The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-13

II The BELtkYs
.nt time with horror. I went through
the largest cotton mill in the world last
week. 1t is marvel Of ingenuity and
power. The river turns these millions
Of spi11dles, and machinery makes it pos
Uble for ono man to do the work former
iy dons by 1900 women. What is to be
the res ait at last of this machinery ad-
vancem ent and perfection? Isn't that
throwing the laboring classes out of
work mere than the tariff tinkering?
All cotton goods are made here, from
the coarse grain bag up to the beautiful
white and crinkled seersucl1er which
adorns the glorious form of the summer
girl.
Below YOU can start in with the big,
silent water wheel and go on up to where
hundred Thousand delicate threads are
put into one, and above that the giant
bell which tells the noon hour and the
labor day off Into sections. went up
into the belfry to see this big Ben of the
Androscoggin mills. l had to climb a
long ladder through dark skylight, and
for comfort 1 had worn a high hat. Up
In the belfry Strengthened out my hat
and stood on the icy comb of the roof
while the wind blew through the whis-
kers of a man who had been secured for
that purpose.
never saw finer sight than the view
Of Nova Scotia from this belfry on a
keen, cold winters day, while off to the
northward and eastward Labrador could
be seen, and back of it the aurora bore
ais reflected from the redhot journal
On which the earth revolves at the north
pole.
This mill takes the raw cotton as it
comes from the iron jaws of the big COM
press and turns it into million beau
hful fabrics The man who falls into
the cardsr at the ground floor will find
himself in counterpane on the top floor
''if he don't watch out"
Mr.. Bean, who operates this giant
mill, showed US over it and explained
Ill the complicated machinery, SO that
could build a mill just exactly like it
how if I Gid not have so many other
things to do But he advised mo not to
DO so. for with the dull times and appre-
hension everywhere funny paper in
London would pay better than cotton
mill does now.
Maine, too, looks with great grief up
on the prospect of having free lumber
admitted across the Canadian border,
where wages are very low and pine un-
limited.
The pulp mills of Maine are great
branch of industry and utilize many
kinds of wood which otherwise would
not be Of use at all. Inside of "a hours
spruce tree now may return to Port
land in the form of the Boston Sunday
Hlobe-that is. mean if tie tree should
be large enough. OF course you couldn't t
make Sunday paper out of a scrub tree.
Aside from all these other industries,
Il is estimated that from $1,000. 900 to
100000. 900 come in each year from the
summer boarder and sportsman. / met
the proprietor of hotel on Marble
head lake the other day, and he told
me that he kept so guides all summer
md as many canoes, and the ideal
trip now consists of padding from the
head of Moosehead lake for over 800
miles to st. Johns through the virgin
forest. There is really no game preserve
That has the flavor Of the Maine pre-
.erves. The log jam and game preserve
n Maine are such well known delicacies
that / need not pause here to dilate upon
.hem.
The Maine LIQUOR law is always very
interesting cadaver to me. In fact,
have roamed around the charnel house
Of dead prohibitory measures for several
fears i'll various states. They simply
make drinking inconvenient and breed a
more ruinous breed of rum.
In Lewiston the gin palaces are under
the streets. and O labyrinth of passages
known only TO members in good stand
ng' leads to the interior. with ever and
anon door marked pull" when ii
means push" and push" when it means
10 the initiated pull" This confuses
the officer, so that by the time he gets
m fairly the decanters have been emptiei
Gown the sink. followed by an acid
which removes al traces. even of the
Mor. A guard is above both day and
night, whose duty it is to press the but
ton when the sheriff enters, and when he
gets at last through this devious way he
1nds tie bartender engaged in latherinp
Gnd shaving customer or shampooins
h:m with bottle of Angostura bitters.
Liquor is shipped all over Maine in
side of molasses and sugar barrels, in TO
bacco boxes and inside of big boxes os
.ensibly containing mill supplies ant
machinery. Bangor openly sells all sort
IF liquor and is considered the smartes
city in Maine. In Portland the Office o
sheriff is said to be worth $4,000. Tn
sheriff manufactures cigar which h
sells 10 those who also sell rum. But b
raids these places regularly. It is u,
Axciting spectacle to see the sheriff wit