Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 209

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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Last Modified: Fri Jul 30 11:15:25 EDT 1999