Continental Iron Works
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Fate | Sold |
| Predecessor | T. F. Secor & Co. |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Founder | T. F. Secor, William K. Caulkin, Charles Morgan |
| Defunct | 1907 |
| Headquarters | New York, United States |
|
Area served
|
United States |
|
Key people
|
Charles Morgan, George W. Quintard, later John Roach and his sons John Baker and Stephen Roach |
| Products | Marine steam engines |
| Services | Ship repair |
| Total assets | $450,000 (1867) |
| Owner | T. F. Secor, W. K. Caulkin and Charles Morgan (1838-1850) Charles Morgan (1850-1867) John Roach & Sons (1867-1907) |
|
Number of employees
|
1,000 (1865) |
The Morgan Iron Works was a 19th-century manufacturing plant for marine steam engines located in New York City, United States. Founded as T. F. Secor & Co. in 1838, the plant was later taken over and renamed by one of its original investors, Charles Morgan.
The Morgan Iron Works remained a leading manufacturer of marine engines throughout the 19th century, producing at least 144 in the period between 1838 and 1867, including 23 for U.S. Navy vessels during the American Civil War.
The Morgan Iron Works was sold to shipbuilder John Roach in 1867, who integrated its operations with his shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Works continued to operate as both an engine plant and a ship repair facility in the hands of Roach and his son John Baker Roach until 1907, when the Roach family finally retired from the shipbuilding business.
The marine engine works of T. F. Secor and Co. was originally established in New York City, at Ninth Street, East River, in 1838. The works was at this time owned by three partners, including T. F. Secor, William K. Caulkin and budding transport entrepreneur Charles Morgan, each of whom had one-third ownership of the new firm.
In 1845, the U.S. Congress made a number of legislative changes, including the establishment of subsidies, which were aimed at allowing American shipping lines to compete more effectively with their British counterparts. The new legislation contributed to a growing demand in the United States for steamships, encouraging Morgan to divest himself of the last of his shares in sailing vessels and plough the money instead into the Secor plant, which was expanded to include one and a half blocks between Eight and Tenth Streets. By this time, the plant employed up to 700 men, and was building engines for both coastal and oceangoing steamships.
In 1847, Morgan appointed his son-in-law, George W. Quintard, to the financial department of Secor & Co. Quintard proved a capable manager and rose quickly in the firm. Morgan bought out the other partners in February 1850 and renamed the firm the Morgan Iron Works. Quintard became the plant's new manager, a position he was to retain until the sale of the firm to John Roach in 1867. Morgan, now the plant's sole owner, was the firm's financier, supplying its capital and credit.
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Wikipedia