The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-07-19

atout Columbia gives employment to some of
tie sand Hill boys, and in the factory of DR.. Per-
ciTa we are pleased to learn, are several eherget-
c and respectable young men, natives of these
diggins, WHO were at work, and exhibiting all
The skill and aptness oi their moro experienced
mechanical tutors. But to the factory itself. 1t
is not on q very large scale, but as complete as
it can be for all the purposes contemplated by
the cnterprising anG; we'll managing gentleman
WHO projected it. Turning in all its varieties is
done here with the greatest precision and nice
", and with almost incredible rapidity. In the
manufacture Of chairs, when the circular and YER
tic,I saws lave answered all the demands that
may be made on them, there is but little required
which the lathe cannot complish-and here it
IS done to perfection. Chairs of beautiful and
varied patterns, some Of them original in design,
and superior, AS affecting comfort and elegance,
to any we have ever seen Of northern make, are
turned off By hundreds. The Gaming is done
here in beautiful style, and some Of the female
Slaves employed in tlIisdcpartn tncnt exhibit, after
brief experience, o facility and quickuess really
surprising -inasmuch as they perform what is
regarded amongst the Yankees full DAVIS task
with the greatest ease and in a more perfect
manner. We were shown several specimens Of
Gaming from different northern. factories, execu-
ted by fit class operatives, which, upon compa-
rison with those executed BY the women here, are
fouad to be most decidedly inferior to the latter.
| The painting both plain and ornamental, is al
so done here in the best style. But now for the
most important item-the cost The chairs are
made at less cost than in any northern factory
even now, whilst part of the labor here is
paid for in this pioneer factory at rate much
beyond what it will be procurable at as soon as
a sufficient number Of operatives shall hsve been
drilled on the spot The sophomores and ju-
niors are studying faithfully, and are forward
scho!ars--ere long We may look for graduation
| of seniors, who Will Immediately set about the
work of pioneering themselves in other parts of
| the State.
Thus it is always that mechanical school,
like literary one, continually sends, forth its
graduates to enlishtca and benefit society But
we return to our assertion that to make a chair
here costs less than any where at the north; and
how can it be otherwise a.? The power which ma
ture supplies in this sand hill lake is as constant
and regular rs it is exbaustless in quantity, and
keeps within lis proper metes and bounds with
out any re:raint of bank or dam, for Just at its
narrow mouth is placed the mill race which a
single food.gate controls. Around and in sight
of the mill grows the very kind of trees that this
manufacture requires for its materials: oak,
birds eye and strait grained maple, beach, wal
nut, birch, elm and China tree woods, which to-
gcther furnish almost all the materials that even
! the highest art in chair making calls for. The
trees are merely stripped Of their limbs and in
! Ia c+rto h,,,,
bark, are pr; under saws, which by various cut
tings soon relace them to the diminutive shapes
Of the trade-then by quick and most perfect
process they are seasoned, in a few days, and
afterwards finished up for sale. BY this means
the lumber is laid down at the mill at the small
est possible cost, no expense of large lumber
store houses is incurred, and no interest paid on
capital lying i'll. in a lumber Investment. Al
most every particle Of the forest tree is used to
advantage, even the bark being stripped from
! the edges Of the sawed pieces to finish the ma
terial now coming much into use, for rustic ar
bors and chairs &c. for gardens. In every de-
partment Of this model factory we perceive nd-
cations of thorough perception of the art of
producing the largest representation of mercan-
tic value at the smallest possible outlay Of do
3
The materials at the very door cost almost no
thing; the water power, never failing, works
without wages; and the manual labor costing
even now lis little as northern labor, may be and
will be, under Percival's skiful and eminently
practical management made, by the judicious
intermngIng Of slave male and female labor
with that Of the native whites, and their impor-
ted tutors, cheaper than it can possibly be had
| for in any northern locality. Here then, with
all the elements Of cost at the lowest rate, the
wares of this factory would contend successfully
even for foreign market, with the keenest yam.
kcc competition. As to the home market, the
! Doctor will have undisputed possession to the
extent that he can supply the various styles call
cd Tor in the trade. 1t costs quite as much to
bring Windsor chair from New Hampshire or
Massachusetts (the principal seats Of this kind Of
manufactured to Columbia, as the original price
Of it in the home market. We will call it pre-.
ciscy the same THUS it will be seen that, even
admitting the COS! Of nIaruilc,urc here to be as
much - Il: the north. whic! it is not, they will
yield profit oi one hundred per cent. if sold at
the price which the northern chairs cost laid
down here.
Az EASTERN ToNr-Ilow exactly the fol.
lowing dccri viicn cI tomb found on tie left
balk the Ea!'lfatrs, corresponds with the .
! account u;yr;, i'm tho (,nsp,ls Of thn ono in