Another Scammell Milestone.
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An Interesting Visit to View Further Extensions to the Spitalfields Works.
We feel sure that a great many of our readers must have witnessed with pleasure that exceptionally charming play " Milestones." it has a lesson, as all so readily admit, for the rising generation, which few such plays have had of recent years.
In not a few instances have we come across, in our own industry, examples which are strictly comparable to the circumstances which caused the original builder of wooden ships to scoff at the possibility of the coining of the iron vessel, and for the latter in his turn to be angrily sceptical as to the possibility of steel beats. It would be invidious and unkind to mention names where businesses have actually suffered in respect of conservatism of this kind, but no doubt instances will suggest themselves to the reader in most cases.
Perhaps the " Milestones " atmosphere has pervaded the majority of the works which have outlived the recent period of startling transition, but,. as a rule, there may have been no more harmful effect tit= stimulation of the younger gene/tat-ion to stouter effoits.
There is no doubt in our own mind that Mr. Allan Seatnmelland his brother, too, in all probability-has seen " Milestones," and perhaps more than once, and it is no reflection upon the older generation of the controlling interests of the business which has so long been established in Fashion Street, Spitalfields, to draw the parallel between the ." Milestones " instance of shipbuilding and Scammell's business of wheel and vehicle construction.
Not many years ago, the oldestablished van and wheel works in Fashion Street, and we are divulging no secret in recording it, was expeiiencing lean times. The old methods, which had built up a marvellous connection and unimpeachable credit, were just beginning to prove insufficient. Coincident with the arrival of the motor vehicle, the two present members of the Seammelt family began to take an interest in the old firm's prosperity. It is not to be expected that the original members of the management .should enthuse over these new steam wagons and petroldriven vans, and. indeed, the present Mr. Allan Sea/Innen and his brother do not anticipate that they themselves will welcome without criticism the not-improbable suggestion of their own progeny, in years to come, that they shall take still larger premises and lay down yet more plant to accoinmodate the new aerobuses and flying pantechn icons.
us There is romance about this Fashion Street works, arid we have, on the occasions of previous visits, felt it, Scammell and Nephew is rapidly becoming one of the most important of commercial vehicle undertakings—at any rate, in respect of mamtenance and repair for ordinary users—in and around London. Some two years ago, we visited the works to see what progress was being made, and that was at a time when Messrs. Allan and Alfred Scammell had eventually been enabled to give play to their wishes that the business should be made fully to ssecommodate itself to the new eonditions. The Foden steam wagon and the Commercar in particular were then being discussed as probable specialities. If we remember rightly, we marked that stage in the develoPment of the house of Scammell by recording that the energetic directorate had purchased the greater part of a Jewish market for conversion into extensions of the existing works in Fashion Street.
One day last week we renewed our acquaintance with. the same malodorous district of Spitalfields in order to find out from Messrs. Scammell what further progress had been made, and we once again, as a result of that journey, are able to record an easily remembered stage of progress. Searnmell's
have now, in local phraseology, " bought the 8treet." They have pulled down a big block of verminous slums, they have obtained the closing of a right of way which went clean through the old market, and which is now part of the machine shop, they have pulled down a mIdisplaced a synagogue, and they have secured the widening of a road which, at the time of our visit, appeared to have lost much of its chavaeter as a public thoroughfare, and to have become very fully oectrpied with traffic to and from Seammell's works.
Two years ago we were shown round the converted market-place, and we were then told that the body of it would be used-, as occasion arose, as a repair shop for steam wagons, and that the galleries running round it would be used for machine tools. Last week we found that this original site was. very nearly covered with heavy machinery, that the galleries were now allocated to offices, and that no fewer than three new big running sheds had been erected in the interval. This indicates progress.
It ic hardly feasible, even were it necessary, to convey an intelligent impression of the upheavals and rearrangements which have been necessary from time to time, in order, without involving the regular ,routine business in stoppage or serious hindrance, to bring into use the continually extending premises iii.Uashion Street.
With it. all, the company hardly seems to know which way to move with the amount of svork which keeps pouring in upon it ; it is agent and official repairer for Fader' steam wagons, and it is official i epairer for Commcrears. The latest shops are being allocated, separately, to steam .11-td petroldriven repair work, and on' illustrations are in themselves evidence of these two In anelies of activity.
Scammeli's do no haulage, although they own a fleet of six Fodens which they let out on hire to those owners who cannot afford otherwise to release their own machines for what are very often necessary replacements and repairs. Messrs. Scammell are of opinion that, where they are doing so large abusiness in respect of an; repair of hauliers plant, it would not be fair for them to compete with their customers in their own particular branches of business.
We may conclude with a few words concerning the fine maehinetool and other equipment with which the company is rapidly 1111:1, at what is obviously great expense, equipping these premises. The machine-tool plant consists largely of heavy machines, and many of the modern examples are of types which_ are not always found in even the most carefully-selected modern machine piants,-but very thoughtful consideration has been give.n to the purchase of the units with a special view to coping with repairs of all kinds, even stri.-th heavy examples of motor vehicles as steam wagons and six-ton petrol chassis. We particularly noticed various heavy wheel and axle gap lathes, machine.s capable of swinging such units as the back axles of steam wagons complete with their wheels, a heavy planer with a table largo enough to accommodate very bulky work, and .a large and heavy slotter—two tools which nowadays one often has to go very far to find. Both of them, however, are exceptionally useful in certain cases, and, in particular, in such instances as the general engineering work which Seannuell's are finding themselves called upon to be ready to tackle. The company's tiring, wheel-making and body-building branches are very big undertakings On their own accounts. Money has been expended freely in respectof the. acquisition of niodei n highgrade tools, and amongst these we imist include a Heald grinder, a Norton universal grinder, one of Herbert's high-speed semi-automatic lathes, and a big Asquith driller.
We should like to make mention of the fact that, in the Fashion Si reet works, facilities arc ava;lable for cylinder and crankshaft grinding, information which we feel sure should he useful to a great many users, as well .as to smaller repairers who cannot afford to install plant of this kind. The machine shop is equipped with an. overhead traveller, which, we noticed was driven by silent chain. The shops are liglited with mercury-vapour lamps.
When the new extensions are brought fully into work, G. Scammell and Nephew, Ltd., will undoubtedly have still further facilities to offer to users of industrial vehicles of all kinds, brit that even the present very considerable extensions are likely long to be sufficient to cope with what is obviously going to be an enormous field of activity, not only for Scammell's, but for others of similar enterprise, we take lea-ve to doubt. ,Seldomt have. we come across acase in which business has so persistently clogged the heels of enterprise.