The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-02-22
NATURAL ADVANTAGES OF HEN.
DERSON.

ner proximity 10 NoTtntastelH uai
kets, her health-giving air, the purity
and abundance of her water supply,
her gold leaf tobacco and her yearly
increasing cotton product, has been
content, while towns further from
market, not equally favored in many
respects, are in advance of her in the
march of progress. Natural advan-
tages may serve as fruitful theme
for the boaster, but when unassisted
by its natural allies, cold cash and
confidence, rather retard than ad-
vance the growth of a community.
1t is gratifying to know that the
superb management of the only cot
ton factory in our midst may result
in unloosening the purse strings and
| larger investment in such enter
| prises. Indeed, this is already being
done, as the organization Of second
cotton factory company in Hender-
son has just been effected, as noted
elsewhere.
They may take comfort in the his
| torical fact that in Old England, in
Manchester, for instance, with pop
ulation of 600, 900, within radius OF
| so miles, there is an estimated popu--
lation of 100000 to 10000, 900, the
ma ority Of whom are engaged in
manufacturing cotton fabrics, etc,
| The towns in this vicinity are so close
| to each other that the traveller on the
| train in some sections is not out OF
! sight of large cotton mill in run
| of many miles. There are large
| towns of over $4,000 inhabitants
within a few miles of each other, viz:
| Wigan with 100, 900; Bolton 1875, 900;
Warrington 100000; Widner $4,000;
ST. Helene $4,000; Bury 10000; Roch.
dale 10000, besides a great number
of smaller towns.
This industry has naturally opened
up other enterprises which are sue
cessfully conducted. The greatest of
the present day is the Manchester
Ship Canal built for the purpose Of
conveying cotton direct to the Man
chester market, instead Of landing it
at Liverpool and transporting it by
rail to destination. The canal was
built at cost of 100000, O0O-is IS
miles long, connecting Manchester
with Liverpool. Evidently away off
from the Southern cotton fields the
manufacturing of cotton goods is
more highly appreciated than it is
when the raw material is grown right
up to the factory gate.
With these facts is it too difficult
to arrive at large margin of profits
for any number of cotton factories if
located at Henderson,? And it is
gratifying to find that our men of af-
fairs have been fully aroused and are
putting their money into such enter
prises. But there are other fields Of
fering tempting inducements to the
investor in our midst. The largest
freight cars now used on our Southern
| lines of road are devoted to trans
| porting from sections hundreds of
| miles South of us furniture manu-
| featured from our Southern woods,
which cars thus loaded pass through
this town en- route for ready mar
ket in New England. The counties
| of which Henderson is the centre are
rich in timber for just such require
| ments.
Furniture factories located at Hen
| derson would have many advantages
over more distant points. This is a
! matter that should be looked into.
Granite blocks from Stone Mountain,
Georgia, pass through here en- route
to Northern points. Why cannot our
granite in this town be marketed at
! profit when the freight charges will
necessarily be less?
Reverting to increased industries
in Henderson, why is it that Char
lotte, N. c., and Atlanta, Ga, can
manufacture all kinds of mems wear
ing apparel at handsome profits?
What's to prevent Henderson from
embarking in such industries9
And while on this subject of the
development of the natural resources
of our section, we will remark that
it is asserted and confidently be-
lieved that between the towns Tin this
county, of Townsville and Williams
boro magnetic iron vein crosses the
| main road. Surface rocks bearing
| iron ore can be found near there on
the farms, and in places the sur
veyor's compass is attracted by it to
that degree that the needle fails to
serve it's purpose. Is this a continual
ton of the vein at Chapel Hill? A
reference to the map would indicate
it. We may have occasion to again
ventilate our views on these engross-
ing subjects.
| Now is the time to look for BARNES
| CLOTHING STORE. Big lot of clothing
| just received
The graded school is the thing.
For some time the people of Rocky
Mount have been moving in this
! direction, and now it looks as if they
are going to have it. A correspond
ent of the Raleigh Post says:
Rocky Mount will have graded
school, at least that was the unani-
nous determination of a very large