The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-27
THE SPRAGUES AND THE BROWNS
The Montagues and Cnpulcts or Rhode
Islande

The Montagues and Capulets OF Rhode
| Island.
A correspondent OF the New York Tribune,
writing from Rhode Island, furnishes an
interesting sketch Of the history and char
acter OF tile houses Of A. & w. Sprague and
Brown & Ives, made somewhat conspicuous
through the speeches of Senator Sprague in
the United States Senate and elsewhere:
A. q w. sPRAaUE.
The house Of Sprague started with Amasa
Sprague, the grandfather Of Amasa and Will
liam, the present representatives Of the house.
He was succeeded by his two sons, Amasa and
William, and thus the firm Of A. T. w. Sprague
came into existence. At the death Of the ''old
stwo boys" who now control the the house house o Of A. A.
| u w. Sprague, is generally called even now,
the business had not yet assumed anything
Ike its present great proportions. That event
only six calico printing machines in the print
works at Cranston. Since then, however, not
only has addition after addition and extension
after extension been put to the mills. until the
mills form an extensive village i'll themselves,
but every species of improved machinery has
also been procured and set in motion. In
death of the I" old Governor, y there
are in the works at Cranston to-day
machines which print twelve. There are
$4,000 pieces Of cloth can be printed and
finished in week. This immense establish
ment is driven by six engines, ranging from 40
to 800 horse power, and the consumption Of
coal per day is not short of 100 tons. Twonty
| five donkey engines are scattered over the
establishment, to do special duty whenever
needed. Also trimming machines, washing and
drying machines, dyeing apparatus, engraving
machines, all the immense and complicated
machinery necessary to the manufacture OF the
material for a new dress. The villages where
| ft,0 kyvynC
model, and consist Of story-and-a-half double
houses. In the store at Cranston an imm ense
business is done; The SSpragues do their own
slaughtering, and kill about twenty. five head
proportion. The meat is furnished to their
operatives at four and five cents per pound
cheaper than it can be bought in the Provi-
dence market, and the '.store - sells goods
Of every kind at proportionately low figure,
$4OO. 900.
one mile from the city Of Providence, and
William lives with his mother in the city Of
Providence. What this woman has had to do
with building up an immense business, the
country, has never been told. ''The boys"
hAbitualy resort to her for advice, and the
"old Governer was accustomed to hold her
juds ment in in the he highest esteem. Her coun-
| have been transferred to the new house, and
have proved as beneficial to her sons as to their
| father and their uncle. She is now an old lady
of seventy y. rs, but her faculties are as vigor-
| GUS as ever.
The house Of A. & w. Sprague, as at present
constituted, resembles the old house OF that
name in striking degree. Amasa-Sprague. at
Sprague, his father. AS the father hated poll
tics, so, too the son dislikes the turmoil Of
party, and Vevotes himself to his family, his,
BUSINESS, and his trOtters. He has now in his
stables, near the Narragansett Race Course,
an association of which he Is president, much
thoroughbred and blooded stock--the famous
sssss sSsss ahSSs ss'sR Ra sns aa soa
ase sn ana MN u 2
But William sprague. the uncle, and William
Sprague, the nephew, both naturally took to
politlcs. Both were governors OF tbs state,
| and both senators Of the United States. In his
recent course in the Senate, William sprague,
the younger, only did what would have be en-
done by William Sprague, the elder, under
like circumstances, and it would have been
| done by the latter with the same intrepidity,
the same disregard OF consequences, and tie
same defiance OF the opinions OF others that
| the former exhibited in the past few weeks. In
these bold acts, apparently so incapable Of ex-
| some extent upon his .'Rhode islanders"
| In the works at Cranston, 1000 hands are
employed, besides those engaged at their
other aEd %ils nao In tns there is power as great
foresight OF Senator Sprague and his brother.
He boasted in one OF his speeches, or perhaps,
rather complained, that small manufacturers
as he does. It was very vaguely put, and was as
not generally understood. He simply meant
that his purchases OF stock were so immense
that those who could not buy in like immense
quantities cannot compete with him. But he
also meant to say that he can make better
| goods out of inferior material than any one
else. His great point, however, was that per-
not borrow. owing to the course Of legislation
in the last few years, and that men like him
sslf by their great facilities and large capital,
crush their neighbors either willingly or un-
willingly. Ten thousand bales Of cotton, 1900
| casks Of madden, and proportionate quantities
OF drugs, is no unusual single purchase. They
consumed IL 600 bales OF cotton the last year,
and within the past five months have bought,
at least, II, 600 600 yards OF cloth from other
manufacturers and printed it in their own
works at CranstoD.
side Providence, even as far away as Augusta,
Maine. Their ssBaItic" mills are an immense
affair, as are also the "Quidnick, /" ssNatick," !"
Arctic and Central Falls" They have be-
Cranston alone contains two thousand acres Of
land. worth from 5000 to $500 per acre, and in
all Of the following companies they have o con-
| trolling or o very lar 70 interest: ( +
! Rhode Island Locomotive Works, Perkins
4 Sheet lion Company, Phoenix Iron Foundry,
Comstock Foun Try, Rhode leland Horseshoe
Company, American Horse-nail Company, Mich
olson File Company, Boston Wheat and Bread
Company. United States Flax Manufacturing
Company, Providence and New York Steam
idea OF the iulmensity Of the enterprises, into
many Of which they become eng aged by taking
hold OF the falling enterprises Of others. The
immensity Of the whole can only be judged
from the immensity OF any one Of the nnder-
talings named in Che foregoing list. All are 80
great in themselves that the successful sconA
duct OF any OF them would stamp q man as
eminently successful in business, and give him
the prestige and social influence 8f great
wealth.
.i..ua "a BROWN = IVES a.
revolutionary war. It began as commercial
house long before cotton spinning was thought
OF, much less had become staple manufac.
ture and the source Of wealth and power.
have adhered to old customs and ways to .