The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-20


and 10 other points.
The same Mr.. Blake was an enthusiastic
admirer of Henry Clay and at one time
when he thought he would be elected Pres
ident Mr. Blake fitted up the mill that
stood on the site of the present No. 2. on
River street, and intended to give a bail to
the citizens of Savannah. But Mr.. Clay
was not elected, and the paint faded away
from the walls and ceiling and the ball
never took place.
When the mills came mainly into the
hands of Robert and William Neyle Hab-
ersham, they drew almost all the crop
from the surrounding territory by adj
vancing the planters, and buying rough
rice from the Satilla river. both sides of
the Savannah river, New river, Comba-
hee river, and even from North Carolina.
Along In 1855. the receipts We're so large
that besides furnishing all the rice con-
sumed by John Howler's rice mill In New
York, some to other mills and large por-
ton to the lower rice mill in this city,
the three mills turned out 100000 barrels
of clean rice which was more than the
present yearly crop Of Georgia and Caro-
lima combined.
The price Of rice varied from q to T.
Of a cent a pound In 1912 and 1913. for far
TO prime. When rice was q TO Is of a cent
a pound for the primest, other products
sold at corresponding figures. Mr. Habar-
SudIn DCuSHl the lliI6St government Java
coffee at cents by the single bag: i'm
ported corn from the Mississippi at 20 TO 25
cents there, brought 1t here and shipped it
to Boston at a profit. Western sea island
bagging was bought in Kentucky at to 8
cents a yard and brought to savannah
where II was sold before many months at
IL to II cents a yard. Rice, before the end
of the season Of 1912, also rose 10 2ls 70
"a cents a pound. The mills were filled
TO the extent of their capacity and yield
ed a very large profit.
The history Of No. 2 mill, on River
street, was full of interest. 1t mainly
made the fortune of the late Mr. Ark
wright and the regulations of the TIL
tons as millers, Maj. N O. Tilton being
then and now considered the best miller
in the country, and his son not one of the
least.
During the war the mills furnished food
for The army, and ii was said that they
were tile only ones not seized by the Con-
federate government. This statement was
made to Mr.. Habersham by the commits
sary general. These mills furnished the
army to the exclusion of all other custom
ers and collected and stored in the mill
stores n 1.-THE of each crop voluntarily
given by the rice planters At one time
all the cavalry horses near the coast were
fed on rough rice.
The Habersham mills We're the only ones
called the Mckinley patent, and they
had kept these machines as they
stood down In The mill yard. with
Improvements made by the patents of the
Thtons. Maj N. O. Titon patented in
1870 a ring Improvement which revolu-
ttonlzed milling at that time, and his son
Nat, lately IN charge of the mills as mill
er, patented in 1880 a mill boot to the pestle
which In the opinion of the best experts
is the finest milling arrangement exist
Ing. Eice which the best mills of Nc.
I<imley In New Orleans takes fifty minutes
to pound, can be pounded by these patents
in about half the time The Invention OF
the Mckinley mortar is said TO have been
due to Mr. John RaVenel of Charleston
from whom MCKINLEY, it is claimed got
the idea. This patent was in the form of a
short rod working upward through the
bottom of the mortar that held the rough
rice, with great rapldity. Ever since an
cient times Destles for milling were made
of wood lifted by enormous wooden revolv-
ing shafts which raised and dropped the
pestles in the mortar, and were called dror
pestles What these old pestles took one
two and three hours to do, the Mckinley
patent did generally in twenty, thirty and
forty minutes. The No. 2 mill was mainly
instrumental in developing the Mckinley
machines and the engine that stood il
il was always called the Henry Clay
anu was III lHe oIlSttldi mo. j mill. II Ire
destroyed the old No and No. 3 mills
and they were rebuilt, but with the great
failing off of the rice industry two of The
mills were recently dismantled.
In the days when rice growing was the
great agricultural Industry of this part 81
the country, the now vacant land south o.
River street, and some OF the adjacent
property, was occupied by cooper shop.
and warehouses belonging to the mills
but the buildings We're destroyed in wha
is called the great Yamacraw fire in 1885
and were never rebuilt
In spite OF their age the mill buildings
were very substantial. Until the decline
of rice planting and the abolition of slav.
cry the mills were considered the hes
paying investment in the city. They were
operated by slave labor under the superin
tenGence of white men. The old rice fac
forage house of Robert Habersham. under
its several changes of the firm name, wni
the manager of the mills for Its owners
ana for that reason they became generally
known as Understands Mills. 1t ID very
doubtful If they VIII be rebuilt as Their,
Is scarcely enough rice marketed here L
keep more than one large mill busy.
This fire was the third rice mill fire II
Savannah In the last five years the Plant
ers Rice Mil, the Savannah Rice Mill and
now the Upper Rice Mil, having beer
burned. The first named has been rebuilt
and is now in operation.