The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-05-01
CoLUMBIA,s NEW MILL.
Hum by observation-disclosures Factor!
Under One Proof-A Big Thing fol
the State Capitol.

to-day for the first time since the dis
pensary decision of the Supreme Court
that topic has not been all absorbing
but instead the new cotton mill has
been discussed. Any city on the
American continent may we'll be proud
OF such an enterprise. To-day the
water was turned on by Millionaire
Joicing over the long expected and all
important event. 1t is regarded as but
the beginning of a brighter. and buster
day for the State Capital. Already
the news of the new mills operations
have gone abroad, and to-day Mr..
Nichols, of Chicopee, is in the city
looking out for site for tho erection
OF a new cotton mill. Just watch
Columbia and see how soon she will be
at the head of the manufacturing list.
Her Canal is no longer matter of en-
! force for tho water-works and Electric
Light Comany has been generated by
the Canal, but to-day one Of the thou
sand-horse power dynamos of the new
cotton mill was successfully put in
! operation and around went the wheel,
and In turn the weaving machinery of
! what is said to be the largest cotton
factory in America under one roof.
From an early hour in the day tho
crowd began to gather around the site
of the new mill. There were the sub
stantial business mon of Columbia
sight-seers, prospectors and the stock
holders, who have made the project q
reality. They saw up on the highess
point along the banks of the Canal a
massive but handsome brick structure
At glance the immensity of the
building could not be taken in. A
! front of about 400 feet, dotted with
windows, was shown on the side facing
Gervais street,, and the width of the
building is about $50 feet. From tho
midst of this structure came the puffs
of smoke out Of the boiler room. where
the steam for the heating apparatus is
generated. But even as large as it is,
it is said that the building is only half
finished. Leading up to the front
doors of the mill are spur railroad
tracks, which have been built in anti
! cipation of the business, and from the
side extends the substantial iron
bridge, which spans the Canal and
leads to the wonderfully constructed
power house. Across the river on the
Lexington side are the rows of houses
that are to be occupied by the hundreds
OF operatives who are to run the mill.
prise and progress, and one which
made every Columbian rejoice that
the city had at last, through the in
PRODUCTION of foreign capital, opened
! the Canal to it's legitimate purposes.
1t would be both impracticablc and
impossible to give any adequate idea
of the arrangement of the mill or the
machinery in this dispatch. It will,
however, suffice to say that the owners
have not spared money to get the vely
best possible plant, and that every
thing about the place is of the very
latest design. All old styles of ma
everything about the place is as bright
as new dollar. On tho ground floor
is the plant for tic heating and
ventilation Of the immense building.
The plant is put in by the General Fire
Distinguishing Company, of Provi-
dence, r. 1. They have put up their
finest class of Sturtevant heating and
cooling machinery and have introduced
into the mill a complete system of
aerophors which will keep the
moisture and temperature at it's proper
stage: The picker rooms and the
machinery repair shops are also on
this floor. The upper floors are used
for weaving, carding, spinning and
! finishing rooms, and on the second
! floor are the general business offices.
Near the main building is the cotton
ware house, and adjoining the main
building is the plant for the heating
apparatus. Everything about the
place is large and roomy and all Of
! the departments have an abundance of
| light
! Tie chief product of the mill will be
cotton duck. All grades will be manu-
iactured, but the chief product, it is
said, will be ducking suitable for sails
| 10, L.
has the latest sail making machine in
the country, and that it will make the
cloth wind-proof. One Of the machines
will make cloth eleven feet wide. The
exact capacity of the mill is not vet
made up, but one of the men said that
| 1T would amount to about the equiva-
lent of 10000 spindles, and that the
mill would consume at least 10000
bales of cotton.
One OF the novelties of tho mill is
that the only motive power to be used
in the operation of the machiney will
be electricity, which will be generated
by the turbine wheels, which are to be
run by the power from the Canal
The power house for the present will
have two 1,O00-horse power electric
the power to fifteen dynamos distribut-
cd throughout the building. From
each of these dynamos in the building
fifteen shafts will be run, and in that
way 1t Is said that there will be q very
great saving in the amount of friction
and shafting. This is the first ex-
pertinent Of the kind upon such large
scale, but there Is every reason why
the current should work to advantage.
What little use was made of it this
morning showed that there was no
difficulty in commanding the power.
The three wires which transmit the
power from the power house to the
mill are about the size of o mans arm
and are run under ground and enclosed
in tar cases. The contract has been
filed by Chapman & Co., and they have
had the good fortune of having Mr..
Briggs in charge of their forces. 1t is
really remarkable to note what safe
guards have been taken in the con-
struction of the power house aud the
building of the piers. The power
house is built on O. solid rock founda-
tiOn, which is about twenty-five feet
down. The building Is entirely water
proof and is solid up to the high water
mark. But more will be said about
this masterpiece OF mill structure at o
later day.
The stockholders held a business
meeting this morning and elected the
following directors: Aretas Blood,
ID. X. Sortwell, r. s. Converse, G. S.
Marsh, George Wallace, Stephen
Green, John 8. jerks, Robert X. War.
ing and Charles X. OliYer. All OF the
old officers were re-elected, and Mr..
q. K. Oliver viii have charge of the
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