December 1906 American Engineer & Railroad Journal

H. B. Underwood & Co. had been established by 1898; in that year the partners in the business included Henry B. Underwood and Daniel W. Pedrick. By 1902 that firm had taken over the business of the Pedrick & Ayer Co. In 1906 that business was sold to the newly formed Railway Appliances Co., which a month later changed its name to Quincy, Manchester & Sargent Co. The business continued manufacturing portable machine tools, aimed especially at the railway and ship-building industries, until at least 1920.

In 1911 Underwood's superintendent and general manager Edwin Joseph Rooksby established a competing business, E. J. Rooksby & Co.

Information Sources

• 1902-12-19 The Railway Age. "H. R. Underwood & Co. of Philadelphia desire to announce that Mr. Daniel W. Pedrick is no longer connected in any with the Pedrick & Ayer Company. his entire time and attention is now given to H. B. Underwood & Co., of which firm he is senior partner and with whom he has been connected since the organization of the company. Mr. Pedrick has supervision over the manufacture of portable boring bars for railway repair shops of the high grade made by the H. B. Underwood Company."
• Machinery Magazine Jan 1903 page 188. "Mr. Daniel W. Pedrick is no longer connected with the Pedrlck & Ayer Co. His entire time and attention are now given to the H. B. Underwood Co., of which firm he is the senior partner. He has been a partner of this firm since its organization, and is superintending the turning out of high-grade portable cylinder boring bars and other portable tools for railway repair shops for this firm."
• Machinery Magazine Jul 1903 page 38B. "H. B. Underwood & Co., Philadelphia. Pa., have recently built an addition to their shop In Hamilton Street, doubling their capacity. All the old tools have been replaced by up-to-date ones, and they state that their shop Is now better equipped than any other of Its size. The company manufacture high-grade portable cylinder boring bars, portable rotary valve seat planing machines, special portable tools, etc."
• The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 9, 1911, Pg. 13. "EDWIN J. ROOKSBY HAS WITHDRAWN from the firm of H. B. Underwood & Company, 1025 Hamilton street, Philadelphia, Pa. The business will be continued at the same address by the remaining partners, trading as H. B. Underwood & Company."
• 1920 Who's Who in Philadelphia. "Edwin Joseph Rooksby / Engineer and Machinist, E. J. Rooksby & Co., Manufacturers of Portable Machine Tools.... Served regular machinist apprenticeship with Thompson Bros., and in 1889 entered the employ of Pedrick & Ayer; later became foreman of H. B. Underwood & Co.'s machine shop, ultimately being promoted to supt. and gen'l mgr; in 1907 taken into the firm, and in 1911 the firm was dissolved [incorrect, see above], and E. J. Rooksby & Co. organized as mfrs. of portable machine tools..."
• You-Tube Video of an Underwood Cylinder Boring Machine