The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-01-30
IRON OUR OWN oonnEsposp EMF, !

[rRoM OUR OWN CORRESPOND ENr.l
SPARTANBURa, January 20, 1869 Rope-mak-
ing will soon be one Of the lost arts. What
with the abolition Of capital punishment, now
getting more and more fashionable everywhe re,
and the substitution of iron for the old-fash
ioned hempen bands the rope-walk will soon
become deserted. From the general favor
which the iron-tie seems to find, suppose it's
use must be moro to the advantage Of the cot
ton packer than the rope which it has sup
planted And yet there are those who regret
the disappearance of the rope. The manufac-
turers and dealers are, Of course, Of this num-
Der; but nearer home, we find the perqui sites
Of the proprietors OF the cotton presses in our
shipping ports very materially reduced. have
been told that some or our presses, in the
good old times, before rope had given way to
iron, netted as much as $4,000 per annum from
the waste rope ends. lis an i'll wind that
blows nobody good, and uioe versa. In the
course Of my travels, have seen cotton bales
tied with four, Ave and six ties; very rare
ly any ted with rope. AS o general thing,
however, the cotton now seen at railroad de-
pots is in good conditon-rather more so than
used to be the case in former years.
spartanburg, as you know, ,is not cotton
country, though more or less cotton has al
ways been raised in the district, and sold in
this town. The census Of 1860 gives the pro-
ductiOn for that year at six thousand two hun
dred and seventy-nine bales. The population
of the district isl set down at twenty-six thou.
sand nine hundred and ten, Of which number
eight thousand two hundred and forty were
slaves. There were then, according to the
same authority, one hundred and fifty six
thousand acres Of improved lands, and four
hundred and ffty-six thousand acres of unim-
proved. The cash value of farms is given at
81 33S,000. AS the number or slaves in this
district bore but small ratio to the white
population the change Of the labor system
has not worked as disadvantageously here as
in other parts of the State.
The war also, SO terrible in it's ravages in the
lower and middle parts of the State, passed by
Spartanburg. True. she gave her sons and
her treasure, as freely as you did who dwell by
the sea: but she was spared the blighting tread
OF hostile and contending armies, and the
wanton and wholesale destruction of the accu-
mulated wealth Of years. Consequently she
recovered more speedily from the shock caused
by the disastrous close Of the war, than other
parts Of the State; and land to-day is as valu-
able in almost every part Of the county as il
was in 1880. In some sections it is more 80.
Ihe reason is obvious. The population is prin-
cipally composed OF small farmers. Large
planters are only found in the rich river bot
to1nse These farmers and planters have nearly
all made more or less money this year, and land
offers the only sure and profitable investment
for this surplus. Besides. Spartanburg has
valuable iron, gold and other mines, and an
almost incalcnlable amount OF water power
: n --'' esSss7finn &c,
bring large Influx Of population and capital
from abroad. No wonder, therefore. that land
owners should.be slow to part with their pos
sessions at present figures
AS am son the wing,' and have only been
travelling along the line OF the railroad, have
not had ths opportunity Of visiting the many
factories OF this county. Spartanburg is an
old manufacturing district. Batesyille and
Bivingsville have long been known as cotton
spinners, and the rolling mills on the Pacolet
have supplied the whole up-couatry with nails
and iron for many years past. Still manu-
factures are only in their infancy. Not hun
dredth part Of the water power Of the county
is in use. This is all but certain to become
the manufacturing county Of South Carolina.
about month ago, under the signature of
"Pacolet," and, if mistake not, republished
in The NEWS, gives very full and satisfae-
tory account Of the extent or the water power
OF Spartanburg. "Pacolet," who is throughly
familiar with his subject, states that he does
not know Of any.territory of the same area in
the United States that has the same amount
Of water power as Spartanburg.
Labor is abundant here and cheap. The fac.
tories already in operation have no difficulty
in obtaining all the labor they require; and
much larger number OF operatives could be
obtained from the poor people who live at the
foot OF the mountains, within twenty miles Of
Spartanburg. I hope that ere long the Paco-
let's, the Tigers and the Enoree will be crowded
with mills, as the Connecticut, the Raritan
and the Genessee are to-day; nay, more,
fully believe that many Of your readers will
live to see the full realization of this hope.
spartanburg is pretty stirring place for
business; in this respect resembling Walhalla,
as sketched in one Of my letters. Being a
railroad terminus, it. is the converging point
Of hundreds, II not OF thousands OF wagons,
coming long distances, laden with produce OF
various kinds. Corn, butter, eggs, fowls. ap-
pies, &C., are purchased here at about the
same rates as in Wathalla. The local con.
sumption is much greater, however, than at
the latter place, as Spartanburg is quite COM
siderable town. Population, probably, about
5000. There is'a large number OF stores here,
and some Of them appear to be doing very
fine business. Iheard Of one Arm whose re-
cepts during several weeks before Christmas
averaged about $500 day. This is not bad for
an up-country -viliage store. T do not know
whether our Charleston friends. are alive.to
this fact; but found in the course Of my trav-
els. that the business men of New York, Phil
adelphia and Baltimore ara disposed to nurse
all these little avenues Of trade; and their
drummers are 10 be met with at every railroad
depot and every crossroads country store.
Let your Charleston importers and jobbers,
aaotcrs and cossaAss sssca merchants, boar this
in mind, and shape their course accordingly.
II they make The necessary efforts. they can
retain and control the trade OF the State, not 4
withstandins all the seductive aliurements Of