The growth and advancement of Ottawa in all branches and lines of trade has been little less than marvelous during the past decade. She has gone forward with rapid strides and built great enterprises and monuments of industry that have made the city famous the world over as a progressive, up-to-date city, such as can only be found on the American continent, this we owe to the brains, enterprise and resources of our business men, who have built up these great lines of trade. One of the best and most ably conducted institutions of this character is the WARNER FENCE COMPANY. The members of this company, and inventors of this modern product, which is in so great demand, were farmers in Illinois in Abraham Lincoln’s time. They overcame the hardships and privations of those times coming to Kansas by wagon train, after locating here they were practically without means of an existence. The grasshopper year and failure of crops came on but they dug in as everyone else was doing and made a home. On the farm they did all the work and in the winter went five miles to a log school house. These Warner boys always were trying to invent something, they were continually tinkering and this tinkering showed itself all through the house and on the implements of the farm. They lacked the idea of a definite need to apply these inventions. In later years the hog fences in the neighborhood were unsatisfactory. The hogs tore down the boards and crawled under any wire fence made. Barb wires held for a time but soon came loose, it was to overcome these difficulties that an uncle of Mr. E. L. Warner, secretary of the present company, conceived the idea that if a barb wire be woven in the bottom of a woven wire fence no hogs could crawl under it or root it up. In 1904 he constructed a fence for his own use. It was built with a barb margin woven in the bottom, it was used and it held. Neighboring farmers wanted it, hardware men sent orders for it. After securing a patent on this fence, a crude hand machine was devised for making it. The machinery was established in the barn, and men employed to fill the numerous positions. The business soon outgrew these quarters and a more modern plant was established at Melvern, Kansas, with a power loom devised for weaving it faster and additional machinery constructed, but by this time there was a defect. The tie holding the line wire and stay wire would slip and just here came a new idea to the eldest brother, C. E. Warner, an extremely simple idea, it was to bring about such a change, but it was the reaoson which has caused such an unprecedented success, for it is the product of practical experience. After many days of diligent planning, this invention of “inter-lock tie” was patented, the invention of C. E. Warner. The rapid growth of this company has been due to the perfect holding of the fencing and steadfast honesty in dealing with customers. Warner Fencing having the improved features of “Interlock” tie barbed margin greater number of line wires, and highest quality of steel wire, costs no more than ordinary fencing, for the reason that the Warner high power machinery weaves it with greater speed, added simplicity of operation and less expense in running than any other fence machines weaving any kind of fencing.
Source: Ottawa Kansas Souvenir c. 1909-10
Name of Business: Warner Fence Company
Persons: Warner, C. E.
Additional Assoc. Persons: Warner, E. L.