The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-07-24
Location or Manufactures.

In looking over the manufacturing In
dustries of the United States, many
curious things might be observed in the
grouping Of industries. There are towns
that have peculiar facilities'for proour-
ing certain ~fabrieations, .as for instance,
Pittsburgh is by Nature provided with
coal and ores within easy reach for the
production of iron and steel. Syracuse
with Saline springs for the production
of salt. and Hayerstraw, n. Y. with
suitable clay for the manufacture of red
brick: but what special adaptation Troy
originally p~ossessedfor the manufacture
of shirts, collars and cuffs, or Worcester
for the manufacture of machinery, we
have been unable TO discover. Certain
&c is those cities have become famous
each for the special productions herein
cited, and according to present indiea-
tions they are likely 10 maintain their
advanced positions. Way up in the
north of Massachusetts, is the quiet vii.
LACE of Gardner, which ranks as the
greatest place for chair making IN Ann
erica, thongfrthere area hundred other
towns where bothlumber and transport
alton could be procured as we'll. Water
bury, Conn.,, is ahead Of any other town
In Che world in the quantity of brass and
copper annually rolled out into sheets,
though the metal to feed her hungry
furnaces must be obtained many hum
dred miles away. IL Miss Flora Nc
FIimsy could trace the elegant French
silk of her new dress back to the loom
upon which IL was woven, she would
often have tofoilow it mo further than
Paterson, n. il "the Lyons of Ann
erica" where more silk is produced than
in all the restjof our country, and Of as
good o texture as any imported, It is
sold Ct the factory for o domestic article.
.but the enterprising shopkeeper knows
full well that Miss Flora would turn up
her delicate little nose OF the suggestion
of robing her graceful form in anything
but O foreign fabric, andthe goods pass
over the counter at o high price as haV-
ingcome from the other side Of the At
lantic. Gloyersyille, n. Z. enjoys the
distinction of making gloves and mittens
for o large part, of This great nation.
Although far from being q large town,
IL contains dozens of. factories regularly
engaged in preparing. clothing for the
hands. Turning to carpets, we find;
that the most part Of them made in this
country come from o single ward Of the
great manufacturing city Of Philadel-
phia. The competition Of English car
pets in our markets has passed by long
ago. The paper-making business is cen.
tired in Holyoke, Mass, and Westield is
the crack place, for whips. Taunton,
Mass, SURPRISES all other towns in the
production Of tacks, and Attleboro in
cheap iewelry. Lynn is o city Of boot
and shoemakers, and in aggregate pro-
duction is only exceeded by Philadel-
phia. The old Bay State has more lead
ing towna for special manufactures than
any other in the Union. Danbury,
Conn, is noted for making more hats
than any other American town; and
somewhere in the broad meadows OF the
Connecticut Valley is the little village
of Easthampton, whose praises are rrng
in every cline as the greatest bell max
ing place on this side Of the ocean
Meriden, Conn.,, stands first and fore
most in the manufacture Of silyer-plated
ware, while New Britain bears the palm
for turning out builders Hardware, Il
was Seth Boyden, Of Newark, n. J.
chat discovered the process Of making
enameled leather, and in that city it's
manufacture is carried on to the great
est extent. Trenton comes TO the front
as the chief crockery making city, while
Pittsburgh, not content with being the
Iron City, makes, by far, the most glass.
Wheeling, West Va, stands first in the
production Of cut nails. Lowell and
Fall River strive with each other for the
mastery in producing the greatest
amount Of cotton goods, while Albany
and Troy contend with each other for
the supremacy in the manufacture OF
stoves. But why do manufacturing
establishments of the same kind con-
gregate in one place where no special
exists for carrying on that
particular kind Of business?
The success Of one pioneer induces
others to follow him, not only in imitat-
ing the industry, but in pitching upon
O location.
Again, skilled workmen are easy TO
obtain near other factories Of the same
kind, and this may outweigh the dis
advantages Of close competition. The
fact most strongly apparent in the rise
and progress OF QUE various manrfac-
tures is that enterprise, energy and tact
are more essential to success than the
natural advantages Of Q loeation.-Am-
erican Machfnfst.