Memoirs of a Masonian Page3

Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish

Dan & Charles Mason, pioneers of the shoe polish industry in Chiswick

The Memoirs of a Masonian P3

The first instalment brought my narrative to the latter part of 1907 when the 1d tin was put on the market and a second filling machine installed. This machine was erected by the side of the existing machine and with two more mixers fitted up, this made a battery of three. Above these were two wax melters. The three mixers were used entirely for the manufacture of Black Polish and when it became necessary to manufacture Brown Polish a small pot was used. Dark Tan and other colours were not the vogue in those days. We still continued to manufacture Metal Polish and made an attempt to fill this on the new machine. Such attempts were not, however, very successful owing to the cleansing nature of the polish and its adverse action on the filling die.

Business boomed with the introduction of the 1d Cherry Blossom tin, so much so that our tin-stamping department was unable to keep pace with orders and we had to purchase a supply of tins from outside makers.

With the installation of the second filling machine I was given assistance. I was now responsible for the manufacture of polish and the maintenance of the filling machines, keeping dies clean, oiling of machines etc. I had to bring up the major part of the raw materials. The lift, I might mention, was frequently out of order and even when working had no attendant, so that anyone became the operator. I can say with all truthfulness that I carried hundreds of sacks of wax up the two flights of stairs from the yard rather than let the department wait for polish. In a smaller degree this carrying applied to turpentine but not so frequently, as the lift was generally in order by the afternoon when the wax was melted and ready for mixing. I also used to fill polish tins in my spare time.

In addition to this rapid development and its effects in the Works, various events stamp the year 1908 indelibly in my memory. That year it was decided to have a working exhibit at the White City Exhibition which some of my readers will remember as the Franco-British Exhibition. Preparations were begun for the erection of a Mixer and another Filling Machine was purchased. Our building was situated on a prominent site near the Machinery Hall, at the end of what was known as Machinery Avenue. Completed, our exhibit made a very fine show. Visitors entered at one side of the building and left on the opposite side. They witnessed in turn the filling, topping and packaging of polish and then the stamping out of the tins. So far as my memory serves me, there were two presses, one for forming the body of the tin and one for forming the lids.

On the polish side the Mixer or Storage tank was immediately over the top of the filling machine. The polish was put into the Mixer ready for use and was kept hot by means of a hot water circulator. The filling machine was heated by a very small boiler, the steam being supplied through a small pipe. It took a long time to heat the dies, but once hot sufficient heat was maintained to keep the machine working.

The Polish was conveyed from Chiswick to the Exhibition in hundredweight drums, which were raised to the mixer by means of a small hand crane. According to the amount of polish left in the mixer when the Exhibition closed at night, so was the temperature of the polish leaving Chiswick the next morning governed. If the polish appeared thick in the mixer when I left it overnight the next morning's supply would be delivered at a higher temperature than if it appeared hot or if the mixer were empty. All materials required for the Exhibition were loaded up at the Works each morning and were timed to leave not later than 9.00 am as all vehicles were supposed to leave the Exhibition by 11.00 am.

I taught a lad his duties for the Exhibition work and he had to be at the White City by 9 o'clock. He used to prepare the machine and mixer for starting, and with the very limited supply of steam, it generally took some two hours to heat up. Whilst the machine was warming he would help with unloading, etc, and reloading the van with empty drums. From Mondays to Fridays the girls worked from 2.00 pm to 10.00 pm, and on Saturdays and Bank Holidays from 11.00 am to 10.00 pm with a break for Dinner and Tea.

Mention of my own duties at this period may be of some interest. I reported at the Works at 7.00 am, my first duty being to prepare the polish for the works and for transport to the Exhibition. I had to prepare the filling machines for the girls who commenced at 8.00 am in the Works and also fill the drums with polish for the Exhibition. I should mention that by this time I had a lad on each filling machine at Chiswick, but they did not come until 8.00 am. I used to prepare the wax pot for the next mixing and arrive at the Exhibition in time to start up the filling machine. I had to leave things running smoothly there before returning to Chiswick, and it depended upon what time I arrived back at the Works how long I had for dinner. If I did not get back by 4.00 pm it meant that I did not leave for tea until 6 o'clock or thereabouts as between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm I had to prepare polish for the next day both for the Factory and the Exhibition. Home about 6.15 pm, I would snatch a hurried tea, wash, change, and be back at the Exhibition in time to relieve the lad at 7.30 pm. From the end of April to the end of October the period of the Exhibition with Saturdays and Bank Holidays included, this was my daily routine.

Above our Stand was a large electric clock which could be seen from a considerable distance. "Meet at the Cherry Blossom Clock" was the advice to visitors displayed prominently on all the hoardings and programmes. Another good move I recall was an arrangement we had with a firm of boxmakers who had a working exhibit of a box-making machine in the same avenue. We took all their output which were 5 gr No 1 Cherry Blossom boxes already printed. Our exhibit with the filling of the tins proved the most popular feature with the public; it seemed to fascinate them greatly and at times it was with great difficulty that we got them to move on. Our sales continued to increase and, in fact, the goods that were returned from the Exhibition to Chiswick were immediately despatched to waiting customers for our stock had become very low. Thus the marketing of the 1d tin and the publicity given by the Franco-British Exhibition proved a turning point in the firm's fortune and the Mason brothers were entitled to congratulations upon their enterprise and foresight.

I must relate one amusing incident in connection with our exhibit. As I have already stated, the polish was taken to the Exhibition in 1-cwt drums, sometimes on a trolley, sometimes on a single horse or pair horse van according to the amount required. On this particular occasion the single horse van was used and it left the yard fully loaded. On its journey to the Exhibition one of the drums fell off and a cyclist who was following collided with the drum and rolled over in the contents. The drum was picked up and so was the cyclist who, needless to say, was looking very black! He followed our van to the Exhibition and found his way to our Stand where the matter was eventually amicably adjusted. Included in the compensation was a tin of Carpet Soap, another of our productions, and it says much for Mr Dan Mason's powers of diplomacy that the unfortunate man also accepted as a gift a tin of Cherry Blossom Boot Polish!!

Another amusing incident during the Exhibition arose in connection with the fountain. We had inside our Stand a water fountain as an ornament which was also useful for fixing cords, on which were cards directing visitors round the building a kind of one-way traffic. This fountain stood about 4 ft high and was operated by a small pump adjoining the filling machine. August Bank Holiday, 1908, was "France's Day" and a very large number of Frenchmen visited the Exhibition; we had previously mixed some scent in the water, and when they saw the fountain working they came to the conclusion that we were makers of Cherry Blossom Scent as well as Boot Polish and splashed their clothes, dipped their handkerchiefs into the liquid, and some even filled small bottles. Needless to say, the fountain soon ran dry.

With what relief I welcomed the closing of the Exhibition can be imagined. I had experienced a gruelling six months and thoroughly enjoyed my week's holiday even in the glorious month of November! But, strange to relate, the weather was extremely good, the only drawback being the rather short days.

The business continued to expand, and late 1908 the ground adjoining was purchased. This was the portion that runs from Hogarth House to the rear of the houses in Paxton Road to about the North Side of the present laboratory and for a time it became a recreation ground for the employees.

The Memoirs of a Masonian P3 Continued P4 >>

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