Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-08-06
nallp 1'ir9inian.
The Cotton Manufacture.

hC Sottoh
An intelligent correspondent Of the New York
Times writing from Providence. furnishes some
interesting information in relation 10 the cotton
manufacture. llc SAYS that the best cotton noy
costs. when delivered either ia Providence or Bos-
ton, Is cents ID. Cotton has been steadily nd
yancing in prices for eight or ten years. notwith
standing rapid increase of production In 1915
the crop exported from the United States wna
sll2I 1000 lbs. the average price ,-Sl cents
| r ID, The crop of 1916 exported was 1851 ,43I
7ol lbs. n, a.4l cent, 3 III. The exports of 1857
l,Ois 2s2 i75 lbs. and l25j h III.
The home market in lSj6 absorbed II. 900 bales
of 4oo pounds each or little less than sixth OF
the entire crop. At present prices this amount of
raw material would be worth S3l. .ooonOo. 1t is
impractirable to ascertain what additional value
is gwen 1t Ivy the Labor. skill. aud ingenuity be.
stomci upon iiS manufacture. but it is probably
no exarl.rra,ion to2s,imatc the gross proceed, of
this branch Of industry in, the New England States
nt sl1ono,ooo per annum.
tn" following additional particulars are given:
!. The hr-t cotton factory III the United States
established nj Beverly, Massachusetts. in l7n1.--
1t continued in operation until 1902 and then
stopped. % per cent, oi the cnpitnl having been
sunk IN the enterprise.
In l1S9 there came to the United States from
| Englnnd Mr. Samuel Slater, who may be insl,
/ dcuomna,cl the father of the American cotton
MANUFACTURES II" hnd served II regular upprcn-
tirr-hip to Mr.. Strut, cotton spinner. known as
| the partner u SIR Richard Arkwright. Mr. Sla.
ter was without means. poor lourn",inan opcrn-
tive S"n after his nrrivalat New York he wrote
to Mr. Moses Brown at Prr,ihcncc that he wish
"i I" engage SOME ono acquainted with cotton
| spinning. MIR. Brown AT once engaged him and rot
hun To work. constructing mill aud it, machine
ry nj Pro,d nee.
In l1?1 Mr.. Slate formed n partnership with
Mr. uzicl Wilkinson. and built mill II, Paw.
! mckct. the Massachusetts side of the river
THIS Is sad I" hnye been th" first cotton mill built
in Massachusetts, from Winch it mny be supposed
| that the establishment Mt Beverly only for the
! spinning Of yarn
! In lSO6, Slaterville II manufacturing town. was
prnirr'od hy the MessrN. slater Almy aud Browne
aud large fnctory was erected bv the associates.
! BY this time Mr., Slater hnd been joined by bro
thcr from England, and he was one Of the compa-
| ny. Mr.. Slater died ut Webster, Mass, in 1875,
having passed life of eminent usefulness and
success
TIL" mannnc,ur, thus established increased
! with great rapiiity. and added very largely to the
| prosperity and wealth of Massachusetts and
| Rhode Island, until the close Of tho war with
| Great Aritan, when this interest suffered great
! losses from the competition "t English fabrics.
Its extension into other States and its general pro
gress belong To the his,or, Of the conntry
The present condition of this interest, ~ well
az Of all the other leading departments OF manu-
| inenrc in the country. is II subject well de4rrv-
| ing N" lAhars oi n careful in,luiIer. II the state
of my health were adequate To tho undertaking,
! ! should take pleas urc III conducting an in,esti-
| CATION of which the results could not fni think
| To be instructive to your readers md useful To
the public.
| Probably the most com plec establishment Of its
/ kind on tins continent has iu-t been completed and
| placed partly III operation hy N'ssrs Spraguc, Of
Providence, nt the village Ut Baltic about half way
between linrtf rd mud Providence. These mills
are situate on tho Willnanlic River, and are de-
signed Tor all tn" proces,cs, from the carling of
the cotnn TO the printing aud finishing Of the cloth,
Tie works hn,e lccn | told, more than two
years under construction. and have been carried
forward to ompetion undo all the gloomy torebo-
dings and actual pressure Of tho reyulsion and
panic ol the last AMI the present year Tho prnci-
pal building is said TO be- 900 feet long md Eve
storic, IN hc ght Its built Of handsome hewn stone,
and issurroundcd by handsome little town of new
houses set up by the Company for the occupation
| Of the employees of the mill. As | had no oppor-
tuntY # examining this establishment can only
speak from information cursorily received from
others 1t is said to coniaine 10000 spindles and
1910 looms. 1t is driven by water-power, and the
waters oi the Nillimantic set back by the dam
whl"h dycrts them for the Of the mill for the
space OF two three miles, nundating aconsidera-
w." tract Of land
frRIors IT ,urAs CnRprs G. "A In aLeas por-