Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-03-10
sf|istellaueuns &eading.
COTTON MILLS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
From the News and Courier, Charleston, $. c..

COTTON MILLS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
From the News and Courier, Charleston s. c.
The Red Bank Manufacturing Company.
This is the name of thriving little cotton
factory situated on Red Bank Creek, in Lex.
ington county, about 13 miles from Columbia
The factory, which was erected in 1873, is a
two.story frame building, 12O Ly 45 feet, with
a picker room attached l9 by rs feet. The
company was first organized in 1873, with
Mr.. j. P. Southern as president, Mr. John
Green as superintendent and Mr.. W. G. Swat
field as secretary and treasurer. Mr.. Green
now fills the position Of president and super
intendent, and Mr.. Swaffield remains secreta.
ry and treasurer. The capital stock of the
company is $4,000, with commercial capi'
tai Of $1,000, which has been created since
1873. The factory runs 1886 spindles, and
new machinery has been ordered which will
increase the capacity 30 per cent. The ma
chinery used is partly American and partly
English, and is in excellent order. The COM
pany employs 81 operatives, all white, who
are paid on an average 81 SO per week. The
weekly payroll, not including salaries, is
$13447. The operatives are accommodated
in seven single and five double houses, owned
by the company on the place, rent free. The
operations of the factory are confined to the
manufacture of No. 20 warps, which find a
ready market in Philadelphia at thirty cents
per pound at present, against eighteen c. nts
per pound year ago. The consumption of
raw cotton is $4,000 pounds per month, and
the production per month is 900 pounds of
warp. The waste is about Is per cent, a
large proportion of which is utilized and man.
ufactured into cotton twine. The Red Bank
Greek furnishes 30 horse power, and the fac
tory is run by 52.inch Lafell's turbine
wheel. In answer to question as to how the
enterprise was paying, Mr.. Swafield, the sec.
retary and treasurer of the company, replied
that the company had paid an annual divi
dend of two dollars per share, and had devo.
ted The bulk of the profits TO the purchasing
of new machinery and the creation of COM
mercial capital. The factory is now paying q
profit of one per cent. month on capital of
$4,000. 1--WE have never had bale Of the
warp on hand for sale" Mr.. Swafield said /:
"Our orders are always ahead. In August
last, our warps were selling at 20.lS cents per
pound, and cotton was selling at II cents per
pound. At the present time our warps are
selling at 80 cents pound, and cotton is sell.
ing at l160 cents per pound. Our labor is
entirely of natives, who have been
educated to the business. They are very
comfortably located, and have the free use of
all the wood they require.
Concerning the relative cost of water and
steam, Mr.. SwafBeld gave it as his opinion
that while water power was cheaper, steam
was surer. "The relative cost would depend
greatly upon the location, but, said he, am
satisfied that handsome profit can be made
with steam power in any locality where fuel
can be obtained in bulk and at wholesale
rates. Steam can be worked all the time" I"
With respect to the prospect of cotton
in this State, Mr.. Swaffield
said: II think there is great deal of money
in the business in this State, and if the prices
keep up in proportion to the price of cotton,
any ordinary factory will pay from Is to 25
per cent. during the ensuing year. We have
in this State to make cotton man.
ufactures success cheap land, cheap fuel,
cheap labor and the great advantage of having
the cotton right at hand-being able to work
the year round without any interruption
from cold. Taking into consideration the
difference in the cost Of labor, fuel and trans
portation, there is fully II to II per cents
pound advantage in favor of this State over
New England in the cost of production. The
proof Of that is that the Southern factories
have always made money even in the most try
ing times. There is no doubt that the law ex-
empting mill property from taxation for ten
years is great encouragement to the start
ing Of new factories, but taxation wouldn't
deter me from going into one. think the
cotton industries are going to pay fair
profit, and should contribute at least to the
school fund"
With reference to the Clement Attachment,
Mr.. Swafield said that he was not sufficient
ly acquainted with the process to give an an
swer. 81 hardly think, however" he said
"that it is practicable, and even if it is
think it will only result in attracting atten-
tion to manufactures generally, and increas
ing the number Of large factories all over
the South. There is field here large enough
for an unlimited number of factories to make
money. The South, before very long, will
be manufacturing all the coarse goods"
Mr.. Swafield's opinion with regard to COL
ored operatives was that they could not be
properly educated to do the work. The
whites and blacks will not work. together,
and we have an abundance of white labor,
which is certainly superior to any class of
colored labor that We could employ"
The Red Bank property is valued at $780,
The Saluda Cotton Factory.
This small but prosperous factory is loca-
ted on the banks of the Saluda River about
two miles from Columbia, in the county of
Lexington. The building, which is SUBJ
stantial frame structure and stone foundation
three stories high, Z05 feet long and. so feet
wide, is located on the site of the old Saluda
Factory, which was burned by Sherman at
the close of the war. Mr.. VIM. johnson,
formerly of North Carolina, is the owner and
proprietor of the property, and his son in
law, Mr.. j. M. Campbell, is the superinten.
dent. The water-power of the river is esti'
mated at $4,000 horses, 10000 Of which are
under control and 100 in use. There are at
present 1000 spindes in operation and an
addition of 1900 more will be made shortly,
and will be in operation by the lst of March.
The factory also contains 100 looms, which
are not now running, the operations of the
factory being entirely confined to the MANU-
facture of No. 20 yarn. One hundred opera.
tives are employed, 25 of whom are colored,
ranging in age from 8 years up The rate of
wages paid ranges from % cents up to So per
day. The weekly payroll amounts to be-
tween S400 and $780, Between three and
four hundred persons are dependent upon the
factory for support The operatives live