The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-03
South Carolina Cotton Mills.

An instructive correspondence from
Greenville, S. c., to the New York Times
gives US some interesting facts and figures
touching our Carolina cotton factories.
The correspondent, in speaking of TIE
progress of the mills, says:
The chief obstacle in the way of sue
cess was the scarcity Of competent ope-
ratives, but with the aid of a few taken
from Northern mills, sufficient number
of young native women and men have
been taught to feed and direct the ma
chimes. We are told the Piedmont Com
pany's book shows the following profits
on sales for the fiscal year ending March
81, 1876: New York, S9,4O1.5S; Boston,
yarns, Sl0,6l9.64 F.; Baltimore, &,lS0.12;
local, S24,32O.04; all other sources, S5,-
16S.46.
A visit to the several establishments
within the past week ELECTED the follow
ing interesting particulars
The Langley Manufacturing Company,
incorporated in 1870; capital of S45O, 900.
Its mill is in the town of Langley, Aiken
County, on the Charleston and Augusta
Railroad. $50 horse power; spindles TO-
$50; looms 92S; hands 325. Consumes
monthly 450 bales of cotton, with an
average production of 59S,0OO yards Of
shirting, sheeting and drilling. Trade
brisk; prospects very encouraging.
Glendale Mill, on Enoree River, six
miles east of Spartanburg. Horse power,
at low water, $50; spindles 5000; looms
120; hands 125. Weekly consumption
40 bales of cotton, with average produc-
ton $4,000 yards shifting, sheeting, and
drilling per week. Trade better than in
FIVE years. About caught up with orders.
Reedy River Mill. on Reedy River,
four miles from Greenville. Spindles
1000; looms 4S; hands so. Average,
production daily $500 yards sheeting and
300 pounds yarn. Capital S47,500.-
Trade local and very lucrative.
Granitevile Mills, on Horse Creek,
near town of Graniteville. Horse power
$50; spindles 10000; looms 300; hands
24O. Monthly consumption las, 90 pounds
cotton. Average production 100000
yards sheeting and drilling. A short
time ago the company also purchased
1900 acres of land, and the water power
used by the Vauclause Mill, burned in
1874, and built q new mill of granite
and brick which is being rapidly supplied
with the most approved machinery, and
will soon commence operations. The
dam for this new mill is built of granite,
and measures 342 feet in length. The
expenses for the latter were paid from
surplus funds and without an increase of
the capital stock-which is 100000.
Trade reported good for the season.
Piedmont Mills; capital, 1896, 900, on
Saluda River, Greenville and Columbia
Railroad, about II miles from Greenville.
Spindles, $4,000; looms, $50; hands, 275.
Consumes daily is bales of cotton, with
an average of 10000 yards of cloth and
1900 pounds of yarn. The water power
is unusually fine. 1t has been estimated
that pressure of $4,000 cubic feet of
water per minute can be easily obtained,
which would be amply sufficient 10 work
100000 spindles. The company's books,
on March 81, 1879, exhibited surplus as
sets over all liabilities amounting to $685.
500, and S56,6S4 gross profits for the pre-
ceding twelve months. Plans have been
drawn and preparations are being made
10 erect another building without delay,
which is to contain room and machinery
for $4,000 more spindles.
Camperdown Mills, ON Reedy River,
Greenville; capital S3OO,0O0; spindles,
$4,000; hands, 260. Consumes weekly
100 bales of cotton, with an average pro-
duction of $4,000 pounds of yarn. The
mill produces very superior yarn, much
sought after in local markets. Bleaching
and dyeing establishments have been re-
Gently added with gratifying results.
Trade reported satisfactory.
The Westminster Thread Mandatory
is owned by machinist named Stribling
and few well-to-do farmers residing in
the vicinity of Westminster-a small
station on the Air Line Railroad, in Oco-
nee County. They commenced opera
tions about one year ago in a two-story
wooden building, with small capital.
The machinery used is known as the
Clement attachment, which transforms
seed cotton into very superior thread.
Various superiorities are claimed for this
invention, which are open to doubt, but
nobody can dispute its labor-saving quail
tiles. The laborious task of ginning
and packing the cotton after it is picked
is entirely dispensed with. The local
demand exceeds this mills production.
In addition to those already named,
there are two more-the Saluda and
Batesville-factories; the former is near
Columbia, and the latter at Batesville,
Lexington County. They produce about
the same quantity and quality of goods
as the Reedy River Mill. Both appear to
prosper.