The Western Cartridge Company was an American manufacturer of small arms and ammunition formerly based in East Alton, Illinois . Founded in 1898, it was the forerunner of the Olin Corporation , formed in 1944, of which Western was absorbed into. Prior to that, Western acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company after Winchester went into receivership in 1931. The two would merge in 1935 to form Winchester-Western.
15-615: Franklin W. Olin received an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1886. After working at powder mills in the eastern United States, he was one of several investors establishing the Equitable Powder Company in 1892 at East Alton, Illinois. Production of blasting powder for southern Illinois coal mining began in 1893. Olin formed the Western Cartridge Company in 1898 to manufacture sporting rifle powder and shotgun shells for settlers of
30-849: A batting average of .316 over 177 at bats , and a fielding percentage of .800. After graduating from Cornell with the class of 1886, Olin worked in several jobs before founding a blasting powder mill construction business, the F. W. Olin Company, which would eventually become the Olin Corporation . The company's first mill opened in East Alton , Illinois, in 1892. He married Mary Mott Moulton of Toledo, Ohio , on May 28, 1889. Olin and Mary moved to Alton, Illinois around 1890, where Olin would live until his death. They had three sons, Franklin W. Jr. (predeceased), John, and Spencer, all three of whom also graduated from Cornell. He formed
45-475: A UCC headstamp , and product packaging included a Maltese cross trademark. The purchase of Alliance Cartridge Company in 1907 allowed UCC's merger into the Western Cartridge Company. The early Maltese Cross trademark from the earlier Union Cap & Chemical Company was changed in 1909–1910 to a diamond with the Western name inside. This logo carried on into the 1930s. The well known Super-X branding arrived in
60-553: A loss to the New York Metropolitans . Their top hitter was shortstop Frank Fennelly , who went 75-for-257, a batting average of .292. By far their best pitcher was Bob Barr , who was 9–23 with an ERA of 3.46. This team should not be confused with the other 1884 Washington Nationals franchise, a different team which played in the Union Association during its only year of operation. In 1891,
75-570: A member of the Cornell Athletic Council, designed and managed the school's first batting cage, and invented a custom curved baseball bat which he claimed aided in hitting curve balls. Before graduating, Olin briefly played professional baseball. As a professional baseball player, Olin played at least 49 games over two seasons, mostly in 1884. That year, he played for three teams, the Washington Nationals team for
90-578: A time when it held $ 8.5 million in defense contracts. Civil rights activist Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. noted in 1944 that the company did not hire African-American workers. Franklin Roosevelt's Committee on Fair Employment Practice had held hearings and tried to have the company hire black workers in 1943, but the community, owners and white employees refused. Franklin W. Olin Franklin Walter Olin (January 9, 1860 – May 21, 1951)
105-865: The Great Plains . The shotgun shells used primers manufactured by larger eastern ammunition firms. When the firms with primer manufacturing facilities raised primer prices in 1900 to reduce competition from independent shotgun shell assembly plants, the Western Cartridge Company formed the Union Cap and Chemical Company (UCC) as a joint venture with Austin Cartridge Company of Ohio . UCC manufactured primers, blasting caps , and .22 and .32 caliber rimfire cartridges at East Alton. Similar manufacturing procedures for these products included fabrication of sheet metal cups and filling portions of those cups with primary explosive . Rimfire cartridges bore
120-629: The Western Cartridge Company in 1898 to manufacture ammunition ; during World War I he diversified into brassmaking for use in cartridge shells. In 1931 Olin acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company . His management of the several inter-related businesses has been described as "autocratic," characterized by close personal management of the enterprise and a fairly secretive attitude toward sales information and trade secrets, due especially to
135-708: The American Association (21+ games) and their team for the Union Association (one or two games), and later the Toledo Blue Stockings (26+ games). In 1885, Olin played at least one game for the Detroit Wolverines , in which he played somewhat poorly, effectively ending his career. Olin batted left-handed, and mostly played outfield positions. In this relatively short professional career, Olin played quite well, earning
150-465: The U.S. M1 carbine and produced the carbine and the M1 rifle during the war. Western ranked 35th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. Cartridges made by Western are stamped WCC. Western Cartridge Company produced the now collectible "Western Xpert" brand of shotgun shells in both 12 and 16 gauge sizes. The company faced union activity and strikes in 1941 and 1942, at
165-936: The United States. In 1997, the foundation established Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts . Washington Nationals (AA) The Washington Nationals of 1884 were a short-lived baseball team in the American Association . They won 12 games and lost 51. Their home games were played at Athletic Park in Washington, D.C. They were also known as the Washington Statesmen . The Nationals were managed for all but one game by former player Holly Hollingshead . John Bickerton managed their final game on August 2, 1884,
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#1732772976121180-656: The businesses' rivalry with DuPont . In 1944 (after World War II ), the businesses consolidated into a single "Olin Industries," and Olin retired from management of the firm, leaving it to his sons John and Spencer . Olin died in St. Louis, Missouri , in 1951. A portion of his fortune was willed to the Franklin W. Olin Foundation , which endowed numerous buildings and professorships in his name at college campuses across
195-542: The mid-1920s on shotgun shells and in 1930–1931 on .22 rim fire. This branding referenced the "X" ring on a target and was used only on high velocity cartridges. John Olin , the son of founder Franklin W. Olin, improved shotgun cartridge designs in the 1920s by using harder shot and progressive burning powder. Western produced 3 billion rounds of ammunition in World War II , and the Winchester subsidiary developed
210-578: The varsity baseball team, served as captain of the rifle team , rowed with the crew , and set school records in shot put and hammer throw . The Cornell baseball team won the State Intercollegiate League pennant twice while Olin played there, and they occasionally played against professional teams. Olin also assisted in the management of Cornell's athletics; he served as president of the Athletic Association and as
225-569: Was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and professional baseball player. He was the founder of Olin Corporation and Franklin W. Olin Foundation . Olin was born in Woodford, Vermont , and his father built mills and waterwheels. Olin studied civil engineering at Cornell University , entering in 1881, where he also played baseball . While at Cornell, Olin was a well-regarded student athlete; he played both outfield and second base for
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