The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-03-29

MANY INTERESTING PARTICULARS

From the Essex County Press, Newark, N. J.l
At the foot of Clark Street, in the Eighth
Ward of the city Of Newark, on the banks
ground, upon which are buildings the floor
ing of which measures nearly eight acres,
are situated the largest thread works in the |
New World, employing about fifteen hun
dred hands and paying out every two weeks |
from sixteen to twenty thousand dollars in |
wages, to be distributed by the employees
among different classes and occupations in |
the city, and from fifteen to twenty thou |
sand per month to other parties here, who,
in various ways, are connected with this
vast establishment. Although having the
largest pay roll Of any employers in New
Jersey, and contributing more to the well
fare and prosperity OF the city than all its
financial Institutions combined, we hear less
in the newspapers of this world of wealth
makers than of some secondclass money
lending shop on Broad Street 1t would be
useless for any one to attempt to trace to
their source all the varied industries which
have entered into the production of Clark's
go. N. T." Spool Cotton, which is sold by
every merchant dealing in dry goods, fancy
goods, hosiery, notions, ETC., in the United
States, and contains two hundred yards OF
that indispensable article, strong, smooth
and beautiful. tits made up of
NEARLY FoRTY.Two MILLION DoUBLINGs,
and yet is so fine as to be hardly visible a
few inches from the naked eye. The inn
mense capital invested in The Clark Thread
Company's Works and the vast volume of
business, amounting to several millions per
annum, extending to every part of the
United States, is one of the principal sources
of Newark's prosperity. What it is and the
blessings which flow from it, are not realized
by one in thousand of the people who
dwell within the sound of their tower bell.
Notwithstanding the large amount of money
which the establishment was to pour into
the hands of every merchant and trader in
the city, as events have shown, the first thing
which the City Fathers did when these
works were being erected was to tax the
bricks and material not yet shaped into
buildings. 1t was on a parswith the intelli-
gence and appreciation of the
REAL SOURCES OF WEALTH,
usually exhibited by the average politician.
Had 1t been some trust company or curb.
stone broker that asked exemption, it would
probably have been granted. Some idea of
| the value Of these works TO the community
| may be had by an illustration of q thing
which might really happen at any time.
The Clark Thread Company employ, as
stated, about fifteen hundred persons, pay
| ing out to them sixteen to twenty thousand
dollars every two weeks. These hun.
dreds of hands pay out that money to the
butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clothier,
the dry goods merchant, and all who have
anything to sell get part of it in some
way, either directly or indirectly. From
their hands it goes to pay debts, meet OBJ.
legations and fill the channels of trade with
the circulating medium called money, and
which is to business what blood is to the
human system, giving it life, animation
and power. Suppose tonight these works
were
DESTROYED BY FIRE.
They are fully insured. The Clark Three nd
Company receive their insurance in cash
from their underwriters. They say to
themselves: Cuisines is dull sales are
uncertain, profits are small, the future is
unknown, and our taxes are heavy. The
vast business requires close attention and
persistent energy. We will not take this
money and rebuild the works, but adopt
the plan pursued by most moneyed men
viz: 60 to Washington, buy government,
bonds, bring them home, put them in tin
ease, eat, drink and be merry, with nc
thought of care, supported in luxury with
out risk by the interest on our bonds, PAID
by taxation of the producing classes" Car
any man calculate the wide spread ruiz
which would follow such calamity anC
course OF action by the Clark Thread Com
pany? 1t would be incalculabls. All tbos,
people who earned money to purchase wha
they wanted to buy, would be added to tn,
list OF paupers who to-day ciamor for worl
or bread. Misery, want,
STARVATION AND CRIME
would be the fruit of such a course. Blu
this is exactly what has been done through
out the country, and explains why one il
twelve in Newark are to-day supported b,
the city. The productive capital of tn
country, which employed our now idle mil
lions, has been put into government bonds
and appalling restitution and want are Of
every hand, and increasing at fearful rate
Labor is the source OF all wealth and pros
perity, and there Is no loss equal to tina
which follows enforced idleness Of tn
, producing classes. There is no music s
iull of JOY and peace and good will to me-
as the song of labor and the music of ms
chinery. Better far that all other songs b
hushed and every note be stiIled, rathe
than those, and to them we now introduc
the reader.
ON THE DOCK
of The Clark Thread Company, which
FIVE hundred feet long, is mountain of tw
or three thousand tons OF coal, drawn on
of boats at the wharf by a donkey engine
and the bales of cotton find their way iron
the same wharf to the brick house, for tn
storage of that precious material, one poun
; of which will make one hundred miles O
thread, containing about forty-two milliol
doublings. The mind cannot grasp tn
numerical fact But four grades of cottol
are ordinarily used in the manufacture o
Clark's 60. N. T." Spool Cotton, and know
as "Sea Island Cotton" This comes prin
cipally from South Carolina and is grow
on the small islands along the coast. Con
siderable is raised on the peninsulas an,
around the bays and inlets, but it is no
equal to that of the Sea Islands, which is tn
finest in the world; The first bag Of this Sc
Island cotton of the crop Of 1875 was pui
chased by The Clark Thread Company a
fifty cents per pound. The inland cotton ]
not used in the manufacture of thread
being too short in the fiber. On these Sc
Islands were the richest planters of tn
South in
THE OLD SLAVE DAYS,
many Of them having as high as six hun
dred slaves, and compared with whom tn
feudal lords of England were children il
luxury, hospitality and elegance. But to
day ell is changed. Those vast estates ar
cut up into small plantations, many o
them owned by the negroes, who now cal
no man master. They bring in their sea
sons product sometimes on q mule ant
again In large quantities. Brokers on tn,
ground or at the landings buy and pay tn
negroes for their cotton, often dividing tn
money according to the labor performed il
raising the crop. Some lease the land o
the former owners, but the old state o
things is "dun clar' gone" This trade an,
traffic, IL may be fairly expected, will in
few years largely increase the wealth an,
intelligence OF the race in these localities.
THE SEA ISLAND COTTON
brings treble the price of inland. An acr
will produce in the neighborhood of thre
hundred and fifty pounds OF seed cotton
which when ginned weighs about seventy
FIVE pounds, or one to FIVE. The negroe
beyond doubt will eventually grow all tn,
cotton, as not one in FIVE Of the Northern
men have thus far succeeded in their at
tempts. Let the reader remember that W,
have not looked at single piece Of ma
| A LEA. aI... L.