Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1890-08-18
SALT AND SALTAIRE
THE TOWN WHICH THE INVENTOR
OF ALPACA GOODS BUILT.
Who Sir Titus Salt Was-How He Be-
came Known to Fame-A Description
of the Magnificent Village That Bears
His Name.

of the Magnificent village That Bears
SHis Name.
Titus Salt was born in 1903 at Morley,
near Leeds, in a quaint two stored build
ing called the Old Manor House. His ia
Their, Daniel, was farmer, but having an
active and energetic nature he tired of ag-
riculture and moved to Bradford, then a
rising industrial town, became wool
stapler and showed considerable business,
sagacity and acumen.
In 1886 Titus Salt accidently stumbled
upon stock of the feeces, bought it, re-
turned to Bradford and after persevering
efforts hit at last on the device of using
cotton warps and produced fabric which
in delicacy, luster and texture rivaled the
much vaunted robes of the Incas. 1t soon
became popular, orders poured in and it
was exhibited in all the shop windows Of
the kingdom. Mr.. Salts name was uni
versally known, he had soon to remove to
larger premises, and extended his business,
EMPLOYING four different mills in the city
of Bradford.
In the course of twenty years the i'm
portation of alpaca wool increased from
about half million to nearly four million
pounds year, and it rose in price from
the eightpence pound given by Titus Salt
for the unstable stock to two shillingS
and sixpence, and even fitfully to three
shillings.
In 1874 the queen desired Mr.. Salt to
manufacture into pieces the fleeces of two
alpaca goats which belonged to the royal
farm at Windsor. Out Of the ten pounds
of wool he returned to her majesty an
apron and four dress lengths. two plain,
one plaid and one striped and figured. The
queen was so delighted with the beauty
and finish of these articles that she wore
some of them herself. Henceforth alpaca
became fashionable
SALTAIRE FOUNDED.
Mr.. Salt had made handsome fortune
and risen to high position He had been
mayor of Bradford, and married Miss Whit
lam, of Grimsby (who bore him eleven
children), and still led busy, active life.
But he did not stop there. He had con-
ceived the idea of founding an industrial
colony in which he would carry out all his
plans for improving the condition of the
working classes, and especially of factory
children. In order to do this he broke
away from the old Bradford surroundings,
and in 1851 purchased large tract of
ground in the pretty valley of the Aire,
brought thither an army of workmen, and
with the assistance of Sir William Fair
BARN, under whose direction the engineer
ing part was conducted, his gigantic plans
were executed in two years and Saltaire
created.
On his fiftieth birthday it was inaugu-
rated by a huge banquet to $500 guests,
2,44O of whom were his own workpeople
brought over from Bradford The press,
the illustrated papers, in prose and poetry,
extolled the new settlement and nothing
that was written was exaggerated. The
beauty of it's situation on the Midland rail
way is almost unrivaled; the great factory
has frontage of 545 feet, height of six
stories and covers ten acres; it is shaped
like T, is perfect in all its arrangements
and has on two sides the Leeds and Liver
pool canal and the River Aire. A huge
bridge stretches across railway, river and
canal on a level in line with the main
street, which leads to Saltaire park, beyond
which is the beautiful house in which Titus
Salt the second received the Prince and
Princess of Wales in 1882
MODEL VILLAGE.
The little town is an architectural and
sanitary triumph. Four thousand opera
tives are employed, provision having been
made for their comfort, whether married
or single. Saltaire contains 800 dwelling
houses of stone, all picturesque and per
fectly planned many have small gardens.
The public buildings are handsome and
numerous; fine church, schools, a liter
airy institute, comprising large library,
lecture, class and billiard rooms, and a
gymnasium, erected at a cost of EOS, 900;
baths, washhouses, and forty-five aims
houses, all the gift and the creation of the
man who created Saltaire; so that the town
proper is as much an object of wonder and
admiration as the huge works which are its
raison d'etre. This colony, the work of one
man, stands as the unique monument of
commercial enterprise, high industrial ca
pacity and intelligent philanthropy.
The generosity of Titus Salt did not con-
fine itself to Saltaire and his people, lavish
as it was; he spent largely on public chart
ties, beside the private ones of which none
but himself knew the amount; he gave
away half million sterling in subscrip-
tions, and by his will as much again and
more, leaving fund of 100000 to provide
support for the sick and aged of Saltaire
In 1867 he received the Legion of Homo,
from the emperor of the French, and in
1859 the queen, as proof of the regard il
which she held him and in consideration Of
the good he had done, created him bar
onet.
LOVED BY HIS PEOPLE.
Sir Titus was god to his work people
they loved and revered him with equal fer
.Yor, and repaid his solicitude for their wei
fare BY absolute devotion. They united tt
present him, once, with a colossal bust O.
himself; at another time with fine por
trait; even the children dubbed their pen
MES to buy him a plated bread basket
Bradford erected statue to him, unveiled
in 1874 by the Duke Of Devonshire. and OF
his SEVENTEEN birthday, on the twentieth
anniversary of the opening of the Saltair'
works, he gave another banquet, 4,20
guests focking to Crows Nest to offel
their congratulations and cheer their bene
factor.
In 1876 his health began to fail; for tn
first time in his long life of activity hi
visits to the factory were less regular, ant
he died peacefully at last on Jan. 6, 1877.
hundred thousand people assembled on tn
road taken by the funeral procession, ant
few among this immense crowd were no
sincere mourners.
His son William Henry succeeded to tn
title, but he had not followed his father
career and was not head of the works
Three of his brothers, George, Edward ant
Titus, have displayed much of the bushes
capacity of the first baronet, with all hi
rectitude, integrity, open handed generosi
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