The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-09-04
What manufacturing VIII Do for
the Country.

What manufacturing VIII Do for
the Country.
There is not a person in the South, prob
ably, that is not familiar with the Dur
ham Tobacco signs, which are to be seen
In almost every place of business in the
cities and country, and all lovers of the
weed" are familiar with the qualities
of that brand of tobacco. But we doubt
if very few know anything about the
extent of the business of that great in
dustry, much less the history of the
company. We have seen the .'chromos"
thousand times, but had a very limited
I. Iowledge of the enormous amount of
tobacco consumed by the factory.
In the Manufacturers Record of August
2sth, NO find very interesting letter
from Durham. y. c., the seat of the
great enterprise, in which Is given IA full
account Of the growth and extent OF the
Durham Tobacco Company. We believe
it will prove interesting To the readers
of THE NEWS, as it has To us.
But our real object in quoting portion
of the letter Is IT, show what manufact-
uring Industries will do for the country.
Durham is a great and thriving inland
place and owes its growth and SUCCESS
entirely to the Durham Tobacco Man
ufacturing Company. The correspond
ent says
About twenty years ago a Traveller in
passing along the railroad at this poim
would have stopped at IA very insight
iicant water station, with few houses
and not more than 200 inhabitants all
told, and most probably he would have
learned that he had arrived at Durham.
A few stores were driving little busl-
ness, and the brawny and ubiquitous
blacksmith was doing his best IN his
line. The place was hardly such an one
us 10 attract attention, but let the afore-
said traveller pass that way now, and
such transformation will meet his as
tonisheI gaze lac never could have
dreamed of, or con ured up IN the Wild
est flights of his Imagination. The
present site of Durham, which was or
Igna'!y 1870 acres, was purchased for the
moderate sum of $50. Now real estate
IL high, having appreciated several
thousand per cent, and the whole coun-
try for miles around the town is held by
persons who have made fortunate in
vestments of their capital. In 1869 Dur
ham had less than 300 inhabitants. show
ing "A very small incrra from lS6j,-
the clos ny year Of the war. In 1876 the,
population had increased To- about 900,
and To day 1t stands as one of the most
driving, go-head and thriving towns in
the country, with IA population OF 1000
people, all more or less actively engaged
III the various industries. The chief in
dustry of the town. and the one from
which IL has derived the great wealth of
which il can truly boast, is the manu-
facture and sale OF tobacco III various
ways. Durham Is the great center of
the bright tobacco growing district of
this section of country, and millions
upon millions of pounds are used up
yearly IN the manufacture of plug and
smoking tobacco and cigarettes, and III
its immense and ever increasing export
OF leaf To foreign countries. When the
war closed there was but one small to-
bacco factory in Durham, II two-story
frame building, owned and operated 10y
MIR. John X. GIeen. who furnished this
''swert consolation" Ia many "a hoy in
gray" during the prolonged struggle.
On the decease OF Mr.. Green, in 1863,
the property was purchased 10y MeSsrs.
w. L. blackwell * Co., who put large
capital ahd new energy into the enter
prise. and to-day the Durham Tobacco
Con pany holds the proud position OF
being the largest, most ilourIshing and
best kRown smoking tobacco manufact-
uring company in the country, having
its qualifications i'll trade throughout the
known world. An idea of the immcns-
ity of the works may be had when we
state that they occupy an area of three
or more acres of land, and employ in the
various departments of the business
nearly 1000 hands. Everything that IL
necessary 10 the business that can be
done, il done on the premises, and the
" hole il carried on with the precision
of ciock-work. under the super vision of
the heads in the different lines the
hole being entirely under the I'M
eJualed management of the genius of
the company, Mr.. Julian s. ,'arr, the
courteous, able and efficient president.
The company manufactures into smok-
ing tobacco and cigarettes about 1000
600 pounds of tobacco per v ear and carry
n stock of about 100000 pounds of
IL If on hand all the time. At this time
IA gentleman in their employ is making
"A trip around the world. having left San
Francisco in MAY, to take orders for their
mark of the Durham tobacco in the
most conspicuous spots along his route.
On'his return after an eighteen months
trip, lac will have made an advertising
belt around the world of Durham Bull
prise, we don't know hy what other
name To designate it.
stock HnIsin..
Al the present time, stock raising in