The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-09-25

you to put your money in a cotton mill, IS
simply because it is an honest business and I'M
mensely profitable. Why we came down here,
is because this place presents many advantages.
The water power above (95 feet fall and 1,6OO
cubic feet per minute) is ample to give employ
ment to double the capital we propose to start
on. Itmay be utilized at very small expense
remarkably small-you practical men, who
have not examined for yourselves, will no
doubt be surprised when tell you that the
water can be carried to the water-wheel for the
sum of $500, dam, race and all included, and
the buildings put in safe place-sate from
floods. Just here, looking at the location OF
this building (the present mill house) you
might be inclined to doubt this statement as
to the safety of the Factory buildings, as you
no doubt regard this point as much exposed to
floods, yet this building exposed as it is, has
withstood many high floods, and will probably
remain. But in my judgment there are better
and safer localities on this Shoal for your Fac
tory buildings. Here you need never expect
to be stopped day after day by floods, washing
away your dam, for you will need none. Ice
will never impede your work mot peculiar to
this place. This I regard as reliable, (all
the year round, safe and reasonably cheap site
for cotton mill. Your machinery will be
propelled by water power, which is much
cheaper motor in the South than steam. why
do steam cotton mills compete with water mills
in the North? The principal reasons are !: fuel
is cheap and must be used largely for both
classes of mills; for five months in the year
the buildings must be warmed, and this can be
more econ Domically done in steam propelled
mills than water mills. Water powers are
utilized to such an extent in the Northern and
Eastern States, that water privileges are high
,ly expensive. On the Merrimac River, in
Massachusetts,, where eleven millions of dollars
are invested in manufacturing cotton, de-, the
Canal Company who provide and lease the wa
ter privileges, have expended over twenty
thousand dollars in experimenting to deter
mine the most accurate way of gauging the
water used by those who patronize them. The
formula for gauging water have been reduced
to great accuracy, the most stringent regula-
tions adopted and heavy penalties inflicted for
using more water than allowed. For several
months during the year this Merrimac River is
one unbroken sheet of ice for thirty miles +;
flowing water is not seen, it passes beneath tho
ice into the water wheels, which are located in
houses mot mere shelters, but brick or stone
houses) highly heated by steam. These motors
are as snugly covered up as some tender crea-
ture who feared the cold. This is the famous
Lowell, and these precautions are used all over
the Northern, and Eastern States in the winter.
Is it surprising, then, that steam may compete
with water power that we hear of steam mills
of large capacity built along side of water
mills, and working nearly as economically?
We think not. Yet with all these great draw
backs, no man ever builds a steam mill when
water power can be had ample to do the work
all the year round, and within few miles of a
railroad.
Now, how stands it with us in the South? =?
Shall we use steam or water power? In view
of our great advantages, the abundance OF wa
ter power, the necessity for fires only three
months in the year and the small amount OF
fuel required for manufacturing purposes, as a
general reply I would say, let us utilize our
water powers. There may be peculiar circum-
stances existing which would modify this opin-
ion. IF it is desired to locate mill in town,
that it may benefit the merchants and property
holders, and other surroundings being favora-
ble-such as cheap fuel, railroad facilities
and che shareholders are willing to sacrifice at
least one-fourth of their profits for the benefit
of the property holders and others, then it will
be we'll to go there and use steam.
Fellow-Citizens, we are not here to-day op-
posing any project, which will build up and
increase your County town. We, as citizen
of Anderson County, heartily desire this, and
will contribute to this end in any way that we
NAV be able. We do not desire to council or
advise in any way the abandonment OF any
project begun or conceived of elsewhere in the
County; but we would suggest to you-you
controlling spirits of Anderson Court House
that the master stroke which will enhance the
prosperity of your town thousand fold more
than any cotton factory built there, and which
will ensure cotton mills in the future, will be
the completion of the Railroad across the
mountains. See to it that this work is COM
pleted, and your success is established.
Now, what we propose is but the initiation
of the grand scheme proposed by one of An
derson's gifted citizens. We do not intend to
be satisfied with only sixty thousand dollars
We want twice this amount. Give us sixty
thousand dollars to go to work on, and we
think that you will soon see that you.had bet
ter put two dollars where you have only one
The prospect of the cotton crop is highly ia
yorable, and there must be large amount of
money seeking investment in this country the