Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-09-01
s,orx FAILS LINEN MILL.

THE SIOUX FALLS LINEN LII
A short Description of h Has Bee
Done--A Coming Industry of the North
west.
The Sioux Falls linen mill Is in
active operation in all the depart
ments and employees fifty hands, with
a nay roll OF over $500 per week
Superintendent Ingram stated to an
Argus-Leader reporter that at least
fifty more hands could be employed
right away, and that in a very short
time the plant would be put in full
blast with a force Of $50 experienced
hands and a pay roll OF from $500 to
81, 100 per week. The building is 81
by 100 feet, three stories high, with
an ell 40 by 60 feet, occupied by the
bleaching department and the engine
and boiler rooms. The plant COM
plete cost $50, 900. The machinery
cost SIS, 900 and was imported from
Ireland. 1t cost $1,000 duty to get
the machinery admitted.
The mill makes all grades of crash
towels. In the store room where the
finished product is displayed were
| samples from the Sioux Falls mill,
and by their side were samples from
the mill at Webster, Massachusetts,,
! the largest mill in the United States.
The poorest Sioux Falls grade was
better than the average Webster
grade, and the Webster linen was
several points below the best Sioux
Falls article. In the point of quality
the Sioux Falls mill far surpasses the
Webster mill, as the machinery Of
the former is of the latest and newest
design. The mill can manufacture
linen as cheaply as it can be done
anywhere in this country or in Ireland,
and all the enterprise needs to make
it a success is proper support from
the people of the community and of
the state. 1t is the embryo OF an
immense industry and ought to be
encouraged. Its success means other
/, linen mills and fiber mills, and an
/, industry could easily be created which
!, would employ thousands Of hands
|, The raw material grows at the mills
| door, and there is no limit to tht
market. 1t is an industry founded or
; business principles, and while The
3 management does not anticipate an!
; returns this year, he is confident, il
$ the industry is encouraged, that il
e will rapidly grow into something
e very large.
S The Argus-Leader man was shown
all through the busy mill by Secre
tary w. A. Ingram, who has a tlnan
o cial interest in the mill, who ha
spent his lifetime in the business, ant
y who is determined to make this mil
a success. The company is yer
a fortunate in having secured him, a
y it is also in getting hold of Thoma
e Hawthorne, the spinning boss, and J
o. Jensen, the bleaching boss, bot
of them experts in their differen
II departments.
To describe the process of mani
q facture is no easy task. The fiber
III first run through an immense care
IL ing machine which is operated /
c. three boys, one of whom, a brigl
or little fellow of twelve years, is ''boss
lie He expects to own a mill himse
as some day. The fiber then go'
through two drawing machines an
Is then through a huge but delica'
H. ~''raying frame" being spun on rayiI
rabbits. From there it goes to Il
dry spinning frame and thence
the wet spinning frame, and by the
=. processes becomes a finer thread aft
which it is put into hOnks and tn
taken to the third story, where it
III put on a weayer's loom from which
I'M is woven by the looms into line
70. The product then goes to the bleac
nd ing and wash rooms, and is then p
no on huge rollers TO be dried. 1t
m then ironed by a large polish
he machine, is branded, and as Super
Id tendent Ingram says sis now rea
in for human food" In the third ste
,er is a Jockard loom for fancy VOL
of This machine candoall sorts of fan
in work, weaving any design with ne;
,as ness and dispatch.
be The factory was started as a bu
he ness enterprise, and the projectors "
nd make tia success on that basis. Til
he are extremely fortunate in the m
,ed they have selected to manage
ac- The choice Of d. L. McKinn,
.ng as flnacial agent and treasur
100 is also a wise one, as all W
.er. know Mr.. Mckinney can attest.
res What is now most needed is a al
ct mill, and this want will soon
the supplied. Sucha mill will cost $50
ra- Such a mill could make a day 2,
will pounds of tow, which at 300 days
rty year would De 800 tons. To ma
md this would require 1000 tons of t
to straw. For the "retted" straw
of mill would pay 81 to $40 per ton. ]
'ac- the headed straw it would paw S.
cen ton. AT an average of IS per
ion this would mean $4,000 annually TO
eat farmers product that ROW goes
nd. waste. A gentleman who is n
les, operating eleven mills is alrei
on figuring on putting in a plant here
po- The wages paid in the linen n
of viii u from SO per week up. {
is operative who began a month
nm wove l0o yards, which is two-tnirds
ed. an average days's work for
lol- experienced hand. She makes n
for about 81 a day. Spinners now
for s. a week and the pay will
for increased as 500 as they learn
It'll business.
of
lers The treasury department
Ird. already begun the preparations
ced coming 100000 Columbian half {
1 lsr Snu-apir pnfpc nnthar;,,J L..