The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-24
THE COTTON MILL.
Progress Is Still Being Made Toward
('omn nIeffOu.

Progress Is Sill Being Made Toward
Completion.
| Every day shortens the time that we must
wait for the turning of the wheels. While the
work has not progressed AS iaSt as the olncets
and directors would like. yet. considering Inc
weather and other causes OF delay, lair pro
gress has been made. The work on The reSer.
| voir which covers an acre OF ground, aud VIII
have eight feet OF waller, inciualng mliilohs
Of gallons, is practically hnished aud the
connections between reservoir ana boilers oy
pipes have Ueen about finished, and the WA
| ier from the creek, which Will run INTO The
reservoir by gravitation has already oren
turned into the depository. which Will make
a great LAKE e, and furnish abundant supplies
of water for every needed purpose.
The imm ense engine whlcn Is 10 run t"eIFe
thousand eplndies, and all the necessary
| looms and other machinery, is nearly ready
| to be tested. BY tomorrow or Friday u is
expected 10 start the fires.
Notice has been received that some OF cur
machinery was 10 be shipped last Monday.
and by the latter part OF next week, the ma,
chiuery is expected every day. The total
shipment of machinery which Is 70 come
will require something like one hundred cars.
or equivlent to about five train loads. !he
engine and boilers required about half DOZEN
thing like $1,000. Some idea of its great
weight may be estimated from the fact t.s&t
the fly wheel alone weighs &c 600 pounds.
The annual meeting Of the stockholders
| takes place IN May, anu every ellOIL pOSsIplc
will be exerted to have the mill ready by lhat
time, though II Is scarcely TO be expected t1at
everything will be in readiness for work al
date as early as sixty days from now.
Owing 10 the scarcity Of money the di:ec-
| tors expect TO start only lU,000 spindles Tor
coarse cloth. together with Inc necessary
looms and other machinery; Room Will Atill
| be LETT for $500 spindles, which will be added
As soon as the finances OF the company may
The company have built their mill house In
as substantial and as complete manner az
money, skill aud the pest inatefiai Wonio
| been done, and none but the best up-to date
and The most expensive machinery has been
ordered. The engine which Is guaranteed 10
be $50 horse power, but which will easily
enough deveope $50 horse power is the best
engine that is made and the boilers have no
| ,uperlors as steamers and fuel savers.
| A good engine OF the same size could have
been had for $4,000, but the directors. after
consultation with the architects, Lockwood &
Greene. determined TO buy the best that was
made, aud for that they paid S2l OOO. IL IL
practically indestructible by use, II well taken
care of, and, barring accidents, will run for
| life time.
They bought SO4 Draper looms, which cost
80 ,00J more than the purchase money or Inc
| best OF other looms now in use.
| The plumbing Ia the latest and the best that
is maue, and cost more than any other sys'
| tenn.
Each and every article that has been placed
|
might be named separately. and It is true
that In every instance the architects and the
directors have striven 10 buy the best up-to-
date machinery that was made.
| The directors and the architects pride them
selves uDcn the excellence OF all the mach n
| cry that has been bought. The directors have
| striven to buy the best, and not the cheapest
machinery. Although the cash has been linn. .
| tied, vet In no instance have their standards
been below the highest, and their purchases
have been OF the same class that they woald
nave bought II they had had million dollars
| to their credit In bank. Net single secund
| grade article has been bought.
| Placing their standards as high as the hi 5h-
est, and buying nothing but the highest
priced goods from the foundation OF the mill
| 10 the placing Of the machinery, Is an under
taking the magnitude OF which even the di.
| rrctors we're not aware at the begin ming OF
| the un. ertaking. The total cost up 10 the
placing OF l0,00O spindles; II Is now estimated,
will amount TO S215,WO
| Implicit faith in the ultimate success OF she
| mill is had by those who are Intimately asHo-
ciated with 1t. The directors work In bar
help arises each of the directors has cut
| forth renewed effort, and there Is no haltiuS.
| but all are determined TO bring success 10 Tue
greatest enterprise that Aboerille has ever
Undertaken. | The directors are practical bus.
mess men, and they have Inverted 50 much
Of their own personal funds In IL that they
are hound 10 make every possible effort to
bring desirable results: besides inns, tLeir
| urge them 10 make the success OF the Able.
| Vile mill equal To that OF any DILL In The
South. When the whee's are:ready TO turn.
| competent, active and reliable men Will see
that they turn for purpose.
| In carrying out their plans OF having The
best nf everything, the directors determ med
10 seek the best equipped men that could be
had In New England 10 take charge OF then
| mill, and for this reason, tbe Superintendent
| of the mill, MIR. Peckham. comes from New
bury port. Mass, He comes highly recon-.
mended and is already on the ground. While
he has yet had no opportunity TO demon.
strate TO us his special fitness Tor the position
which has been rendered to him. yet all The
indications are that he Is both competent
and efficient. He IL familiar with all the de-
tails of the mill and will give personal su
| pervisions 10 the placing OF The machinery
when II arrives. Besides bis evident &C
ouaIntauce with mill work, we are impressed
| With the belief that he Is an untiring worker.
| He SAYS that our engine Will run Indefinitely,
and that there Is no reason wy the mill
lsbould not run ON full time, Instead OF hall
time as IL usual with the Southern mills.
! Because OF the scarcity of money, IL Is pos
sible that tue company may be confronted by
a large construction account whicn Will have
| to be met after the mill Is finished. But the
| directors have implicit faith In tneir ability
| 10 run the mill In such n way as 10 merit the
| approval of the stockholders aud 10 earn
the money With which 10 meet the obliga-
tions for whatever may be owing at the com
pletion of the mill. To meet these oOliga-
lions II may be necessary to run the mill on
full time. with two sets OF bands, aud Mr..
| Peck ham approves the suggestion.
| The engineer. Mr.. BollmHn, like Mr.. Peck
ham. comes from Massachusetts, and we have
con tdepce In his ability. He Is ready 10 go
10 work as soon as we are ready. ana,
like Mr.. Peck ham, he says that he knows OF
no good reason why our mill should not run
on full time He believes that with the as
sis!auce OF our own worthy citizen, Mr.. Carl
| Wosmanski, that be can run the engine on
full time, so that our machinery aud capital
| aril ~ q idle
MIR. Peck ham believes that with the COOP
Grafton of q boss of one OF the important de-
partments OF the mill that there need be 40
additional tax on the company Tor Suppriu-
teudent. An ambitious young man OF abill-
ty. who has had experience j.. the mill busi-
| ness, would be well repaid by the opportunity
| TO take charge Of mill for part OF each day,
which act would place him 10 the line OF pro.
| motion. -
The building cotton mill is an immense
undertaking. and We verify believe that
without the aid of President Bailey, and the
friendly Offices OF the architects. Messrs.
Lockwood & Greene. that the Abbeville cot.
| ton mill would never have been a success.
President Bailey came amongst as teacher,
and from the first agitation or the subject OF
| a mill, he has been friendly TO the enterprise
| When the subscription list went round ne
| sym pat hized with the effort and gave OF his
means 81 900 to help US along. At the organi-
zatlon he was elected director We had then
some $4,000 in subscri criptions-an amount
| which tue architects said was totally made
uuate TO make even a start at building mill.
When MIR. Bailey was elected President he
nut In OF his own money $1,000 additional 20
the capital stock. This act in.pired faith ard
| enthusiasm in the minds OF the stock holders,
aud because Of President Bailey's personal
popularity and liberal subscription, other
| stock holders increased their subscri ptions
until the capital stock aggregated little over
SlUO.uO With subscription like this the
work of building the house was commenced
and when II was nearly finished PRESIDENT
| yl0NH Stnf0 f0S