Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-03-10

that he has improved and applied the water
power at great outlay of money, under s
charter from the State granted in 1874, fol
thirty years, and that the chartering of the
Columbia Canal to Messrs. Thompson & Ma
gle, under the conditions cited in the contract
will virtually deprive him of his property
The building of dam across the Congaree
River, he says, will back water on his works
and completely food him out. He propose:
to resist to the last degree in the courts what
he considers an invasion of his rights. fthe
Columbia Canal Company would build their
dam across Broad River, instead of the Con
garee, he contends, they could obtain 25O0O
horse power and not interfere with him at all
The vote taken by the people of Columbia to
secure Messrs Thompson & Nagle against
any damage that might result from the build.
ing of their dam across the Congaree River,
he says, does not really amount to a. row Of
pins To use his own words: "Columbia is a
bankrupt city, and corporati ion which has
nothing to lose can we'll afford to give any
amount of security. The whole difficulty is
that my factory does not pay taxes to the
| SlLy VI COIuIuuld. ~ IL Wao 1oSoIeu III
Richland instead of Lexington there would
be no trouble"
In conversing with Mr.. Campbell, the su.
perintendent, l asked his opinion as to the
feasibility of working negro operatives. He
replied that at his factory he had worked
mixed operatives with great advantage. The
negro was as capable of instruction in the
business as the white male or female, and
could afford to work much cheaper, as they
could live so much cheaper. The negro la
Dor he found was easily controlled, and not
subject to strikes. Labor was very abundant,
he said, all their operatives being from the
South, with the exception of one boss spin
ner, who was from the State of Maine. Un-
improved land in the vicinity Of the factory
is worth about $40 to SIS an acre. / asked
Mr.. Campbell what he thought of the Glenn
ent Attachment. He replied that he thought
it would prove failure. "You can't make
yarn that will stand the test of the market"
he said, without skilled labor and attention.
1t may answer for carding. 1t is in my opin-
ion nothing more than an improved gin. |
would like to see men who have the money
try it. 1t cannot hurt the factory men in the
slightest degree. We are not afraid of COM
petition" The Saluda factory has paid a
clear profit of 10 per cent. during the last
year in addition TO what has been expended in
improving the property. The cost Of the new
machinery which has been ordered will be
$4,000. and it is hoped that the profits next
year will increase in proportion to the increas
ed capacity of the establishment
The Glendale Factory.
This model little factory is owned by D. E.
Converse & Co., and is situated five miles
from Spartanburg Court House, on Lawson's
Fork, a tributary of the Pacolet River. IT'S
horse power is used upon three turbine wheels,
with fall of 38 feet. Mr.. j. j. Hilton, Of
New York, is the superintendent, and both
Mr.. Converse and Mr. A. H. Twitchell, the
principal owners, live on the premises in
handsome residences. The company is not
incorporated, and has capital of s15O,OOO
The factory is now running 5000 spindles
and 120 looms, and manufactures sheetings,
shrtings, drills and yarns from No. 6 to No.
IL.
The consumption of raw cotton is 5000
pounds per day or 1000 bales year. The
production is l75,000 yards of cloth and
$4,000 pounds Of yarn per month. The fac
tory employs 120 operatives, all of whom are
white, and 60 per cent. women and children,
who receive an average Of 81 cents per day.
The highest wages per day is $3.50 and the
lowest is 124 cents. Four hundred persons
are dependent upon the factory for support
The operatives are furnished by the company
rent free, with neat and comfortable cottages
ranging in size from three to four rooms
These cottages, numbering sixty, are built
around the factory, forming neat and pref
ty little village. The operatives are all ma.
lives, with one exception, who have been ed
ucated to the business. This class of labor is
very readily obtained from the surrounding
country. The machinery used is all Ameri
can, and is mostly from the Lowell, Mass.
Machine Shops. The running expenses are
sl20 per day. For the month of January
the cotton used was purchased at II cents per
pound The total cost Of producing the
manufactured article was II cents per pound
and the market price was "a cents per pound,
which is nearly 33 per cent. increase of value
created by the process Of manufacture. The
waste at this factory is estimated at about IL
per cent. Much of the profits have been ex-
pended in improving the place and adding
new machinery to the factory; dividends Of
from 7 to 10 per cent. have been declared,
and the net profit has varied from 10 to 20
per cent Besides the cotton factory the COM
pany has in operation, run by the same water
power, grist mill, first class Touring mill
and several cotton gins. The mode Of gin.
ming the cotton is both novel and ingenious,
and is Mr.. Converses own idea. The wagon
containing the seed cotton is driven up aud
weighed on platform scales. The cotton is
then thrown from the wagon into hopper,
and passed up on an endless belt to second
story whence it is fed into three 70 saw self
feeding gins From there it passes to the
baling press. The seed passes out from the
gins on belt to small room adjoining. from
which by means Of trap door arrangement
it is deposited back into the farmers wagon
which in the meantime has been driven be
meath the trap door. By the time the planter
can get his seed and drive around to the back
door the cotton is already pressed and baled
for him. Last year the company ginned 700
bales, and this year they have ginned over
1900 bales. The time occupied is Is minutes
to each bale. The company has also in oper-
alton upon the same place a cotton batting
mill which turns out about 1900 pounds a
month. A wool carding mill is also attached,
in which 5000 to 10000 pounds of wool is
carded for the country people. A large saw
and planning mill is also in full operation, and
is kept continually busy. The profits arising
from these several industries were not inclu-
ded in the statement concerning the profits of
the factory. Twenty additional hands are
employed in these several departments. Mr..