The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-16

| "a careful study of the business con
l ditions of that whole section, of tn
spirit of the people, Of the splendi,
progress already made in cotton manu-
featuring, of the truly marvellous frOr
and steel. l.making advantages, as illus
trated In Birmingham-and remember
ing that while Birming ham is neces
sarily destined to be one of the worlds
leading motallurgical centres, there
are many other points where iron
and steel can be proftably manufac-
tured, thus giving assurance of the
upbuiding OF many other iron cities as
tho work Of development goes on
remembering all these facts, the
thoughtlul student of business condi-
tlons must sec that the South has an
exceedingly bright future.
+" The progress of that section seems
to DC woll rounded, with steady up-
building IN cotton ana iron manufac-
turing, and now Birmingham ia pre-
pairing to takc dominant position in
stool making. The two great steel
plants now under construction at Bir-
mingnam will, understand, cost about
81, 800. 600 to $3000,00 AS q factor in
! building up that city and in creating
diversity Of manufacturing interests,
| these steel works will probably be of
more value than vorything that Bir-
mlngham has up to the present time
accomplished in iron matters. We
found very marked activity in cotton
mill building and in Alabama learned
OF the closing OF contract by tho
Mcrrimac Manufacturing Company, OF
Lowell, to build at Huntsville ono of
the largest cotton mills in the world.
This plant, SO | was informed, will
have 200, 600 spindles. u bleachery and
print wooks, and will, | believe, DO the
first print works In the South. 1t will
probably cost over 81 SOC. 900.
" IN all parts Of the South the cotton
mills were reported rs prof table and
| crowded with orders. The splendid
cotton duck mill at Columbia, S. c., is
ono OF the finest mill plants | have
ever seen, and its electrical equipment
Is superior to tia. OF any mill with
which am familiar in New England.
It's general manager stated that 1t
could sell doub!c its present output,
| the demand for its goods coming from
ali parts Of the world. In North Caro-
Lima found that one county has TWEEN
ty-hwo cotton mills in operation, with
hVc more projected. In that county
the farmers arc said to be so prosper
Gus, owing to the local demand for
o'Vcrslhcd agricultural products, as to
DC Tree from debt, with good supply
on cash TO their credit, Jhcir barns
with provisions.
Added to the general industrial
advance everywhere noticeable is the
very striking progress that is being
made In the development Of Southern
ports. At Galveston, New Orleans,
Pensacola, Mobile, Savannah, Norfolk,
Newport News and other ports, extern
slvc cnlargcmcnts Of terminal facili-
tic$, involving IL GOOD many millions Of
a 81 I,sL lN,,t
port News, Mr. nuntingtOn's great
shipyard, employing about 1000 hands,
has, | learn, about $50. 00O, 900 OF work
, under contract.
: 10 Jking over tho whole situation, as
| nave tried TO do, and apprcciating
something Of what the South has al
ready accomplished, and what its many
advantages arr, | am thoroughly con-
vinced That there are great opportun-
tiles in that section for broad and COM
prchcnsive development.
" So far as the plans for the Amcri-
can Cotton Company are concerned, we
have for several years been at work
developing the system OF putting cot
ton into bat directly at the gin and
then winding it into "a cylindrical bale
about the size OF u Hour barrel. This
is practically putting cotton through
the first stage Of manufacture at the
gin, and i'll do away with u good deal
OF the work now done at tho mill. In
this compact form, with all air ex-
cludcd, the cotton is non. .combustible.
thus reducing insurance one-half, and
greatly facilitating the shipment OF
cotton by rail and water. Under the
old system only about "a, 900 pounds of
compressed cotton can be loaded in
car, while with our round bales we can
load car to its full capacity, whether
that be $4,000 or 10000 pounds. In
ocean tram spOrtation 0ur'round bale has
the same advantage. There is q saving
OF from $3 to 81 ~ bale, as compared
with present methods, in which South
: crn farmers and transportation COM
: panics will largely share, and every
economy in reducing unnecessary ex-
! pcnscs borne by cotton will insure to
, to the benefit OF the whole South"