The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-05-29
IMnNDorA.
BArrrsr CHURCH.

May 25th.-Mendota il now in its prettiest
dress. All things look beautiful. The spring
has been cold, wet and backward The improve
ments proposed have been consequently put back
and delayed, The last few pleasant, days have
put new life into everything. Among the
leading improvements is the building Of new
Baptist church. Last week, preparatory to conn
mcnciny, the old house was moved back upon
the back end Of the church lot, and raised mp
some Ave feet, for putting underpining under it
and fitting 1t for vestry purposes. Last Sunday
the so,iety met in their church thus stited, With
an unusual number present. As the assembly
were rising for prayer, the supports under tie
middle of the floor gave way and the congrega-
ton was very unceremoniously pitched into ths
middle Of the room to the ground result, mo-
body seriously hurt but great many scared.
The edifce that takes the place of the old one
will cost about twelve thousand dollars t
OIL MILL.
Upon the east side, Mr.. George Wells, in CON-
nection with some New York capitalists, u erect
ing an extensive oil mill the largest in the coun-
try west Of New York. The building and ma
chinery are estimated to cost from $4,000 TO
$4,000, and the capital required to run it will
take between two and three hundred Thousand
dollars. Immense quantities Of fax are grown
in the circuit Of fifteen miles Of Mendoza; the
seed will be used at this mill, and will furnish
the supply OF fax seed. But this will be oaly .
small part of the oil-seed used. Mr.. Well has
made arrangements for large quantities of cot.
ton seed to be delivered at Cairo at eight dollars
per ton; from thence it will be shipped by the
III. c. r. R. to this place in bulk. Before the
cotton seed can be ground it has to be ginned.
and the cotton thus obtained is used only for
paper, but is valuable for that purpose, and pays
the cost of transportation and the ginning ofithe
seed. The oil cake is one Of the staple articles
Of trade, and furnishes, next to cotton and the
earth oils, one Of the largest Of the commodities
in payment Of foreign exchange. The enter.
prise is not one Of those expectant, with one hun
dred per cent. dividends, but is certain one,
like the cultivation Of corn upon our praries, sure
to make a handsome return for the labor and
care judiciously bestowed upon 1t. .eaI,a ,a
MANUFACTURE OF FLAX CLOTH.
Another item incidentally connected with the
ha1.seed culture is the fibre itself. Heretofore
the farmer found the seed alone q remunerative
CROP the straw, after being divested o. is seed,
was burned. Now through the enterprise Of
Col. John Dement,, OF Dixon. the aax straw IL
worth from foar to eight dollars . ton, depend.
ing upon being rotted or not. Col. Dement, has
erscted large and extensive manufactory At
Dixon, propelled by the water power Of that
place, for the MANUFACTURES ct the 'Aax-tow into
q coarse cloth, used for baliHy cotton Hereto
fore ute has been the article mostly used for that
purpose, and that has been manufactured in for.
eign countries. To form an idea Of the immens,
quantities used, We can Judge BY the number Of
bales Of cotton grown in this country the Last
three or four years, which has been. in round
numbers. ahont Ave million oales annually, and
the number of yards used is about ten to the
bale, making the number Of yards used annually
fog balng of cotton grown in the United States
J0000,O0 Of yards, which at the mill, or manu-
factory, is worth 20 cents per yard. making q
snug little sum of no less than ten millions Of
one million Ave hundred thousand yards snnual-
ly, making it one of the best financial enterprises
and manufactures in'the country. Last fall, in
November, Col. Dement, began to make arrange.
ments to purchase and rot fax at this place. A
building one hundred and forty feet long wa.
erected for the storing Of unbroksn fax. Circu.
lars were issued for the purchase of FAX either
rotted or unrotted. Almost Ave hundred tons Of
FAX were purchased and spread ont ior rotting
upon the farm af Philo Castle, Esq, during tbs
winter. 1t has now been gathered into the
building, and stock preparatory for breaking
Steam machinery has been Get up and . double
set Of breaks are propelled in BREAKING the Hax
or divesting the woody part from the fibre, max
in; about ton and half daily into piles. the
woody part Of the fax furnishing more fuel than
ia used in making the steam. The FAX fibre ID
far better than jute, being longer and stronger
This element OF wealth promises to be unlimited
ITEMS .si.ass-f
Messrs. Fishee 4 Co. are driving their sash.
door and blind mandatory, receiving large or
ders from various parts of this state and Iowa fo
school seats and other articles Of their make.
Our merchants accomplished of dull trade
which may be attributed, to u great extent, t.
the wet season and the impa sable condition Of
the roads. Corn and grain .hase been coming
into town quite freely tho last few days, ant
trade is lighting up.
In my next will give you some further item
of our prairie city.