The invention of the Railway Jack

Coaticook locals may have heard of Mr. Francis Sleeper and his collaboration with Arthur Norton but for those who don’t, it’s a story to be told. Francis sleeper was a born in Coaticook in 1862 and he was a highly skilled machinist who created over 500 machines throughout his lifetime. His future partner, Arthur-Osmore-Norton, was born in Kingscroft in 1845 but his family eventually moved to Coaticook. Arthur started to work in business at just 16 years old as a clerk at a general store. As an entrepreneur, he continued to establish himself as a businessman throughout his lifetime, even getting involved in the manufacturing industry. In 1886, a new invention of Mr. Sleeper’s caught the eye of Norton. Sleeper had just invented his own jack and Norton strongly believed that this invention had great potential. He bought the rights to Sleeper’s design and the A.O. Norton Company Limited was eventually established. See full story in the Friday, Aug. 16 edition of The Record.