The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-06
or BUSINESS.
A Wilmington Concern That Has $1,000.
o of Transactions in q Year-A Half
Million Distributed in Our City-A
Great Business Establi shed by Two Will
mington Boys

Great Business Establ, shed by Two Will
mington Boys
Along the line of talking up ones city
INSTEAD Of listening to the lugubrious
u%llutations of the pessimfsts, who are
always with us, as discussed by live
men at the meeting of the OF
last Thursday, The Messen-
ger wants to endorse the proposition
that such talking will benefit any city.
This is especially so men we nave
something really worth talking about.
we know Of a certain enterprising and
prosperous city that has won a great
regulations and scored a big success
because it's citizens always talk it up.
"A Wilmington man, Whohad been great
~ impressed by the talk about the city,
but who had not heard much blowing
about Wilmington, held up the afore-
mentioned city as an example for Will
mington and said more business was
done there han here. He was surprised
when a Messenger representative smil-
ed and wanted to guarantee him that
two concerns in Wilmington did as much
business IN IhG COuI5cO u a sCdA . II hilS-
actions as the whole of the business in
the city we have in view. He said he
had no idea of such a thing.
One of the concerns we mentioned in
this connection was the cotton export
ing firm of Messrs. Alexander Sprunt
& Son, owners Of the Champion Com
press, which is absolutely by long odds,
the finest and best equipped compress
TO be found in the south Many Of our
readers, who know this firm does a ire
mendous business, will even be sur
prised to learn hat the volume OF their
business aggregates 5 1000, 900 in a year.
Last season they bought, compressed
and exported 200, 900 bales of cotton,
and this reminds Us to state that they
are the largest single cotton exporters
in this country. They have ia gents
in North and South Carolina, over 100
agents in Europe, and besides a staff
of Is accountants in their Wilmington
office, employ $50 laborers at the
compress. They have two offices in
Europe-one in Liverpool and one in
Client. They distribute their large
business throughout h whole world
from the Mediterranean sea to the gulf
of Finland-and in many foreign
they are known as we'll as they are at
home. They charter their w steam
ers and bring them to this port ana
load from twenty to twenty-five large
steamers a year, many of these Vessels
carving away from 10000 to $4,000 bales
of cotton at a time. These
are all chartered for the firms w
business solely.
All the money made by this firm
contributes to the prosperity OF VIII
mington. 1t is invested here only, ana
besides the investments Of the firm we
must take into account that they dis
tribute $500, 900 in freights, handling,
COMPRISING, etc. 1t costs them TO
handle 200, 600 bales of cotton the past
season not less than an average OF y
per bale. In the busy season they pay
out per day in salaries and wages $1,000
which adds to the circulation and has
"a perceptible influence in the business
of Wilmington.
Talk about Wilmington's not being a
good field for enterprise and endeav-
or! 1t must be remembered right here
that the members of this firm are Will
mington boys, reared right in our
midst. We may as we'll state also, by
way Of demonstrating what enterprise
and pluck will do, that their immense
business was built up since the war
from nothing. The house was estab-
lished in 1866 on a basis of six bales of
cotton! |
AS we have said, Messrs. Alexander
Sprunt & Son, in the Champion Com !
press have the finest compress in the !
south. 1t is a handsome brick, fire
nroof building covering a whole square.
It's front entrances are on Mutt street,
and it's rear opens on the harbor, with
wharf, pier, dock, and water facilities
hardly u~nequalled. The Atlantic Coast
Line tracks run alongside of the COM
press on the north side of the building,
and the tracks of the Wilmington, New
Bern and Norfolk railway run along
the 'front.', affording connections and IA
cilitieS for cars coming mere on HNe
railroads that connect Wilmington
with all parts of the United States.
Cotton is unloaded right from the cars
into the jaws of the compress and is
trucked right from the compress into
steamers loading for the greatest marts
of the world. In addition to the
splendid wharf facilities, they have
had heretofore, Messrs. Sprunt & Son
have just extended their piers 30O feet
further out over the water and we
venture the assertion that there are
NO finer wharves in America. The i'm
provement on the water front has been
such h a five of the largest steamers,
carrying $4,000 bales, can find easy
berth and be loaded at the same time.
Tn addition tO extending the piers. the