The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-12
Gree,,rille Chronicle.

portant Meeting OF the Stocknoiuers.
Greeasrille Chronicle.
1t was our privilege and pleasure to be
present on Thursday last at q special
meeting of the stockholders of the Pied
mont Manufacturing Company, at the
counting room of the Company, at Pied.
mont. The early morning train brought
us to the picturesque village at half past
eight, in company with a number of the
nabobs of that wealthy corporation
Leading from the depot to the mill is q
broad street, which, after a few hundred
yards from the railroad, is lined with
neatly built framed tenement houses, in
which dwell the operatives of the mill
and other employees of the company.
The party preferred walking instead of
taking seats in the vehicles which met
them at the depot, the road being in fine
condition and the walk short and pleas
ant, and all were anxious to leisurely
view the beauties and improvements of
the town that have sprung up within the
past several years as if by spontaneous
growth. Piedmont is the centre gem in
the crown of South Carolina industry
sparkling jewel that adorns the head of
Southern manufacture-and bright and
shining emblem of the grand future of
Southern manufacturing interests. On a
hill on the left, in entering the village,
stands splendid church, recently erected
by the company at a cost of 1900
Near by is commodious school house in
course of construction. On the top of a
high hill, overlooking the factory, count
ing room, two stores, large cotton ware
house, and seventy-eig bit tenement houses,
is the place where mine host Thackston
and his good lady treat strangers after the
regular Piedmont fashion-pare excellence
with many boasted metropolitan hotels.
We come next to the handsomely built
and well appointed brick counting room
of the company, the business headquarters
of President Hammett, and the Office of
the book-keeper and Secretary of the
company, Mr.. W. G. Perry. Col. Ham
NETT receives the party with smiles of
welcome and evident good humor, and
the stockholders and visitors are soon on
tour of inspection through and about
the Factory, observing the improvements
going on and enjoying the life of the day.
The factory is running with full force,
and the rattle and hum of machinery,
the quick step and nimble motion of fseY-
eral hundred operatives, and the noise of
enormous turbine water wheels, betoken
the thrift of Lowell or Fall River. Plac-
ing ourself under the special protection
of Mr.. Ed. Hammett, who has charge of
the shipping department, we are shown
through the immense establishment from
top to bottom, and from beginning to end.
To do this consumes about forty minutes,
allowing time to notice the different kinds
of machinery in use, and the different
stages through which the cotton has to
pass in its conversion from raw lint into
bolts and packed bales of sheeting and
shirting for market. During this forty
minutes, or in less time, perhaps, we are
told that bale of cotton is made into
cloth ready for the commercial market
About an average of 20 bales of cotton,
weighing 420 pounds to the bale, are
made into goods per day. The number
of spindles steadily at work is 10,620;
number of looms, 24O, and the number
of carders, 1856. The result of days
work is 1900 yards of cloth and about
$500 pounds of yarn. Three hundred
operatives are employed in the various
departments. The factory is run under
the superintendency of Mr.. Steele, ma
tive of Scotland and a gentleman of large
and varied experience in the business.
The weaving department is under the
charge of Mr.. q. T. Mckinney; the
chief of the carding department is Mr..
James F. Her, and the boss spinner is
Mr.. J. D. Tice. Everything moves with
complete regularity and not moment of
time is lost. The vast machinery is pro-
PEELED by enormous iron band-wheels
moved by two 60 inch turbine water
wheels of the Lefell make. The water
power is considered by the Superinten-
dent amply sufficient to run q mill of
double the capacity, except in times of
great drought, when steam power is
brought into requisition. The steam en-
gineer is Mr.. John Lyons, who defes the
approach of dry weather-even droughts
like that of last summer, which lasted
eleven consecutive weeks. The Pied
mont Factory is power in the land, and
its grand dimensions cannot be compre-
hended from a mere synoptical descrip-
ton. Among the important improve
ments now under way is the water works
intended to make the factory secure
against destruction by fire. A large res
eryoir, walled in with brick, and to be
cemented, has been sunk at the top of
the hill overlooking the factory. This
will be connected with the building by
large cast iron piping, which is now being
laid to connect with pipes running into
each room. Every room has its hose and
automatic sprinklers. With this arrange
ment the building is considered safe
The fall from the reservoir to the ground
floor of the building is about one hundred
feet, afording wonderful power. The
reservoir will be filled with water from
the Saluda by means of huge pump
attached to the mill wheels. The self
acting sprinklers placed in each room are
turned on by the heat itself in case of fire
when no one is present. The arrange
ment is simple, though effective, and this
improvement is one of great value to the
property.
= At Il o'clock m. the stockholders as
sembled at the counting room, the follow
ing of their number being present: l.. ID;
Mowry, VIM. Lebby, Q. A. Chisolm and
E. L. Cottenet, of Charleston; Il. L..
Mclaughlin, J. N. Martin, Newberry;
w. II. Baldwin, Jr., Joseph S. Hopkins,
Baltimore; o. II. Sampson, Boston >.
A. Gregg, Florence; J. P. Kennedy, Due
West; George A. Shields, Columbia; /;
Hamlin Beattie, Alexander McBee, T..
@. Donaldson, A. R. Steele, w. F. Thack-
ston. w. T. Davis, Greenyille.