The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-02-04
THE YARN MILLS.
Some Interesting Facts and Figures About
this Great Invention-Eoney for the South.
Atlanta Constitution.

at1a1IISt NOIlSllICl1Ou'
In writing recently Of the re.
suits Of the experiment Of the
proprietors ofthe model little yarn
mill at Westminster, S. c., we
were led into making some ap.
proximate comparisons Of the
amount Of money that would be
saved TO the planters and to the
South, if each neighborbood work
ed it's cotton into yarn before
sending to market. In the very
nature OF things, the figures we
used could be only approximately
correct, but they were based upon
the results Of the Westminster
yarn factory, which are unde-
niably correct. Thus, tor instance,
the yarns are spun from the seed
cotton. This fact, which is a fact,
annihilates, the cost Of cotton-gin,
packing, screws, bagglng and ties.
Annihilates, did We say? On the
contrar' the cost-the expense Of
keeping the gins in order and of
employing labor to run them, the
cost Of bagging and ties-is in
moment turned into ready cash,
which the farmer retains in his
pocket. This is the first and i'm
mediate result of the new process.
Let US, in this connection, present
some more figures that are at least
approximately correct. At the
very lowest estimate, the services
of one hundred thousand gins are
required to aid in preparing a crop
Of 100000 bales Of cotton in
market. We will assume, there
fore, that there are 100000 gin-
houses in the South, and that
these gin-houses are worth $3.50
each. Some are worth more and
some less, but We will roughly es-
innate their worth at $3.50, which
makes the value of the Southern
gin-houses s75,0OO,0O0. How Of
ten does this property have to be
renewed. We can give no figures
here, but it is sufficient to say
that from the lst of September,
1874, to the 1st of September,
1875, the newspapers Of Georgia
chronicled the burning OF l46 gin
houses. The chronicle was kept
by two papers, the Columbus En-
quirer and the Savannah Nelvs,
and the first made the number l46
and the latter 136-if we remem-
Der correctly. Add to this th
that were never reported to the
newspapers and we bave 1856 gin
houses burned in Georgia in one
year. From February, 1872, to
September, 1873, according to q
tolerably careful list Kept by one
of the editors of the Savannah
News, there were l57 gin houses
destroyed in Georgia by fire. This
is q terrible record, but every sue
ceeding year has added to the list,
and scarcely day passes that our
exchanges do not chronicle the
destruction Of one or more gin
houses. 1t must be obvious, there
fore, that to any estimate of the
value CT the 100, 900 gin-houses in
the South must be added the cost
Of renewing them more frequent
ly than any other species of prop
e:ty. This may be called the risk,
and amounts to considera bic
per cent. of the s75, 100000, though
how much we shall not undertake
TO say. Another fact to be taken
into consideration is that this
property is in use on an average
only one month of the twelve
which is equivalent to paying a
years interest on sum of money
for the privilege Of using it one
month.
The thoughtful reader can make
estimate fitted to his inform alton.
We have merely given the cue;
but any estimate must show a.
terrible array Of figures to offset
the profits Of the cotton crop, and
the waste is worse than the drain.
Just here the Westminster pro.
cess steps in between the planter
and his gin-houses, and by abol-
ishing the latter and rendering
their renewal useless, puts seven
ty.fve millions in the empty
pockets Of the South. But this is
not all. At low estimate it costs
the planter $3.50 to prepare his
bale of cotton for market after 1t
is ginned-to dress it in an appro-
pirate suit Of bagglng and bind it
with ties. Let US say, then, that