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HISTORY OF ATLANTA STOVE: ~1/0l~ECS

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In 1889, the year that Benjamin Harris look office as Pre!;ident of the

United States, the Atlanta Stove Wocks brought to Atlanta a revolution-"-

nry idea in the field of cooking, the Barrett Range, reade of cast iron,

would burn wood or coal and the fire looped the loop around the oven

before going out the flue. It was an entirely ne\v approach to modern

cooking for that day.

Often the success story of an old business is more spectacular than the~­

overnight rise of a newcomer, as it isn't always so easy to change with

the times, nor is it ~asy to weather the economic boons, major depres­

sions, wars and recessions.

In the late 19th Centur·y a man named Sam D. Jones, who was then President

of the Girl's College in Bristol, Virginia and the father of 3 sons and

one daughter, decided early in his career that he would like to look

around for something else to do. Mr. Jones visited a banker friend in

Atlania and the friend happened to mention a business vSnture called

"The Atlanta Stove Works". It was a fairly new organization that was

having difficulty making a go of it with the tight money situation.

Even in those early days Atlarita looked to Mr. Jones like the.ideal spot

to build his fate. So, he bought a part interest in the business and

moved his family to Georgia. h'ith the Jones' Industrial Genius ~ehind

the Company, things began to move. A brand new plant on Krog Street

was built the first year in the business. Five years later they estab-

lished Birmingham Stove & Range Company as a branch of the Atlanta Stove

Ov~c the years the Company sontinued to grow and expand and in the early

part of the.l930's Mr. Bolling Jones, Jr. was promoted to President of

both the Atlanta and Birmingham Plants; and about 1935 the Company was

doing about $500,000 per year.

In 1969 Mr. Saunders Jones was made President of the Corporation still

serving in that capacity. _Under his leadership the Company has grown I

to sales in excess of 35 million per year with present employment over

sao people.

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ccssed through the bonderizing and metal phosphatizing system. Parts

that are not painted are stored in palliticr boxes to be assembled

later into the finish~d product. After the parts have been painted ~-

they are removed and stored in an area for assembly at a later date.

The storage spac~ is limited and close co-ordination of assembly time,

paint time and production time must be maintained.

Presently we have 3 lines that produce either wall furnaces or circu-_

lators or the supplemental furnace.

The latest assembly techniques are used in the production of our

Homesteaders and wall furnaces. By using these techniques it has

enabled us to remain competitive in the marketplace and to produce

a unit at the lowest possible price.

After these units have been assembled they are transported to our

warehouse on Krog Street for storage and later shipment to our

:. Continental ~·7arehouse in Birmingham, Alabama.

"BIRMINGHA!1 FACILITIES"

Sev2ral years ago our Birmingham facility underwent a modernization

program and installed a mechanized foundry system. Along with this

system we purchased our first Disa-matic Molding Hachine and since thE="n

we have added an additional 7 units. Today this l S prob~bly one of the

most automated and sophisticated stove foundries 1n this country. This

foundry has the capacity of producing a mold every 15 seconds and some­

where in the neighborhood of 60 million pounds of iron per . year. All

of our cast iron stoves , holloware, furniture and other castings are

produced in.this facility using this mechanized e~uipment.

The rav1 material comes to the_ foundry in the form of pig iron,__and sera;>

is combined Hith other materials , mixed and dropped into the Cupola.

Al~of - these components are melted together and molten · ~ron is then

tapped out through the firebrick inside the Cupola and runs through a

trough into a 40 ton electric holding furnace. Thi~ molten iron is then

transported to a system of pouring stations. The ~olds are prepared on

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Since 1889, the Company has been busy promotinq and selling its product:~.

From the early days in which the Box Heater sold for $6. 48 through the

development of more _sophisticated coal & woo~burning stoves, gas heaters,

furniture and cookware, the company has been continuously looking for

new and better products to build and sell to its customers.

Since the beginning,Sales and Marketing have been an important part of.·

the Atlanta Stove Works. Catalogs and other merchandi~ing and sales ~ids

were developed to promote and sell Atlanta made goods. Early in its

.existence the Company starting U$ing its own sales force and has been

doing so throughout the years. Establishing sales goals, recognizing

,,. those \..;ho have achieved, and those who have reached milestones in their

lifetime have been an important part of the Atlanta Sales Philosophy.

Today the Compan~ has 21 sales representatives, 3 sales managers and

14 manufacturers representatives covering a national network of dealers ' .

and distributors. The facilities ha~e grown from that first plant

opened in 1889 on Krog Street to 3 manufacturing facilities \vith a 4t.h

one under construction.

The Atlanta Plant is used primarily for sheet metal products and includes

shearing and metal stamp:img facilities, ~assembly l~nes, a 5 stage .

wc:s:'-ling and ph:Jsphatizing m~tal preparat:.on system, along with .~: eceiving

and warehousing space.

Nmv, lets take a swing throuqh the Atlanta Plant and see some of the·

operations that are taking place:

From our Receiving Department the steel moves to a shearing operation

in preparation for metal stamping and forming. A large portion of the

steel is presently being purchased in blanks and the New Powder Springs

operation will be a shee~ metal processing plant where the metal is

processed from coils and dispursed to both the Atlanta and Birmingham

sheet metal operations. Punch presses, press brakes, spot welding

equipment and other metaf forming operations are done in the Fabrica­

tion Department .. After the metal has been formed properly and welded,

in some cases,the material moves to the hang-on area where it is pro-

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the Disa-matic. The molten iron is then poured into the c~vity of

these sand molds after they have been formed. The material is allo>ved

Lo solidify and then is dumped into a shake~out conveyor which separates

the sand from the metal castings. The sand is processed back into the

original system, adding a slight amount of new sand periodically re­

mulling the sand which ~s used repeatedly in the system. After the

castings are separated from the sand they are sent down a shake-out

belt conveyor into a tumbling operation and the castings ar~ cleaned __ ~­

After these castings come out of the first cleaning station the excess

metal is removed by grinding and further processing is done in a wheel-\ .

abrator where a final finish is placed on the castings. Additional

operations, such as grinding on our cookware or drilling of the castings

are done at these stations.

The Birmingham· Facii.lit.y also houses a sheet metal fabrication operaticm~:;

similar to the one at Atlanta, and most of our gas heaters are presently

manufactured in this facility. Much of the equipment is the same as

what is found in Atlanta, including shears, punch presses, break presses

and other stamping and forming equipment. Spot. \veldin~J and the painting

system, as well as, the assembly line are also housed in the Birmingham

Facility.

In addition to the gas heaters, cast iron furniture is made in the foundr'

and run throu_gh our processing system, painted and packed in the assembly

area.

Cookware 1s also produced in the foundry and after cleaning is routed

to our dipping department where a wax coating is placed on the cook\va re

to protect it from rust. It 1s also packe d in this department and then

shipped to our warehouse fpr storage and later shipment_

Reform, Alabama located approximately 90 miles West of Birmingham is

our newest facility and was opened in the Fall of 1978_ This plant

was forme~ly a mobile home plant and has been converted with the installa­

tion of 2 aisembly lin~s as ;heavy boilerplate manufacturi~g facilify.

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This is probably one of th e finest mc::11ufa c tl.ll~in9 L:tcility of b o il e r--­

plate stoves in the country. They have the capacity of producing ' thousands of stoves pet year in this plant a~d it 1 s designed, prim 21r ily,

for the productiqn of the se units.

Heavy fabrication equipment has been installed for blanking and formin~

of the 1/t!" metal and individual \<Rldinsr stations have been installed

along both sides of the production line. The parts are brought to the -

individual stations and one welder complet~s most of the welding on a

single unit. After the welding operation is complete d it is inspe cte d

on the line, any excessive weld splatter is removed fr o m the un i t, a nd

then shot blasted to remove any scale on the material_ Doors are ?l a c e d

on the unit, firebricks ace installed in the unit, the unit is paint e d,

inspected for leaks end packa ged on the end of the line for s hi pment .

We presently are running the fireplace insert on one line and the

Huntsman Series on the other line . As the units are finished they are

loaded into our company t r ucks and moved to our distribution center at

the Continental War e hou se in Birmingham.

Several ye ars ago we be gan to r e alize the need for an additiond l

facility to backup the Atla n ta Pl a nt. In 1979 a s e arc h wa s begun f or

additional pcoperty, and i.n 19 8 0 we decid e d on a t- r act o£ l a nd l oc:at.:_,_:(J

near Powd e r Springs. Y.Ie puc c h .:l~;e d this tr a ct in th t~ e a r ly p ;1 :~ t. : , f l 'Jfl O

and this will be, whe n COIW~lt· :: trx1, the nei·/CSt Of O UC 4 opc r a ti nc; I -l ,· lnt: :;

and promises to be one of th2 most we ll equipped f a c i litie s we h ~ve .

Ground wa s broken in 1980 an d con o:;truction began and. \ve 0re p r e sC'n l:.J.j

about 50?; th .:::- oug h t-1ith t he i n itial construction of 1110,000 squa cc fc>: L.

I This plant has been designe d pr~ imarily as a sheet me tal proce ~.> sinq pLmt

l. and will incorporate coil, r: ut to length lirie, a s we ll as, automC~tcd

press fe e d dies. SevercJ.l p i eces of equipment have already be e n delive red

to the sight and are now awaiting installation.

date of the building is sometime in early April-

The projected com p letion

The tr'act has ample

acreage associated with it to allow for future expansion. In addition,

we anticipate a connector road being developed, wl1ich will connect

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Inter-State I-20 making easy acce ss betiVc-!en tl1c Birrninsrham and 1\tlc:tJH.a

facilities.

A & l3 Parts Division, created in 197"/, 1s a ·ccntrol pacts de~t for both

Atlanta Stove Works and Birmingham Stove & Range and is providing now

a unique service of distribution of repair parts for all of our produ~ts_

After preliminary organization and inl. crna l problem s , I\ & B is now

meeting the goal of shipping parts within 48 hours after receipt of

order.

The prlm<J.ry conce r.:-1 of dealers and distributors n o·,y is th e continuing

and concerted support of backup parts f or products they are buying or

have bought for the ir customers.

A newly created stove company that is in bu~iness tod ay and gone tomorrow

finds no continuing source for a repair part_ A stove without a door,

or a stove \vithout a grate, that won't work is a useles~:; piece of

merchandise. On e of the most import a nt tools you hav e in your selling

program ... A & B Parts provides tha t support.

Atlanta Stove lS a people oriented busi ness . The best .faci lities in

the world with the most modern equipment and the b est intentions will

not provide the fir ::;t piece o£ finished products \vi.t~ l t oui ~ :,;umeoiie to

plan, imfJlCr~:e>n~·- anr.l E'i.Oduce the good :; Dc: ~ c::>dcd fo r .;: :;t c~ n -J r •coduct .

Receiving I '1-vaceho ~ I:; i.ng and Storage I Production an c1 In v ~~ ll tory Contcol r

Industria l Er.gi.llccri.ng, Plant Management , Resear ch & Developme nt, Orde r

Proc'2ssing, Oist_ :;-_·i but-. i.on, Credit, Custome r Servic e , ::;p(:(_:i.dl. Project s ,

Administration, Sal~ s and Marketing and Shipping all qo together to I . provide a product that can be made and sh ipped to a customer . But

without these people these functions could not be acc omplished. Th e

sz1les function is just one of many par:·ts of the puzzle th<J.t must fit

together for a company to be successful and profitable. Our function

supports production just as well as the production supports the sales

function. One cannot operate with the other.

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COMPANY STABILITY

....... . Few companies have the....,_track record of The Atlanta Stove .Works. Starting

in 1889, the Company has successfully, throughout the years, increased

its sales and profits._ Profits have been d~stributed to s~.are holders, ·

. ret~ned t~ the .Comp_any ·for r~investment in new facilities and ·new productr

. The Company has earned . a 4-AAA rating in Dun . & Bradstreet because of .. its

credit·worthiness. .. · ,·, . ~ - · .-· . t

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The !~feline of any company is new prOducts, and Atlanta Stove Works

has led· a forefront of .. J::hat movement .in the coal. & woc;:>d stove business~·. Few companies have ~s .broad a product li~e as you. represent: .· . ..

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(5) .;.· different circulator models . -- (5)- different. ·m~~ls ··of · ·.: · · boile;-plate stoves. -- (2.)- inser.ts --(1)- coal & woo<I. ~ange

(2)~ models of heat exchangers ~--(4)- additional models of:coal

burning stoves --(5)- additional models of woodburning stoves

(3)- Franklin .fireplaces and accessories for all.. above mentioned

stoves and fireplaces. ·

..... Seven new products were introduced in 1980. Four ne., ... products are

scheduled for 1981~ Research & Development is continually working on

new products and me-t::ho~s of_providing you with'the latest tec::hnological

developments in the industry. .. • .,. . ..._... ..·; .

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Management is bullish on the future of this company. We have the

facilities; we have the people, we have the financial resources to :be­

a leader in our chosen f.ields. · Few companies have the qual~·~y ~r .. rep­

resentation .that we offer th~'ough our Sales Forc.e and our system of

marketing ~nd .distribut~on of products~ Y~u represent our Management,

. our products and our philosophy. You ~re ~elling a product backed by ·

a company with a solid track record of years of involvement i~ the

industry, do.ing business in . a fair and honest way, treating. our customers

in a manner in which we would like to be treated.. · ·

· .. ·. "ATLANTA ~T.QVE - WARMING AMER~CAN HOMES SINCE 1889"

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MR. JONES

B-u-ILDER

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San1 Jones Mal{es Great Contribution

Devotes His High[y Developed Faculties to Upbuilding of Society--­

His Career a Wonderful Success

M R. SAM D. JONES came to Atlanta 27 years ago with a few thousand dollars saved

from the earnings of earlier years and since then has built up two great industries, the Atlanta Stove Works and the Birmingham Stove & Range Company, which turn out a product selling for more than a million dol­lars a year and employ 350 persons whose industry supports a thou.sand.

Mr. Jones is a native of Virginia. Born in 1856, he went through school and college graduating from the Vir­ginia Polytechnic Institute, taking an additional course in the Languages at Richmond Colleg·e, now University of Richmond and graduating there in law.

He practiced law for ten years at Marion, Virginia, and feeling that he must seek a broader field accepted the presidency of the South West Vir­ginia Institute, a small school estab­lished by the Baptists of that section. It had at the time only about 75 stu­dents and 6 teachers, but grew rapid­ly and four years later was moved to Bristol, and installed in a fine plant

By WALTER G. COOPER

built by the Baptist people of Vir­ginia.

Mr. Jones spent ten very active years in this school and gTeatly in­creased its size. When he left it, there was 25 officers and teachers and 300 students.

While that was a useful service, Mr. Jones realized that it would not be a money making business and de­termined to devote some years to more active pursuits. For that pur­pose he set out to find a promising location. This was throe years after the Cotton States Exposition, which had brought Atlanta and the South­east very prominently before the world. Mr. Jones came to Atlanta and decided to locate here. He knew Governor Northen and the late A. D. Adair, whom he had met in the South­ern Baptist Convention, and naturally called on and advised with them.

In answer to an advertisement pub­lished in the Atlanta papers by Mr. A. D. Adair, over his own signature, a number of letters were received offering investments in going busi­ness. Among- them was one from

the · Atlanta Stove Works, which Mt·. Adair and Governor Northen thought worthy of consideration.

Mr. Jones investigated the busi­ness and bought a third interest in the company. Mr. J. R. Dickey, who owned a thit·d interest, remained some years, but Mr. Alex S. Seals, who was failing in health soon re­tired and Mr. Jones was promoted from vice-president to president of the company.

Mr. Jones' knowledge of accounting acquired at the Virginia Polytechnic: Institute, was a valuable asset in this business. He found that the cal­culation of cost for stoves was errone­ous, in that it did not take proper account of overhead expenses, and the selling prices supposed to yield a pro­fit, were actually below cost.

As a result the company had been losing money and was, in debt. He made a new cost sheet and when the time came to renew a years contract with the concern which sold the stoves, he laid the cards on the table, showed the loss at selling prices then in effect and asked for new prices

THE PLANT OF THE ATLANTA STOVE WORKS I , .. • •

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that would yield a moderate profit. Th<' purcha:;er did not know his man and refused to revise the prices.

With no selling organization and goods piling up in the factory, Mr. ,Jones ~et out to organize a selling forcli. It was a success from the start and the business in four years g rew from $63,000 to $250,000, show­ing a substantial profit.

At that time stove factories were ex pected to supply hollow ware and to meet the demand, Mr. Jones and his brother Bolling H. Jones , estab­li shed at Birmingham a hollow ware factory which eventually grew into the Birmingham Stove and Range Co mpany. The use of hollow ware has about ceased and the new concern makes s toves and ranges on a larger sca le than the parent company in At­lanta.

Civic Activities In the meantime Mr . .Jones had be­

come an important factor in the civic life of Atlanta.

In 1902 he and Mr. W. K Newill organized the Atlanta Freight bureau, which has been an important factor in the commerce of this city. Out of it has grown the merchants and manufacturer's association whi ch was for a long time operated from the same headquarters, with the sa me executive secretary, Mr. Harry T. Moore.

In 1906 Mr . .Jones became president of t he Atlanta Chamber of Commerce a nd served for one year. He had bee n elected for two years but the pressure of business caused him to resign ofter 12 months' se rvi ce.

The Chamber of Commerce took the initiative in building the city Audi­torium-Armory that year and fi-

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B-u-ILDER.

-- - ----1 THIS seri<:H of featnn• a•·ti- i

cles by III!·. CoojJ<:r of men who hnve a.chiel'cd ontl;tand-iug success in the /msiness world iN to cont-inue for sevontl mouths. Next month he will gi.uc ow· renders a sketch of 1111·. B. M. Hood and in subsequent issues he will w ·rite nbout other no­table men of success th·ronghout Georgia. It is o nr belief that these sketches will prove p?·of­itable reading for the younger lm.siness uwn.-THE EDITOR.

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nanced it tempo ra rily until the city could pay for it with serial bonds running seven years. In that work, Mr . .Jones personally took a leading part.

After the riot of Septembet·, 1906 Mr . .Jones, as president of the Cham7 ber of Commerce, called a meeting at the Courthouse for the purpose of checking mob violence, which for sev­eral days had held the community un­der a cloud. On four hours notice by telephone a thousand men assembled and raised the standard of law and order with such force and effect that the lawless elements sought cover and vioience ceased.

During the same year there was a remarkable contest between the commercial interests of Atlanta and the railway companies. As president of the Chamber of Commerce and president of the freight bureau, Mr. Jones led the commercial interests in their fight for a readjustment of freight rates.

It so happened tha t several ra il­way companies had projected large

exten~ions of their local plant, tracks etc., and were under the necessity of asking the city and county govern­ments for the !easements that would permit the new construction.

'l'he commercial interests, thor­oughly aroused and organized, ap­peared before the City Council and County Commissioners, asking that no concession whatever be granted the railways until a satisfactory ad­justment of freight rates had been made.

Those bodies acceded to the request and every wheel was locked so far as extension of the railway plant was concerned. This led to bitter denun­ciation of the commercial leaders by railway partisans and for a short time there was an actual deadlock in Atlanta.

After the heat of the contest had so mewha t cooled, Mr. S. M. Inman, a director of the Southern Railway, and Mr. Martin Amorons of the City Council suggested a conference, which was known as the "Piedmont Confer­ence" held between the commercial leaders of Atlanta, headed by Mr. Jones and other prominent Atlantans.

This conference resulted in an ad­justment of freight rates which put Atlanta on a more favorable basis as a market and brought about more eordial r elations between the rail­roads a nd the shippers.

Mr. Jones was married during his residence at Marion, Virginia to Miss Betty Harrison, who is well known and much loved in Atlanta. She is perhaps best known to the public as one time pres ident of the Federation of Woman's Clubes and later as presi­dent of the War Mothers Service, Star Legion of Fulton County, which has given the city a permanent Mem­orial in Pershing Point.

They have three sons, Harrison, executive vice-president of the Coco Cola Company, Saunders, vice-presi­dent of the White Motor Company, with 18 states under his management; and Bolling, who is vice-president and geneml manager of the Atlanta Stove Works, doing a business of near a half million a year.

They are all graduates of the Uni­versity of Georgia and Harrison, the eldest, a graduate of Ann Arqor Law School, held for a number of years a professorship of Jaw at Emory Uni­versity. After· several years' prac­tice he became sales manager of the Coco Cola Company and later execu­tive vice-president.

In view of the fine record of his

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' ' ~'~~t!~t;~~~,;;&:;~ ~Q~ll;';.~~:; ._"l~~~:~\,io!~~:~woR~s MANUF~CJ:~RERS OF .·: . .. · ·_ ... _. · ·

(~,J'~,;]~~;z:t·~;; ::~~ ... ~,. .,.; · C~oi<ING ~~· ~~~~~:.G Eh~ v•~s. .. ~:-::::./·· ' ._.,.

STO\'E HOI.I.OW-WAIU!, COUNTRY IIOLLOW·WARE, ORATF...S; F.TC~. / ·- ·· Bli:LL 'PHON.E 277H.

, .. -.. .. ..£:! -::. ~~-<~ - :::' ;· .. . .

:~:B/ ~ooking ~toves: th/} ATLANTA . BARRETT.~ '},:: .. -,:-·:/_ ; ~- ·. -··. . . . . . . '. :· .-:_. ·' .

;;~:;-_,;: · - . -A-TL-.ANTA·-:·HoME. --

:!J;;2.:.;''A1'LANTA . PRIDE • •.

rW:~i·.~:}_AT~A~Ti:_·\~AG~E, .·~. ::\_: .. ATLANTA: BELL.

ATLANTA OAK. . . .

, . . ATLANTA GATE CITY. ~ - ' -~ -

ATLANTA PIEDMONT. . .. · . . ,. .

.,.,, .. ; A'l'LANTA•ALLIANCE, ·; --~- - ' ' . ... .! • : -,-· --~ ; .:·- ,, ' .

-"~f .<~A~LAN;r.A GEM .. ~:x ... · -- ~ - - , ~- .... :.··--~~' AT!..ANTA CLIMAX . .

-_._, __ ;::;.

·;; ;;: ATLANTA .WINNER.

iftB·;s ;~·S_-~0-~:?':~, :,\s?.~i~~R. . -~,::' • ' ···· ... ;--~->:_· - -,~ ~~A~:;: __ ~~-:.::::~=- :;~\:~~r;:::: · __ ::~_-: :> ; -.. _ .... --~~}_ ·Ranges: · .·· ji::~· A'fLANTA KING. ~~ti·( .. ~ ---~ . r ::C·":'/ ATLANl'A QUEE.N. ;2'f:':T,.;:,_: -·: . : -. . w:f·' ·::~:;; :,:;· ;{ ..

" Heating. Stoves: BONNIE .A'fLANTA.

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-- -~ · VlCT0R .A.'I,LANTA._

COZY A'l'LANTA.

PRINCE ATLAN'l;A.

DANDY ATLAN'l'A.

CAD:WJ;' ATLAN'rA.

PIN~: ATLANTA • .

'l'ROPHJ ATLANTA.

:: s•roV]{ IIO'LLO w-wARE.

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_a. ·Jones,

·· .. ·:· 4f45 .· Luckie . St.,

Sir:- . ·: -~ .. .

Your favor of the 22nd inst~ isto

~nd in repl beg to say that fearing I . might be :· .... ,, .,

:C:.::J o:t the city when I could be p:f most . service to . -·.--.~ .. .. ; . ' . :· · ..

'·. · · ·. _, .. · · ~., .\ '" I . have taken thei . liberty COf .addressing a

, · .>) to Mr. , Daughertry• who I . lmow perso11ally_

·_".',.l ( an'd cordially endorsed your ap:plicati~~,:~ · you herewith a copy of· what I said to him•L

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myaoquanitance with Mr. Daughertry I

i unnecessary to write him a long

The only thing net-::dful f'rom Jp.e I

r the fact that I would approvif' hti.s action

you. and this letter does that.

Anything that. I may be able to d'o for

at any tinie. I shall be 'more than glad .to

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·. With kindes.t r~:::gard.s to 'yoUr wife, ' ··. . ~ .. . ..,.,. .

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!;-:; OOl!foT~~ HOLLOW-WARJ~ . . · ,,.: '· { YoU!r's tr~~Y, ~

.::,GRATES,

Oscar Wiseley (left), Atlanta Stove Works president, and his son, Lee, secretary-treasurer, look over the pro-

NICK ARROYO/Staff

duction plant in Inman Park. The firm's name and product lines have been sold to an Alabama concern.

Atlanta Stove Works clos,es operations here after alrrwst 100 years

By Maria Saporta Staff Writer

The Atlanta Stove Works Inc., an institution in the city for nearly 100 years, has closed up shop after being hit with a shrinking market for wood-burning stoves and . with a rapid increase in product liability insurance costs.

The privately held company, on Dec. 30, closed the sale of its major product lines and its name to Mar•

tin Industries, which is based in Florence, Ala. The sale for an un­disclosed amount took effect on the first of the year.

"It does make you sad when you have been here as many years as I've been here," .said Oscar Wiseley, president of Atlanta Stove. "I spent most of my life here." ·

Atlanta Stove Works, located in Inman Park on Krog Street, laid off

See SToVES, Page 2-D ,

Sales of Atlanta Stove Works, Inc.

~Fi~g~ur~e~s~in~m~i~lli~on~s~o~f~d~o:=la~rs~------~ $40-,

$30

$20

$1 O~TT".,...-T"T"TT"T"Ti,......,,..,...,'"T"T'T"T-rr-r-r-rl '73 '75

•Estimate '77 '79 '81 '83 '85 '86'

VERNON CARNE/Staff

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From Page 1-D 119 people in mid-December in an­ticipation of the sale. When it. closed, it was manufacturing sheet-metal products. .

Atlanta Stove Works will keep a nine-member staff in its corporate office to handle distribution and sales for some products still being made ·at its Birmingham, Ala., plan-t. It will operate under the name of ASW Inc. Martin Industries also will maintain a seven-member sales force in Atlanta at the Inman Park location.

Wiseley said the shareholders of the closely held company decided to sell the product lines because of fluctuations in the industry. The patlern of sales for the company's primary products, wood-burning and coal-burning stoves, has resembled a roller coaster in the past decade.

Before the first oil crisis hit in 1974, the company's sales were sta­ble at about $15 million a year. At that time, only only 40 U.S. compa­nies manufactured wood and coal burning stoves. : · ! . , , · . · r ·

Then, sales of cast-iron stoves began· to take off. Between 1974 ·and 1980, ·sales nearly tripled, .and the number of domestic manufacturers of wood-burning stoves increased to about 600. The number of employ­ees at Atlanta Stove also climbed to nearly 400.

"When the energy crisis was over, nobody wanted to cut wood," Wiseley said. "Everybody had ex­cess production capacity. Then the product liability costs just went through the roof." .

In 1986, the company's cost of product liability insurance doubled, and the policy only bought one­fourth of the coverage it bought a year before, according to Lee Wise­ley, Atlanta Stove Work's corporate secretary and treasurer and Oscar Wiseley's son.

Lee Wiseley (left), secretary-treasurer of Atlan­ta Stove Works, and his father, Oscar, president,

stand beside a sample of the kind of stove their firm produced.

Insurance companies charged higher prices because of the risk of fires and carbon-monoxide poisoning because of faulty stove installations.

, · "You can't pass on all the costs of insurance to your customer," Os­car Wiseley said. ·

So Atlanta Stove Works decided to sell to Martin Industries.

Wiseley said Martin is buying Atlanta Stove Works' gas heater and coal and wood stove products.

"Martin was a natural competi­tor. We went to buy them, and they wouldn't sell, so they bought us."

The closing down of the Atlanta

-Stove Works is the closing of a chapter in the city's history.

The company was established in 1889 as Georgia Stove Co. In 1898, it opened its facility on Krog Street and changed its name to Atlanta Stove Works. (The original building still stands, but Wiseley said it probably will be torn down because it is obsolete.)

During the Cotton States Exposi­tion, Sam D. Jones came to Atlanta from Virginia and met with Asa Candler, who made Coca-Cola a na­tional product. Candler convinced Jones to purchase an interest in the

stove company. The Jones family was influential

in Atlanta. -It was one of the founders of the Fulton National Bank (which later became Bank South).

Most of the members of the Jones family sold their shares in At­lanta Stove Works to Wiseley in 1984. But Saunders Jones, who lives in Birmingham, remains executive vice president of the company.

"Mr. Sam Jones is probably turning over in his grave seeing.his family business being closed down," Wiseley said. "It's sad." ..