The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-28
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running around courts. The buildings ara
OF " stories. well lighted with many
windows. Each room has hundreds OF
modern weaving machines, at each Of
which are two or more Of these Chinese
girls. some with big feet and some with
little ones. The little footed maideus hob
Die about, swaying this way and that. as
they arrange the thread. Some OF them
SIT on benches and turn the reels by press
ing their little feet up n down on the
pedals. | am told that the women with
small feet cannot do as much work as
those with the big ones. They have to sit
GOWN oftener, and the b~lg-foofed women
complain that they are not allowed 10 rest
as much as their small footed sisters.
The cotton Is ginned here IN different
machines than in America. A great deal
OF ~ Is ginned before II comes to the fac
tory in rude hand wringers. In the fac
tory small steel Japanese gins are EN-
ployed- These are about one-fourth the
the size Of our modern machines. but they
win not do one-eighth az much work.
They are run by steam and are handled
by men ard boys.
After the cotton Is ginned It Is packed
away into enormous bags, each about
twice as big as the biggest bed tick. and
holding 132 pounds of cotton The bales
are not pressed down, as with us. The
bags are fastened into a framework. and
the coolies put the cotton In with their
arms, carrying II up steps to the top.
When the bag is fun they jump IN and
tread II down with their feet. and then pile
In more until they have the requisite
weight.
have said that this factory has mod
ern machinery. Its looms come from the
United States, but Its spinning machinery
Is from England. The steam engfne is a
500 horse power Corliss. from Philadelphia.
! think. which Mr.. Corliss invented espe-
ciaily for IL. II has an American electric
light plant for X, and can keep 5000 lights
burning.
The goods are carried from building to
building on the factory railroads. 1t has
Its W waterworks, including a large
tank and pumping station. The employees
20 through a fire drill every week, and
everything, as far as possible. is fireproof.
one OF the structures having a roof OF the
shape OF a tank in which one foot of
water is always kept.
asked Sheng as TO how much money
the company used In its business. He was
rather reticent about giving figures. but
said that II used from two to three mil
Hon taefs annually. and told me that II
was doing well. Just before the Chinese
Japanese war II was making. so Mr.. DAN
forth said, as much as thirty per cent.
a year. IL lis not doing this now. and.
indeed, some OF the other factories have
been running at a loss.
The warehouses or go-downs of this fac
tory are OF vast extent, They are back Of
the factory proper on the banks OF the
Whampon river, so that the goods can be
shipped from them to most parts OF China
by water. In some OF the rooms 1 found
thousands OF bales Of piece goods and cot
ton yarn. IL seemed TO me that there were
acres OF them, and l was told that they
represented hundreds OF thousands Of dol
lars In actual value. A gang of workmen
was busy packing up the goods and label
ing them for shipment. and other gangs
were carrying them in and out of the go
downs. In other places they were unload
ing cotton from the boats, and as I came
TO the mill I saw men wheeling great bales
through the streets on wheelbarrows. The
bales were strapped on each side Of the
barrow, rising up so high as to almost
hide the man who was pushing Il.
The Cotton Fields o fhe Empire.
was surprised to find that most OF the
cotton used here Is grown In China. IL is
cultivated In patches at different places
along the Yangtse and In the south. l
am told II can be raised all along the
Yangtse kiapg, and even as far north a,
Tieutsin.
The chief cotton fields OF the present are
south of Shanghai, spotting the country
for about 100 miles back OF tho seacosst,