The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-17

DElnk OL the IdiIdpOOSd niNti.
 The soft roar of the Tallassee Faiis mingies with the clattering song of the spindles and looms. A pebble could De thrown from the mill windows upon the granite rocks that rear themselves high above the white and yellow wa ters of the river, the dark rocks whlch mark the Tallassee Falls and the Tal- las5ee rapids. On the largest or these there grow a few hardy trees, green and refreshing to the eyes, outlined as they are against brownish rocks. A few feet above, huge dam, a soiia wall of masonry, is thrown from bank to bank of the Tallapoosa River IL stands firmly and staunchly upon the very crest of the old Tallassee Falls. It is the property of the Tailassee e Falls Manufacturing Company. tnis dam; the power dam which feeds elec- tricity to the city of Montgomery Is some distance above.
 Below the dam a modern steel bridge spans the river. a mill and town at each end. For be it known that this aged and powerful enterprise has built up around 1t town of 1000 people with a splendid system of electric lights and other modern improvements. The river splits the town in two, the parts being nearly of the same size. but being on the two sides of the river half the town is in Elmore County and half is In Tallapoosa County. In each part of the town the company runs a big store. It is an important enter prise the water power plant of the Tallassee Falls Manufacturing Com pany. The company built and owns the seven miles of railroad from Tal- lassee to Mi1stead and threw a costly bridge across the river as mere ad- juncts to their vast manufacturing business. A million dollars, possibly, represents the investment of the com pany here. Some 1.4o0 people find em- ployment in the company's mills and the machinery eats up seventy-nve bales of cotton every working day. Its products are sold in Europe, South America and in the countries of other continents.
 A Historical Landmark.
 As historical landmark, however, rather than an industrial enterprise 1t appeals to the curious stranger. The first mill was put up out of the brown and gray granite that was dug from it's own foundations on the bank of the river as far back as 1889. The rock structure was then a wooden mill. When 1t had been operated for over twenty years the great war broke out. The cording and spinning machinery was taken out from the old rock house and the building was used as an ar mory for Confederate soldiers. The second rock building. for all the mill structures are of these granite rocks, was built in 1854. The third mill, the one across the river in Tallapoosa County was started as late as 1897 and finished a year or two later.
 The history of the mill reflects the changes that have marked the indus trial history of the United States for the first sixty years. The various in- dustrial eras, the various industrial systems until that of the present when the trust system Is paramount, are indicated in the outline of the life of the Tallassee Mills.
 That original mill, the one built in 1899 was put up by capital contribu- ted by two prominent families of Montgomery. the Marks and the Gill; mers. In fact during their entire life of sixty-five years the mills have been closely identified with Montgomery and with Montgomerians. At the outset and until after the close of the war the enterprise was used for the manu- facture of woolen goods. When the war had ended however. the woolen mills became cotton mills. The orig inal mills. after the war was put to the manufacture of rope and twine and 1t is to this day devoted to that mis- sion.
 Some time previous to 1854 the mill for there was only one at that time, was bought by a number of promi- nent people of Montgomery, the name of the firm being Barnett, Micou and Company. The new firm set to work and erected a new structure, which is known as Mill No. 1. This was an important mill. five stories In height and which gave room for 21,000 spin dies. It was and is still devoted to the making of sheetings, shirtings, os- maburgs and yarns. To this mill in 1878 there was added a mill which turned out all classes of government duck.
 Selling the Mills.
 In the meanwhile the enterprise had become the Tallassee Falls Mills. In the panicky days of '73 the mills expe- rienced some financial trouble. As result in that year the enterprise was sold at auction upon the streets of Montgomery. The property was bought by that old firm which for so many years played such an important part in the financial affairs of Montgomery, the firm of Lehman, Durr & Co. All the time, however. the looms and spin dies were kept steadily at their work.
 But the work of the enterprise eX banded, it's field of industry grew larger A new mill was necessary The year of 1897. when the construc tion of the new mill was begun was an inn portant one for the enterprise.
 In all the years of its existence be- fore that time, the industry had been at great disadvantage. It's location was some eight or ten miles from al railroad. Over muddy roads the heavy machinery had been hauled by wagons and ferried over the Tallapoosa River. The products of the mills, the bales of ducking. sheeting, osnaburgs, yarns and twines had been hauled year after year over these same roads ferried over the river and brought to the station before the goods could become freight for the railroad.
 The building of the new mill inaug- urated new era. The hauling of the heavy modern machinery for the mill offered a serious difficulty.
 The company officials determined that a railroad should be built from Tal- lassee to the nearest point on the Western. The road was made reality as a necessary adjunct to the expanded business of the mill It tapped the Western at Milstead and spanned the Tallapoosa River q few hundred yards out from the station. It paralleled the river for seven miles un- til 1t stopped short at the mountainous hill on whose side the plant of the com- pany is erected, and upon whose crest stands the restful little town of Talas- see. Another steel bridge was thrown across the Tallapoosa River, on which the railroad crossed to the new mill and to the new town of East Tallassee,
 l.. AL, RIY-.,