The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-02-15
SOUTH CARoLINA's MILLS.
INDUSTRY GROWS STEADILY IN
AND AROUND GREENVILLr,
The Owners Profits Are Large-Tho
Towns Shows Sign of Improve.
ment and Prosperity is Evident
on All Sides.

4 Towns Shows Sign of Impro,
| ment and Prosperity is Evider
on All Sides.
Special Cor, NJ Il York Times.
GREENVILLE, S. G., Jan. 31.-Pros
perlty could not have marked TO
special favor a prettier town in Souti
Carolina than Greenville. The face O
nature is fairer here, possibly, than /
is at Spartan burg, few miles east an,
north, but also little further ava,
from the noble Blue Ridge that wall
GreenviIle to the north. Grecnyili,
Is more advantageously placed thar
SQartanbu for improvement, for Its
founders chose for u site u plateau tina
Is without some of the hlll dinicultio,
that will count when Spartanburp
begins to raise taxes for street and
other municipal improvements that
are bound to come to both IT, C SO thirty.
ing places.
Greenville is not less interesting as
a development Of the cotton manufac.
turing industry in the South than
| Columbia and Spartgnburg. u has not
as many spindles as are to 'ounG in
Spartanburg County, but Grcenvillc
| County, OF which it is the Court House
town, has more than CUlum bia great
| as the array "f spindlcs is in that busy
| town. The County Of Greenyllle pos
sesses at Pelzer, a strictly mill town
| sixteen miles below Greenville, on the
Southern Railway, the largest cotton
mill now n operation in the South. 1t
is really 15e mills, al running night
and dav: with lO7 600 spindles and
3,5OO looms converting cotton into
cloth.
But Greenvillc is entitled to claim
Int Il.
derives no Immediate bene tit from it's
operation. The rivalries in the State
seem to be Of localities, but everybody.
whether here or there, is ready to
claim every thing for South CPrOlina
when mention is made Of North Caro-
lima or Georgia, to which the South
Carolina enthusiast is apt to refer AS
States somewhat behind the times in
cotton development.
MILLS AROUND GREENVILLE
Right in Greenville, SO near that the
hum OF the machinery OF the estab-
lishment can be heard al summer long
is the first OF the mills setup here. 1t Is
the Huguenot, one of four mills opera.
ting here. Although more than three
years old, its managers date its impor-
tance from about three years ago
Then it had 2,700 spindles and iS5
looms. Now it has 5, 200 spindles and
32S looms. 1t weaves colOred goods,
cotton plaids, ginghams, and cheviots,
the yarn being dyed on the premises
aud the patterns designed for the com.
pany. Very attractive goods are turn
ed out, aud the demand, d good deal OF
1T lOr southern consumption, keeps the
mll constantly going and the ware
houses empty. The weaves are more
durable in color than prints, and are
seen worn by women in all the mills
hereabout.
Just outside the town, but not far
from its business centre, is the Poe
Mill. This Is brick structure, built
In the most substantial manner. 1t hos
u settlement about it, and company
store, heavily stocked. T.. w. Poe
pointed out the features OF the concern
In which he took great pride. This is
stes m mill, and it is equipped through
out with electric lamps, as the force
is in two shifts OF operators that keep
the machinery employed night and
day. In order to give q day Of rest to
the operatives, the two sets are so cm-
pioyed on Saturday that they finish
before midnight. The mill is valued
a. ST. 600, 600, but it is capitalized at
$3.50, ,0OG, and the inference that the
plant has been made out of the earn
ings OF the mill is not only justified but
tells a remarkable story OF the profits
that have been made in South Carroll
ma In cotton manufacturing.
There are 1000 spindlcs and 700
looms in operation in the Poe Mill.
The product is one unvarying quality
OF brown sheeting. The operatives
dwell In rows Of plain but neat build |
ings, arranged on town plan Of their
own with the boundary fence Just over
against the Greenville limits. There
were no infants employed among the |
splndlcs as waS the case in one of the |
Colum bia mills visited.
PROFITS ARE LARGE.
The two other mills nearest Green.
vile are those Of the Mills Manufac.
turing Company, with $4,000 spindlcs |
and 100 looms, and the American Suin.
ming Company, with $4,000 spindles |
and 700 looms. The Monaghan Mill of
the same capacity as the American, |
and the Brayndon Mill with 10, 600 spin.
dies and 400 looms, both OF which are |
to be increased in capacity are Others
that eat up the cotton OF Greenvil.e |
and neighboring counties. Between
Greenville and Pelzer is the Pied
mont Mill, with 10000 spindlcs and
1000 looms.
MoIC ViIah ball tnS CaplLSI IN IneSG !
mills Is home capital. Originally there |
was g:ea. cr proportion Of foreign |
capital invested, but much of it was |
the stock that was taken by Eastern |
frns supplying machinery, and this |
was bought up as the mills began oper-
ations and were able to liQuidate their |
Indebtedness. The Greenville people |
have put money into the business llber- |
ally. This was natural, for they knew
Of the prOtits that were being realized.
The Pc,zer, little Kingdom ruled
over by Mr.. Smyth, the leading man
in the company, made in the last year,
| was informed, $500 600, and IT prom.
ises to do better. The Piedmont showed
to its stockholders profit up to the
1st OF October, for elk months, of $3.50.
OCO. Twenty per cent. is considered
very moderate figure to realize.
ut has gone all the way said
mill owner, who said that he was en-
deavoring to buy up all outstanding
stock OF his own mill, from ~ to 60
per con: on the capital. How long
Will it last? We cannot say. AS long
as the demand continues as it is, we
can go on making cotton goods and
money"
There is no anxioty on the part OF
tho mill owner9 or operators to exploit
their dividends. Besides declaring
largo dividends on the capital OF mills,
many OF the companies are putting