Simplex Wire and Cable Co
of Cambridge, Mass.
1842 Charles A. Morss and Oliver Whyte established the company of Morss and Whyte in Boston. The business was primarily engaged in the manufacturing of various steel-wire products, including fire screens, wire cloths, and birdcages.
1885 Following a fire at its original plant, the company moved to a factory on Franklin Street, Cambridge. Morss began to experiment with the production of insulated wire. The wire was used to supply street lamps in Boston.
By 1890, the production of electrical wire and cables became the primary business of Morss and Whyte. In response, the firm purchased the Simplex Electrical Company, which had originally been formed for the purpose of selling Morss and Whyte’s TZR wire.
1895 The Simplex Wire and Cable Company was incorporated; it replaced the business of Morss and Whyte. The new company operated within the Morss and Whyte factory, producing insulated wires and cables intended for electrical uses.
1900 Built an extension to its factory in Cambridge constructed mainly of concrete, and intended for work on submarine cables, including a water tank for testing the coating of the cables.
1900 The company was responsible for laying a five-mile stretch of underwater cable in Lake Michigan.
By 1930, the firm employed over 750 workers; its production facilities had expanded from the original Franklin Street site to include several blocks surrounding the site.
WWII the company produced and laid thousands of miles of cable for the US Army Signal Corps Alaskan Communication System and for other coastal defense projects.
Post-WWII the company opened up an additional plant in Newington, New Hampshire in order to meet product demands and contracts for various governmental bodies
c.1959 Supplied cable for TAT-2, the transatlantic phone connection between Canada and France
1969 the firm was sold to a New York-based corporation and production was moved to a newer facility in North Berwich, Maine
1969 The Cambridge site of the original Simplex factory was purchased by MIT and many of the buildings were demolished.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] History of Cambridge