Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-06-19
Letter from Lowell, Mass.

you short sketch of the origin and rapid ad-
vance Of Lowell, Mass, the greatest cotton
| manufacturing town in the U. S. The ground
on which this place is built was purchased by
Messrs. Nathan Appleton, }. T. Jackson, h.
Boat, w. button and Paul Moody,in 1921, and
| consisted of four farms of 400 acres EACH and
| cost about 500 per acre. This amount of land
was purchased to secure the water power, and it
| was found necessary afterwards to increase the
number of acres, at greatly enhanced value
| On the 9Th Of February, 1922 the above-named
gentlemen and others were Incorporated as the
Merrimack Manufacturing Company. Their
capital, ut first, was $6U0G0O and increased from
| time to time until it has reached 81 5OO, 0OO.-
! They began with force of 500 men IN building
dam across the Mer mack and Pa~tucset
| Falls and in digging and blasting the rock on
the margin Of the Merrimack TO secure the 70 n
dation for their first MILL which was com let ID
in 1929, and the first cloth manufactured ut the
| mill was in November, 1924. The bricks used
in building this mill, and others afterwards
erected, were boated from Bedford, in New
Hampshire, at heavy cost Lin 1925 the com
pany erected machine shops ut u cost Of $500
This company has divided on Oil average ia
per cent on the amount invested annually since
they started und have now five large mills and
print works, with 100000 spindles, 1850 looms,
und employ 100 females and 100 males, consum-
ing weekly So 900 pounds of cotton, and turning
out 49, 900 yards Of cloth and 100000 yards Of
calico. In 1926 the L ,ck and Canal Company
was organized, their charter allowing them to
| hold, Sell or lease land and water power to the
amount of S6UOOOO The Merrmack Company
conveyed to the Lock and Canal Company MI
their lands and water power, excepting what was
necessary for the use of their own company, and
for twenty years afterwards this company lur-
nished lard and water power, built mills and
machinery and successfully organized u number
| of other manufacturing companies IN Lowell
This company, ny yer engaged in manufacturing,
only sold the water, which was the right to draw
twenty five cubic feet of water per second on
fall of 80 feet; being about 80 horsepower, they
! kept in operation two machine shops, mill
and foundry. In 1915 they sold out to the Low
ell Machine Shop Company. They now employ
a out 100 hands, and $500 0OO to $25O, 90 worth
4 of machinery annually, and the stock is now
worth four times its original value. The first
sale of water power they made was to the ham
lton Mana featuring Company, il 1875, with
capital of $500. 900, which h sine been in
creased to 81, 100000 They now have five mills
and print works, with 5l,2'.8 spindics and l34S
looms and employ $50 females and 425 males.-
They consume $1,000 pounds of cotton and
235 600 yards Of delaines fanneIs, prints, ticks,
| sheelings, &c In 1873 the Appleton Company
was incorporated, with 5000 OO capital. They
have three mills, with ~ GO5 spindle. and III
looms, and employ 40 females and 40 males,
consume $4,000 pounds Of cotton. and turn out
$780, coo yards Of sheeting. In 1898 the Lowell
Manufacturing Company was ncorporatcd
with $500, GOO capital, and since increased to
81 900 GOO This company has one carpet mill,
one worsted mill and one cotton mill; run
II, 500 spndles on worsted and WOOL and 2Sl6on
cotton; they employ lGOl females and $50 males;
consume 400 pounds of cotton and $1,000 OF
wool per week produce 80 O00 yards of carpet
Ii COZ yards OF sheetng and $500 yards of striped
| Il o.,
ed the MIDI esex Company, with $500 OOO capt.
tal, and afterwards increased it to 81 ,WOOO-
They are engaged in the manufacture of broad
cloth, casslule es, sc This company has three
mills and dye houses, consuming $1,000 pounds
of wool per week; run III. 400 spindles and 2tt
looms employ ASP ales and 80 females. Sui-
folk Company started in 1881, with $ 10000 cap
ital. They have II ,432 spindes and SIS looms;
/ employ 4lO females and 295 ma cs; consume
81 OOO pounds of colt n per week, and make
GOO yards of jean shirtngS Ne TIE IRE.
have two mills, with 20 400 spindles and ga
looms work 500 females and 10 males con-
sumo 81 900 pounds of cotton and nuke $4,000
yards of shecting and fl unnels per week. The
Lawrence Manufacturing Company has Il capt.
tai of 81, 5000O0. 1t has five mills, with 6O,l32
spindes 1864 looms and 1853 knitting machines,
employing 1850 females and $50 males; consumes
10000 pounds of cotton and 2OOOp unds of wool
The Lowell Bleaching Company was Incorporated
5000, 0OO. 1t employs $50 males and ~ females
dye, Is, oO 600 and bleach 600 600 yards of cloth
per annum. The Booth Cotton Mills were start
ed in 1885, with a capital of 81, 100000, but did
not begin work until 1886 They embrace five
mills with II ,32l spindles and 1878 looms, en-
ploying 1920 females and Z9D males, consuming
100000 pounds of cotton, and turning out 80,
GOU yards of cloth. The Whipple Mills, started
with capital of $50 00O have in, reused to $780,,
600 TIE Massach usetts Mills, started in 1888
with Sl,NU,UUO, have increased to 81 500 GOO.-
They have six mills, with 81, S72 spindes and 1887
looms, and employ 1900 females and 400 males
cons ume 49, 900 lbs of cotton and make $40 600
yards Of cloth per week. In addition to the
above, there ure q number Of large machine
shops, foundries and other branches of mechan-
ical works. The city has now population OF
nearly 5000. To give IN example OF the profit
in the manufacturing business, d gentleman by
the name Of P. o. Richmond began business in
1884, with an entire borrowed capital of $500,
with which he purchased few carding ma
chimes, and when he died. in 1854 he left An es-
tate worth $l25, 600 above all liabIlit es All the
mills have pros pered and if money can be made
in Lowell, where they pay more for cotton,
more for lab II, coal and almost every Article
used than we have to do in Virginia, why should
we not make productive the valuable resources
We have in Virginia? Let us look around and
sec what others are doing who labor under
many disadvantages, while we possessing SO many
greater, are disposed to croak and complain that
we are not able to compete With otncr places 40
ing so we'll with so few of the advantages we
possess. We have water power Why not use
it? We have coal, which is now shipped from
our port and I find thousands of tons of Cum
berland coal in the interior of this State, used
for fuel by the manufactures, being handled
several times by vessels, cars wagons, &c, at
large cost Many of the large factories IN this
place use coal in preference to water, and | am
told it is now gaining more and more in favor to
produce power over water. We nave labor
much cheaper. Sl.25 per day is paid here for
boys, while we can employ them, and they are
an rious to work, for 60c. Some OF the Mills pay
900 per annum for water power, and several
pay their superinlendents $1,000 per year.
see no reason why we cannot more than compete
with them. Why, sir, the Pioneer Flour
Mills ought to be worth to-day, considering the
advantag es of location, $3ooOOO and be cheap
compared to the prices of property in this town.
Wheat's MILL the Foundry, Shlp-yard and ev-
cry vacant building lot should be used to its
fullest capacity. We have advantages; let lie
make use of them. If we have not the means,
hunt LII canital to start the manufactures give