Matthew D. Cacopardo
The health of the harbor is a product of New Haven's prominence during the industrial revolution. New Haven began its industrial growth by making carriages. One of the earliest uses of machinery to cut costs and increase efficiency was conducted by John Cooke. Several carriage makers then used steam power to further reduce costs and increase production. The largest carriage manufacturer G & D Cook and Co. successfully increased production from one to 10 carriages and day.
In 1818 New Haven was beginning its population growth. Going from agriculture to industry it was home to hat and nail factories and cotton, powder, and paper mills. Fifty years later 28,000 men and women were employed by some 550 companies.
The arms industry can be credited to Eli Whitney. He was responsible for making New Haven one of the major arms-manufacturing centers of the United States. Beginning with his cotton gin Whitney emerged with a reputation for mass production. Receiving an opportunity to make muskets for the federal government he built machines to eliminate the laborious and time-consuming hand labor. Because of this Whitney has been labeled the inventor of mass production. In 1888 the Winchester Arms Company bought the Whitney Arms Company becoming the largest employer in the city.
New Haven was also known for its many hardware production companies. In 1864 J.B. Sargent and Company opened and is still in business today. Paper mills, pulp and box factories popped up around the city. On James street the National Folding Box Co. was said to be the largest paper box factory in the world. It has been boasted that the match industry in the U.S. grew from the efforts of New Haven industry. Thomas Sanford and partner Anson Beecher, devised a series of machines to convert raw lumber in to finished, packed matches. Charles Goodyear the inventor of the rubber vulcanizing process was responsible for the L. Candee Rubber Co. which manufactured rubber shoes. By 1892 Candee was the third largest rubber factory in the nation. By the beginning of the 1900's many factories were converting to electrical motors to give their operators better control and to improve working conditions. In 1899 the United Illuminating Co. was formed. To this day it sits at the base of the inner harbor welcoming all who enter our beautiful city.
With this massive industrialization came enormous quantities of raw material and waste products. In a time without government regulation factories dumped wastes into local rivers and the harbor itself. It is because of the hundreds of years of abuse that New Haven harbor has accumulated so much marine pollution.
