Between at least the 1880s to the 1920, the D. J. Murray Manufacturing Co. manufactured sawmill machinery. Over time they switched their focus to pulp and paper machinery. Then in 1939 they acquired the rights to the Moloch power hammer from the receivers for the Mayer Brothers Co. Renamed as the Murray Power hammer at first, by the early 1940s it became the Murco Power Hammer. In the mid-1960s, with the power hammer market in decline, the Murco product was acquired by the Little Giant Co., who discontinued it.

Information Sources

• Catalog ca. 1930s that mentions that this company made sawmill machinery.
• The 1997 book, Pounding Out the Profits - a Century of American Invention, by Douglas Freund, pages 176-177.

  ...The Moloch Company foundered in the years following the Great Depression. In 1939, the Moloch hammer business was purchased from its receiver by the D. J. Murray Manufacturing Company of Wausau, Wisconsin. This large, prosperous concern had been in operation for more than half a century. Business centered initially on building and repairing sawmill machinery, but ultimately shifted to pulp and paper equipment. These lines required the establishment of a large foundry. Concerns over the economics of the timber industry in Wisconsin led to thoughts of diversification; and with America in preparation for the second World War, the Moloch Power Hammer was undoubtedly a smart acquisition. The machine naturally became the Murray Power Hammer, (the word "improved" appeared in some advertisements, though the hammer was little changed from its earlier, Moloch days). The "Murco" trade name was coined in the early 1940's, and the hammer took its place in a line that included another realm of diversification: hoisting machinery. Eventually, in the mid-1960's, the Murco Power Hammer was sold to the Little Giant Company. This acquisition was probably motivated by a desire on the part of Little Giant to eliminate competition in an already dwindling market. The Little Giant Company certainly did not need the designs, patterns and name, but if they did not buy the Murco Hammer, someone else might. The D. J. Murray Manufacturing Company became Murray Machinery in 1966. The plant closed in 1986 and was demolished.