Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-01-25
A MOST VALUABLE INDUSTRY
SUCH Is THE SOUTHERN SHUTTLE AND
B0BBIN FACTORY Ar WESTMINSTER.
SEVENTY-0NE PERSONS EMPLOYED.
Tho Factory Turns Out 1900 ShuttIes Per
Wook-Can Supply Only Southern Mills.
BY a. l.. GOSSlGTT,

| Among the many manufacturing inter
prisos that havo sprung up in tho great
South during tho nineteenth century, the
Southern Shuttle and Bobbn Factory,
so beautifully situated in our midst, is
one OF great Importance and demands
tho attention of the busy world. Really,
tho closing period of tho nineteenth con-
tury finds this the only enterprise of its
kind South of Philadelphia, and that
alono ought to make us fool proud Of it.
Ihon, too, it is great success, and VIC
haVc ovory reason to expect greater sue
CESS OF 1T III the future. 1t is bound 70
receive the patronage of tho big cotton
mills of tho South, and this is Il time
that cotton mill building is by no means
ut standstill Tho company often re-
coiVo orders for slluttics and spools from
Northern mills, but it is impossible for
them to fill tho orders, as the mills in the
South keep them SO busy. To-day they
have orders enough to keep them at
work for tho next sixty days.
| The Southern Shuttle and Bubbin
Company began work in iS05 in Il
wooden building 2Gxi0 feet, with barely
|
room was needed, and the building had
to be enlarged. That, however, did net
furnish room enough. SO new quarters
wc,c sought and to-day wo find them
nicely established in a plant costing
nearly 900, located about 4 half mile
Northwest of the depot of the Southern
Hallway, whcro only fourteen months
| I,,on
one employees whose names arc on the
pay roll to-day. They wcrl ton hours
per day.
From $4,000 capital the books of
subscription have been opened to raise
tho capital stock to $:ii3, 200 and people
arc availing themselves Of the upportu-
nifty OF getting stock in tho company.
The timber buying is a big thing now
and thousands of dollars have been dis
tributcd among tho rich and the poor
for wood, which, for other purposes.
would have been unsuitable.
The company have twelve timber
agents, located in South Carolina and
Gcorgia, and it is being shipped in by
car loads. Twcnty-ninc car loads have
been received this season. SO great did
the shipment Of timber become that Il
switch was put in at the old factory and
4 spur track, 200 feet long, was built 20
unload cars from. About 4 car load is
bought from the wagons every day,
which comes from forests accessible to
the factory.
In making shuttlcs pcrSimmon and
doGwood arc used Spools arc made of
poplar, birch, maple, sourwood, sweet
gum and other woods. II takes timber
from one and onc-half to two years TO
become thoroughly seasoned for ShuttlcS
The carpenters, brcklaycrs and other
laborcrS finished work at the new fac
tory a short time before Christmas
The company got their machinery in
the main building and got started to
work in September. AS much more
machinery was added then. a new en-
ginc and boiler were put in to furnish
greater power. 1t is Il GO-horsc boiler.
The boiler room is twcnty-cight feet
square and built Of brick. The main
building in which the machinery is
placed is Il thing = beauty. 1t is heated
y
of over 500. There is no darkness in
side during the day, rs it contains us
windows. The size Of the building is
l6OX:i5 feet. In the center Of il is .i,
saw shed, where all the woods are Sawc,.
to tho required length and size. Some
five or six saws are seen running at Il
high speed and from H. to - cords of
| ,Snnl l,I,
dozen hands work here and not an idle
person is to be seen. AS soon as the
pieces il. udcd to he made into Shuttlcs
arc sawed the ends are dipped in tallow
to prevent cracking. The blacksmith
shop adjoinS the saw shed. The rooms
Of the ground floor are finishing and
picking rooms. The iron works and the
o!lic" are also on tho lower i!oor.
Two elevators, principally for carrying
freight, arc seen in this building. On
going upstairs the visitor secs many ny-
ing belts, pullcys and shafts.
The shuttle room is GOx:;5 feet and has
several lathes in it. The spool room has
sixteen lathcs in it. In this room an up
to.datc machine shop is found II has
two engine lathcS and one large mill
lathe. An iron plancr, weighing $500
pounds, is also operated here.
The manufacture Of ShuttlcS is very
| interesting. We are informed that they
have to 90 tlrou!.h about fifty different
operations before they are completed.
After the timber becomes well seasoned
il is carried to a small saw where the
| pieces are cnt to an exact length, and
from the saw they are carried to the
| plancr, which dresses them down to the
exact size, and from the plancr they go
| to the lathcS that work out the inside
which is done with bits and cutters made
for That purpose. From those machines
they go to what is called II burning ma.
chine, when the inside of The shuttle is
smnothcd out with small Lurrs, made
| FOR the work. This machine and several
others move at speed Of over 1000
rov"lu'iuns per minute. From this they
arc passed 10 the heading lathe, where
the inside is squared to receive the end
OF Che bnbhn. After coming ont they
are ready for the tips TO be put on the
ends and &" to the turning lathcS, where
the ends are turned TO The required
shape. Thcy then go to Il large sand
paper drum which SmoothcS the outside
IoI the shuttle. Thcy are then taken
down to The Oilinu tank in fine GnishinT