Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-10-26


and the rest women and children
The wages paid the men per day Is
81 30 each the women earn from five
to seven, and the children from three
to seven dollars per week. Many of
the families make additional wages by
doing extra work at home, making
bags, etc, for the Company. By in
dustrious attention to duty and steady
habits many of the employees have
saved enough from their earnings to
purchase a lot aud build or it a com
Portable little home. Several Of these
little cottages, sprinkled about in the
vicinity of the mills attest the thrift of
the owners and the liberality of their
employers.
The main mill, devoted to spinning
and weaving, has usually in operation
25 looms, turning out 1900 yards Of
cotton bagging per day. The same
mill also turns out from 100 to 40
tons of wool twine per year and about
so tons of grocer's wrapping twine. It
also manufactures great quantities of
gunny bags with which the Company
supplies nearly the entire West. These
are chiefly used in packing oil cake
This mill also turns out large quanti-
ties Of seamless bags, and of coarse
canvas used for baleing cotton. At
present it runs about 400 spindles.-
Several thousand dollars worth of ad-
ditional machinery will be added dur
ing the coming winter for the manufac-
ture of Line Flax and Jute.
The two rope mills turn out about
three tons of bale rope per day, con
suming from six to eight tons of fax
straw.
The establishment contains within
itself ample facilities for making It's
own improvements and repairs, having
complete carpenter and machine shops,
and skillfuI mechanics keI in con
slant employment. It's trade already
extends all over the West, northwest
and several Of the Southern States
Its manufactured articles are furnish
ed to the Western market cheaper
than New York prices, a fact which
concIUsively demonstrates not only
the feasibility but the necessity of
building up manufactures in the
Western States. The Delaware Com
pany's establishment consumes every
year from 300 to 400 tons of jute, all
of which is imported from Calcutta,
via New York. This jute is brought
here and manufactured into canvas,
which is sold for New England home
prices, thus saving at least the freight
to the consumer. Why may not the
same be done in respect to cotton and
wooden goods? Why may not manu-
factories of these articles succeed here
as well as those Of fax and jute? We
believe they may, and we believe that
Delaware affords many rare induce
ments for such investments of capital
The Union Flax Company's Mills,
located between those of the Delaware
Manufacturing Company and the de-
pot, constitute a separate establish
ment, devoted exclusively to the man
of rope for baleing cotton
This Company was organized in 1862,
and commenced the erection of its
buildings in April, 1868. Ex-Gover-
nor James g. Smith, of Rhode Island,
owns the greater share of the stock,
and the remainder also belongs to
eastern men. The Company has 13
acres ofIand, and the improvements
are all new and handsomely arranged.
The rope mill Is built of brick, and is
l30 feet long by 40 wide. Besides
his there are extensive stables and
a considerable part of the
enclosure being set apart for the ricks
If fax straw. Under the efficient
of Mr.. Cove, the Super
everything Is kept in trim
order, and the buildings and grounds
always present a neat and handsome
This establishment employs 42 hands
whose wages amount to 81 300 per
month. At present, extra effort being
to meet the immense demand /
or baleing rope in the Southern mar
ret, the employees work about Is hours
,ut Of "a, and turn out about 5000 |
pounds of rope per day. The ordina-
y product of the establishment is one
on of rope per day, in making which |
bout three tons of fax straw are con-
umed. The annual consumption of /
lax straw is about 900 tons, which
ates when unrotted at ten, and when /
otted at twelve dollars per ton. The /
rocess of rotting is simply exposure
0 the open air, sun and rain, and .
.sually requires about three weeks for
ompletion. In warm weather it may
e done much sooner, though the straw
3 sometimes exposed to the weather
Il winter.
No line flax IS used by the Union
company. The rope made is FIVE
ighths of an inch in size and is man
factured of tow. The Company has
the erection on their
rounds of an immense three story
ill for the manufacture offax goods,
nd has been deferred from the enter
rise chiefly from the difficulty of OBJ
lining here the proper qualities of
ak. This deficiency does not grow
ut of the quality of land, but out Of
he inexperience of our farmers in the
ak raising business. As soon as they
3quire the necessary skill in raising,
arvesting and preparing the fax crop,
is very probable that the present I
will be doubled or {
ebled in extent, and that here in
delaware will be manufactured i'm
.ense quantities of fax goods. upex-