The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-03-09

SoO, UUU, jewish LeCCCIo la1i co,Ooo
and many costly and handsome resi-
dences and he built structures OF
magnitude at Charleston and George
town and has had g hundred men at
a time. He snperintends all work and
is ever gentleman Of excellent bust
ness qualifications and patriotic citi-
zenship.
That this is a land of opportunities
is becoming acknowledged more and
more and is accentuated by the sons
of the soil.
Foreign capital has invested from
time to time, and some Of the ventures
have gone as mist before the sun, bnt
with broader guaged views capital is
being invested with immediate and
permanent promise.
The most remarkably successful fac
tory in this region of the country was
started by boys born on the farm in
Darlington county, s. G. They have
proven that energy and quick and IN
yentive faculty are as we'll engendered
as when fathers and uncles we're build
ing bridges and destroying others in
the battles of generalship with Johnies
and Yanks by civil war. Now is civil
competition. The business of the
enterprises herein described have re-
ceived but little aid from Sumter
county and the reason is that this re-
gion is healthy one, and the records
of marriages and births are numerous,
while the departing guests to the sup
Der with the future are few. Ten
years ago coffin shop was started IN
Sumter with less than a hundred dol
lars capital. now combination of
factories are congregated with about 8
acres of land in he city Of Sumter with
main line of Railway and side tracks
and switches touching Is buildings,
devoted to wood working machinery
and the different departments are
yrey happily placed. Small buildings
and big ones having easy transmission
in every degree of perfectitude. The
Witherspoon Brothers who started the
little shop are now the head and front
of the combination of saW-mills,
coffin and casket works, furniture fac
tories, and shippers of all pertaining
to funereal rites-north to New York
and Pennsylvania, south to Florida,
west to the Lone Star State, and over
the Carolinas. They employ ITO men,
and while the Sumter Coffin and
Casket Mfg. Co., is chartered. the
Witherspoon Brothers Company
works adjoining have q capital Of
$40, 900, S2l, 200 paid up. The Sumter
Coffin and Casket Manufacturing
Company at its inception made neces-
sarily the cheapest grade Of goods in
the south, and kept so doing for seven
years, but increasing capacity all the
time, while members of the firm
changed, the Witherspoons held on.
Three years ago they came to the
conclusion they could advance, by
manufacturing the highest grace of
undertaking work and employed some
of the best northern mea in the practl-
cal departments. and have them yet,
and the result is that they ship far and
near, coucbes of interment, that call
for 500 to $3.50 in cities, large and
small.
The Sumter Coffin and Casket Mfg.
Co., have a two story, frame, 30xS0
and 5 smaller buildings, a few feet
apart, including waSe-rooms and store
departments for different grades which
are clothed and joined in culmina
tion.
The Sumter Coffin and Casket Mfg.
Co.. has as President NJ. B. Wither-
spoon who is also Vice President of the
Witherspoon Brothers and Company,
separate company, but working in
unison, manufacturing cofins and
cheap furniture and using pretty much
the same steam power.
The Secretary and Treasurer of the
Sumter Coffin and Casket Co., is S.
F. Osteen who is also auditor for both
concerns.
The Witherspoon Bros. & Co. have
also numerous substantial buildings
one being 6oxl0o feet, two stories, and
one 30x100 three stories, and 20x30 two
story warehouses and saw mill and
lumber 3ox125 feet-then there are
blacksmith shop, paint house, and
numerous storage rooms.
The two engines one 25 and one 30
Ii. p. respectively have boiler attach
ment of 100 b. P. furnishing steam for
engines, dry kilns. and radiating pur-
poses generally-the buildings being
heated thereby. And the Sumter
Coffin and Casket Co., have engine Of
10 h. p for jointing and trimming,
The Sumter Lumber Company, con-
uected with the Withe1spoon enter
prises have about four acres, double
deck sheds, and about SIS, eco stock,
while the Sumter Coffin and Casket
Co., and The Witherspoon Bros. COM
pany buy lumber from mills around.
The output Of coffins and caskets is
IS per day, and big jobbing trade is
done in hardware, Innings and robes,