Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1883-11-29
prepared by the Editor.)


is on the eve of grand Industrial srsv-
olution. Beside her present twenty
odd tohacce-st',rf rfiretssfssss, :. er wel-leA
pkE1pggasss pkE1passsn iroa works, her - ;1abt ~
ton factory, her extensive ~65ien nn.s,
her large tannerv, her quartette of
grist and Touring establishments, and
her many other industries, there are
to be erected plaid mills, a wagon fac
tory, furniture factory and con-
Germ to make knit goods. It is of these
last two enterprises | wish to mention
at length.
For number Of years connection
with journalism, the writer has urged
upon our people to inaugurate more
wood working establishments. North
Carolina ought to be the great furni-
ture shop Of the Union, and she pos
sesses advantages in that direction
which superceed all other States put
together. Our forests grow 112 varie-
ties of woods, most of which are sus-
ceptible of high degree of polish,
and all are capable of being trans
formed into the finest articles of wood
en-ware No other State in all this
! broad land has the luxuriance or the
variety that our forests possess, and
| the costlier woods, such as black wal
nut, cherry, maple, ETC., are here al
most as plentiful as any of the rest
Combined with this first great advan-
tage, our State occupies an intermedi.
ate position between the North and
South, and convenient to the markets
of the West, with abundant facilities
for a foreign and coastwise trade
Furthermore land, labor and living
are cheap, and physicians and drug
gists' bills are small item, but the
one great reason why an extensive
furniture factory in North Carolina
will be profitable investment to its
enterprising projectors, is, that there is
not single one in the State and very
few, if any large ones, in the neighbor
ing States. Reader, stop for one mo-
ment and think of. the countless thou
sand bedsteads our million and half o1
people sleep on every night, think OF
the number of chairs they rest heir
bodies in, the host of tables from
! which they eat their daily meals, lapd
bic other articles~@~SS>~~~-
The fnnuifn nufmn, are found in almosM 3Y
fhlgltlHysa tL..n Tarheelia. And this os
dition of affairs in State that lead:
the world in its quantity and quality
of its native woods.
But do not think our forests fail tt
be utilized. Farseeing Northerner.
have invaded them and hewn dowr
our "monarchs of the woods" anc
shipped them at exhorbitant freight
expense to the Western and Northern
factories, made them into articles o
daily demand among our people, ship
ped them back to us at additional ex
pense and sell to us at an advance O.
over hundred percent on the amoun
of their cost, while we lay here supine
ly on our backs and submit to being
thus outstripped in enterprise ane
push. Will the reader not agree with
me that there is almost princely affiu
ence in store for the men who vii
contribute their capitol and their vim
to the supplying of this great demane
which is at present gratifeI by dis
tant markets?
In our midst is man who has seel
all this, who, with the determination
and zeal that has won for him unex
ampled success in the founding of an
other industry, will soon inaugu
rate the establishment of furniture
factory of pretentious proportions.
refer to Mr.. C. A. Hege, the proprie
tor of the Salem Iron Works, that ar,
known in industrial circles the worlo
over. Before proceeding to the new
enterprise itself, it would be well t.
give rapid review of the history Q
the Salem Iron Works to show to tn
reader by the force Of analogy, TIN
success that awaits the proprietor Q
that concern in the manufacture o
furniture.
Ten years ago last September, MI
Iiege started out in business, by erect
ing a cheap and small wooden build
ing on one of the roughest and mos
uneven Of lots lying near the Winston
Salem line. A small foundry bushes
begun which increased in dimensions
gradually but surely, until new an
improved machinery was purchased
and his building enlarged. He manu-
factured the "Salem Plow," and ON
article after another was added to til
list of his manufactures, until in th
fall of 1877 he obtained letters paten
on the main features embraced in tn
present popular Hege Saw Milll
which like all other valuable inver
tions was at first not properly apprt
ciated by the industrial public. Blu
energy, determination and a liber;
allowance of printers ink placed hi
invention on the high road to tn
prosperity which his business now ell
joys. With the increased demand fc
the Saw Mills, the facilities of tn
Works were necessarily taxed to thei
utmost capacity, and every availabl
room in the building was taken VI
thus making matter of necessity th
erection of larger and more commod
Gus buildings, which were begun
1882 and completed the same yea
Brick were used in the constructio
and the floors are 60 by $50 fee
three stories III height. The who
constitutes the most extensive, be
equipped iron working establishmel
in North Carolina. A large number