In 1901 Eugene T. Trotter reportedly began manufacturing wiring products in Brooklyn. In 1905 he built a factory on Johnson Avenue at Gardner. In 1907 Trotter, along with Anthony P. Hinsky and S. A. Smith, incorporated as Eastern Flexible Conduit Co.

Meanwhile, George W. Emrick was working with his father at elevator manufacturer R. H. Emrick & Son. In 1911 George applied for a patent on a keyless drill press chuck that could release the drill bit and allow a new bit to be inserted and tightened, all while the drilling machine was running. By the time of the patent George may have left his father's company: the chuck patent was assigned to the recently formed Automatic Drill Chuck Co. of New York City, which soon incorporated as the Automatic Drill Chuck Corp., and then moved to Detroit. Emrick was likely an employee of the company for a time, but did not make the move to Detroit. By about 1916 Emrick was working for Eastern Flexible Conduit Co., where he designed and patented flexible conduit but also kept working on drill chucks, which Eastern Flexible Conduit began manufacturing.

In 1918 the company changed its name to Eastern Tube and Tool Co. to reflect their dual lines of business, and also to share initials with E. T. Trotter. At some point after 1920, though, Trotter seems to have left the business to establish E. T. Trotter Co., specializing in the manufacture of electrical insulation and insulated wire; A. P. Hinsky joined Trotter's new firm.

Emrick had become superintendent of Eastern Tube & Tool Co., and continued to develop improved drill chucks, tapping chucks, tapping heads, and complete tapping machines. The various chucks and heads were sold under the Ettco-Emrick brand. At some point the company was split into two, the portion of interest to us becoming ETTCO Tool & Machine Co., Inc., and the other becoming ETTCO Wire & Cable Co. The ETTCO Tool & Machine name was in use by 1930 and the ETTCO Wire & Cable name was in use by 1954.

In 1937 Emrick became company president. In 1947 he retired as president and became chairman of the board, a position he held until his death in 1949.

In 1964 ETTCO moved operations to York, PA, and in 2004 Rockford Drill Head bought ETTCO, closed the York plant, and shifted production to Rockford, IL. The company now does business as Createch Machine and Design. Createch also manufactures products originally made by Procunier Safety Chuck Co.

Information Sources

• 1904-12-17 Real Estate Record and Guide lists Projected Buildings for Brooklyn, including "2964—Johnson av, s s, 75 w Gardner av, 1-sty brk storer room 55.2x90.4, gravel roof; cost, $4,875; Eugene T. Trotter, 276 Quincy st; ar't, A. Rissier, Broadway and Myrtle av."
• 1907-10-05 Electrical Review. "ALBANY, N. Y.—A certificate of Incorporation of the Eastern Flexible Conduit Company, of Brooklyn, has been filed with the state department. It is proposed to manufacture and sell flexible conduits, rubber tape and pitch tape. The capital stock is $20,000, divided into shares of $100 each, and the directors are: Eugene T. Trotter, A. P. Hinsky and S. A. Smith, of Brooklyn."
• May 1918 Electrical Contractor-Dealer.

  Eastern Flexible Conduit Company Now Known as Eastern Tube and Tool Company
  Names of companies, unlike names of men, should signify what line of endeavor the owner of the name may be engaged in.

  The Eastern Flexible Conduit Company, 41 Gardner Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y., announces a change of name to Eastern Tube & Tool Company, and, as the name indicates, the company in addition to its large loom and flexible metallic conduit business, has engaged in the manufacture of small tools.

  The first of these to be produced is a full automatic drill chuck under the trade name “Quictite.” This chuck is made for medium heavy quick change drilling and is in great favor with the trade.

  Eastern has been retained in the new name and Tube added to show that the company will continue to manufacture loom of the highest quality and flexible metallic tubing, also armored cable.

  The new company starts off with all of the prestige of the Eastern Flexible Conduit Company back of it and with the added force of a live new industry. Its factory, located at the corner of Gardner and Johnson Avenues, in the Borough of Brooklyn, New York, is thoroughly equipped for handling both the tube and tool business and is a modern up-to-date plant.

• 1919 Membership List of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers lists "Emrick, George W. (Associate-Member, 1917), Supt. Eastern Tube & Tool Co., 595 Johnson Ave., and 23 Campus Pl., Brooklyn, N. Y."
• 1920-02-19 American Machinist has a letter to the editor from George W., Emrick, Superintendent, Eastern Tube and Tool Co., Inc. The letter argues against the adoption of the metric system.
• 1921 Electrical Blue Book lists both Eastern Flexible Conduit Co., Brooklyn, and Eastern Tube & Tool Co., Brooklyn.
• 1921-09-17 Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Bulletin lists "Trotter, E. T. & Co., M. O., & F., 594 Johnson Ave. / E. T. Trotter, Pres. / Mfr. insulating materials."
• 1930 patent assignments to Ettco Tool Co., Inc.
• January 1942 The Tool Engineer has an ad from "ETTCO TOOL CO. 586 Johnson Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.", for their Ettco-Emrick foot-operated tapping machine.
• 1949 American Machinist, Vol. 93 issues 1-4, p. 132. "George W. Emrick, chairman of the board of the Ettco Tool Co., Brooklyn, N. Y., and president of the company until two years ago, died Wednesday in Palm Beach, Fla., where he was spending the winter..."
• 1949-01-21 Brooklyn Daily Eagle. "GEORGE W. EMRICK, TOOL CONCERN CHAIRMAN, DIES... Mr. Emrick, who lived at 130 Greenway Terrace, Forest Hills, died on Tuesday at Palm Beach, Fla. He had been ill since November. His wife, Mrs. Florence Powers Emrick, was with him when he died; also his sons Melvin and Robert... He began his business career with his father, R. H. Emrick, elevator manufacturer, eventually becoming a member of the firm of R. H. Emrick & Son. He left the firm 30 years ago to join the Ettco Tool Company. Mr. Emrick was a member of the American Society of Tool Engineers and the North Hills Country Club. He was a Mason."
• March 1949 Modern Machine Shop. "...where he had been vacationing. He lived at 150 Greenway Terrace, Forest Hills Gardens, Queens. Mr. Emrick, who was a member of the American Society of Tool Engineers, had been with Ettco for 30 years and was president from 1937 to 1947, after which he became chairman of the board. He previously was associated with R. H. Emrick & Son, a former Brooklyn concern which manufactured elevators."
• The Createch Machine and Design web site provided much of this information found on early versions of our ETTCO history.
• The database of the NYS Department of State Division of Corporations lists ID# 615228, ETTCO TOOL & MACHINE CO., INC., dissolved 1980-03-14. ID# 28383 is ETTCO WIRE & CABLE COMPANY. Incorporated 1907-09-21 as THE EASTERN FLEXIBLE CONDUIT COMPANY. Changed 1918-04-04 to EASTERN TUBE AND TOOL COMPANY, INCORPORATED. Changed 1953-05-29 to ETTCO WIRE & CABLE CORPORATION. Dissolved 1996-04-03.
• Genealogical data on George W. Emrick:
  Birth Date: 18 Mar 1884
  Birth Place: Sparrowbush, New York
  Death Date: 19 Jan 1949
  Death Place: Palm Beach, Florida