In the course of some other research I've been doing I found this letter I thought the members here would enjoy.

Worcester, Mass. Oct. 14, 1874

Col. Benton Comd. [i.e. Commanding Officer]
U.S. Arsenal
Springfield, Mass

Dear Sir,
The Providence Tool Co. desires us to make for them a machine for sawing the ends of gun barrels and inform us you have the patterns for such a machine. We should feel very much accomodated if you would allow your foundry to forward us one set of casting for the machine, charging us for the use of the patterns.

Respectfully yours
Wood & Light Machine Co.
A. Wood Pres

In 1874 Providence Tool was making the Peabody-Martini breech loading rifle for the Turkish government. It was, at the time, the largest arms contract ever undertaken by a US company, 600,000 rifles in all. They received a great deal of support from the Springfield Armory. Among his duties, Lt. Henry Metcalf hired and supervised the US inspectors who were expected to work to Armory standards. The system worked much as it would today with US government officials aiding a private contractor supplying a friendly power although in this case it was probably simply a matter of bringing business to the United States as the only power in a position to threaten Turkey was Russia. At that time our relations with the Russians were also very friendly, better than they were with the Turks, and the Russian Army was largely supplied with Berdan II rifles made in Connecticut.

The Russo-Turkish War, which broke out a few years later, found virtually all of the beligerants supplied with New England-made rifles. Berdans made by Colt were carried by the Russians. (who also had some older, Russian-built converted muzzle loaders). The Turks had Providence Tool Peabody-Martinis and some Winchester repeaters while the Roumanians, allied with Russia, carried Providence-Tool made Peabodys.

Very interesting actually.
600,000 sounds like a lot for that factory. I wonder how long it took them.

This may seem conspiratorially paranoid, but did we ( the Americans) use our industrial supply and or quality of manufacture to influence the outcomes of this kind of skirmish? Or were we trying to remain "neutral" and thus maintain an across the board standard for all supply-ees. Seems it would have been hard to remain out of the fray, with outside perceptions being somewhat influential on our standing in the world, not to mention exports. IE: "Well if you are going to supply them, we will go somewhere else!!" I could expound on that, but will refrain from stumping my own political theories and beliefs as it seems in bad taste. Or was our industrial expertise so well regarded that we were immune from such as that?

Regards,

Jim

The main Providence Tool building still standing is on West River Street. In fact, the Rhode Island Tool Co., the successor to Providence Tool, still occupies a part of it. The original plant was much bigger...there was another plant on Wickenden Street as well as a huge complex of buildings that were torn down. Those buildings stood where the railroad tracks now run along West River Street. I'd post a picture of it but I'm working from an antique computer that can't access photobucket.
Providence Tool was the largest privately owned armory in the United States at the time of the Turkish contract. The claim has been made it was the largest in the world but I suspect that the OEWG factory at Steyer, in Austria, was larger.

I very much doubt that there was any political aspect beyond supplying a customer. US relations with both Russia and Turkey were cordial at the time and neither side appears to have taken any ofense at our supplying the other. It didn't work out well for Providence Tool in the end however. The Turks frequently missed payment deadlines causing the company to incur huge debts in order to keep the factory running. In the end the Turkish contract bankrupted them.

Reading in Pratt & Whitney's book (1930), it sounds like one of the principals went over to Prussia and came home with an astronomical arsenal contract. They don't bother to say if a few seegars and brandies were consumed at the Consulate though in the process.

Ah so with that big a complex and other factories around the city I guess 60,000 wouldnt have been a problem at all. Im trying to visualize where on Wickenden st the other factory could have been. Its a small street for a factory. Was it at the Adlers Hardware end of the street or the other side near Gano ?

John,
I believe it was Francis Pratt that went. The Germans had adopted the M1871 Mauser but realized they couldn't begin to make them fast enough to arm all of the newly unified Germany so they equipped all of their national armories with new American machines. Many milling operations were required in the M1871 Mauser so they literally bought hundreds of Lincoln-style milling machines. P&W was also supplying Providence Tool with gunmaking machines. They all knew each other and, as far as I can tell, were pretty much all friendly. It was a big world in the 1870s and there was business enough for everyone.

I believe the Russians also equipped their national arsenals with American tools as, at the time, they were quite close to the United States and at dagger points with the English. Of course, the famous British armory at Enfield was originally equipped with machines from Robbins & Lawrence (Vermont) and Ames Mfg. (Massachusetts) but the British did eventually make their own tools and export them to other countries.


Mic...
I don't know where the Wickenden Street factory was. Its probably gone by now but I know I have a picture of it somewhere around here.

Lots of countries used Peabody designs. Below is a link to a whole bunch of variants. Swiss, Canadian, Spanish, etc.

http://www.militaryrifles.com/Peabody&M/Peab&Mart.htm