The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-24
Great Falls Manufacturing and I'm
provement Company.
ROANOKE WATER POWER THIRD BEST
IN TIE COUNTRY.
Capitalized at Two Million Dollars.

A century has added mother silver
| thread to the gray locks Of Time since
American independence was declared
| end the people of North Carolina be-
came freemen.
! Hundreds, and may be thousands, Of
he citizens OF Halifax county have
lived and died within the borders Of the
county without any knowledge OF the
grandeur Of the great falls Of Roanoke
| river, six miles above the town of Wei
don, where the yellow stream dances on
between crags and boulders and plays
over its rocky bed with beauty and a
| music that a. once exlilarate and fill
one with the inexpressible sensations
tina. thrill in the presence Of sublimity
A thousand years has the grand old
river sped its way on down to minsle
| with the waters Of the deep blue sea, !"
with no one to disturb the flow of the
rippling waters. But from the begin
ming. natures hidden treasures have
| been discovered one by one, her grand
forces have been bridled and harnessed
20 the wheels OF human progress to
bless the countless millions of earth !;
and at last, after waiting through sill
the mjsts Of the centuries and the slow
tread of the ages, the Great Falls OF the
noble old Roanoke are transformed, by
the bent of genius and the sweat OF
toll. into a matchless power that prom
| ;ses 10 rival the greatest water power III
the country.
The Great Falls Manufacturing and
Iuproycmclt Company: organized and
managed by Major I. L. Eln'y, OF Wei
don. has developed. where few yeaia
ago the casual observer saw nothing
but water flowing over rocks III the
same old place, the third strongest va
ter mower in the United States.
TIE LOCATION.
Six miles above Weldon nature mas
made q distinct channel, or canal, run-
ming around the Great Falls III the rlv
ar. and lust where it starts there is az
island in the very middle of the river
which divides the current before 1t ro'h
over it's great rocky bed. Here MaJ
Cmrv conceived the idea Of putting {
creat manufacturing plant which shoult
tnrn thousands of spindles, drive thous
ands of wheels, give employment t
.,,o,,sa,ds of lahorers and bless Halifa7
, county and the State with an lndustf!
second to none in the country. MAJ
Emrv seeing ell this in the posslblllt'e
of the great water power there, place.
+ !, before other men Of progressive ldea
.nd abundant capital, and the Grea
Falls Manufacturing and improvement
ICoonany was thus organized.
TUE EhG1sN1sC OF THE wokK.
On the aGth day of March, 1881
o,,a uo. ,,roken and the first shov
al Of dirt was throvu for the great ant
towering enterprise. Since that time
The work has been steadily pushed
and with lively vlgor until the grea
n canal is now nearly completed and TIL
: water power perfected.
THE CONTRACT.
Mai. T. l.. Emry, the mover an
nro,noter of the enterprise and on
Of the largest stockholders OF tn
company. contracted with the con
nany to complete the canal tor on
hundred and seventy-iive thousan
dollars. He at once employed irol
the State a large force OF convlc
n, in the penitentiary and has kept
average of so convicts, besides niue
ly free labor. on the works ever since.
The convict force Las been und
)r. =,
;ts the very humane management OF NJ
es. J. NJ. McMurray, of Guilford count
g. who has been in the employ Of the Sta
fifteen wears and whose manageme