The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-02-04
A MODEL MANUFACTURER; !;
THE ROMANCE OF COMMERCE. AS SHOWN IN
THE CAREER OF SIR TITUS SALT.
noudou Telegram. Dec. ao.)

Uondon Telegraph, Dec. 30)
With the death of Sir Titus Salt, baroneti
ends career which may not inaptly be said
| to belong to the romance of com merce, for
| the story of how the owner Saltaire made
| his fortune is indeed singular. Many years
ago there were consigned to firm of mer-
| chants in Liverpool several bales of some
strange hairy wool from Australia. No
body had ever seen the like Of it before; no
body thought much of it; and thus it lay
slowed away in a shed at the docks as
though it were so much lumber. 1t hap
pened one day that Mr.. Titus Salt, a small
manufacturer of Yorkshire, was in in Liv-
erpool, and, wandering about the docks, he
Glanced to come across tbis neglected con
sgnment of seeming rUbbish. He exam
ined it, ho 7ever, and asked if he might be
allowed to take some of it away with him.
OF course he obtained permission to carry
off as much as he pleased. What he did
with the samples thus procured need not
be told. Suffice it to say that he came
back again, offered to purchase the whole
of the " ru ubbish, ," and became it's possessor
for merely nominal SUN. This hairy
wool, this trash which no one would even
look at as marketable commodity, and of
which Mr.. Titus Salt secured the mono-
poly, was alpaca. Such was the way in
which the fortunes of the great msnufac-
turer and millionaire, who died at his seat,
Crowsnest near Halifax, yesterday, were
founded. For years Mr.. Salt and his fam
lily were the sole makers of that useful ma
terial which has grown to be something like
rival for cotton ; and on the strength of
the valuable patent they thus acquired they
built factory which, with extensions, has
become one of the largest in En- and.
THIS huge hive of industry, conspicuous
as 1T is to the eye of the passing traveller
is not, however, the most remarkable fea-
ture of Saltaire. Surrounding the vast fac
10
many thousand inhabitauts, every
one of whom of working age is somehow
employed at the big alapaca mill. Sir Titus
Salt was the sole landlord of this busy com
munity, and the manner in which he
discharged his responsibilities as such ie
one of the most notable facts of his times.
At his own expense and under his personal
supervision he provided everything that
seemed necessary for the moral and mate
rial we'll being of this little Kingdom. He
built for his people baths and wash houses,
schools and places of recreation he erected
mechanics institute, the appointments o.
which will compare with those of fash
ionable club; and he also caused to be con-
structed chapel attached to the Congre-
gationlist body, of which all that can be
said in the way of objection is that it is
only too splendid. Saltaire, in short, has
been established on what may be called q
basis o. practical philanthropy, while a
laadabie attempt to guard the morals of its
Inhabitants has been made in the rigid ex-
cIusion from the place of all public traffic
in intoxicating liquor. In these things Sir
Titus Salt both meant we'll and did we'll.
Personally he was an intelligent, kind
hearted man, progressive politician, a
muniicent contributor to public charities,
and Jealous promoter of popular educa.
tiop. His life has been useful in mapy
Eays. He made his fortune by the intro
nDctiDn Of q nRafUl and UaIuahla nH
ity, and he spent large portion of it in
doing substantial good TO those he at once
employed and served. In the history of the
manufacturing industry of Eogland few
names will have 80 high place of honor as
that of Titus Salt.