The John B. Morris Foundry Co. was founded in 1891 and became known as the preferred foundry of the many Cincinnati machine tool manufacturers. In 1906 they acquired radial drill maker Roos & Mill, which put the Morris Foundry directly into the business of manufacturing machine tools; as part of this new initiative the Morris Foundry had recently hired machine designer William L. Schellenbach, formerly president of the National Machine Tool Co. Schellenbach designed a line of engine lathes for the Morris Foundry that were introduced around 1908. In 1910 the firm reorganized as the Morris Machine Tool Co., with Schellenbach leaving to go work for Lodge & Shipley Machine Tool Co. The Morris Machine Tool Co. survived until 1965 when it was merged out of existence.

From March 1917 Machinery

Information Sources

• 1902-05-08 The Iron Trade Review. "Christian Roos, formerly of the Wais & Roos Punch & Shear Works, and A. Mill, M. E., are the members of the new firm of Roos & Mill, 2020-2012 Central Ave., Cincinnati. They are now putting in machinery and will begin manufacturing a line of radial drills in about two weeks."
• 1902-06-12 American Manufacturer and Iron World. "Christopher Roos, formerly with the Cincinnati Punch & Shear Company and A. Mill, M. E., formerly draughtsman with the Bickford Drill & Tool Company, this city, have formed a company known as Roos & Mill for the purpose of manufacturing radial drills and special machinery. They have secured temporary quarters at 2008 to 2012 Central avenue, this city, which they are equipping with machinery. A new plant will eventually be built. Patterns are being completed for the first lot of four foot radials which will be ready for the market in about four weeks." Note that in 1901 the Wais & Roos Punch & Shear Co. was renamed to the Cincinnati Punch & Shear Co.
• 1902-12-04 The Iron Trade Review. "A universal radial drill of peculiar construction has been designed by A. Mill, M. E., of the firm of Roos & Mill, Cincinnati, and installed at the East Norwood plant of the Bullock Electric Co. The machine is intended for drilling and counterboring horizontal and vertical holes in motor and generator yokes from 6 to 15 feet inside diameter..." This radial drill was designed to be "portable" in the sense that it could be lifted by crane and set down into the center of that large yoke casting.
• 1903 Williams' Cincinnati Directory lists "Roos & Mill, (Christ. R. & Anton M.) Designers of Builders of Modern Machinery, 2010 and 2012 Central Av.; Telephone Main 4274".
• 1903-01-15 American Machinist has an article on a new radial drill from Roos & Mill. The most distinctive feature of this machine is that the back pulleys are secured to a vertical casting which also serves to brace the top of the main column.
• 1903-04-23 American Machinist has an article on a four-spindle radial drill from Roos & Mill. This machine was designed especially for drilling and counterboring motor/generator yokes.
• 1903-07-16 American Machinist has an article on a radial drill with a new speed box. This machine is similar to that in the 1903-01-15 issue except that the back pulleys have been replaced by a gearbox.
• 1905 Williams' Cincinnati Directory lists "ROOS & MILL, (Christ. R. & Anton M.) Designers and Builders of Modern Machinery, 26-30 Colerain Av..."
• 1906-05-10 American Machinist. "JOHN B. MORRIS FOUNDRY COMPANY, the concern which has been supplying most of the castings for the machine tool builders of Cincinnati, has itself finally gone into the business of building machine tools and has acquired the radial drill business of Roos & Mill. Though the foundry is, of course, still by far the largest end of their business, it is expected that the machine-tool end of it will grow under the mechanical supervision of Mr. Schellenback."
• 1917-08-17 The Iron Age, page 292. "Arthur C. Pletz, general manager Morris Machine Tool Co., Cincinnati, has returned from a three weeks' vacation spent in Canada and at Eastern summer resorts."
• 1918 Official Program of Fifth Convention on Foreign Trade, page xvii, mentions "Arthur C. Pletz, Manager, Morris Machine Tool Co."
• 1919 Williams' Cincinnati Directory, page 1361: "Morris machine Tool Co. (The), George McG. Morris, President and Treasurer; S. M. Blackburn, Vice President; Arthur C. Pletz, Secretary and General manager; Manufacturers of Engine Lathes and Radial Drills. Harriet, Court and Vogt sts. Private Branch Exchange West 4351". Page 1403: "New Cincinnati Volksblatt Co. (The), "Pletz Alex (Carl P & Sons) 3d fl 717 Sycamore h 8368 Burns Av / (Pletz) Arthur C (Carl P & Sons) 3d fl 717 Sycamore also secy The Morris Machine Tool Co 933 Harriet h 2413 Salutaris Av / (Pletz) Carl (Carl P & Sons) 3d fl 717 Sycamore h 289 McCormick Pl / (Pletz) Carl & Sons (Carl, Arthur C & Alex) machine tools 3d fl 717 Sycamore".
• 1923 issue of The Journal of the Society of Automotive Engineers, page 431. "Arthur C. Pletz, of the Morris Machine Tool Co., Cincinnati, described a method of buffing crankpins with a machine very much like a grinding machine. This machine uses a hard-felt wheel instead of the grinding wheel."
• 1927-01-13 Iron Trade Review, Volume 80 page 192.

  Arthur C. Pletz has been appointed sales manager of the miscellaneous machinery department of the Niles Tool Works Co., division of Niles-Bement-Pond Co., New York. Since graduating from the Ohio Mechanics Institute, Cincinnati, Mr. Pletz has been engaged in the machine tool business and draftsman, sales engineer, tool designer, chief draftsman and superintendent for various companies. In 1914 he became manager of the Aurora Tool Works Co. and for the past 12 years has been secretary and general manager of the Morris Machine Tool Co., Cincinnati. He will be located in the future at the Niles offices in Hamilton, Ohio.

• 1920 Williams' Cincinnati Directory, page 1433: "Morris Machine Tool Co. (The), George McG. Morris, President and Treasurer; S. M. Blackburn, Vice President; Arthur C. Pletz, Secretary and General manager; Manufacturers of Engine Lathes, Radial Drills and Drilling Machines. Harriet, Court and Vogt sts. Private Branch Exchange West 4351". Page 1581: "Pletz Alex (Carl P & Sons) 3d fl 717 Sycamore h 8368 Burns Av / (Pletz) Arthur C (Carl P & Sons) 3d fl 717 Sycamore also secy The Morris Machine Tool Co 933 Harriet h 2413 Salutaris Av / (Pletz) Carl (Carl P & Sons) 3d fl 717 Sycamore h 289 McCormick Pl / (Pletz) Carl & Sons (Carl, Arthur C & Alex) machine tools 3d fl 717 Sycamore".
• American Lathe Builders: 1810-1910 by Kenneth L. Cope, 2001 page 105
• The Ohio database of corporate registrations shows that the Morris Machine Tool Company was registered on 1910-02-15. Amendments to the corporation articles were filed on 1915-04-30 and 1915-05-15. A "conversion default" was recorded on 1952-05-29, another amendment was filed 1959-12-01, and then the company was merged out of existence on 1965-12-04. At that time the company president had been Charles J. Schott. Much of the merger paperwork available for download is illegible but the name at the top of the first page is the Walter E. Schott Company.
• A radial drilling machine from The Morris Machine Tool Co. is branded "MORRIS MOR-SPEED".