An event in the industrial development of Burlington occurred yesterday afternoon in the starting of the immense engine at the Queen City Cotton company’s new mill. The engine room was filled with stockholders of the company, city officials and a few others when Joseph Hines, son of J. H. Hines, the agent and manager of the company, set the machinery in motion at exactly 2:45 o’clock. Everything worked smoothly and those present gave vent to their feelings of satisfaction and pleasure in applause and cheers. Gradually the speed began to increase until the limit of 76 revolutions per minute was reached. Then the whistle was blown for the first time and all went into the mill, to inspect the rest of the machinery. Mr. Hines and son explaining the many varieties. An hour was spent in this way and the party returned to the city in the two cars in which the trip down was made, and which were furnished by the courtesy of the street railway company.

The Buildings
The contract for the construction of the Queen City Cotton company’s mill was let to C. H. Sears of Fall River, Mass., July 19 last. Three days later the work of excavating was begun and yesterday, six months and one week later, the engine was started. The machinery was not yet all in place and it will probably be six weeks before the work of making the cloth is begun.

The Lakeside Development was constructed and managed by the Queen City Cotton Company, for its employees. It is the only Industrial Housing Development of its kind in the city of Burlington. The community is located to the southwest of the factory buildings. It is within minutes of the old Champlain School and St. Anthonies Catholic Church. The Burlington Traction Company ran street cars to the community from about the turn of the century. The development is visually separated from the factory complex by the railroad tracks and bridge over Lakeside Ave. The road dips down under the bridge and rises on the other side into the housing development. Generally it is periferal development with close grouped houses circling a large open green. The lake is located 50 yards of the west side of the square. The Lakeside community was designed to be a “suburb” of Burlington which would have the advantages of the City and the benefits of the country surroundings. Within the community were two grocery stores, a company store, a barber shop, a nursery school and a billiard hall. It was nearly a self sufficient community managed and maintained by the patriarchal Queen City Cotton Company.

The dwellings fall into several catagories generally corresponding to growth periods of the Company itself. #40 and #32 Conger Ave. appear to be the earliest structures, dating from 1894. They are strictly tenement buildings with no flourishes. Large rectangular blocks with rows of doors capable of housing twelve families each. These seem to be the only buildings in Lakeside until 1899 when the Company expended their plant, almost doubling its size. At this time over twenty duplexes were erected, all of identical style and size. They were arranged along Center Ave., Harrison Ave., and Conger Ave. and essentially face in and form the central green or square. These buildings have undergone minor alterations but originally they were all 2½ story, 6 x 2 bay, structures, divided on the main façade by a wall dormer. Each had 4/2 sash windows, 2 interior chimneys, and 2 spoolers with 810 spindles eight warpers with creels, one twister with 220 spindles, made by the Hopedale Machine company; two slashers and eight beaming frames, made by the Lowell machine shops.

The engine house is 33 by 42 feet. It contains an 800 horse-power compound condensing engine made by the Corliss Steam Engine company of Providence, R.I. The fly wheel is 22 feet in diameter, with a surface of 72 inches. It is the most strongly built engine of the size ever turned out by the Corliss company and is conceded to be the best piece of machinery of the kind in the State. William Welch of Providence set up the engine and named it “Gertrude” after his daughter. The main belt is 157 feet by 49 feet in size, are five 180 horse power upright boilers, also made by the Corliss people. Soft coal is used for fuel. The pump house, 12 by 16 by 8 feet in size, contains a 1000 gallon underwriters’ pump, made by the Knowles steam pump works of Warren, Mass. The round chimney is 156 feet in height. In the cotton shed, which is 190 by 60 feet in size, there are already 300 bales of cotton. The office is a small building at the southeast corner of the main building. The mill is lighted by electricity, the dynamos and other apparatus being furnished by the Collyer Machine company of Pawtucket, R.I. The shafting came from Jones & Laughlin’s of Pittsburg, Pa., and the belting from Burnham & Page of Lawrence, Mass. The steam piping and 973 automatic sprinklers were put in by the General Fire Extinguisher company of Providence, R.I., the elevator by the Whitter Machine company of Boston. The mill is supplied with fire escapes supplied by H. T. Merriam of Millbury, Mass. There are lavatories and closets at each end of each floor.

It is a busy place and well maintained so it is not obvious, but the building at 128 Lakeside Avenue is one of the oldest manufacturing building still in industrial use in Burlington.