Lynchburg Letter: J. William Gayner to W. H. Loyd

May 26, 1927

In this letter, Mr Gayner reflects on the conflicts over control of the plant in its last weeks (see Board Meeting, March 11, 1925), and outlines the plan he had presented to the board for changes (see Board Meeting, May 28, 1925). The letter reveals, from Mr. Gayner's perspective, some of the problems the company faced in its last weeks.

Text was transcribed by Dennis Bratcher from the original letter. A scan of the original letter is below [parts of the scan are distorted; original is bound in a book].

[Gayner Glass Works Letterhead]

[handwritten]

May 26 - 27

My Dear Mr. Loyd

Replying to yours of the 20th[.] you are right. if we had fought harder we would have won out.

Two or three weeks before we closed down. I wanted them to let me have control & I made a statement of how I would operate

1st

I would have gotten Ingersol Rands repair man to fix the air compressor costing about $300 to $500 dollars

About a month ago the repair man was here fixing the air compressor cost about $25⁰⁰[.] I have talked this matter over with them & and I am sure if they, Mr Eller & the Board had allowed me to get the Ingersol people they would have fixed it in short time and not costing ¼ what we paid the Lynchburg people

2nd

I would only manufactured pint and quart jars until we had better help organized

I would bought ½ Gal jars the same as other Glass mfg has done

3th [sic]

I would not up set the whole plant trying to get the General [Western] Electric insulator order

I would manufactured insulators for other companies and in time the General [Western] Electric would have come to us

Gayner Glass has had this experience. they do not send inspectors to measure (frog hairs)[*] nor do they do it with Hemingray and we make their battery jars

(over)

[* a euphemism for a slang expression meaning "a very tiny amount" or something trivial or insignificant]

[p. 2] My hope was to change these three major conditions then to show the plant was on a paying basis

I am showing you per weekly cost statements what I would have done by having steady air & devoting our energies to production & not trying to keep an air compressor going and upsetting all the help trying to make the Western Electric insulator order.

By a change of manufacturing policy as above stated we could have changed this small weekly loss to a profit

April - 25 - we change to make ½ Gal jars weekly loss $3155.66 and everything on the insulator side was sacrificed to try and get the Western Electric order

I then believe and still believe if they had allowed me to put in force my plan of manufacturing things would have been different

Now Mr. Loyd I have been wondering if I could help you by writing to Mr. Fred McWayne - Arch [or Arck] and Henry Campbell - John Victor - David Dillard - J. D. Owens Rob Watts - Charley Guggenheimer - If they would help in getting you a position - Friends can help many times. If this will do you any good I will write them a personal letter before you leave the Plant[.] will you ship me by freight the

[p. 3] Mr Loyd               continued                                                                                         5 - 26 - 27

balance of my personal belongings

Pictures of Plant hanging on the wall

Letter file boxes on the floor

a card index box containing cards of information - on desk

a lot of Blue Prints of feeders, insulators & catalogs in the letter files in the kitchen cabinet

you take the wire [?] bedstead if you wish it

I would like to have my correspondence and catalogs in the letter files in my room upstairs

The company bought this filing cabinet

I have a chest of drawers in the small office next to Bass Williams also a lot of Pt-Qt and half gallon moulds Plungers blanks & other parts that were shipped to me from Salem when they [sic] three Fruit Jars machines were shipped to me

These parts will be of service if they start making jars[.] they are stored under the small furnace[.] I will exchange these for the cabinet[.] if they are willing then you can ship my letters & catalogs in this cabinet

If they so not want to make this exchange will you pack them in a box and send to me[?] whatever expense is incured [sic] I will pay for it

If the company does not want to exchange the moulds & parts for the cabinet will you please sell these to the junk man for me

Thanking you in doing this for me I beg to remain Yours truly

[signed] J William Gayner