Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1880-02-06
FUTURE OF THE MACHINE.

Courier Journal
We are permitted to print
the following letter from E,E.
Whitfield, Esq; the owner and
patentee ofthe Clement Attach
ment, to a gentleman of Benton
county, Miss, in which he an
swers every possible question
with reference to his great in
vention. The letter will fully
satisfy those who have recently
addressed inquiries to the Cou-
Tier-Journal with reference to
the Clement Attachment:
The LETTER.
CoRINTH, Miss. Jan. II, 1850.
y. NJ. Johnson, Hickory Flat, Jeaton con-
ty, Misa.:
Your esteemed favor of the
twenty-seventh ultimo is receiv-
ed and contents noted.
| first heard of the new pro-
cess for converting seed cotton
directly into yarns about FIVE
years ago, through Bishop
Payne, of Aberdeen, Miss. l
became deeply Interested, for I
had attempted to make some
thing of the kind during the war,
and failed for want of skilled
machiniets, who were all in the
army or engaged in government
shops. learned that Lewis T.
Clements, the inventor, had
been dead some time. l went
to Middle Tennessee, saw his
heirs, saw the original machine,
became interested to the extent
of one-third, employed skilled
workmen, and in six months
completed the present attach
ment, which l named after the
great ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
1t was run for a few days with
closed doors, and did better
than l had hoped for. 1 saw it
was a success, and the next
thing was to secure it from pi-
rates. For this purpose l took
it into the mountains of North
Alabama, where, with a good
machine shop and foundry and
skillful artisans, IN twelve
months it was brought to its
present state CT perfection, and
several additional patents Sc
cured.
l am grateful at the conf
dence and interest you feel and
take in this enterprise, SO i'm
portant to our impoverished
South, and will with my stabili-
ty answer your bakers dozen"
of interrogatories.
FirSt-Is there a special fac
tory established to manufacture
these machines2 If so, at what
place, and at what priceP
Answer made arrange
ments with R. NJ. Avery, a gin
stand maker in Memphis, Tenn,
to make attachments. He died
of yellow fever in 1873. Then
l got the Carver Gin and Ma
chine Company of the same
city to make them. Had a few
made IN North Alabama. but
have lately made arrangements
with the Bredesbury Manufac-
turing Company (ofice No. O.
North Front street, Philadel-
phia, to make complete sets of
new process machinery, with all
the latest improvements. The
hrst entire new set made by
them was for T. A. Barnes. Sc
nola, Ga, who writes me his
mill will be in operation by the
first of March next. Mr.. Tohn
S. Stribling, in Westminster,
5 C., has promised me to have
n shop started in South Carroll
ma or Georgia, especially for
making attachments and chang
es on the card, and Ultimately
the cards, drawing frames,
speeder and spinning frame, etc.
The cost for an entire set ofnew
machinery at Bredesbury's
would be about s4ooo,and if
bought part new and balance
good secondhand machinery.
it can be had for about s25oo or
$1,000. Two or more sets
bought at once would be some
IS per cent cheaper.
Second-How many spindles
to one attachment?
Answer-Four hundred spin
dies for yarns numbering from
eight to fourteen, and 40 to
500 for yarns numbering from
fourteen to Twenty-Five. .
Third-How many pounds
seed cotton used in a ten-hcur
run?
Answer-From $50 to 700
pounds, as to quality of machin-
cry and thread.
Fourth-How much floor
space does one machine occu-
Ply?
Answer-One entire Set of
machinery requires 400 square
feet of steady floor, and an at
tic room for feed-table, cleanser
and temporary supply of seed
cotton.
Fifth What steam power will
drive one machine?
Answer-Seven to eight
horse power is ample for one
set of machinery; and all other
things being equal, a reliable
water power is So to So 20 per
day cheaper than steam when
wood is worth sI.75 per cord.
Sixth-How many hands,
and what kind and the duty of
each to tend one of the ma
chimes?
Answer.-Seven to eight op-
eratlves are necessary to at
tend one entire set Of machine
ry, all women and girls over
ten years old, and would be f!