The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-08-24
THE FACTORIES OF AUGUSTA.
Some Interesting Statements as to the
Prosperity Of a Neishboring City.
DR.. Lindsay in associate Reformed Pres
bWcridn.

Some Interesting Statements as to the
Prosperity of a Neighboring City.
DR.. Lindsay in associate Reformed Pres
byterian.
August 9th, 1881.
This has been called the canal city, anc
the designation is very appropriate, 1or
the canal lisa prominent source OF pros
peritv. On it the factories are located,
and it f%urnishesa most magnificent wa
ter-power, which, when fully utilized,
! will make this az a manufacturing city
but little behind the largest even III New
England. The canal was first dug IN 1910
by Judge John z. King and others. II
is 40 feet wide and ) feet deep, but "heh
two -four mills and. the Augusta Cotton
Factory were supplied, the water was eH-
hausted. 1t was thus seen thatl IL must
be enlarged, if it should ever, be the
source Of much prosperity to the CITY;
The enlargement was begun IN 49, ana
finished in 1876; it was made l5O feet ~lde
and 10 feet deep, which greatly Increased
the motive power. The cost Of the en-
larrement / think, was over 81, 0OO. 00O.
The canal leaves the river at the head OF
| the shoals, seven miles from the city and
has q fall Of 80 feet.
There are several factories in successful
operation, and others i'll course OF erec-
tion. The oldest is the Augusta Factory
which was begun in 1917, has now a cap
ital of $500. OGO,, 25, 700 spindles 5000 looms,
and has paid from S to 20 per cent, per
annum for the last l6 years. The Presl-
dent is VIM. E. Jackson.
The Enterprise Factory has a capital OF
half a million of dollars, and Is about 70
he enlarged to double it's present capacl-
ty. VIM. r. Jackson is the President.
John NJ. Clark q Co. has a Yarn MIL
of nearly 1000 spindles. ooo
The Connolly Factory has about lo'ooo
spindles. nm ..;,
dies, and are said to have paid as high a
dividend as 40 per cent per annum.
ital of 5000, 600, and when completed. Will
run 80 900 spindles, and 900 looms. All
of the buildings are not completed, and
only a part Of the machinery in place.
Work was comminced about a year ago,
and some months must elapse before 1t is
entirely finished. The buildings are
quite numerous, and some OF them on q
magnificent scale The largest is $50 feet
in length by Is in width, and four stories
in height. The forelay is 40 feet wide, and
200 feet in length, and IL feet deep, the
wheel-pit 100 feet square and 80 feet deep;
Is fee. Of this was blasted. out OF the Solo
rock.
handsome house Of three stores /; once,
two stories ; dye-houso cloth house lou
feet long; boiler and pickcrhouse lU 1y
60. four stories; cotton warehouse Ioo
BY 40, four stories waste mouse, oo oy Nv
two stories. There arc six brick tene-
ments residences for operatives. Across
the canal opposite the main building,
about ten acres of land have been graded
off for twenty dwelling houses OF four
tarements each, two stories. The Com
Many own forty acres of land ; the site
for the building is 5 or 8 feet above any
freshet. There have been employed as
MANY rs 700 hands at a cost from 70 CTS 10
s.. 90 Der day !; can get as many rs want
cd most of them are negroes.
Three-fourths of the capital has been
taken by Western and Northern men.
The Superintendent is J.. 8. Davis, a
Massachusetts man.. The President II
Mr.. VIM. C. Sibley, an Augusta man.
He is rich, but his wealth does not Keep
him from work, and better than AL else
he is a Christian gentleman, OF the Pres.
byterian Church, whose hand n heart
are open to all good things.
When the Sibley Mills are completed,
they will employ about 1000 operatives,
and add about 1000 to the population OF
the city. ~
The Langley Factory, though located
about 8 miles from the city, on the Caro-
lima side. is properly on Augusta instltu'
ton. It was organized in 1870 with a
capital of $500, 900 and has 10000 spindles,
3og looms. and employs about 325 opera
tives. two-thirds of whom are women n
children. The dividend paid in the last
8 wears was IS per cent. !; in the last IL
months, ID per cent. and for Inc SIX
months ending June 30th, 8 per cent. The
President of the Sibley Mills also presides
over this factory. Langley ten years ago
had only twenty or thirty Inhabitants II
is now q town Of 900 people.
The Company within the last two years
have built a neat church at a cost OF H.
600, which was paid for by the corpora
ton and charged to profit and loss. Ihey
contributed this present year towards tne
support of the pastors OF the Methooist;
Presbyterian, Baptist, and Episcopal
Churches, who each held service one SAP
bath in each month. After he pubic
school money was exhausted, ABOUT INC
first of March, the Company. 1T Its own
expense, continued pay to the teachers.
No liquor is allowed to be sold within TWO
miles of the Mills. Isn't this a pretty
good record for a soulless corporation?
If some Edward Garrett could go
through these factories and get behind
the scenes. the materials for many q use
full book and thrilling narrative could De
collected. The shameful work or sin and
the blessed fruits of divine grace would
be presented in striking contrast. The
operatives are nearly all white people,
and generally present a neat and healthy
appearance. I knew o family in Able
| Vile who were almost starved; they
came hero ten years age; h children
were employed in a factory, they no"
make a very comfortable living. 1T pre-
sents a better opening for poor girls from
the country than anything else know OF.
A little practice at the looms enaDies q
girl to earn very good wages. On all the
streets near tho Factories there are the
rum-hells, ever open to draw in their vic
tins and despoil them of their hard-earn'
ed %pittances.
Graniteviilo and Vaucluse belong also
to the environs of Augusta, and l may
collect statistics about them for some iu'
ture letter.
The John P. King Factory has been
chartered for q capital of s. ,OOO,O0O, TO De
located here on the canal. The stock has
not vet been subscribed, and the work on
it has not commenced. The SUCCESS will
which the cotton manufacturing Interest
has been prosecuted in this city, is very
creditabIe to the financial skill and busl'
ness management of all concerned. me
Northern capitalist can certainty. nno
nothing to complain of, in the ~eiconit
with which be is here received, and IN
handsome dividends which he gets lol
a., o,a Io horo ipvaafG Sneh enter
prise do much to destroy ~sectionallsm ano
ill up the "bloody chasm."
A prominent gentleman In Boston, II
M elaborate article, recently attempted u
show that cotton manufacturing coulc
not be carried on successfully below tn
Piedmont line. But Augusta by a mul'
titude of stubborn facts has proved thu
faIsity of his conclusions. Theories
however plausible, and when put fortf
even in most polished language, art
worthless beside well established facts.
The success of the city seems to have
stirred up the jealousy Of New England
A writer, hailing from Providence. 4. 1.
a month & asserted that the debt o
Augusta was over $l2, OO0, 900, whereas
the fact is, that it is scarcely more thar
S. OO, 900, and she has in the n ant
other public property, a full balance
against her QcDL. NO uOuOt thlo olohoS
was started to prevent Northern met
from investing their money here.
South Carolina College.
Sdludd Argus.
We have upon our table the catalogu,
of the South Carolina College of mechan
ics. and agriculture; the classics are no
taught. The course Of study embrac!
three years, in which are taught English
history, rhetoric, mathematics, logic, pc
litical economy, mental philosophy, geol
ocy. geometry and organic, agriculture
and analytical chemistry. Tuition is free
the professors being paid by n half o
the interest upon the agricultural college
bonds, the other half Of this interest so
ing to the Clafin colored institute. Tht
amount Of these bonds is $l9l,O0 OBJ
tanned by selling the land scrip donated
for establishing such a college by the
limited States government. After the salt