Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-01-24
From the Charlotte Democr
Rock island. tVoolgH g3iiIS

We paid visit to this establishment a
few days since, and fUHni ii to be what the
Company claim Tor it. one Of the best Wool
Factories in the South, il not in the Uni
led States. We found it perfect iii all its
parts, and the several apartments SO admir-
ably arranged that the whole works like
the machinery OF a clock.
The goods produced in this establish
ment are OF q very superior order, 50 much
SO that the Northern Commission Mer-
chants say they are TOO honestly made to
come in competitions with the New Eng
land fabrics, or Il large proportion Of I'M
ported goods. The Company will be COM
PEELED to look to the South for Il support,
and culpably guilty will our people be If
such enterprises are not fostered and en-
couraged. We have examined the goods
and can truly say that they are the best
we ever saw made, and our people ought to
wear them and we respectfully insist on
Southern Merchants placing the produc-
tions of this Factory upon their counters
and giving the consumers an opportunity
of testing their qualities This is all the
Company ask, and they feel satisfied that
when the durability of these goods is tried
that the enterprise is beyond Il failure
We will endeavor to give Il description of
this mammoth establishment, but feel that
we shall fall far short Of conveying a cor
rect idea OF its proportions. 1t must be
seen to be appreciated,
The Factory is situated Immediately on
the North Carolina Railroad and almost in
the heart of our thriving little city It is
four stories high, each of which is filed to
it's utmost capacity with machinery The
ground floor of the building is S4xlOO feet,
divided into three apartments. The first,
5OxlO0 feet, is allotted exclusively to the
finishing of the goods We there saw
machinery at work which requires q good
mechanic to appreciate. The second apart
ment of the ground floor, 2OXlOO feet, is
used for drying purposes, which is done en-
tire)y by steam. The third is for dyeing
Here we found large vats for this purpose,
so arranged that water can be heated to
any temperature, and regulated with as
much precision as it is possible for any thing
of the kind to be done. The manner in
which the heating is done We will speak of
more particularly hereafter.
The second floor is divided into two
apartments. The first, 5Ox1OO feet, is filled
with looms for weaving and here, for the
first time, we witnessed the manufacture of
fancy goods, but to describe the manner
we will not even attempt, for it is beyond
our comprehension-tho those large and mag
nifcent looms working like creatures of in
telligence, throwing up first one color then
another, and with such mathematical pre-
cision that it is almost impossible to make
a mistake. The second apartment of this
story is used for warping beaming and si-
zing the warps all Of which is done by
machinery of the latest and most improved
patterns.
The third floor is o counterpart of the
second, divided into two apartments, but
used for very different purposes. The first
50XlOO feet, contains six sets of cards, three
in set, making eighteen cards, and two
wool pickers. We have often in childhood
sat in wonder at the use of the old hand
card and thought it was the height Of perfec-
ton ; but who can visit this room and see
these cards at work but will forever lose
sight of the old hand cards and wonder that
they ever were used. We witnessed the
entire operation of carding from the feed
ing of the wool on the first breaker, until
it passed through the second breaker and
finisher it is then spread upon an apron
that works upon the principle of an endless
chain, passing through rollers cleansing it
of burs and other impurities, thence on and
through the cards, until it is combed off
and passes on to roll, from which it is
conveyed to the "second breaker" and is
taken from it in similar manner, from
thence it passes to the third caro- or finish
or, from which it is taken off on spool and
is ready for spinning. All of this opera
ton we witnessed with much pleasure. -
Tue second apartment on this floor is divi-
ded off into bins for the reception of the
wool as it comes from the pickers. We
could have spent hours in this apartment
where we only spent minutes. and left it
with reluctance, but soon found ourselves
am ply repaid by ascending to the fourth
stt ry. 50x1OO feet, where we inspected the
spinning operation. When we heard the
humming noise our thoughts ran ba' K to
childhood, but when we viewed the work
ings of the spinning machinery techni-
cally called by manufacturers. Mules
and Jacks" (of which there were
seven in number,) our mind naturally
turned in wonder at the invention of man.
These seven "Mules and Jacks = have
about two thousand two hundred spindles,
and we were informed that they could per-
f,ry,, rrLe& ~uoul1 ha aouiyo lorf "a kba hos