The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-22
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Bill Arp Tells Of His Recent Visit to Pei
zer, S. @.
Atzanta Constitution.
zer, S. @.


elevator stop about half way up be
tween floors so that [ might have
good view of the machinery and busy
boys and girls in this spinning room
This room he called his children
room; not the children S room, bu
Icy clildren's room, he said. Score:
Of little chaps, not more than ter
years old, who looked their love for him
They were the brightest and healthicst
children I ever saw in mill, and earn
from 25 cents to 60 cents day
Many of the grown girls earn from &C
cents to sl.25 a da,, and the average
pay Of them all is 62 cents. This is
good wages, for their work is easy and
healthful. The rooms are never too
hot or too cold; for the temperature
is kept uniform by fans and heaters
in the basement. No grease or fatty
matter is used on the machinery
nothing but pure mineral OIL These
children are required to leave the mill
at certain periods and g. to their pub
lie schools, which are supported by
the company. [ visited the school
and found 300 Of the pupils gathered
in the large room to receive me and
listen to brief talk about my old
school days and some words of encour-
agement to cheer them up. Mr.. Guy.
the efficient superintendent of mill
No. 4, is an Augusta man, and has
been in the mill service for fortyfour
years. In the packing room I OBJ
served that all the bales are marked
to Shanghai, China, and I heard that t
China is the best customer of South
ern mills. That government used to
buy from New England and old Eng
land, but they bought their goods by
weight and not by the yard, and in
course of time John Bull and the yam
kee got to mixing white clay with the
starch to make the cloth weigh heavy,
and SO they turned their trade down
South, where people didn't adulterate
everything they make to sell. Said
Mr.. Guy to me: '.There is no sizing
in these goods except that made of
pure boiled corn starch.
Nearly all the capital in these great
mills is from the South; and there's
millions in them, for Piedmont is on
the same river and is only FIVE miles
away and has two large mills and an
other is going up at Belton, few
miles below. In fact, the traveller
through upper Carolina is hardly ever
out Of sight of a smokestack. In
few years that State will consume all
the cotton that is grown in it. What
a glorious prospect.
Ali around Pelzer and Piedmont the
farmers are prosperous; for they have
a regular, eager market for anything
they grow, and I saw their wagons
coming in on every road. visited
Piedmont and stayed day and night.
1t is duplicate of Pelzer, though not
SO large; having about 5000 people.
1t is most efficiently managed by Mr..
James L. Orr, Jr., son of the gov
ernor and statesman. He, too, is
King and car, and lis word is law
about everything. He is respected
and loved by every man, woman and
child in Piedmont; and the stockhold
ers have nothing to do but look on
and receive their dividends semi-an-
nually. Piedmont is more elevated
than Pelzer, and the views from her
hills are charming. And then her
flowers: oh, the beauty of them. Out
door chrysanthcmums and roses were
in all their glory. Mrs. Richardson
sent my wife box full by yesterday S
express that excelled anything that l
ever saw in conservatory. She gave
a caution to the cxprcssman in these
lines on the box:
eff you desire to climb the golden
stair,
Handle these flowers with exceeding
care,
If you expect to play the golden harp,
Speed them with safety to Mistress
Arp"
The lyceum and public library at
Piedmont is an interesting place to
visit and is literally patronized by the
workers in the mills. Connected with
it is home made insurance or benefit
association, kind Of savings bank,
where for a deposit of ten cents
week the family of the depositor gets
forty dollars whenever a death occurs
This is Of course to provide for funer-
al expenses and decent burial. In
this library is the finest collection of
Indian relics that [ ever saw anywhere.
Fortunate people to have such phil
anthropic guardians. Old Father