20200210: KMAG Rally Thread, Manchester, NH

Full replay for those who missed it the first time.

It’s 37 degrees in Manchester, NH, with a light rain. By rally time, it should be 31 degrees and cloudy. You guys ready for a MAGA Rally? The first Rally since President Trump’s Acquittal and the demise of the Dems in Iowa? Ready for President Trump to wade into New Hampshire and bust up the news around all remaining Dem Presidential candidates? Throw on a ski jacket and some gloves, we’re headed to New Hampshire for the “First in the Nation Primary”!

The little town of Dixville Notch is the first to report in Tuesday’s primary. Their polls open on Monday night/Midnight/Tuesday morning, where all voters gather and are tallied. THEY report first!

New Hampshire citizens take their politics seriously. This is a “Live Free or DIE” kind of a state. Rain, sleet, or snow, will not dissuade them from campaigning.

With the overwhelming disaster of the Democrats Iowa Caucus, New Hampshire is taking the chance to crap all over Iowa, as in, “Iowa picks corn, New Hampshire picks Presidents”.

The Democrats will fight it out in the NH Primary, but we all know, President Trump will have the biggest rally of them all. Supporters are already in line in Manchester.

Manchester is the biggest city in the states of NH, VT, or Maine, about 110K within the city proper and almost 500K in the metro area. Manchester is only 18 miles south of the State Capital of Concord, south of Manchester is Nashua……. and Manchester is only 53 miles, straight up I-95 from downtown Boston. Therefore, we get one continuous metro region, sprawling from Boston to south central New Hampshire.

The city is gorgeous, full of rich history, divided by the Merrimack River and lined with enormous red-brick mills which used to make the underwear and garments for your grandparents. Perfect location to the major metro of Boston, river for a water power resource and transportation of finished goods….. how many times have we seen this formula repeated all over the world?

The “Mills of Manchester” generated so much wealth, that the town of Manchester has some extraordinary architecture. Yet, the mills also welcomed “child labor” for legal immigrants coming to the USA. “Bad working conditions” and “exploitation of children and women” made Manchester a hot bed for worker protests….. Eventually, the mills were moved overseas, due to “failure to adapt to changing societal conditions” ….. where other countries exploit their women and children under similar working conditions.

The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was unrivaled in quality and quantity of production. The story of the mill is fascinating. It was the largest cotton textile plant in the world. What was accomplished here was nothing short of an industrial miracle. And they were PROUD of what they did for the nation and the world.

Here is the story, and it’s a valuable lesson for us all:

Back in 1807, Samuel Blodgett completed a system of canals and locks at Derryfield, allowing his ships to bypass the Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River. Remember, we’re in New England, coming out of mountains and back to sea level, so many of these rivers “rush” because of the fall of the land. Blodgett’s project allowed boats passing from Concord (north of Manchester) to Nashua (south of Manchester) to travel safely to Boston…… Imagine that? A big infrastructure project opened up the whole region for development!

At the time, Manchester England was a hubbub of industry in England. The new “opportunity zone” between Concord and Nashua was perfect for industry. The town of Derryfield was renamed “Manchester” in 1810.

Starting in 1810, “Benjamin Prichard and others incorporated the Amoskeag Cotton & Woolen Manufacturing Company. He and three brothers—Ephraim, David and Robert Stevens—had purchased land and water power rights the year before on the west bank of the Merrimack near Amoskeag Bridge, where they built a mill.” (according to Wiki) but the mill passed through several owners. In April 1826, Dr. Dean moved to the site and oversaw construction of the new Bell Mill, which was named for the bell on its roof to summon workers.

Also erected was the Island Mill, located on an island in the Merrimack. Boarding houses and stores were built, creating the factory village of Amoskeag. The three-mill complex prospered, becoming known for its excellent “sheetings, shirtings and tickings,” especially the latter. Success attracted investors. With capital of 1 million dollars, the business was incorporated on July 1, 1831, as the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. Offices were established in Boston, where the treasurer de facto ran the firm, with an agent (manager) in Manchester to oversee personnel and operation of the mills.

A full mill town was planned by the company. Consequently, most of the land on the east side was purchased in 1835, where property holdings would eventually encompass 15,000 acres (61 km²). It would also purchase all nearby water power rights to prevent competition (Imagine that? Guaranteeing access to resources necessary). A foundry and machine shop were established to make and maintain mill machinery. In 1838, Manchester was laid out and founded. In 1839, Stark Mill No. 1, an Amoskeag affiliate with 8,000 spindles, was completed, together with six blocks of boarding houses for employees. (Because employees have to live somewhere!) 

All the mills were made from the same red brick…… because the company owned the brickyard upriver in Hooksett. Smart…. own the supply chain.

Wait until you hear this one, it’s the story of America.

In 1842, the trains came to Manchester because of a need for speed of supply. Had to transport southern cotton to mills in Manchester. One customer would be Levi Strauss, whose riveted blue jeans were made with cloth from the Amoskeag Mills. The trains then connected the mills to distribute finished cloth all over the country. It’s how America grew.

Incorporated in 1846, Manchester was intended to be a model of utopian factory-city planning, as Lowell, Massachusetts, had been. (Imagine that! Elites from Boston planning Utopian cities for the minions of worker bees) William Amory, the cultured company treasurer, together with Ezekiel A. Straw, the first Amoskeag agent, influenced the style of Manchester’s urban design. It had broad avenues and squares (“reserved for public promenades”) graced by fine schools, churches, hospitals, fire stations and a library. 

According to Wikipedia: “Everything in the company town seemed influenced by the benevolent paternalistic management—including the moral and physical habits of the help. Women in particular were monitored both at work and home in accordance with the Lowell System.” Does that statement seem a little eerie to anyone here?

Eventually the labor movements came to town. Immigrants from Sweden, Greece, Ireland, Canada had arrived in Manchester, each settling in a particular part of the city. Divisions in culture stoked the flames (Sound familiar to anyone?)

The company, worried about labor movements within the company in the wake of the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, attempted to prevent unionizing activities and promoted the “Americanization” of the workforce through benevolence activities and the construction of Textile Field (now Gill Stadium) in 1913. Child labor was not uncommon—Lewis Hine‘s photographs of child laborers at Amoskeag in 1909 have become famous—nor were injuries and fatalities rare in the mills.” Lewis Hines photos of children of Amoskeag, taken in 1909, became famous and tugged at the heartstrings of parents.

Amoskeag peaked by World War I, supplying the federal government with military-related materiel. It employed up to 17,000 workers in 74 textile departments, with 30 mills weaving 50 miles (80 km) of cloth per hour. It’s an extraordinary feat, even by today’s standards. It was the might of American Manufacturing.

Statistics:

• Number of looms—24,200
• Number of spindles—662,000
• Length of cotton & worsted cloth woven per annum — 237,000,000 yards (217,000,000 m)
• Number of bags woven per annum—1,500,000
• Number of turbine water wheels—30
• Power furnished by wheels — 16,290 hp (12,147 kW)
• Number of boilers—185
• Rated horsepower of boilers—27,750
• Number of steam engines—12
• Power furnished by engines — 15,100 hp (11,260 kW)
• Number of steam turbines—5
• Power furnished by turbines — 26,678 hp (19,894 kW)
• Number of alternating current generators—14
• Power developed by generators — 41,175 hp (30,704 kW)
• Number of electric motors—583
• Power of motors — 27,702 hp (20,657 kW)
• Oil consumed per annum—75,000 US gal

Size:

• Floor space in buildings — 5,844,340 sq ft (542,957 m²)
• Floor space in buildings — 137 acres (0.6 km²)

At the end of WWI, the USA had a recession, decreasing need for cloth from the mills. Then Parker Straw, agent and grandson of Ezekiel A. Straw (Notice the controlling interest is still in the same family), posted a notice that as of February 13, 1922, all departments would receive a pay reduction of 20 percent, with running hours increased from 48 to 54 hours per week. The United Textile Workers of America persuaded millworkers to strike when the new arrangements were to take effect. They did, and the city’s entire economy suffered. 

By the time Amoskeag got back to work, many customers were lost…… (Think of China right now). New energy and oil allowed cloth to be manufactured closer to where it was grown, which saved shipping costs. In the south, the looms were newer, some were automatic, and wages were lower. Plus, southern states did not tax inventory, as New Hampshire did. Suddenly, there was competition for Amoskeag….. when the Great Depression began.

Again, the Unions brought about the demise. “Violent strikes in 1933 and 1934 required the intervention of the New Hampshire State Militia. When the picketing ended and work resumed, vengeful agitators sabotaged machines and products. The stricken business closed mill buildings one by one, laying off scores of employees when few jobs existed.”

On Christmas Eve, 1935, the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company abruptly closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy. A damaging flood the following year ended any chance of revival. Per order of the presiding judge, the vast complex was liquidated.

Today, the Mills of Amogskeag have been converted into office and restaurant space, home to Software companies, and even a branch of SNHU. Rehab and rejuvenation was slow but New Hampshire is coming back, even after the extraordinary hit from opioids.

Currently, the Governor of New Hampshire is Christopher Sununu, son of John Sununu, stalwart Republican and red-pilled Trump Supporter. Chris Sununu has done a wonderful job as Governor and is traveling TODAY with VP Pence aboard Air Force 2 as they barnstorm the state ahead of tomorrow’s primary.

Expect to see Chris Sununu this evening at the MAGA Rally in Manchester!

I recall many years ago……… 2016………. a Trump Rally in New Hampshire…… where we had lines of tail lights 4 miles long………. trying to get into the Trump Rally.

And now he has a record to run on! We’ll be there!