-22  Chemical  Manufacturing  in  Philadelphia    (AlP-  J°ur-  pharm- 
J  i  v  r  k.    January,  1917. 
On  the  fourth  of  July,  1808,  the  corner-stone  of  the  Southwark  shot 
tower,  in  John  Street,  between  Front  and  Second,  was  laid  by  the  firm  of 
Cousland,  Bishop  and  Sparks,  and  the  building  was  pressed  forward  rapidly 
to  completion.  Thomas  Sparks  paid  particular  attention  to  this  branch  of 
the  business,  and  in  a  short  time  the  patent  shot  of  the  firm  became  cele- 
brated throughout  the  country.  So  long  as  this  article  was  used  by  sportsmen 
and  hunters,  there  seemed  to  be  no  difficulty  about  the  propriety  of  the  manu- 
facture in  the  firm.  But  when  the  war  of  1812  broke  out,  the  firm  then  being 
Bishop  and  Sparks,  the  senior  partner,  who  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  felt  conscientious  scruples  as  to  the  rightfulness  of  con- 
tinuing a  manufacture  which  the  United  States  now  demanded  should  be 
turned  to  the  production  of  munitions  of  war.  John  Bishop,  therefore,  with- 
drew from  the  firm,  and  retired  from  business. 
Thomas  Sparks,  therefore,  continued  the  business  for  several  years  alone. 
In  1818  he  took  into  partnership  his  brother,  Richard  Sparks,  and  the  firm 
continued  at  No.  49  South  Wharves,  as  Thomas  and  Richard  Sparks,  the 
shot  tower  operations  being  in  full  play.  It  was  necessary  that  they  should 
reside  near  the  tower,  and  accordingly  Thomas  had  his  house  at  No.  476 
South  Front  Street  and  Richard  at  No.  478.  This  partnership  did  not  last 
very  long.  Richard  Sparks  fell  a  victim  to  the  }rellow  fever  in  the  year 
1821,  and  for  many  years  Thomas  Sparks  continued  at  No.  49  South  Wharves, 
and  at  the  shot  tower,  without  a  partner.  In  the  year  1838  he  took  in  with 
him  his  nephew,  Thomas  Sparks,  Jr.,  a  son  of  Richard.  The  business  was 
then  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Thomas  &  Thomas  Sparks,  Jr.,  at 
the  old  stand,  which  from  No.  49  South  Wharves  had  become  No.  49  South 
Delaware  Avenue. 
One  of  the  lines  of  manufacture  that  contributed  to  make  Phila- 
delphia a  great  chemical  center  early  in  the  last  century  was  that  of 
the  yellow  and  red  prussiates  of  potash.  I  have  been  furnished 
a  private  memorandum  concerning  the  activities  of  the  firm  who 
began  this  industry  and  were  active  in  it  for  many  years. 
Under  the  firm  name  of  Carter  &  Scattergood  a  profitable  chemical 
manufacturing  business  was  conducted  from  1834  to  1911;  and  was  absorbed 
in  the  latter  year  by  The  Henry  Bower  Chemical  Mfg.  Co. 
John  Carter  and  Joseph  Scattergood  bought  out  the  old  established  busi- 
ness of  "John  &  Daniel  Elliott"  found  in  1754  by  their  grandfather  John 
Elliott. 
The  Elliotts'  place  of  business  and  factory  was  originally  on  Front  Street 
between  Chestnut  and  Walnut  Streets,  but  in  1812  the  manufacturing  work 
was  transferred  to  a  new  factory  which  they  erected  at  19th  and  Pine  Streets, 
John  Carter  becoming  their  apprentice  January  1,  1816. 
The  list  of  chemicals  produced  by  Carter  &  Scattergood  was  an  extensive 
one,  John  Carter  being  the  manufacturer  and  Joseph  Scattergood  the  busi- 
ness man  of  the  concern.  It  included  Citric,  Tartaric,  Oxalic,  Nitric  and 
Sulphuric  Acids,  Bichromate  and  Prussiates  of  Potash  and  many  other  arti- 
