The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-20
A Successful Enterprise That
Has Grown Rapidly.
DYE AND FINISH SUPtRB
The Raleigh Hosiery Company Makes
the Best Glass of Goods.
PAY ROLL THIRTY THOU SAND ANNUALLY
lis Officers Are W. W. Ashe, President, S. A.
Ashe, Jr. Treasurer and Manager, c. n.
Pate Superintendent and All Are
Men With Experience.

Men With Experience.
A most important enterprise exists
right in Raleigh, and its work is little
known of here.
1t is important because it is success
full, is doing the, best kind of work, is
employing over one hundred and twenty
five hands. and is a manufacturing plant
that carries Raleigh's name for and near.
1t is the Raleigh Hosiery Company,
to which reference is made. and when "a
visit to it was made a few days ago its
completeness, eHactness, business-like
methods, goods made and extent of bust
ness were matters of surprise.
To begin with, the company is man
aged by a business set of men. These
are: President, w. w. Ashe, of the L.
S. and n. C. Geological Surveys secre-
tary and general manager, s. A. AISLE.
Jr.: superintendent, g. H Pate.
Mr.. s. A. Ashee, Jr., began as mill
hand at the Caraleigh mills six years
ago. and after eight months work there,
entered another mill as a hand to learn
in detail the work of machiniSt and later
practical carding and spinning His six
years of experience has enabled him to
become thoroughly skilled nl2nufac-
turer, not only of hosiery but of yarns
as we'll. Mr.. c. H. Pate has been en-
gagged in the manufacture of hosiery for
the past seven years, the last five of
which have been spent in experimenting
the mill of this company He is thor
oughly familiar with every detail of
manufacture.
The head knitter, Mr.. r. s. Beavers,
has rot only been employed fer several
years in the shops of the company build
ing the knitting machines, but has sue
eessfully run knitting rooms for many
years. The head dyer and the boss Of
the ribber room have both been in the
employ of the company for five years
and are uneXcelled in their departments,
while the boss finiSher, Mr.. HILL and
two chief inspectors, Mrs. Forsyth and
Mrs. Hudson, have all worked in their
several positions since the mill was
moved to Raleigh three years ago, and
their work has been excellent.
The mill is a new one, but takes up
a business started before. This began
in 1897 at Willardville and in the fall
of 1899 was removed to Raleigh when
fire destroyed the building in 1901. The
present three-story brick building is OPP
posite the pententiary, south of Morgan
street, and it has side tracks leading to
from the railroad.
The mill in it's design, construction
and completeness has been commended
by all insurance men and is fadadced
with low rate of insurance. In the
business over $4,000 is invsted, and it
has developed so quietly that the people
of Raleigh are not aware of its i'm
pOrtance. 1t is one of the leading in
dustrial enterprises of Raleigh and it's
payroll amounts to fully $50, 900 a year.
money turned loose for trade in the city.
All kinds of hosiery for men, women
and children is manufactured. Over 43
different styles, the coarsest goods for
labooring classes, double kneed school
hose for misses and boys, finer 50-guage
25-cent hosiery in fancy colors, drop
stitch, lace effect, made from costly i'm
ported cottons-are made, the finish be-
ing unexcelled by any Southern mill and
by few, If any, mills in the East.
The management watch every detail
with care, from the unloading of the
yarn to the shipment of the finished pro-
duct, and as the heads of departments
are men with experience this counts 1t
is fact that from last July until the
present date not one dozen pairs of hose
have been returned and not one cent
allowed for inferior goods.
In this connection it might be mention.
ed that an Indiana house, who last fall
bought $500 dozen of one particular
style, has in the past few days given an
additional order of 5000 dozen of the
same style with instructions to shin
1000 at once. AS regards the finish of
the products, the following extracts from
two letters are on file. The first from
the largest jobber in New Orleans, under
date of January 49, 1902, says:
I'VE have just examined sample and
beg to congratulate you on such a beau
tiful make and we think your claim is
more than proved by the excellence of
the goods" And under date of February
7th, their New York agent writes: 81
want to compliment you upon the dye
and finish that you have on your goods -
The company have the highest common
dation concerning the finish of their
goods.
The dye house equipment for produc-
ing fast blacks in Isle finish is of special
interest; the secret formula embracing
the use of fourteen chemicals, costing
the company over one thousand dollars
The process of dying is a secret one
which is not committed to even the
head dyer, and new processes of finish
ing and treating are constantly being
tested, although the present finish is
equal to that of any imported goods.
The machinery, from the rib top ma
chimes to the powerful hydraulic presses