Lockport's famed inventor with the unique name of Birdsill wasn't the only Holly with the creative mind. He had a distant cousin named Carlos Holly who aided in the imaginative endeavors.
Birdsill, of course, was the genius who proved to be a boon to firefighters throughout the world. He originated the fire hydrant system to pump water through underground lines to fight fires.
Up to that time, firefighters had to struggle with the highly inefficient bucket brigades to pass buckets of water along a line of men to pour on burning timbers or hand-pump a similarly inefficient device.
Ann Marie Linnabery of the Niagara County Historical Society explored Carlos Holly's life in a recent article. Carlos was born in Wyoming County on May 1, 1838. After schooling, he worked in his father's carpentry business. However, he was soon impressed by his cousin's success in Lockport, so he asked for a job.
Carlos was hired and soon became an indispensable part of the Holly Manufacturing Co. He traveled throughout the country helping various municipalities set up the water-pumping and hydrant systems.
He worked for Birdsill for 25 years, then set out on his own in 1890. He built a large stone building near the canal in Lowertown and operated a general machine manufacturing shop there. He also rented space to other entrepreneurs.
In advertising for tenants, he wrote, "The best rooms for any kind of manufacturing purposes in this or any other city. Perfect light, strong floors, reliable power, powerful and safe elevator, perfect closet and all conveniences. All well protected against fire. Will let space in large or small amounts on long or short leases and at low prices. Have rooms suitable for fruit storage which I will let for the winter. All at my new building on Market Street."
Carlos invented a Chinese typewriter with 10,000 characters. He also developed a machine that would make paper cartons, fold, count and stack them all in one operation.
FLOWERY PROSE -- The late city historian Edward T. Williams sure had a way with words. Consider his description of the Niagara River and its power:
"Ever since the hand of the Creator molded the earth from the primeval chaos, some seven millions of horsepower had leaped the cascades and formed the never failing waterway that stretches the 800 miles from Niagara to the sea.
"For ages, this prodigious torrent swept down to be seen only by the primitive Indians and later by the advancing hosts of civilization, but the tremendous potentialities were unutilized."
And another time, he pointed out the difference between advertise and advertisement. He said the dictionary noted advertise means to turn the attention of others to, while advertisement was a notice in the public print.
He opined:
"There might be a material difference between advertise and advertisement. Our newspaper friends while advocating advertising on general principles undoubtedly prefer the word advertisement because some advertisers call the attention of others to their wares by splashes of red ink on the sides or ends of barns, upon rocks or upon big sign boards that mar the scenic grandeur of the landscapes."
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | March 13 2012 |