. The Cambridge of eighteen hundred and ninety-six. A picture of the city and its industries fifty years after its incorporation. This partnership continued until 1851, and wasdissolved in that year, Mr. Davis purchasing the site which is nowoccupied by the present firm. In 1864 Mr. Davis received his son-in-law James Mellen into part-nership, under the firm name of Curtis Davis & Co. At this timethe works had a capacity of about three tons of soap per day, andemployed ten hands, with a weekly pay-roll of about one hundreddollars. Improved methods of manufacture were adopted and im-proved mach
. The Cambridge of eighteen hundred and ninety-six. A picture of the city and its industries fifty years after its incorporation. This partnership continued until 1851, and wasdissolved in that year, Mr. Davis purchasing the site which is nowoccupied by the present firm. In 1864 Mr. Davis received his son-in-law James Mellen into part-nership, under the firm name of Curtis Davis & Co. At this timethe works had a capacity of about three tons of soap per day, andemployed ten hands, with a weekly pay-roll of about one hundreddollars. Improved methods of manufacture were adopted and im-proved machinery was installed whenever brought to the attention ofthe proprietors. The quality of their products was improved as thestate of the art advanced, and as the market furnished purer raw mate-rials from which to make them. The popular and well-known brandof Welcome soap was established about 1875, but had been regis-tered and copyrighted in 1874. In 1883 the firm adopted the policyof manufacturing this and a few other special brands of laundry soaps,less than half a dozen in number, to the exclusion of all others. Just. Curtis Davis & Company. SOAP MANUFACTURERS. 359 previous to this time they were putting up for the market more thanone hundred and twenty-five different brands. They believe them-selves to have been the first firm in the soap business in this countryto adopt such a policy, which has proved to be a sound one, as it islargely followed by all the leading manufacturers of to-day. The partnership was terminated in 1887 by the death of Mr. business was continued under the old firm name, Mr. Mellentaking into partnership his son, Edwin D. Mellen, who had previouslybeen engaged at the works as chemist and superintendent. The workshave been extended in late years by the addition of a glycerine plant,for the recovery of what had previously been a waste product, and theaddition of a machinery department, for the manufacture of machinerydesigned at the works and p
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