The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-11-12
LETTER FROM MERIDIAN.
MER1pIAS, November 8, 1870

MEklDlANs NONEHlDCI Q, 1QsO.
DEAR CLARION: A suggestion in your
columns, last week, in reference to the es-
| Enlistment of Compress in Jackson,
| prompted me to occupy some leisure time
this morning in Fisiting the Meridian
Compress About the first man l met at
/ the Ragsdale House this morning, was Capt.
/ T. F. Pettus merchant at Newton Sta
/ ton, who informed me that he had quit
shipping cotton to New Orleans, having
+ found Meridian to be better market. The
/ V and NJ. road has made a rate of $l.O0
per bale from Newton to Meridian. The
Meridian cotton buyers pay the New Or
| leans quotations, and the seller is thus saved
the difference in freights, commissions,
storage, etc. l find many others here,
merchants and producers, who have made
the discovery that Capt. Pettus has There
are wagons loaded with cotton here to-day
/ from Winston and Neshoba, and one wagon
from within a few miles of Canton The
Meridian Compress has brought all this
about, and it will do like good work for
Jackson if her business men will put into
operation an enterprise which they have at
least favorably considered for some years.
/ The idea of establishing Compress here
was first seriously discussed in 1875. Mobile
was the market for this point. The freight
on cotton had been raised from $500 to
$500 per bale. Mr.. j. II. Gary purchased
a secondhand Compress, in Mobile, for
=, 900, which was put up in 1877. He
I ~
about five thousand bales; in 1878, about
$4,000 bales, including one shipment to Liv-
erpool direct; and this year, there will be
shipped from the Meridian Compress about
$4,000 bales, and the cotton buyers here
will handle altogether from A, 900 to 80, 900
bales. A powerful press, of one thousand
tons pressure, is. now being erected,
which will not only facilitate the
COMPRISING of cotton, but will mash a
bale into so small a package that it will be
ready for shipboard. This press was in use
at Memphis, and was purchased by the COM
pany here for $4,000. 1t will be ready for
work within ten days. 1t requires only
few minutes to press bale of cotton, and
the charge is 65 cents. The same bagging
and ties are used, except that the ties are
clipped in proportion the bale is pressed.
From A to 55 bales can be put on one car.
The freight charge is 40 cents per 100 lbs,
to New York, and SOC to Boston.
The owners of the Compress are Messrs
W. F. Brown, and Messrs J. H. Gary, Sr,
and j. H. Gary, Jr. A brick wall encir-
Giles about half an acre of ground. The
yard is now so crowded that it is difficult
he made sale yesterday of one thousand
bales to the Dwight Manufacturing Compa-
ny, Chicopee, Mass, the price being lis
cents delivered there. There are half
dozen or more buyers here representing the
Eastern Spinners, and there is ample capt.
tai here to buy up all the cotton as fast as
it comes to the market.
Favorably situated as Jackson is, COM
press there would attract cotton from a
large section of country. AS railroad
centre, it has advantages equal to Meridian,
while the surrounding country is much
more prolific of the staple. The navigation
of Pearl river would bring thousands of
OhiCS W CdCASOL, HOW " OdHlOH anu
to points on the V. & NJ. road.
THE MERIDIAN OIL MILL
Is about the biggest thing to be found here
The capital invested is about one hundred
thousand dollars, one-halfo of which is owned
by an oil merchant of Cincinnati. The
capacity of the mill is now being greatly
enlarged. The quantity of cotton seed
required to keep such a mill 10 operation
must be enormous.
THE MERIDIAN FURNITURE FACTORY,
OF A. B. Wagner is quite an extensive
establishment, and in the cheaper kinds of
furniture completes successfully with Louis
vile and Cincinnati The factory is run
ming small force just now, some of the
hands being on strike
| am informed that there is
NOT A VACANT HOUSE
in Meridian. An elegant opera house, and
eight brick stores have been erected this
season. The contract for a courthouse has
been awarded, the corner. stone of which
was to have been laid to-day, but in con-
sequence Of some misunderstanding the
ceremony has been deferred. Two female
Colleges and first class school for boys,
flourish here. The population must be
about four thousand.
THE FAIR GROUNDS,
on the southern side of the City, near the
Ragdale House, have been completed, and
the fair, under the new management, will
commence on Monday, 18th. Gov. COL
quit, of Georgia, will deliver an address on
Tuesday, 18th.
One of our Jackson boys-Lincoln P.
Browns among the busy and successful
merchants of Meridian. At his coy little
home, 1 found, in his young wife; the
daughter of my old friend DR.. Harmon, of
New Orleans.
Col Horn, on whom I did myself the
honor to call this morning, seems placid
under his defeat for the Senate He is one
of the Oldest, as well as one of the best edi-
tors in the State. Messrs. Shannon and
Powell, of the Homestead, are now publish
ing a daily, the Meridian News. Both
offices appear to be full of business,
Yours, LOGAN