The firm of Holt, Shattuck & Co. was established in 1890 to manufacture steam engines and woodworking machinery. By 1892 they were making horizontal and vertical engines, tablesaws and bandsaws. By 1904 they were no longer making engines and soon they were focusing more on sales than on manufacturing. By 1918 they had reorganized as the Holt-Shattuck Co. and it is uncertain whether they were still doing any manufacturing. They continued on for another decade or two as a seller of woodworking machinery, representing Baxter D. Whitney & Son among others.

Information Sources

• 1892 Report of the Eighteenth Triennial Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association held in Boston, October and November 1892.

  409. Holt, Shattuck & Co., 45 Charlestown Street, Boston.—Engines, Boilers and Wood Working Machinery.—These appliances are thus described in the printed matter issued by the exhibitors:—

  "The horizontal engine is a centre crank, self-contained engine, with two outside, overhanging wheels, one of which contains the governor and the other carrying the belt, although either or both can be used as drivers if required. The head end is hard and fitted to receive an intermediate head, and the guides re bored on the same line of centres. The main bearings are large and lined with a superior copper hardened Babbitt metal, scraped true to fit the shaft, and removable liners are provided for taking up any wear.

  "The cylinder is made of a specially-selected iron, and is secured in such a way as to insure perfect alignment of working parts. All stuffing boxes and glands are made of a composition metal. The shaft is of hammered steel, with cast iron counter-balancing disks fitted, forced upon it by hydraulic pressure and keyed, then turned perfectly true and polished. The piston is a hollow light casting of proper strength, securely fastened to the piston rod, and fitted with two self-adjusting packing rings. The connecting rod is of fine cast steel, having the requisite strength, toughness and reliability. The crank end is of box type and adjustment is made by means of a wedge block. This cross-head end is solid. The cross head is of a modern design, and made of the best material, carefully fitted and adjusted. The valve is of hollow piston type, with self-expanding rings, making it steam tight.

  "The governor consists of a single ball-and-weight arm linked to the eccentric and connected to a spring, and is so located and weighted as to counterbalance the eccentric and its attachments.

  "The vertical engine is made from new patterns, combining many features that add to its simplicity, durability and economical performance. It has been our aim to construct an engine as simple as possible, that will require but very little attention and lessen the liability of getting out of order.

  "The frame and guides are cast in one piece. The seat for cylinder and guides are all turned and bored at one time, thus securing perfect alignment of cylinder and guides. The cylinder is jacketed with a wrought iron lagging, enclosing a space which is filled with a non-conducting material to prevent loss of power from condensation.

  "The piston is very deep in proportion to its diameter; it is of solid type, cored hollow, making it light, yet very strong. It is forced to position on the rod by hydraulic pressure and held in place by a check nut. It is packed with two cast-iron rings, which are made eccentric and turned considerable larger than the bore of the cylinder, a piece is cut out, the rings are then sprung together and returned to the exact diameter. When they are sprung into the grooves of the piston their own elasticity keeps them out, and as they spring equally all round they come perfectly in contact with sides of cylinder, making it completely steam tight.

  "The connecting rod is a steel casting with boxes of the marine type, lined at both ends with anti-friction metal, the caps being drawn up solid on lines of thin, hard, calendar paper, which admits of the most delicate and satisfactory adjustments.

  "The engine being upright the valve works vertically and bears upon all sides equally. Hence, resting as it does on the valve rod, the wear is practically nothing. On engines having cylinders 5½ x 7 or over, hard brushes are placed in the steam chest and form a casing in which the valve works. These brushes can be renewed without reboring valve chest, at at very small expense, when after long use this becomes necessary.

  "The wood pulley is the latest and most improved pattern of wood pulleys. It has all the advantages of the split pulley and none of the disadvantages. It is applied to the shaft by removing the bolts on one side only, when a section of the rim can be removed and the pulley adjusted to the shaft, requiring less than one half the time and labor of adjusting the ordinary split pulley, and when applied to the shaft is as strong as a solid pulley. They are all nicely finished and perfectly balanced, so that they can be run at a high rate of speed."

  They also exhibited saw benches, a new and improved pattern of a band sawing machine, and others. The award of the judges was a Silver Medal.

• 1894 Boston and Bostonians.

  HOLT, SHATTUCK & Co., Manufacturers and Dealers in Wood Working Machinery, Engines, Boilers, Shafting, Pulleys, Belting and General Mill Supplies, Nos. 45 and 47 Charlestown Street. A popular headquarters in Boston for engines, boilers, mill sup plies and wood-working machinery is the establishment of Messrs. Holt, Shattuck & Co. Their premises comprise three floors, 60 x 50 feet in dimensions, and spacious salesrooms, where is carried a splendid stock of machinery and supplies at all times, the goods being manufactured out of the city giving employment to a large number of skilled hands. The business was established here in 1890, and no house engaged in this line in Boston maintains a higher standing. The engines and boilers handled by the firm are of every size, style and variety, and bear such a character for utility, reliability and durability as to command universal attention and general patronage. The wood-working machinery manufactured and sold here is noted for accuracy, uniform excellence and new improvements, and commends its own superior merits to the confidence and patronage of critical and discriminating buyers. Prices are at bed-rock, and, quality considered, cannot be duplicated by any rival concern. The trade extends to all parts of New England, and is annually increasing. The co-partners are Messrs. S. A. Holt, and F. W. Shattuck, the former being a native of Maine and the latter a Massachusetts man by birth and training. They are experts in their business and deservedly popular.

• 1904 Malden City Directory lists "Woodward Reuben L. (Holt, Shattuck & Co., 45 Wash. North, B.)"
• 1904 Building and Engineering Trades Reference Book of Massachusetts and Rhode Island lists "Holt, Shattuck & Co. (Stevens A. Holt, Fred W. Shattuck, Reuben L. Woodward) woodworking machinery, 45 Washington, North."
• 1918 Abstract of the Certificate of Corporations Organized under the General Laws of Massachusetts lists "Holt-Shattuck Company, Cambridge / ... (authorized capital stock) 25,000 / (assets, real estate) - / (assets, machinery) 4,275 / (assets, stock and materials) 5,399 / (receivables) 1,754 / (goodwill) 1,000 / (misc.) - / (profit & loss) - / (total) $18,421 / (liabilities, capital stock) $6,000 / (liabilities, accounts, payable) $12,038 / ... / (profit and loss) $383".