Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25
THE MODEL VILLAGE.
A Place Where There Are No-Saloons
or Need for Municipal Law.
NOT EVEN A JAIL OR MORGUE.
And This Only Town of It's Kind is Hess-
brook, in Ireland,
WHERE THEY MAKE THE FINEST LINEN
WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPArcH.l

WRITTEN FOR THE D1SPATCH.1
Have YOU ever heard of that town of 5, 600
souls, known as the Model Village? 1t is
not in America, am sorry TO say, and if
there is another like it in the world 1 do
not know of it. A town with that number
of inhabitants with no Mayor, no police
men, no tombs, no morgue, no jail, no
pawnshops, no ''speak-easies, and no IL
censed saloons, which last perhaps goes
without telling, is q something of which
any country might well be proud, and Of
which Ireland is proud.
Every one who ever bought or sold Irish
linen knows of the Bessbrook Linen Mills
In County Armagh, Ireland, and Of
their enormous output of the 'fnest linen
in the world" But of that home of work
ing people and of the great and good man
who founded both, but little is known on
this side of the Atlantic, unless to our
merchants and their purchasing agents.
For this reason am moved to speak of a
recent visit to Bessbrook and the mills, and
of their thousands Of toilers who, notwith-
standing the home comforts provided them
by humane employer, still live on the
shady side of existence, working, sweating
and shortening their days that you and 1
may wear fine linen.
A Pioneer in the Business
John Grubb Richardson, Quaker, philan-
thropist and manufacturer, was considered
one of the foremost pioneers in the indus
trial progress of his country. 1t NAV be
said of him, he was born to his business,
since when still a youth he was taken into
partnership by his father in an extensive
business, connected with the manufacture
of and bleaching of linen at Belfast and Lis
bon. Even this early, it is told of him, he
occupied himself so assiduously in CONNER
cial affairs as to gain for himself the reputa-
tion of being one of the most enterprising
merchants Of his time
In the pursuit of his avocation he came
to America, crossing in one of the first
steamers which piled the Atlantic, and it
may not be without interest to mention
here, that he was one of the founders of the
Iuman steamship line. The Bessbrook
property was purchased from the Earl of
Charlemuy by Mr.. Richardson, his father
and brothers, but later he bought out their
interests and became sole owner.
As early as 1884 the spinning Of fax was
carried on at Bessbrook, which the ample
supply of water brought down from Cam
Tough greatly facilitated. The present
magnificent building, built from the mex
haustible granite quarries in the immediate
vicinity, is eight stories high, a block
quare and, though built in 1S47, still looks
new and as if it would ontlast time itself.
In 1876 the concern was transformed into q
limited liability company.
The Place Without Rival.
From year to year the productive ca
pacity of the mills has been increased and
the machinery improved upon until sup
nose the place is without rival, either in
point of sIze or capacity. Certain it is that
a visit through the establishment amounts
20 a journey, from the basement where the
yile-smelling fax is thrown in the raw
state, through the countless rooms where
can be seen the spinning, reeiing, design
ing, pattern cutting and weaving, t. the
TOP of the house, where glossy fabric, so
sweet and white, is being packed for ship
ment.
Hundreds of our sex in the mill are seen
standing with gowns ankle-short, bare
footed upon the stone floor made wet by
vapor that is quite as dense as London
toI. Many OF these women are Irish beau
ties with eyes of the bluest, hair of the