New-York tribune., 1902-09-07
4 DESERTED VILLAGE
POPULATION LEAVING NEW W-HARTFORD
CONN, BECAUSE TRUST CLOSED
MILLS THERE.

Hartford, Conn. Sept. 6 (SpecaD.-One
Of the largest looms in the world is silent The
Greenwoods mills, which have been running for
sixty years, have been closed by the order of the
Cotton Trust and New Hartford is now practi-
raIly a deserted village. A month ago the order
came from the Mount on-Woodberry Cot
ton Duck Corpora ton to close the Greenwoods
Mills on September / for indefinite period
Tie village reminds the visitor of a grave
yard. with its scores of untenanted houses loom
ms at every turn like monuments to mark the
Industrial grave that the Cotton Trust has dug
cor what was of the most thriving
and busy rural manufacturing spots in Con-
tcut.
Ever since the order came from the home office
OF the Cotton Trust to close the mills the mill
workers have been moving away. BY the mid
die of August five hundred of the eight hundred
hands that employed when the mills were
running on full time had gone. Every day since
from one family to ten families have departed,
some to Fall River, others to Danielsonville,
where there are cotton mills The Cotton Trust
l!ld have selected no better time for closing the
mills so far as the mill hands are concerned, for
they have had difficulty in obtaining positions
Indeed the mills OF Fall River and other places
sent agents to New Hartford to hire the opera
tves so as a result Of the closing of the Green
woods mills there will be suffering among
the. mill hands. 1t is not the mill hands that
viii lose but il is the substantial citizens OF New
Hartford, who own property, and the merchants
Who have depended on the mill hands 10 pus
their wares The merchants feel blue ana theS
have no word of praise for the Cotton trust
The nonuIation of New Hartford Township,
which takes in all the farming district around
the village is 3, ,424 Men Of the village say that
Of
,.-ayed ayav is two thousand, for the faInlIles
were large The town has now been depopuIil'eu
rntu there are only lbs more inhabitants thah
there were 121 years ago This Is turning O'OA-
ward with vengeance
In the town of New-Hartford the taxes leNle"
amount to 81 1878 80. The Greenwoods property
ie assessed S312S10 1t pays taxes to the
amount of $i,ttI II.
The tax rate will be % mills instead Of 10
mills" said Town Clerk Frederick y. Jewell III
eraaLine, Of the closing of the mills and the
effect it will have the village, with the tilA
rate as it is now we run behind every year and
do not have money enough to meet the current
expenses 1t, will be hard on the taxpayers no"
10 meet the demands for running the town.
DON'T KNOW WHY BUSINESS MOVED,
Il don't know why the business is to he moved
10 the South No one seems to know. If they
We have good railroad facilities, two railroads
coming right into the village, and a water power
that is unsurpassed by any in Connecticut
The monthly payroll Of the GreenWoods mills
WAS $4,000 That means nearly $2oO,000 d
year. and almost every dollar Of that was spent
right here with the local merchants, for we
are so far away from any big city that most
all Of the mill hands did their trading here,
preferring to do rather than spend their
money in paying carfare- Take that much
money out of a village like this and I guess
we shall miss it. Some of the stores viii have
to close, Some of them have closed already.
hope for the best but the future of the town
looks dark.
"Of course the plant-that is, the shell Of the
mill-wiIl remain here, and it will be taxed but |
there will be a great deal that will be left |
to tax. 1t will be about $125OOO where it is
now more than $500, 900"
The dwelling houses owned by the Green |
woods company are sixty-seyen Ia number |