Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-07
AT PEACHER MILLS.
Something Concerning an I'm
portant Enterprise.
Owned and Operated by Clarksville Gen
tleme-A Leaf-Chronicle Reporter
Sits Down to Dinner That is
'Out of Sight"

yesterday as tne guest OF hlf. anC
Mrs. Edwin P. Turnkey, Peacher's
Mills, and never passed a more de
lightful day. There were severa
other town gentlemen out. H. G.
Merritt and III. N. Leech went over
to see their property, which they
had not visited since purchasing it,
and Ben Gill went along to teach
Mr.. Leech how to shoot birds flying,
behind a tree. r.. II. PoindeX-
ter had been there several days tax
ing rest, and this number, with
Ed. Turnkey, Will Wright and Mr..
Daley, residents on the place, COM
posed the tea party.
When Peacher's Mills were put up
to the highest bidder about one year
ago, under the Hambaugh trust sale,
Mr.. Merritt made the first bid, offer
ing $4,000 as starter, and had no
idea of buying the property, but
no other bid was made and it
was knocked off to him. 1t appeared
that he had white elephant, as it
was supposed that he did not know
what to 40 with such property, but
Merritt is never without resources.
He very soon organized company,
taking in Fl. N. Leech and Edwin
P. Turnkey I. as equal partners, and
Mr.. Turnkey was made general su-
perintendent of the whole concern,
and has since been operating the
mills, store, farm, &c, making the
best all-round man that ever had
charge of the premises. AS above
stated, this was the first visit Messrs.
Merritt and Leech have made to the
place since they purchased it, and
were more than delighted with the
property and the prospects under Mr..
Turnley's management.
PEACHER's MILLS
consist of about 800 acres of fine
land-much of it creek bottom
wooden mills, with capacity of 225
yards of cloth per day; a splend id
Touring mill, capacity seventy-fve
barrels per day, and elevator with
storage room for 10000 bushels of
grain; a large stOre-house, where
all kinds of merchandise suited
to the country trade is kept a
splendid residence, and buildings for
operatives; stables, barns, etc. The
place is well provided for stock and
the storage of farm products. Some
twenty five men are employed in
operating these concerns, which gives
Mr.. Turnley about all he can do to
look after the business, but this he
does with apparent ease and nothing
goes slack. He has developed a
capacity for all round work which
but few men possesses.
These mills are situated on Big
West Fork, nine miles north of the
city and one and half miles from
Glenellen, on the G. q p. railroad.
Big West Fork is a fine stream, af-
fording never-lailing water power
with sufficient capacity to operate as
many more mills. Mr.. Hambaugh
had just put in splendid new four
teen-foot dam, with powerful stone
abutments, at cost of $1,000; refit-
ted the Touring mills with the new
Case roller process machinery, and
built large elevator, which cost
$1,000 and in addition had put new
machinery in the woolen mill. The
panic struck here, overtaking him,
with others, who fell in the crash,
and the property had to go on the
market to satisfy creditors.
TIE wooLEN MILLS
are in splendid condition and in full
operation, turning out a superior line
of goods, for which they have an es-
tabllshed reputation. 1t is home
enterprise in every sense, using none
but native wool, raised in Montgom-
cry and adjoining counties, pur-
chased at the market price at the
mills and by their agency in the
city.
The reporter was shown through
the woolen mills, the four floors of
machinery and all the processes, by
Mr.. G. H. Hemenway, the manager,
and found it very interesting.
MAKING CLOTH.
The wool is first taken through a
securing process, and then to the
dyeing vat, with capacity for color
ing 500 pounds of wool and enough
for / 200 yards of cloth. 1t then goes
to the upper story aud is carried
through the picking machine, where
all burrs, kinks and trash are taken
out; then through the mixing ma
chine, blending different colors then
into the carding machine, complet-
ing the mISture. The second carder
forms the roll the third carder makes
it into roping. The roping is car
ried to the operator of zoe spindles,
wheresit is reduced TO thread of any
size desired, when it is ready for the
loom. There are eight looms in OPP
Grafton making jeans, lindsey, etc,
and one is kept busy making fine