The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-01-14
An Interesting Account Of the J. e. p.
Goats Firm. The Oldest and most
Reliable Ofall Thread Makers.

Reliable Ofall Thread Makers.
ATLANTA, GEoRGIA-As the visits
or.passes to the centre of the main
building of the Cotton Exposition his
attention will necessarily be attracted
by the immense sign of the j. d P.
Goats spool cotton display. This
sign is composed of over 10, 900 spools
of thread of every tint and shade.
The space of d p. Coats is at the
entrance from the rotunda to the east
wing, and is among the largest and
most important here, and cannot fail
to interest the visitor of every class.
1t covers, properly speaking, the space
occupied by the display from the
Smithsonian Institute sent down by
the State Department, to make room
for which the agents Of the firm kindly
yielded considerable area; retaining,
however, enough to make their exhibr
1t one of the leading features of the
Exposition. No one sees this wells
known name without being reminded
of auld lang syne; for very old lady
remarked few days since, 81 have
always used this thread, as did my
mother and grandmother before mt"
and every lady who gets sample
spool, which is given to all who come,
takes to her work basket an already
familiar visitor.
The question is daily asked the rep
resentatives of this house, "Why have
you come here at such great expense
to show us something we here in the
south already know as much about as
any HOUSEHOLD article we use? The
answer is made: eve have received
many million dollars from our South>
ern customers, who have always
bought this thread in years gone by;
we have also expended millions in the
purchase of your staple, and our feel
ings of friendship towards this distinc-
lively Southern enterprise have been
so warm since we first saw its prospec-
tus that We were determined to be
among the earliest and most extern
sive Of its patrons. Another reason
for coming is that since the erection
of our American mills, at Pawtucket,
Rhode Island, we are enabled, by
closel y watching the market, to supply
thread and match colors for the ever
changing hue of fashion each season
brings in dress fabric. This we can
now do more promptly than we could
possibly have done in formertimes,
when we were exclusively importing
from our mills in Paisley, Scotland,
as you may see from these many SON.
bre shades brought down to correspond
with the requirements of the day up
to the very opening of the Exposition.
We have not come here for any put-
pose Of rivalry and competition with
other thread makers, having a repu-
tation which is fully evidenced by the
gold medal taken at the worlds fairs
of London, Philadelphia, Vienna and
Paris; but our display is for exhibition
only. 1t is for the people to see what
we have, and for them to learn our
method tor preparing thread for use.
This great house, now mostly in
the third generation, is not like other
thread manufacturing concerns, Joint
stock company, but it has always
been, and is now, firm composed of
members of the same family, the
present head of which is Sir Peter
Goats, of Paisley, Scotland, who was
knighted many years ago by Queen
Victoria, in recognition of his liberal
ity and public spirit in giving to his
native city fine public library. An.
other member of the firm, Thomas
Goats, was cnnobled by his Majesty,
the Emperor Francis Joseph of AUS
tria. A monument to his liberality
is public park, donated by him to
the city Of Paisley, with an invested
fund for its permanent maintenance.
MIR. Coats visited America last year,
after sojourn with a portion of his
family in the Holy Land. He trav,
ersed the Mediterranean in his own
yacht, manned by large crew of
Scottish sailors. One of his sons,
James, third, is the owner of the
yacht, Madge, which is now making
such sensation in New York waters.
There are altogether eight members
of this great Scotch firm, including
MIR. James Coats, second, Sir Peters
eldest son, who resides at Providence,
Il. l. 1t is he who built their Amer
lean mills nt paWtuoLat III -.
at Pawtucket five mills belonging to
this firm, the fifth Of which was built
this year, and is five hundred foot i,