Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-08-05
'N2sc FasssaaTe2 Seed tEaad Eep-
vcHoNsh 4: Ifaa'ivisag City.

SpnlNGE1ELD, o., July 27.-1t was my
good fortune "to stop over ut thto poins
in the course Of tircso,ne journey to cooler
ATTITUDES. [ say good fortune because the
visit gave mo an opportunity to look at a
town that owes it's prosperity aud rich
promise solely to its own industry. The
town is something over seventy years old,
but down to its Gtticth year it had no am
bition, orif it bad any, il was of that
vague and dreamy sort that plans but
never executes. II was simply confo,ta
bic county town in fertile section. 1t
very gradually grew, as trading poiuts and
courthouse sites do grow, until at tho end
OF fifty years it contained perhaps five
thousand people. L. was not oven strong
enough TO attract railroads. Tho English
capitalists that built the long road which
connects Cincinnati with the oil regions,
would not dcflcct their line two miles in on
open level country to touch its limits. They
considered a little depot out among the
surrounding farms sufficient.
But all this has been changed. The slccpy
country town hus beoomc wealthy pros
porous city, railroad lines have been built
for It's especial use, and tho managers Of all
near at hand roads are glad to place tracks
at tho very doors of the crowded waro
houses. Tho village population has iucreas
cd to twenty three thousand, and the
activity i'll building is not exceeded in tho
State. Another decade will surely double
and it may treblo, its population And ali
this remarkable prosperity, present and TO
como, has overtakcn town that has no
stream as large as pcachtree Creek, no
available wator power at all, that is eighty
miles distant FROM iron or coal mines. md
that was not naturally placed in tho stream
of travel or traffic.
Iho story OF its rise aud progress is very
plain and simple. About twenty years ago
a very vcrdant and ungainly lad came to
tho Sleepy Hollow from neighborins farm
with his clear head full of an ideal rcapcr.
Tic had no money, no powerful friends, but
he had found a kindred spirit in local
carpenter, who vas both popular man and
an excellent workman. The partner had
no money, but the two struggled along to-
gothcr IN very insecure way, making
during the year dozen or so machines,
THY called them from tho start "Cham-
pion,' 80 great was their faith in the work.
About this timo ono of Spripgfclde earliest
gold seekers returned from California, with
1.-Two thousand dollars in his pocket lIo
saw the Champion machines, and either
sympathy for or faith in its two plucky
manufacturers, led him TO put his cattle
fortune into the venture. This made up
the firm as it stands to day The rest Of
tho story is briefly told Shop after shop
wos added to tho business, until thirteen
acres of floor were in uso, and as | writc
another shop is going up, the outer walls
which arc to be one mile in length ! do
not know how many men arc employed in
these vast buildings. J. know that ono
shop which is as large as tho Atlanta cotton
factory is devoted exclusively to tho max.
ing of the bars aud knivos, that another
still larger is employed in tho manufacture
of its mallcablc iron, that tho yearly pro-
duct of tho Champion factories is between
10000 and 10000 machines, the value of
which is about eight million dollars. Need
| add that the green lad from tho country,
the village oapcntcr aud tho entcrprisipg
fnrtY-n minor 1.-Two in nolaoos2 1lyon thcir