Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-03


building trade, calling for great va
riety of manufactured materials.
Abundance Of capital, attracted by
climatic, social and purely business
reasons.
Abundance Of labor, the highest
skilled, as well as the unskilled.
Freedom from trade domination, in
surfing security both for capital and for
labor.
STEADY hand over hand progress
without booms, panics and intervals Of
collapse"
Within the boundaries of the Eighth
ward are located a large number of
varied industries that have been en-
larged recently because of the steady
growth of the enterprises. In the list
of more important manufacturing es-
adjustments may be mentioned Bishop
&s Co, crackers, candies and fruits;
Touring mills, the Llewellyn and Baker
Bros Iron works, the Art Organ COM
pany, the Los Angeles Soap company,
the Hauser and Cudahy packing COM
panies and scores of smaller enter
prises.
The Felt Factory
The celebrated felt factory estab-
lished at Dolgeville, a suburb of Los
Angeles, by Alfred Dodge for the manu-
facture of every known variety of felt
goods, is a striking example of what
can be accomplished in Southern Calf
fornia in the line of profitable industry.
Members Of the Los Angeles chamber
of commerce, by invitation of H. e.
Huntington, visited Dolgeville in body
recently and inspected the extensive
plant The party first visited the fac
tory buildings, each two stories high
and 14Ox320 feet in dimensions In mill
No. the process of taking wool almost
from the back of the sheep and after
putting it through dozen different
treatments sending it out white and
clean to dry in the sun was the first
exhibit demonstrated and explained by
Alfred Dodge and his son, aided by Mr.
Adams and Mr. Noble. Electric power
and perfect machinery do the work
speedily.
On the second floor is the felt shoe
factory. Here skilled artisans take the
felt and produce various styles and
sizes Of footwear. In another depart
ment was shown the finished product
in shoes.
Between mill No. and mill No. 2 is
located the drying and bleaching room
for the wool, which is blown into this
place from mill No. 1. Here the wool
is thoroughly dried by the sun, not by
artificial means, which is an advantage
for this industry that cannot be had
in the east.
In mill No. the process of manu-
featuring felt sheets in various widths
and of different quality and thickness
was viewed. Special machinery is re-
quired in every department and ex-
perienced attendants carefully watch
every turn of the rolls. Samples of the
finished felt were presented to the
visitors.
Remarks by Mr.. Dodge
1--WE are located in the midst of the
wool belt" said Alfred Dodge, land in
this section is produced the best felt
ing woods of the world. We buy wool
at first hands from growers at a saw
ing of twenty-five to forty per cent.
We have the pick of the woods and
produce superior goods.
1--WE save in heat and fuel. Wages
are no higher here than in the east,
and operatives because of the climate
give ten to twenty per cent more work.
We use electric power, costing approx
imately $25 per horse power per year.
The eastern felt mills sell their product
to shoemakers, piano manufacturers,
etc., in the sheet or piece. We use the
product of our felt mill ourselves for
shoes and piano hammers, thus saving
freight, because we ship the finished
product to the east. We have large
market east of the Rocy mountains"
Nearly 300 persons are employed In
the factory and all reside at Dolgeville.
Their homes are not far from the fac
tory site. There are about seventy
five dwellings in the town, which has a
postoffice, stores, schools and every
thing needed to make life comfortable
and happy.
In addition to the Dolgeville indus
try the Tolladay Manufacturing COM
pany, makers of steel pipes and tanks,
employing 100 hands, is another fix
ture for the place.
Commenting on freight and other adj