UBB.threads Forums General Interest Other Hobbies and Collections, like sports cars, movies, music,etc LAFLIN & RAND, POWDER CO., "Passaic Powder Mills" Wayne, N. J.

The Laflin & Rand merger (1869) would lead to construction of the Passaic Powder Mills, in what is now known as old Wayne, not far from "Meads Basin" located in what is now Mountain View, Wayne, N. J.

"Meads Basin" was a wide section to turn the barges around on the old Morris Canal. The Mead family were early settlers of Wayne Township, N. J. The 1st Passaic Powder Mills building completed in 1870 (Source: original blueprints from the present owner) was the smaller building to the left of the main building seen in the center of the 1875 print. This smaller building was built with clay bricks marked D & U and was about 15" from the Greenwood Lake Line Railroad which was charted in 1867. The Greenwood Lake Line Railroad was only completed to Pompton Plains in 1873 because of the Panic of 1873.

In 1872 Laflin & Rand, Dupont and 3 other companies created the U. S. Gunpowder Assocation. In 1902 Dupont bought Laflin & Rand Powder Co. In 1912 Laflin & Rand was dissolved because of a Federal anti-trust lawsuit against Dupont.

I grew up and lived for 61 years about a 1/4 mile from the Passaic Powder Mills. In the center of the 1875 print, over the main building can be seen the old Morris Canal which was about 100" from my backyard. The small buildings in the center of the 1875 print were on Ford St. which started on the left side of the print, where more worker houses made of brick can be seen. A train just above, and a little to the right of the X is on the Greenwood Lake Line. In the upper right corner can be seen a train coming from Lincoln Park and going to Mountain View. The train in the lower left corner is on a Railroad spur on the Laflin & Rand property that was about 8" above the ground. Many smaller spurs were used. Explosions happened in 1887, 1901 and 1902. On June 27, 1887, the New York Times reported 3 men were killed at Mountain View, two were "blown to atoms" and one found alive died later.

One spur went from the main building area to the swamp used as a dump. This dump was found by township workers working to clear a ditch. The area of the dump is the X on the 1875 print. The 1st area found by the workers dated to about 1899 from dated bottles found by the workers. Other areas dated to about 1895 (V-nickel), 1906, 1910 and 1912. No bottles dated to after 1912, and as we now know was due to the 1912 lawsuit. Many items such as a heavy iron griding ball (the size of a bowling ball), a Laflin & Rand 25 lbs. powder keg top, 1873 dated metal bracket and even false upper dentures were donated to Wayne Township Historical Society. My friends digging underground forts as children, dug up the heavy grinding balls and sold them to museums who thought they were Civil War cannon balls. Clay tobacco pipes and clay marbles used in the pipe bowls were also found. In 1929 Mack Molding Plastics Company bought the Main Building at 130 Ryerson Ave. All 6 members of my family worked at the renamed (1964), Mack-Wayne Plastics Co. Wayne, N. J.

C. Wetzel-20609

Correction: The train in the lower RIGHT corner of the 1875 print is on a Railroad spur on the Laflin & Rand property that was about 8" above the ground. The Pompton River (not shown) is about 1/4 mile to the right of train in the lower right corner.