The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-11-02


own at present, to call special attention to the
following letters, addressed by VIM. Perry, Esq,
of the LPendleton Factory, to one of their num-
ber. Mr.. Perry is known to be gentleman of
great experience, information and practical
ski, in the construction and operation of cot
interest the reader: '.i9.
10 l-< PENDLEToN FACTORY, S. o.,
July II, 1871.
Mn Dear Sir. i will try to answer your in
quiries in relation. to manufacturing cotton in
South Carolina, and particularly in Anderson
County. understand you as wishing to as
certain the amount of capital required to put
lin operation sufficient machinery to weave daily
some 1000 to 5000 yards of shirtings, similar,
in kind and quality, to Graniteville and Angus
to shirtings. u
70 erect fire.proof buildings of brick, to
purchase and place in operation machinery
enough to manufacture 5000 yards of ! shirt
ings daily, will cost in round numbers 100000.
With new concern are always connected some
expenses las purchase of land and the like,)
which cannot be exactly estimated. Besides 1t
costs less to improve some locations than others.
So it will be safe to say $4,000, and which
will more than cover nil the cost, and leave
some cash capital, on which to commence bust
ness. .........,.....rit ~ "a.
Now, estimate the profit on the investment
to be 221 per cent You say this is large
dividend; this is true, yet. it is not up to the
earnings of the Pendleton Factory for the past
five years, which have been fully Isl per cent
on the capital invested. While saying this
much, 1 am speaking from an experience OF
over, thirty-eight years as operator, manager
and owner Of factories; and l am fully capable
of, correctly estimating the prohtablcness Of
cotton manufacturing, and especially of man
ufacturing in South Carolina, having been
connected. with the business in this State for
some twenty five year. past. -. ..
With the estimate of buildings and machine
nv, / will furnish you with the cost of a steam
engine to drive the factory; and also the daily
cost of fuel. compared with the cost of water
power, &c. ........i qg.f i,,.
There is. no doubt, generally speaking, that
steam is more expensive than water TO drive ma
chinery. Yet, there are advantages arising from
using steam as the motive power, which Will,
in some cases, more than counterbalance the
increased cost, When steam is used the loca-
ton is at your option, which is not the case
when water is used, because you must locate
the factory to suit the power: With steam, you
locate the power to suit the factory.
In order to. give you clear understanding OF
the difference in the relative advantages OF
water power and steam power, we will say that
YOU wish to locate your factory at Anderson
o. H., or as near that place as possible. In the
first place, as water power is the cheapest, when
it can be obtained, advantages of location be-
ing equal, J we will ascertain the nearest point
where water with the proper fall can be OBJ
tained in sufficient :quaptity to give you the
70 Ari, lJnOn
inquiry. we find that there is location suita-
BILE for our purpose, just six miles from the
depot in Anderson. Now, we will assume that
the cost of land and mill-site, with mill-dam
and race-way, and the water-wheel ready tor
operation, will be the same as it will cost tor
land and the steam engine placed In position.
THE actual cost will be about the same.)
With your Factory six miles from town.. you
will have to use wagon transportation, which,
from its amount, will require one four-mule
team. and one two-mule team. With two drl-
vers, the daily expenses, with wear and tear,
NAV be safely put at eight dollars per day.
You will bear in mind that these teams must
haul daily, and their loading must be kept dry.
Now, locate your Factory directly on the
RAILROAD, near the depot, where you can have
a side-track branching into the yard near your
engine, SO as to deliver wood, and deliver ana
receive freight on the spot. Do you not sup
pose that,you could save six dollars per day,
over and above the cost for wagon transporta-
tion, with your Factory located Six miles trom
,he Railroad? [ certainly do. The six dollars
thus saved you 1can apply..to the purchase OF
fuel for your steam engine. My estimate ls,
,thatfit will require three cords of pine wood
daily to give the necessary power to run the
Factory twelve hours per day.
Again, you can, if you choose, put In some
what larger engine, which will enable you to
drive. in connection with your Factory,
!Grist Mill, (corn and wheat Saw Mill and
Planning machine, with work shop for turning
wood and iron; and all this with but small
addition to the cost of fuel, &c. will not stop
to discuss the advantages of having a saw mill
and grist mill go near you. You can estimate
that better than / can, having felt the need OF
them.
AS to the advantages of having the factory
located in town, l have to say, that it will give
employment to notless than one hundred hands,
whose daily wages will average fifty cents each.
This makes $50 per day, or $l5 600 for year
of 300 working days, all of which will be dis
tributed in your town. Now add your mills
and planning and turning shop, and you have
some $4,000 more or a total of $4,000 In
cash, in which your professional men, mer"
chants, mechanics, and trades-people in gener-
al will share. We have perfect right to ex-
pect $25, 900 in dividends on the amount invest
ed which, to cover all the additions named,
will be about S125,OOO. Now, you have the
snug sum of $4,000 in cash drawn to your
town annually This is not a visionary nor a
theoretical calculation. It is one based on
practical knowledge of matters pertaining to
the subject under consideration:
This matter should be viewed in yet another
aspect We must consider the enhanced value
of the cotton raised at home. Comparing 900
bales of cotton, in its raw state, with 1000 bales
after being manufactured into goods, we have:
1000 bales G1 $50 per bale..............S 10000
1000 (9 $3.50 ...........-...Sl9O,oOo
You see at a glance that you have realized
an enhanced val lc of $4,000, over and above
the cost of the raw material which is clear
addition to the wealth of the County, from the
operation of single factory.
Respectfully,