The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-06-06
The Story Of an Industry.

out its prospectus for the conflict with
the Jute Trust, pine bsgging was spoken
of as the happiest and timeliest kind of
an invention. But it was merely an
adaptation, the bettering of an already
manufactured article, change of its
form in response to a demand of trade.
The patents under which the malls ofthe
syndicate are to work are patents for the
improvements of a process in use for sew.
eral years.
Pine straw has had a commercial value
for ten years or thereabouts. What is
spoken of as "straw" is nothing more or
less than needles of the pine tree. Itwas
in the latter part of 1879 that it was first
made use Of commercially. The earliest
product was long fibre made by pat
ent process, and upholsterers used it for
carriage cushions principally. Perhaps
there is faint survival of this use in the
dainty pine pillows of to-day. The straw
was profitable to its manufacturers, as at
its market price Of six cents per pound it
sold readily in small way.
But in its course through the mill,
from needle TO fibre, the pine straw lost
nearly rs per cent in weight. This very
soon resulted in the building of a factory
on the Neuse River, at Riverdale, N. O.,
in the heart of the pine forests. The
company, however, WAS interested in the
manufacture of other articles and retain
ed its Northern factory. But very soon
there came business troubles at this
Northern end. The Glare Fibre Com.
pany failed. The little factory on the
Neuse River was shut down and then
there was complete stoppage in the
manufacture of pine straw products.
During the period of the manufacture at
Riyerdale it had been found that another
article might be produced. 1t was dis.
covered that the oil of the needle-pino-
leum, or oil of pine, rs it was called-was
of use in the treatment of infammatory
rheumatism. Some of it was bottled at
the time of discovery for private use, but
publicly it has never been pushed.
Thrown out of employment by the
| shutting down of the Riverdale factory
| the superintendent, a Mr.. Scott, began a
series of experiments for the improve
ment of the process. In these expert.
ments he interested capitalist of Will.
mington, N. G., Mr.. William Latimer,
now one of the proprietors of the Acme
Manufacturing Company, and hence one
of the five members of the present syndi-
cate. For long time the experiments
came to no result, but finally, however,
was patened a much improved process.
Then the Acme Company was establish.
ed in 1885. This was composed of MIR.
| William Gilchrist, Mr.. G.. b. Smith and
Mr.. Latimer. The fibre was again pro-
duced and put upon the Northern mar.
ket. The factory was placed at little
settlement On the Cape Fear River, not
far from Wilmington and known as
Crouly.
About eighteen months ago it was dis.
covered that The fibre might be spun into
threads and the threads might be woven
into fabric. By this process kind of
mating vas produced, which, though of
rough surface and loosely woven, was
we'll received in this city. The mating
proved of use when laid in such places
as hotel halls, staircases and the aisles Of
cars. When, within the last year, the
iute combination raised the price Of bag.
ging and the cotton planters called out
for the speedy Invention Of some equally
available fabric the step was an easy one
from mating to bagging. 1t was simply
to weave the fabric closer and thinner.
AS soon as the possibility Of such an
outlet for the product WAS seen the max.
ing of mating was practically laid aside.
Something like 100000 yards of bag
ging we're produced last year. But the
real discovery, the invention, was that
the tangled hair.like mass of fibre might
be spun into thread and then woven into
fabric. Aud this has been done for a
year and half.
The old plaut is still standing at Riv
erdale, but is not in use at present. The
original Crouly factory was burned to
the ground last fall. a new one with q
capacity of 100000 yards a year has
recently been completed.-New YORK.
! Times.