The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-20
SOUTHERN COTTON MILLS.
Their Early History Discussed by
 MT. D. A. Tompkins.

Mir. D. A. Tompkins of Charlotte. N. C., contributes to the current number Of The Textile Excelsior an interesting ar ticle on the early days of cotton manu- featuring in the South. In the course or his article he says:
 Now I proceed to the subject of South ern cotton mills in the early days of the republic The general subject of manu- lecturers in the South Is not well under stood. One of the foremost propositions of the founders of the republic was the esta tablishment of manufactures through out the whole of the then United States. All the early Presidents, most of whom were Southern men, were advocates or protection to new industries and other and development. Under these influences manufactures in the South advanced for long while, sax up to lS3O' about par allel with the manufacturing deVelopnent of New England and the Middle States. I have often had occasion 10 point out that theicensus of 1SlO shows the manu- factured products of Virginia. the Caro- linas and Georgia e9ualed in quananS qaS States combined. The influence that gradually changed the condition was slavery. As slavery grew and became stronger in the South manufactures grew less and the factories almost disappeared In the Piedmont region of North Caro- lima. In which I live, it Is surprising to learn what a ss, development there 70. was .as powers iron works were in full operation. sone of them on. what was then, a very large scale. Iron mines and blast fur ndccs were In operation at many, many points on the mountain sides. The cot ton mills in operation at Henrietta. Cliff ton, Cherokee Fails. High Shoals and many other places occupy the sites of former rolling mills. The water power canals at the mills were dug more than a hundred years ago hy iron companies a. High Shoals. When the present mills was begun only a few years ago 1t was number of brick stacks that had form erlv been used in connection with Catlin forRcs and very lately in an additional excavation a large housing of former rolling mill was found. At this point some seventy-fve years ago, many varied products of iron were made, including hhrs. pIowshares, nails, special iron to make illlrs. hcllnN-ware; pots; ovens and oihs" utensils foI cooking. There were fhr1pghnut this region shops and fac f1ries for the manufacture of wagons, ca,,itges. Elar lets, jeans, hats, iurnl- tuI'a, cotton goods and others;
 so,.th vas enc built by Michael Schenck OF Mill Branch, about two miles from Line, lntpn. N. C T. was run bX water nIwer and vas erected in 1Sl3. The ma rh. h.nci.v was all built by a shop Tn Lln-
 Tn first lot of Isachinery was built by I'avid Derrick. who was sood me chanic and a brother-in-law or Schenck A second l1t of machinery was built Tn lslb ny Michael Bean in shop which ne
 on ,rattd At LincoIntOn. The contract fIr this lot of machinery is still Tn ex-
 7'ho dcsrercants of this same Michael Schneck are TOW extensively ana sue cess IlN in .hc mill business In North Carolina. There was an interim when slavery was supreme. when probably all tEe m, mbers of this family were pant ing and not misunderstanding, but on tne abolition of slavery and the re-estabush- ment of conditions favorable to manu- lecturers those having most of the ln- husiness for which there was Tn their house an inherited capacity. As it was with this factory so 1t was with many others. .,-.. -....,.
 milling interests near Greenville, In