sustaining basis, an application to the Legislature for an increase in
the annual State grant, and an appeal to alumni to aid in meeting
current expenses. Should these fail, he warned, the endowment must be
immediately increased by $500,000 to maintain current standards.
Mr. Salisbury's gift of $100,000 partially fulfilled these
requirements, for $55,000 was immediately put in to the principal
account, thereby wiping out most of the deficiency. The trustees were
successful in their appeal to the Legislature, the grant to support
forty free scholarships being raised from $6,000 to $10,000 in
1905. The problem of making the shops self-supporting was referred to
Mr. Higgins for study. His report, covering various phases of the
problem and suggesting possible manufacturing lines, was carefully
considered. An attempt by Mr. Morgan and Mr. Higgins to have the
Trustees rescind the act of 1895, which stated "that the authority of
the President extends alike to all departments, was unsuccessful.
For a period of several years thereafter, under Professor Bird's
management, the shops first broke even, then showed a small margin of
profit. Among the products that gained the widest markets were drawing
stands, variable-speed sensitive drills, and twist-drill grinders. The
use of screw spikes by various railway companies led Prof. A. L. Smith
to invent a screw-spike driver, which was manufactured by the shops
and for a time had a good sale. Several specialties were also built
there, including an automatic color printing press. At the St. Louis
Exposition the Washburn Shops received the gold medal for its exhibit
of drill grinders. A similar medal was received at the Pan-American
Exposition in 1901, and at the International Exposition at Liege in
1905. Numerous orders from foreign countries came as a result of these
exhibits.
Charles G. Washburn was the immediate and unanimous choice of the
Trustees as successor to Mr. Salisbury as president of the Board. He
was then forty-eight, well established
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