New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-30
MEXICAN INDUSTRIES.
EXPERIENCE OF A MASSACHUSETTS SPINNER IN
SONORA COTTON FACTORY, AND ON a
COTTON PLANTATION.

T. A.
SONORA COTTON FACTORY, AND on A
COTTON PLANTATION.
To the Edttor Of Thc TrfbHne.
SIR | have read with interest the statement
Of your City OF Mexico correspondent relative 10 the in
dusria developments OF the Republic IL only needs
stable government in that country to make It most
productive one agricuturay, and immigration will in
time develop IL manufacturing resources. have been
in charge for several years past Of cotton factory in
the state of sonora the northwest ana bordering on
the Gulf Of California and send you the following notes
Of my experience likely to be Of interest to your
readers
MEXICAN COTTON FACTORY.
Invent to Mexico in 1854, under contract with the
Mcs.rs. Orz, who and are still the owners of the
only cotton factory in Sonora. had lad long expert
ence in the working OF cotton factories in Massachusetts,
and went General Superintendent Of this factory
The machinery had ceased to run for II years TINS rae
tory WAS started in ls4O had worked successfully for
years when. wheel being broken all further operations
were suspended until my arrival An iron wheel having
been procured at San Francisco. the machinery was
again put in motion 10y This factory contains Cl
looms works about 400 men, women. and children, and
turns about 3s4O yards Of cloth per day The cloth
diff from any made in the United States. II very
COARSE. about 81 yaras "a is 30 incheS weighing
pound. TIE piece j. % inches wide There Is bh one
ltylc of cloth made n IS worked up into pants and shirts
and boys. This factory turns out about lOOO
The factory OF Mcssrs. Ortiz situated At Los angeles,
about 90 miles from Ieli'ClUo, nU
miles from Guyamas, and % miles nom GURUS the cal
tai of the state. II Is built OF Dick nhd Is dfNeh ny
Ilorcrs are paid at the following rates Mcn % cents,
women 375 cents. and boys % cents per day out oi TINS
the labOrcrs board Themselves This, however = ~ ~
ter 81 small cost lna,i,ch ~ D! ',ilH uS -
buy the required food. The native lahor,rS cot pm
Cpay black beans, irut, and torllaS, the latl'r 70
,cmbng Indian bread Beef t. seldom eaten at any rate
not than week. This article OF rood - now
cents pcr pound and is besides of superior quality. The
laborers seem oprefer beaIs iortld am iiut 10 any
Invariably healthy. During my supc rintendcEcc, which
ran over period of three years there were but two
adults who died, ana only one child the AR Is sweet
and baly and 90 m that IN % ranges are
The time OF labor extends from daylight TO dark The
abOrer- remarkably attentive to their duties anu
for absence or neglect. In other words they per
utcd do pretty much they please and the owners
OF the mill believe lha 10y extending to hn thr largest
liberty Of action, they are enabled to Obtain the most
labor The at are always quiet no disorders worth
mentioning ever having arisen during my time m ther
midst Tie women and boys are just - good laboCfs
in the factory rs the men, hut the latter OBTAIN higher
wages, became they are ~ times required 10 Work on
the canal. which occasionally becomes clogged 10y the
The capital stock in this factory il Sl25OoO Cotton
costs about 81 an argobe or cents per pound on the
three pound Ot seed counted To one Of picked cotton
the - yaras Of cloth (Seighng as before stated one
pOun) would cost but ~ cents. This would be- cents
per yard to which would have to he added the cost of
$780, II will readily be that, II estimate the daily
manufacture at $40 yards there would not be greater
cost for the labor on each yard than % cents Money y
worth, however, IL per cent per annuin that 100000
would have To be deducted from the profits this item
alone, and Ia this allowance OF 10000 would have 10
be- made for and tear of making, besides at least
5000 in salaries, and $1,000 M extraordinary
uonses Allowing l2O6OgO as the number OF wards
manufactured per annl the daily expenses at $50,
find that the cost OF manufacturing a yard
of cloth would be u cents so that adding the cost of
the raw material q cents to that' we should have Ia
cents the cost of each yard The cloth is sold at 80
cents per yard per varra, which is the MeNi
can measure. At the lowest figures the profits would
reach from II 10 Is cents per yard.
II will be seen from the foregoing that there IL fine
field in sonora for cotton factories. capital OF $4,000
is sufficient to start mill capable OF manufacturing
lc0o0O yards per annun and the supply OF labor Is ia
cXhausblc
A MEXICAN coTroS PLANTATION.
few words Oh the subject OF cotton and cotton
planting.
The cotton at present raised in this part Of Mexico may
he clas>ed African. This is the seed used The staple
is short but any kind OF would grow well there.
and the only that be assigned for the absence
of the finer cotons is to he found In the fact that the
Mexican planters content with such cotons their
ancestors raised 1t long time, in Mississippi,
before the cottongrowers could be induced to abandon
the old green seed and plant the Petit GOphe seed.
There may be dozen cotton planters in Sonora not
more should Judge. The planters all wealthy men.
hacienda IS miles in width by 80 miles in length He
raises large amount OF cotton his crop being worth
readily employed at % cents per day. and provisions
cheap. These furnished by YngO to his labor
crs When the cotton is planted dn March or ApriD
there are no rans consequently irrigation IL relied upon.
and from that he draws all ms supplies OF water for
crop purposes. Rains are plentiful in July, August and
September but there no other rains during the whole
No plows used in the cultivation OF the plant hoes
being the implements employed almost exclusively.
About once during The season 0ldfashi0ned wooden
plOw Is dragged through the rows, but that IL all. The
each should raise 100 pounds, 400 pounds OF
ginncd cotton. YnlgOs fields are large of them
tanning 6.UO acres He employs about 1900 labOrers.
His hacienda il called AameitO.
lnigo from four 10 six gins at aIimr, co 10
each gin. He puts the cotton in bales Weighing 300
pounds each. He sells oft To the Messrs Ortiz
orally; the remainder Is shipped 10 Mazatan and the
United States.
should mention that much cotton is raised In
slnaloa than in Sonora Cotton If likewise raised In Du
range snaOa is however the greatest cotton state In
the Republic. There Is small cotton factory at Pre-
sdiO which f. rs miles from MaZatan There IL another
at Creaean and another at Santiago, at Mazatan
while at Topic there two larger factories running 100
looms each There three four other factories In
SinalOi but these small one fact be stated In
this connection viz. that cotton factories, well
cotton planting, have been exceedingly profitable in
SlnalOa.
THE MEXICAN MIN
might have said something respecting the gold sl yer
and copper mines Of Sonora aud snaloa These supas
all others In the world. The mines OF California. though
very rich, were tnever crowded with the prccions
metals those OF Sonora. Several Incidents
under my own observation, which may be pardoncd
for abiding to- One day ~ was going along open
road my foot struck eggshaped stone, which l at
tempted Ia kick out of the way. The resistance
great however, that picked mp and carried he
cracked when four bullets balls Of silver dropped
weighing about two ounces each. ON another occasion
detected glittering substance IN peasants house
examined NJ with gentlemen present the walls
when gold In considerable quantities discovered ~
may safely affirmed tn the value OF that house IA
train OF rs wagons loaded with silver bars. They
have been loaded with AT least slOO0o one man,