The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-03

The thirteen counties without mills
are Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley
Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon.
Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown,
Hampton, Horny, Saluda and Will
liamsburg. The Columbia State makes
the following comment upon the facts
and figures shown by the official state
| ment:
1t is noteworthy that the counties
of Spartanburg, Anderson and Rich
lanu lead the procession in the order
named and that Spartanburg and
Richland combined have 26 Of the 122
mills, nearly one-fourth, and SO, 1885,
1916 of the investment, nearly one
third, while these counties with Aiken
and Greenville have $50. .453, 451 CAPT
tai invested in 81 mills, nearly two
thirds of the total capital invested.
They are therafore the typical
counties fer inspection by those seek
ing the example Of the fullest devel-
opment Of the industry, and the
Olympia here is worthy Of an inspec-
tion as the largest and finest single
mill in existence.
Speaking of the Olympia reminds
one that South Carolina has the only
woman cotton mill president in the
world perhaps, Mrs. Mary Putnam
Gridley, who presides over the for
tunes Of the Putnam mills Of Bates
vile, founded by her father, with
marked ability.
Unfortunately the date of Organi-
zation of nineteen of the l22 mills
could not be obtained from the reports
sent in, and the valuation Of these
nineteen mills has to be omitted from
the study in development given below.
The dates for the others, however,
afford a very fair idea Of the periods
III the States history when the indus
try got its long lead in the race of
manufacturing States of the South
for supremacy.
Coming down the years the first
squirt Of note seems to have come in
1893 when three big mills got into
shape with 2.253, 900 capital.
There was lull till 1895 when
thirteen mills with an aggregate Of
$3.50, lI6 were started, our Richland
mill being among them.
The year 1896 was d good one also.
the capital of mills started that year
being 1,56S. 175.
Then came 1898 with eight mills
and 81, ,407, SIG, all still running and
1899 was even a better year with eight
mills and 81 l,312.075.
But the banner year was 1900, the
year the Olympia came on the stage.
There were twenty-four mills started
up with total investment Of S5.4l0,-
900.
The year 1901 brought another lull
as far as heavy investments we're coa-
cerncd and may very properly be
termed the year Of knitting and no
sierv mills, seven enterprises, nearly
all Of this class being put in Operation,
valued dt 1925: 100.
For the present year he only mill
reported as started in time for taxa
b!e purposes is the Tiger in Spartan
burg county worth S96.50
1t is thus seen that the mills built
from 1893 to 1898 and still running
represent 97,733, 295 in investments.
while from 1898 to 1902 the sum OF
sS,o59,0O9 was invested, making a
otal Investment in less than decade
Of :l5.99l. .3O4. and showing at what
time Carolina awakened from her
letnargy and began to race. 1t IS
pleasing to reflect that The State was
founded in 1891 and from the first
sang the siren song of the cotton mill
spindle. and kept it up in season and
out OF season.
South Carolina has had cotton
mills for over half century. And
there are some such us the Saluda fac
tory that have dropped out OF exist
ence. There are Others, however,
still running, and doing we'll. The
Pendleton mill at Autun. Anderson
County, is entered in the Official list
as having been organized in 1898: 1t
has its value placed at $4,000. linen