasted they made money; but, it was a clumsy corporation, and it had a shrewd and active opponent in the person of J. M. Dake, who, forecasting the end of the War, was busy building up a permanent trade all over the Northwest; therefore, when the War closed, Mr. Dake had the trade and the corporation had—its "plant." The result was, Mr. Dake rented the whole establishment for five years, at a yearly rental of §7.500, solely to get rid of it. He took into his service such of its employes as he wanted, sub-let the building to various persons, for all sorts of uses, and closed the career of the Mechanical Bakery, after an existence of about fourteen years. The costly machinery of the oven was finally sold for old iron, and the building was bought by Mr. Phillips, the well-known dealer in hams, and it is now noted as Phillips's ham house.

History of Chicago, Volume 3 By Alfred Theodore Andreas, 1886

[newshirt]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

These two newspaper articles lead me to believe it might be New York, rather than Baltimore. Possible?

New York Times article except:
Brig Keoka, Burns, Havana 14 ds., with sugar to Brett, Son & Co. Dec. 12, lat. 38 55, lon. 72 40, at 3 P.M., ran through an immense floating mass of boxes, with some small pieces of boards, resembling pieces of bulwarks; a vessel's gangway stage, &c.; these boxes extended 6 or 7 miles, literally covering the water; picked up a new cork fender and 15 of the boxes, which contained bread, and apparently not more than 15 or 20 hours in the water. as some of the bread was scarcely soaked through; the boxes were marked 50 lbs. army bread, from Union Mechanical Baking Co., No. 45 Leonard-st., New-York, U.S. Oct. Sub. Dep. 1862.

http://www.nytimes.com/1862/12/15/news/marine-intelligence-arrived.html

Rehashed news report in Utica, NY:
Brig Keoka reports that on the 12tb, latitude 38 degrees 55 minutes, longitude 72 degxees 40 minutes, she run through an immense mass of boxes and some small pieces of boards, resembling pieces of bulwarks, a vessel's gangway, stage, 4c. These boxes extended six or seven miles, literally covering the water. She picked up a new cork fender and fifteen boxes, which contained army bread, apparently not more than fifteen or twenty hours in the water, and were marked C. S. Subsistence Department, and Union Mechanical Baking Company, New York.

http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%202/Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald/Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald%201863%20pdf/Newspaper%20Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald%201863%20-%200158.PDF

Is it possible that under the Captain's leg are the words SUBDEP and New York?

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

These two newspaper articles lead me to believe it might be New York, rather than Baltimore. Possible?

New York Times article except:
Brig Keoka, Burns, Havana 14 ds., with sugar to Brett, Son & Co. Dec. 12, lat. 38 55, lon. 72 40, at 3 P.M., ran through an immense floating mass of boxes, with some small pieces of boards, resembling pieces of bulwarks; a vessel's gangway stage, &c.; these boxes extended 6 or 7 miles, literally covering the water; picked up a new cork fender and 15 of the boxes, which contained bread, and apparently not more than 15 or 20 hours in the water. as some of the bread was scarcely soaked through; the boxes were marked 50 lbs. army bread, from Union Mechanical Baking Co., No. 45 Leonard-st., New-York, U.S. Oct. Sub. Dep. 1862.

http://www.nytimes.com/1862/12/15/news/marine-intelligence-arrived.html

Rehashed news report in Utica, NY:
Brig Keoka reports that on the 12tb, latitude 38 degrees 55 minutes, longitude 72 degxees 40 minutes, she run through an immense mass of boxes and some small pieces of boards, resembling pieces of bulwarks, a vessel's gangway, stage, 4c. These boxes extended six or seven miles, literally covering the water. She picked up a new cork fender and fifteen boxes, which contained army bread, apparently not more than fifteen or twenty hours in the water, and were marked C. S. Subsistence Department, and Union Mechanical Baking Company, New York.

http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%202/Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald/Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald%201863%20pdf/Newspaper%20Utica%20NY%20Morning%20Herald%201863%20-%200158.PDF

Is it possible that under the Captain's leg are the words SUBDEP and New York?

Yes it is possible. Good sources BTW...You also have the AT Hanks Company which was located nearby in Brooklyn as well at 70 & 72 Water St.

[Doughboy]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

Great soures!
Thanks for the correction

[newshirt]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

On Dec 15, 1862 the Daily National Republican also published the same rehashed story from the New York Times. This doesn't help much, but it's interesting that multiple newspapers got the identical story. An early form of Associated Press?

EXTENSIVE WRECK AT SEA.
New York. Dec. 14th. The brig Keaka has arrived. She reports that on the 12th inst., In latitude 38 65, longitude 72 40, she ran through an immense mass of boxes, with some pieces of board resembling the piece of the bulwark of a vessel's gangway, stage, &c. These boxes extended for six or seven miles, literally covering the water. The Keaka picked up a new cork fender and fifteen boxes, which contained army bread, apparently not more than fifteen or twenty hours in the water. They were marked "U. S. Subsistence Department" and "Union Mechanical Baking Company, New York."

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053570/1862-12-15/ed-1/seq-2/;words=Union+Mechanical

[jasonw]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

I have wondered about the address in Baltimore as well. There is no Leonard St. within Baltimore City currently. As you can imagine after the Great Baltimore Fire in 1904 much of the industrial area of the city was razed and many streets were renamed. These were also renamed as the city continued to expand. I have been able to study maps of the city from 1860 and 1876-1880 and have been unable to find any references to a Leonard St. or any variation of its spelling in the city. There were also no docks or wharfs named Leonard.

http://baltimorecityhistory.net/?page_id=15

http://www.library.jhu.edu/collections/specialcollections/maps/baltimore/balt1860.html

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

Sure are ALOT of guesses and assumptions in this thread, which I won't go into further. That said;

The Union Mechanical Baking Company was indeed at 45 Leonard St. in Manhattan, in the heart of the contractor zone of lower Manhattan just west of City Hall.

[newshirt]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

The Union Mechanical Baking Company was indeed at 45 Leonard St. in Manhattan, in the heart of the contractor zone of lower Manhattan just west of City Hall.

Do you have something to prove this? Like a photo or newspaper article? Anything would help!

[morelic55]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

Here is a pic of one I made back in the 90's, too bad I don't have the stencil anymore...........

[morelic55]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

Her is a pic of one I made back in the 90's, too bad I don't have the stencil anymore...........





Mark Daughtrey
Co. E 10th MO CS

[DaveGink]

Re: Union Mechanical photos

It's interesting to have run across this thread as I am also looking for photos of a Union Mechanical box other than the one with the officer sitting on it.

I am creating a stencil for this box but do not trust those boxes with "Baltimore, Maryland" on them. I also believe as some have said that the company was from New York based on a newspaper clipping scan I found online (posted below). And checking MapQuest, the address does exist in NY.

I've attached a sample of where I am at so far, which was created directly by working over the photo we do have. And another which admittedly is a guess based off of combining the photo with the information from the newspaper clipping, and also from looking at the way the Robert Stears box in EOG:Union was set up. I really do not want to create something based on a guess. Unfortunately, unless a museum or collection somewhere has one, or another photo appears, there is no way to know for sure.

Edit: the problem with the way I have it set up in the bottom scan, which is based off the way the clipping seemed to indicate, is that the lettering would show behind the leg in the photo. So something is different. BTW: I haven't forgotten the year, I just didn't get to it yet.