Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-04-26
Correspondence ofthe Yorkville Enquirer
THE CHEROKEE FALLS FACTORY.

| visited the Cherokee Falls Manufacturing
Company, attracted thither by the report OF
a picnic, and desire to personally inspect
the works, business and establishment of
, the above-named company. The day was
favorable clear and bright, after the rainy
weather of the first part of the week, and on
arriving, we found goodly number OF per-
and young, no doubt drawn thither by the
same motives and desires, in part at least,
of your correspondent. Very soon after our
arrival-about II o'clock-the crowd was
considerably increased by fresh arrivals
from Blacks Station and Gaffney City,
fOurishing towns on the opposite side of
Broad River and not far away and also
from the South, along the tributaries Of the
river.
Three things usually determine the char
acter of all picnics: the appearance and be-
haviOur of the crowd assembled; the pleas
ure sought, or in ordinary parlance, the
business of the day; and the picnic proper,
or the dinner prepared. At dinner time l
took a calm survey of the crowd, and both
as to personnel and behavior 1 pronounced
it good. The ladies were pretty, chatty and
attractive; the gentlemen attentive, Oblig-
ing, temperate and thoughtful. There was
less billing and cooling, mOOnshine and
nonsense than ordinarily characteriZes such
occasions, judging from what we saw when
the company were assembled.
The examination and inspection of the
factory buildings, the tenement houses, the
store near by and the river rolling it's mud
dy waters around and along the Ninety
Nine Islands, furnished the means as well
as the character of the picnicers' pleasures.
Fishing, boating, chatting and lettering
around, with here and there some sentiment
and romance, formed the staple of the pleas
ant bill Of fare. The dinner, prepared by
the ladies, and spread out on nice and clean
cloths, on the bank of the river, without
any apparent design, was abundant and ex-
cellent, both as to the materials and the
manner Of its preparation. Altogether, /
pronounce this good picnic, and its pleas
ures largely due to the ladies of Blacks Sta
ton, and Gaffney City, and heightened con-
siderably by some visiting ladies from the
State of Pennsylvania and the City of the
Quakers.
But your correspondent had double mo-
tive in being there that day, and perhaps a
| few facts in reference to the new industry
and its operations may not be void of in
terest. The works of the Cherokee Falls
Manufacturing Company are located on the
old site of the Cherokee Iron Works-lOng
since numbered among the things of the
past-one mile below and south of the Cher
okee Ford, on Broad River, and about five
miles from Blacks Station, and six miles
from Gafney City, both thriving villages
on opposite sides of the river and located
on the Airline Railroad. The site was
purchased by Mr.. J. A. Deal in January,
1881, and very soon afterwards the factory
was projected and the work commenced
under the auspices and by the conjoined en-
ergies, labor and means principally of three
men-Mr. Deal, of York county, S. c.; J.
w. Terrence, of Mecklenburg county, n.
c.; and Alexander Latham, of Charleston
the last-named of whom is now dead. The
company was incorporated by the Legisla-
ture of thisState at the session of 1882. Some
time during the early part of the year 1882,
with 1000 spindles, and in January last, $500
more were added, making total of 1850
spindles now in operation. The original cost
of the buildings, machinery, water-supply
and the whole paraphernalia was about $780,
900. The factory buildings consisist of the
main building along the river, the tenement
houses, 25 in number, ranged along two
hillsides in form of an inverted V, with
store house at the base, near by the factory,
and a grist mill short distance up the
river, and another house used at times both
as school house and church. The build
ings are substantially built and apparently
of good materials. The main factory build
ing is of brick, 100 feet long and 90 feet
the river, with an "L" running north used
as a preparatory department for cutting,
sorting, cleaning and rolling the raw staple.
The number of hands now engaged is 45
or upwards, all white, except one, a negro.
The number of the factory population is
about 125 or 30. The amount of cotton
consumed is bales per day, or IS per week,
ana the product of this, in the shape Of
warps and twist yarns, by an arrangement
of the superintendent, is shipped to house
in Philadelphia. Shipments are made
weekly. The goods now sell for IS cents
per pound, less freight and commissions.
The stockholders Of the company now
number eight and in the payment of opera
their store, which enables them to retain
much of the wages-money, and is alike
convenient and beneficial to the operatives.
The water power is developed at present
SO as to leave a surplus, and on this head,
in the Judgment of competent men, the
river, without much effort or expense,
could be made to furnish power to propel
machinery for business demanding a cap
ital of million of dollars or more.
The above are some of the salient features
of this young industry which has been start
ed in the northwestern portion of York
county, and is demanding the encourage
ment, sympathy, and pecuniary support of
those ofits citizens who can afford to give it.
The practical question at the bottom OF
this, as well as all other enterprises, is, will
it pay ?-is there any money in the concern?
In many cases, and in many of our Southern
States, cotton factories are paying handsome
dividends, and several in our own State, no
tably Graniteville, Piedmont, Glendale and
others. In this new enterprise, as the law
yers would term it, prin1a tacie, the case is
made out-success is almost assured. The
water power is there and will be there for
ever. Its accessibility to the Airline Rail
road, one of the leading thoroughfares OF the
South, and the high and rolling character of
the country where it is located, ensuring
health and strength to all engaged in the
energy and a rigorous economy in the man
agement and administration in the business;
and these, in the judgment of your CORES
pondent, is we'll supplied in the person of
Mr.. J. A. Deal, the original protector, at
present the superintendent and one of the
stockholders, and whom many who read
this will readily recognize as a successful
railroad contractor and builder, and an ac-
tive and influential member of the State
Legislature in the memorable session of the
Hampton and Chamberlain contest.
AMICUs.
MERE.MENTION.
Seven hundred recruits are now on the
way to regiments in Arizona, New Mexico,
and the Department of the Columbia, with
a view to the possible necessities of the In
dian campaign. .......The Connecticut SEN