The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-09


ton belt. near untold water power, and
| with good, tractnble labor In plenty. slr
| WIS ideally located for such an Industry.
/ at first people listened, and that was
about ALL ThcN thought this was some
dream Of tinwise enthusiasts WHAT
they asked, desert tobacco. which has
made some OF us fortunes, and of which
we know, for a new industry OF which
New England Is mlstress?'
Fortunately for Danvilc and for vir.
ginia, these doubling Thomascs were not
the entire population. and the outcome OF
the efforts OF the few who believed was
modest little mill. with capital OF
/, S75, 900. They named this mil ",rhe Rlv.
| crside Cotton NIills."
The mill started with 1900 spindles and
i 100 looms.
! fortunately the management was wise
| enough to start right and an equipment
/ winch at that time was thoroughly up to
| date was Installed. This policy has been
4 maintained to the present day. and there
Is no time and labor saving device which
| IS too costly to be Installed throughout
4 these DanYille mills as soon as 1t is put
on the market. This and the careful
management is what has made Danvlles
cotton mills universally successful.
i OF course. good management" includes
all departments for good management in
/ one department only could have merely
/ postponed wreck, but witness what has
| been done.
In 1889 the Riverside Cotton Mills (now
/ mill No. y consisted of one building, l03
| feet long and seventy-six feet wide. They
undertook to manufacture only coarse
cotton goods. well knowing that with
the limited capital Mt their command the
natural advantages being what they
might. they could not hope to compete
with New England in the making OF the
inner and more costly grades of goods. In
fact they soon saw that the capital OF
! $4,000 was entirely inadequate even for
! the field they had entered and In 1885.
at a meeting Of the directors. 1t was de-
| cdcd to- increase the capital stock very
| materially.
| This was done and Mill No. 2 was built
| IN 1851 This mill Is more than twice the
size OF the initial venture aDd Is build
| Ing running 22o feet along the north bank
! Of the Dan RIVER and rs feet wide, 'front.'
ing on the main line OF the Southern
| Railway.
This. 1t was thought would certainly
enable the ma ma cement to supply all the
| cotton goods they could ever hope to SELL
for that industry can 1t one stroke triple
| Its capacity and hope to be forced again
| to add to its equipment in two years. Yet
this is what was necessary in Danville,
and In 1888 the management again recon-
mended an increase Of capital,
| Again was Its advise followed not
| blindly though. for all could see the
| phenomenal Increase In the business OF
the Riverside Company. and all stock
4 holders were cognizant Of dividends hav-
! ing been regularly declared
/ This Increase was made In order to
build Mill No. 3. which is situated on the
| north side Of the river, adjoining Mill No.
with which it is of equal size. This.
| as well as all the other properties Of
| the Rivcrsie Company, Is equipped
throughout with standard sprinklers. In
candescent lights, and steam heat. From
1 fire tits protected by six and eight inch
waiter mains running the length of the
building.
Even this increase did not enable the
! plant to keep up with Its orders and
further increases in capital were made in
J 1893 and 1896, when the present capitalize
ton of 81 10000 was reached.
These rapid Increases in capital were
largely taken UP in Danville and the sur
rounding counties:
AS each Increase in capital was made
additional mills were erected and mills
Nos. 4, 5. and Z. were built. No. g., a
three story building. 316 by 76 feet was
erected in 1888 and No. 8. containing five
Il
4 ground was built In 1905.
The last of the Riverside Mills to he
built was No. Z. which was added In 1899.
1 It has three stories and 142 feet long and
1 rs feet wide.
| The mills Of this company have In
4 creased in about seventeen years from
/! one mill to seven; from a capitalization
| OF seventy-hve thousand to two million
dollars: from 22c0 spindles to 1880; and
| their original one hundred looms havo
been multiplied more than twenty-slx
| times.
They have capacity OF twenty thou
| sand bales of raw cotton per annum,
| and give employment to about seventeen.
| hundred persons. They have supported
thousands Of people during twenty years,
| have made good profits for their owners
| and have given life to town which
! was dormant when they started. q
The mower used in the water-power OF
| the Dan River. which is developed. BY
the company. and OF which ab y ~ tnree
| Thousands hourse-power Is found 10 pe SUI
flcient for their uses. !. /.
Great as Is. the above showing It is
about half Of what has been done and IS
1 viii be done in the future, for in the
above no account has been taken of the
great Ian River Power and Manufactur-
| ing Company's mill, said to one OF; II not
This mill was built because OF the same
conditions which called all the additions
to the Riverside into being. Ia J.
It was found by the Riverside people,
| that even with their tremendous plant
they could not supply the demand for
| their grades OF goods. This being true.
they organized another company, having
nearly the same stockholders and direc-
| torate and the same officers as the old
| company, and bought a site and water
rights further up the river This was In
1902.
This infant industry was started with
that almost all the stock Of the new COM
pany is held by the stockholders OF the
Riverside Company we arc enabled to
| get some idea of the satisfaction OF the
stockholders with the returns from the
business
Az soon ms proposed this Dan River