The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-22
From the Brooklyn Union.l
Among The Looms.
NOTES OF A GREAT COTTON MILL
THE BEST OF ITS CLASS I'm
THE WORLD.
The Continen tai Hill at lie vyisf0n, Maine
A Glimpse at the Establishment
and its Workers.

announcement of the space appropriated to
Maine in the Centennial Exposition, adding
that Lewiston would occupy the larger share
devoted to the display of the industries of
Maine. A few hours of winter visit to tn is
region have given the writer some IDEA of the
reasons for such statement as the above,
growing out of the position of this lusty young
Manchester of the Far-Down East. Lewiston,
with the adjoining town of Auburn, on the
other side of the Androscoggin River, makes
an industrial settlement, one to the eye and in
effect, second only in population to Portland,
among Maine cities; a beehive of manufactur
ing industry. And what is true of Lewiston
helps make up the notable fact of Maine, that
no other state has so well rode out the panic
and depression; nowhere else is labor more at
peace with capital and thrift and general pros
perity following the union of these interests.
The foundation fact of Lewiston is its mag
nifcent WATERPROOF the Androscoggn River
being one of the working streams of New Eng.
land. 1t is noteworthy how soon the early set
tiers of New England began to seek out the
water powers Of the wilderness. The first adj
venturous white men who sought these falls of
the Androscoggin pledged their scalps with The
red men, and had close work in saving their
hair. These falls are thirty miles from the
sea- have a natural fall of thrty-eight feet, and
descent of fifty feet in 600 horizontal feet es-
timuted as ample for 100000 spindles; 135 bill
ion feet of water are annually discharged
through this channel, the drainage of 900 square
miles. 1t is estimated thai this single Maine
river has power enough to run 3,747 600 spin
dies, in the distance from Rumford Falls to
Brunswick. A pretty substantial pledge of the
prosperity of Lewiston SO far as that is based
on its lmitless water-power. The naiads of
these streams are no loiterers now.
Visited yesterday the great Continental Mill,
mammouth establishment, pronounced the
finest mill of its class in the world, and for this
there is the evidence not only of our own coun-
trymen who have seen the mills from this
country and Europe, but of travellers from
Great Britain, who concede that nothing in
the old world equals in what goes to make its
perfection, this great establishment.
The vast building is shapely and handsome
without any deliberate attempt at architectural
display. Practically and common sense seem
to have ruled in the details. Everything has
that first quality, even of all that is shown in
archtecture-utiity. The great towers that at
its angles and midway its immense length break
the sameness of the tall facades are for the
utility of safeness and access as they relieve the
floors from openings and passages and carry the
stairways, elevators and fire appliances. The
main mill structure strikes you first by its per-
feet symmetry, deceiving you as to its immense
size, and you are astonished to learn that it has
seven hundred and eighty-seven feet of frontage,
with an average of seventy-fve feet in depth
with six full floors, the whole best described as
giving an area of over eight acres-a good-sized
farm where land is dear. In addition to the
main structure there are three extensions that,
occupy the inner area, and line of great fire.
proof cotton houses, shops and storehouses at
the back of the grounds. The whole general
arrangement is generous, yet compact, liberal,
while studously convenient. 1t was planned
throughout by one of the, most .skilful mill
wrights in the world.
The exclusive manufactures of the Contnen-
tai mills are sheetings and shirtings, the con-
sumption being about $4,000 bales per annum
or about 100000 pounds producing 100000
yards of cloth annually in thirty-sx and forty.
inch goods, their chief staples being known to
the trade as Continental Cs and Ds The Con-
tinental G is 36 inches wide and 81 yards to the
pound; both pure cotton.
Leaving the breakfast table at the Dewitt
House, L took a look through Lewiston in
morning sleighride and, after an hours expert
ence, was more than willing to exchange out
doors Tor indoors, and a seighride for a stroll
Shrough the Continental Mill and grounds. Our
beginning was with the great fre-proof ware
houses, stored with cotton in bales, heaped to
the roof with the great staple that has made SO
much figure in the worlds history. Much of
this IS received by the Grand Trunk Railway
through Canada, from the Mississippi River
and Gulf markets. 1t is interesting to hear
from an expert some of the salient facts of the
cotton trade, such as the difference in the
strength and life of the fibre depending on the
perfection of growth in the plant affected by
soil, season and cultivation. 1t is hard to cheat
nature, and the cotton boil is particularly wide
aWaketolts ow interests, as growers and factors
know. But this is not lecture Oh cotton. We
go into the mill with The cotton bale and see
Wnere Its troubles commence among the pick
ers, not now darkey man or woman with a
oasKet, out higher type of the machine
thresner, vigorous, whistling rowdy among
machlnes with an immense power of jaw and
nnger, Each OF these six duplex pckers chew
up 5OOO pounds of cotton daily, taking it from
the coarse field flock and leaving it after its
drst cleaning in rolled laps like batting.
linen Twelve hnlsher pIckers repeat the process
more carefully, still more nearly clean the sta
pie, rolling three laps into one. Then come
tne breaker cards. 2S8 in number, then to the
59z nnlsher Cards, from which it comes off In
hlmy sheet, delivered finally into drawings,
where we have the the first suggestion of
thread, and where begins what is never con-
cluded until the product leaves the mill, care
full surveillance, guarded by all that mechanism
and trained human nerves and muscles can Sc
cure Nothing is left to chance or to venture.
| After the drawing comes the "roving." where
| by the cotton passes from thick, loose, mar
| row roll, first into coarse, light twists; then
through such varied processes OF spinning and
twisting as fit the thread for its destiny in the
| Web And you will see how this destiny varies
when you understand, as bit of cloth will sug-
| gess to you, thai the warp has strong twist,
| the filling far less or just enough for the
81 $3.50 ring spindles; the filling by So $40 mule
| spindles. The warp and the filling have each