Shurly & Dietrich Co. was a Canadian saw manufacturer that was founded in 1873 [1] by Cosmos J. Shurly (1835 - 1918) [2] and Jerome C. Dietrich (1838 - 1925). [3] Shurly & Dietrich saws were heavily used in the Canadian logging industry.
Shurly & Dietrich Co. was a Canadian saw manufacturer that was founded in 1873 [1] by Cosmos J. Shurly (1835 - 1918) [2] and Jerome C. Dietrich (1838 - 1925). [3] Shurly & Dietrich saws were heavily used in the Canadian logging industry.
In 1873, Jerome Dietrich and Cosmos Shurly brought skills learned while working at Disston Saw Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [4] and invested $12,000 to found the Shurly & Dietrich Co. They hired nine saw makers from Rochester, New York and Sheffield, England and began to manufacture saws in Galt, Ontario, now called Cambridge. [1] [5] By 1886 the company employed 70 skilled workman. [6] The company held a number of Canadian patents for saw design. [7]
By 1906, Cosmos' son Theodore Shurly was the factory superintendent. [8]
Shurly & Dietrich later expanded into Quebec by purchasing an existing saw factory, Beaver Saw Works, in Sherbrooke. [9]
Between 1904 and 1910 the company expanded its original Galt factory, [10] [11] but in 1914 it sustained damage from a fire. By that time they had also built another plant in St. Catharines. [12]
In 1931, Shurly & Dietrich merged with another saw manufacturer, E. C. Atkins of Hamilton, and became Shurly-Dietrich-Atkins. [13] [14]
During World War II, Shurly Dietrich produced about 40,000 tons of light armoured plate, [15] bringing in workers from Newfoundland to supplement the workforce. [16]
In 1957, Shurly Dietrich was one of two main saw manufacturers in Canada. [17] By 1968 about 1,400,000 feet of band saw blades designed for cutting metal and over 1,000,000 jigsaw blades were being manufactured each year. [15]
In 1969, Shurly Dietrich was acquired by H.K. Porter.
In 1973, Shurly Dietrich closed its plant after one hundred years in business.