Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-06
TIE MILL COMMITTEE Of Representative Massachusetts
 Mill Operators STILL SEEK INFORMATION,
And Are More Thoroughly Impressed With the South.
 A Visit to Fillmore.

CHARLOTTE, N. c., April 5.-The Mas sachusetts mill committee has completed it's inspection of the four largest mills ia North Carolina, and arrived in Charlotte tonight on it's way to Columbia, 5. o., and Augusta, Ga. The committee continues to find very much that is of interest, and freely expr.s ss themselves as pleased with the conditions that exist iu the south.
 It was the desire of several of the party while in this city to visit Ashevlle, N. O., and the Southern railroad extended cor dial invitation to the committee to visit that resort.
 The special arrived in Asheville at mid night, and bright aud early this morning for an early breakfast, and on the way up caught an impression of Asheville.. From the hotel the party went on it's special train to Biltmore, which is proposed 10 be the most magnificent residential estate in existence. The millions of Mir. George w. Vanderbilt that have ai- ready been spent in the building of this property are manifest on every side. There are about 600 hands employed on the estate at this time, and the work on the palatial residence IS being pushed in order that Mir. Vanderbilt my be able to eat his Christmas dinner in 1t. The mill men did not have over an hour to spend at Bilt- more, but in that time, through the cour- tesy of MT. Wander bilt's representative, were shown through the premises, which, when completed, will have cost consider ably over s5 ,000 ,000, the total estate, with its hundreds of thousands of acres of land, i, costing doub ble that. There seems to be no limit to the Improvements proposed by Vanderbilt, and Asheville and that section is deriving considerable revenue from his work.
 The party made quick trip back to Spartan burg, where, through the courtesy of President Montgomery, the operations of the Spartanburg mill were shown. This mill operates 32, 162 spindles and HOO looms, with 650 operatives. The party then went to Clifton, where the oldest or the large South Carolina cotton mills is built.
 Fourteen years ago Mir. D. E. Converse started out with 7000 spindle factory, which has in the meantime been enlarged by the addition of another mill of 5l ,0OO spindles, aud added to this the Clifton Manufac. .uriug company is at work upon an entirely new mill which will operate 30, 900 spindles. At Glendale the D. D. Converse Manufacturing company operates a 17,000 spindle factory. At all of these mills sheetings, shirtings and drills are most profitably made.
 The mill committee, which Is bent upon gathering all the information it can, does not have much to say, but is fulfilling it's mission in getting all of the dala 1t can and IS the mill owners are practical business men they are not taking one-sided view Of the situation. Most of the committee are preparing notes upon the conditions ex- isting in the mills tbey have visited, which are represent of those In this section.
 MT. E. 5. St. John, vice. president Of the Seaboard Air Line railroad, and to whom is due very much of the success of the undertaking of having this inspection of the southern mill territory, will join the party at Columb bia, where the morning will be spent. President k. G. Hoffman will also join the party at Columbia.
 MT. O. H. Sampson of Boston, who IS larp ely interested h southern cotton mills, joined the party at Spartanburg today.
 Mr. c. w. Amory, who has been with the party up to this time, returned to Boston from Asheville on account of his indispositiOn.
 MT. Fred Oliver, president of the Char lotte Oil and Fertilizer company, left the party at Charlotte.
 MT. William c. Lowering, who is presi-. dent of the Arkwright club of Boston and one of tho largest mill men in the east, and. who is in charge of the party, tonight said to the correspondent of the News and Courier in reference to the trip:
 s'We have already visited mills repre- senting sev. ral hundred thousand spindles, most of them working on the same class of goods, namely, standard sheetings and drills. As a rule they are all making very, fair goods, and it is evident that they have been able to market them at profit during. the past year, while some Of the northern mills have on similar goods made but little or no profit. We continue 10 be im- pressed by the appearance of the opera lives, who seem to be vigorous and earnest in their work. '
 MT. D. A. Tompkins, who is in charge of the party, has received numerous re- quests during the day to change the pro- gramme, but it is his intention to have it remain as announced unless 1t is the desire of the committee or Mir. St. John to make further stops.
 The remainder of the itinerary is:
 Arrive at Columbia Saturday morning; leave Columbia via Southern railroad Sat urday for Augusta; leave Augusta Sunday at D. m. via Port Royal and Western Carolina, arriving at Moncure Sunday night; stop at Moncure; visit Lockville shoals Monday morning; at Raleigh 10:30 to 1:30 Monday; at Weldon p. m. to p. m. Monday; Portsmouth Monday night.
 FOR A STATE ORGANIZATION