Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-06-04

several years OF good crops and of abundant naiona
wealth, with The means of transportation amply pro
vided, low range of prices, small stocks Of goods
and individual wSlts much enhanced by elk mouths O.
economy. The production Of gold continues on q:
large scale as II peace should continue Ten
years more. and sOO,OO0OOO is again added to the
supplies of god the real effect of that increased abun
dance will manifest itself in marked manner.
~es
COTTON SPINNING ON THE PLANTA-
TIONS.
All the machinery of primary meetings, caucuses
and conventions have been employed with view to
the accomplishment of the one great object Of South
ern commercial independence. The newspapers OIL
all parties have found it fruitful theme of interest
Ing discussion; Governors of States have frequently
brought it to the notice of Legislative assemblies
these have passed any number of resolutions, acts o
incorporation, 60 All this has done nothing 10 i'm
pede the gradual material &c sdYsrceIent Of our South
ern States; but we not yet informed of any ae.
celeration in the march Of advancement which has
directly resulted from these praiseworthy endeavors
The most that has been done, ia the result of local
efforts in the direction of internal improvement.
While the joint efforts of large assemblsges have
done so little, individual thinkers are busily perfect
Ing schemes of their own, which give much higher
promise of industrial and commercial revolution
Among all the efforts OF the patient disciples Of sci.
ence we know OF none which seems to offer such
brilliant hopes of increased prosperity, as the simple
invention of Mr.. George g. Henry. We have al
ready reproduced in our columns, the detailed de-
scriptions of this invention, which have appeared in
our exchanges.
The idea, like all great achievements of thought,
is 80 very simple that we may all wonder why 1t has
remained 80 long undiscovered. The attachment OF
the carding machine and the spinning jenny to the
cotton gin-so that, the cotton can be converted into
yarn in the same moment that 1t is ginned on plan
tation-this is the entire application and intent Of Mr.
Henry's discovery.
The same motive power which works the gin, will
be also sufficient for the additional machinery-and
where steam is employed, Mr. Henry proposes mate
rally to reduce the amount of fuel now consumed to
work the gin alone This will dispense with the
necessity of pressing cotton and save all the waste
and large proportion of the freight incident to
shipping; also the waste resulting from the OF
the "pcker after the cotton is matted and crushed
by the press.
The great resut intended by this invention ia &C.
tually startling in it's magnitude and Importance 1t
is nothing less than to double the productive value OF
every cotton plantation The increased cost for the
production OF cotton yarn, will be far less than the
waste and extra freight incurred by shipping raw
coton-and the spun cotton will, at the lowest calcu'
lation, command double the price Of raw cotton.
NJ nil tbo r.Iot;y Of tLc nlaptar ha
thus greatly increased, but ve:y large saving will
also result to the cotton The eIeut Of this
latter saving may be calculated from the following
extract transmitted to us by very intelligent gen
teman, who vouches for its authenoity:
CoTToN WASTE AT THE LOWELL MILLs.-During
recen: hearing in Lowell in reference to junk shops
the agent of the Suffolk Corporation testified that
within the past three years nearly speny tom
of cotton waste had found its way to the different
Junk shop sand tin pedders in Boston. taken from the
corporations, at q loss Of nearly $3S, ,OOO He also
stated that few years ago the waste IN manuiaclu
ring cotton cloth amounted to about per cent; and
that now with all their improved machinery, tae los'
was about 90 per cent which he attributed in part tc
the waste taken in different ways from the nils
Boston Traveller.
Although Lot expressly authorized, We take IN,
liberty OF adding the following extract from lette
written by Mr.. Henry, and which has bsen placed il
our hands.
He ia conducting the experiment OF applying In
invention on large scale on plantation belonging
to Mr.. George 5. Yerger, in Yazoo county, MIsss
sippi.
We learn also from another source, that even a
this early stage Of his efforts, Mr. Henry has clearly
demonstrated what he claims to effect-that "witt
the labor required to raise the cotton and gin It
it may be slso converted into yarns."
We have before US beautiful specimen OF "Ri
wing" or drawn cotton, as it came from Major Hen
ry's combination Of machinery now at work on MIR
Yergers plantation in Mississippi. The fibre ls per
ectly preserved and the loose texture almost as sof
and eastic as foes silk II will be remembered tina
when pressed cotton is brought to this stage BY TIT
use Of the best machinery Of this country or Of Eu
rope. the hbre is invariably damaged, and must pro
duce yarn far inferior to that which can be spur
from the "rve" we have just han1ed.
We recommend careful perussl Of Mr.. Henry
own recital Of the successful application OF his nven
lion. Beyond doubt it opens a new era in the histo
ry of cotton industry.
Extrnc. from litter Of Geo. G. Henry, dated,
GEORGE s. YERGER's PLANTATION, MAY 7, 1858
To ROB ERr II. GALLAHER, 81 Liberty street, New
York;
owe have been delayed, but nevertheless have
been progressing pretty we'll. The gin house ha'
been we'll foored TO suit me, and room oult 10 Pu
nv gin and lap in; the shaftiDg and pullies are al
perfectly set and arranged. My gin and lap the lap
pers 10 cards two drawing frames, two speeders ane
four reels, with other things well put up and we nave
passed cotton through them anc hey work hneIy ,ne
no earthly doubt remains OF complete sucoess. we
oh; hot m seal the room OVerl69O a
the dust from the cotton room above is worse thar
Mr., Glider expected and would inIure the machiner,
were the room not sesled SO soon as that 10 done
we shall put up the spinniug frames, and directly aiter
20 to apinniug up the aeed cotton We nave some o'
bales.
The great feature Of success Is the number and sor
Of hands, we shall use the machinery with.
These We have already selected out and have theu
traning-they run thus: -
lone old man 65 years old at the "gn and lap
lone man (mamed, fore finger off at "cards.
lone old man go years old. at drawing
2-One boy 10 and one girl IL years DID, al "speeo
ers." 90
6-Three boys7 to 9, and girls and boys - years
old "spinniDg."
6-Sjx women and girls to tho reels; but one {
good field hand and sho 9 sifi OF IA years old.
IL all told
II ,ca nspos, YOU remark, do the ginning, grinding
the meal for ali the force on the plantation, and crust
all the ear for the mules horses and oxen as ~e
as spin ND the 45D bales OF cotton.
On this plantation there were four men engaged il
the operation OF ginning and when the Sseing was tt
be done additional were required.
His steam engine has consumed three cords OF WOO!
day till we cana here, and it will run all my machi
merry and .ss rest with one and aa to one aud three
touTths per day.
three fourths cords of wood per day. but we shai
further fix 90 it will not consume over one and nal
cords day.
Now, wi.h to know il any one can point me to am
invention that compares with this! know there
nops which doee,
The enclosed is irving, which wss made on my ma
cbuery The spinners say it is perfect. 1t was seed
cotton, put first into my gin and lap then it wen
through nv csrds, then through drawing heads ant
then through the speeders TO be finished by the spin
dies" Yours, truly, GEO. q. HENRY.
The Washington Star says:
"Over fifty thousand men have applied TO the Presi
dent TO All the two new regiments for Utah"
Would thsrs have been so many to 20 anywhere