Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-08
The Cotton Mills.

The New York United States EcOn0-
mist and Dry Goods Reporter of the %
inst. devotes column to cotton manufac-
lures in the South, and more particularly
to the cotton mills of the Nashville Manu-
featuring Company. We copy a portion of
the article referred to, as follows:
But more recently, however, new large
four-story brick and stone basement mill
has been erected on the outskirts of Nash
vile, which is destined to eclipse all the
other Southern mills. This mill Ga pheto-
graph of which is before us) is one of vast
dimensions, and stands three-quarters of a
mile outside the city of Nashville, Tenn, on
a clear spring stream. We have now be-
fore us piece of heavy sheetings Of it's
first production, which the President, S.
D. Morgan, Esq, has kindly sent us for
our inspection, of which he feels proud
of the success attained in the manufdc-
ture. Another piece Of these sheetings
has been forwarded by express 10
Messrs. Evans, Gardner & Co., of 455 and
457 Broadway, selling agents, with the re-
quest that it be placed on table with sam
pies OF the Gerry highest grade of Sheetiags
they deal IN, or to be had IN our market,
and for any comparison they can be submit
ted to. Mr.. Morgan says he is not afraid,
although the goods are the product of nelC
looms, and woven by green hands, and
Tennessee girls at that. We regard Mr..
Morgan as judge of what he speaks of-he
has been over thirty years asucceSstul dry
goods merchant in Nashville, and is well
known in this city, being in some way con-
nected with the house Of Messrs. Evans,
Gardner Il Co., of New York, and Buck
ner, Gardner g. Co., of Nashville. He is
now seventy-three years old, but is still so
full of life and vigor as to be at his mill eve
ry day from 'early dawn" until the sun
goes down.
While in the dry goods trade Mr.. Nor
gan used to employ some of his time study
ing machinery, until finally he mastered the
art and became an expert, and now under
stands all the operations and the machinery
required in running mill, as few men oven
of his years do. He has ever been known
as true gentlemen Of sterling worth aud
high qualifications, and in his younger days
was ever ready in the march of enterprise
and progress to advance the interests of his
State; and now in his maturer years he raj
lies forth to renew the struggle, and is found
at his post of honor anxious and DESTROYS
W OLlAu up lAC AllOOl CytO y L
the South.
We have long advocated the erection of
cotton mills in the South, believing that
the shuttle should go to the plant rather
than carry the plant so long a distance to
the shuttle. Mr.. Morgan has been of our
mood of thinking, and has been identified
with other mills in bygone days, but until
within late years, manufacturing in the
South was uphill work.
Recently, a manufacturing company was
organized i'll Nashville, and having obtained
a grant Of fourteen acres Of land, with
houses and some other perquisites, they
went to work and raised sufficient to erect
a magnificent mill for the manufacture of
cotton goods, and made Mr.. S. D. Morgan
the President of the Association, which is
known as The Tennessee Manufacturing
Company.
We have now the first specimen of their
products in the Nashville sheetingS, and al
though not so heavy as the Atlantic, the
Indian Head, or the Appleton A, they are
made Of equally fine yarns and beautifully
woven. The goods are a credit to the
Tennessee girls. Eventually they will prove
a sore rival 20 the products of our New En-
gland mills, as they can be produced several
cents lower. The only fault we can find
with these Nashville sheetings is, that they
are made from cotton grown on the thirty
sixth degree of latitude, and are less free Of
specks than If made of cotton raised on the
thirty-second or thirty-third degree. The
goods weigh POI yards to the pound and
all offered were bought readily at 133 cents,
We believe they can be produced at II
cents at the mill. The company are now
adding 10: more looms to their number and
will soon have 256 of them in operation.
When the looms and weavers are properly
adjusted and drilled we expect to see the
company do much better. Already they
have done well, and we wish them success
in their laudable efforts to establish cotton
manufacturers in Tennessee.