The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-01-03
PIEDMONT COTTON 6llLLS
History and Wonderful Growth OF the
Industry.

Imam interview with Il representative
Of the Manufacturers Record Col.
James J.. Orr, president of the Pied
mont mills, Of Piedmont, s. c., re-
garding the textile industry in the
Piedmont region of the South, said:
The real beginning Of the cotton
manufacturing in the picdmon, sec
ton Of the Carolinas dates back to
1920, when William Bates, Il native
of Massachusetts, ani who learned
his trade in the old Arkwrisht mills,
near Providence, came to upper Soull.
Carolina at the instance of the les
tc.s, and finally built Lester factory
upon the site OF what is nuw PELHAM.
The machinery for This mil was
bought in Philadelphia, sccou.. hand,
shipped to Charleston by water ana
hauled from thsrr by wagons over 300
miles.
Mr. Eatcs was a thoroughly practl
cal man, and his influence and handl-
worl; was felt in ail the small mills.
about il half-duzcn in number. that
during the next twenty years were
built and had more or less successful
existence, such us l;atcsvillc, which is
named for him, Bivingsyillc Finger
vile, Testers, Il mill a, Greensboro
and few others.
The progress Of these mills from
1910 was slow, and ut the breaking
out Of the civil war the Confederate
government took charge Of ali cotton
mills and detailed officials to run
them, taking Il large part Of their pro
duct for army purposes.
The real beginning of cotton manu-
featuring as we have it now commcnc-
ed with the Piedmont mills, projected
aud successfully carried out by tic
late Col. IL. y. Hammctt, u son-in.law
OF Mr.. William Bates. This mill was
begun in 1873, and began the manu-
facturc of goods in the spring OF 1876;
In IL very few years QSS2} this ven
turc was followed BY the pelzcr mills
and the Clifton mills. These pioneer
mills soon demonstrated to very
skcpticai world that cotton "oods
could be manufactured in tic South
as cheap. if NOT cheaper, than in any
other section of the United States.
The Piedmont mills have grown from
small liant Of 5000 spindlcs to
nearly Gl 900 spindles; from capital
of 5000, 600 to $500, 900, which is far
below the value of the property
1.-The market value of the stock is
1S5, but very little changes hands, be-
ing aheld for investment exclusively.
Piedmont uses $4,000 bales of cotton
annually, producing 30, 900, 600 yards
Of cloth, of which IS per cent is cx-
ported to China, Africa and South
America.
Following The signal success Of
these pioneer mills others were soon
erected, and in u few years South
Carolina assumed the lead Of all other
southern States, and has kept it,
standing to-day second only TO Mas
sachusctts in number OF spindlcs, and
second TO none in high standard Of
equipment, dividends and high class
Of products
while it was in all probability a
mere chance that Mr.. Bates began his
work III this section over thrcc.uuar-
tcrs OF century ago, it is certain that
if he had been thoroughly Informed Of
the varying advantages Of the whole
South as suited to. the manufacture of
cotton goods. he could not have chosen
u section with climatic, geographical
and physical conditions and surround
ings more ideal than this Piedmont
section
$50 successful have been the ven
lures III cotton manufacture here, a
failure is the exception; in fact, with
anything like efficient management,
there have. been no failures. The
mills begun ten or fifteen years ago
have in many instances increased
their capacities from four to eight
times their original size, in many in
stances paying for large part of
these Improvements out of surplus
earnings Of their mills and paying
handsome dividends at the same time
on their capital stock.
's1f you were to search the world
over to-day for the best type of cotton
mills, you would find them in upper
South Carolina. The excellence ex-