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Details
COLT, Samuel (1814-1862), ROOT, Elisha K. (1808-1865). Manuscript document signed ("Saml. Colt") and ("E. K. Root"), Hartford, 13 October 1853.
Two pages, 325 x 204mm, bifolium, countersigned by Colt's attorney, Edward N. Dickerson, wax and paper seals affixed to right of signatures (folds, a few small toned spots to blank pages).
The birth of mass-production firearms: Samuel Colt hires Elisha K. Root, the mechanic who would revolutionize manufacturing at Colt's famous Hartford Armory. Although Samuel Colt was already well-regarded for his firearm designs, his ability to consistently mass-produce his product at a low cost eluded him for many years. In 1848 Colt purchased a large tract on the Connecticut River where he constructed the Colt Armory in 1855. To manage his new facility, he hired Elisha K. Root as his chief mechanic. Root had already found success in an axe-production venture, where he successfully used specialized machines to help automate production, and when hired by Colt, he came with many of his existing machine tools. During his long tenure at Colt (he succeeded as President of the company when Colt died in 1862), Root helped establish the first practical assembly line, while although not a new concept, was mostly impractical due to a lack of interchangeable parts. Root's precision machinery made this possible, with less than 20% of the parts produced requiring additional hand-finishing work. According to historian Herbert G. Houze, "had it not been for Root's inventive genius. Colt's dream of mass production would never have been realized” (Samuel Colt: Arms, Art, and Invention, 2006, p. 173). Provenance: Elisha K. Root – by descent to the consignor.
Two pages, 325 x 204mm, bifolium, countersigned by Colt's attorney, Edward N. Dickerson, wax and paper seals affixed to right of signatures (folds, a few small toned spots to blank pages).
The birth of mass-production firearms: Samuel Colt hires Elisha K. Root, the mechanic who would revolutionize manufacturing at Colt's famous Hartford Armory. Although Samuel Colt was already well-regarded for his firearm designs, his ability to consistently mass-produce his product at a low cost eluded him for many years. In 1848 Colt purchased a large tract on the Connecticut River where he constructed the Colt Armory in 1855. To manage his new facility, he hired Elisha K. Root as his chief mechanic. Root had already found success in an axe-production venture, where he successfully used specialized machines to help automate production, and when hired by Colt, he came with many of his existing machine tools. During his long tenure at Colt (he succeeded as President of the company when Colt died in 1862), Root helped establish the first practical assembly line, while although not a new concept, was mostly impractical due to a lack of interchangeable parts. Root's precision machinery made this possible, with less than 20% of the parts produced requiring additional hand-finishing work. According to historian Herbert G. Houze, "had it not been for Root's inventive genius. Colt's dream of mass production would never have been realized” (Samuel Colt: Arms, Art, and Invention, 2006, p. 173). Provenance: Elisha K. Root – by descent to the consignor.