Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28

Wood. after whom the mill is named, is
president. The Amoskeag cotton mill has
capital of 81, 6G0, 900 upon which i per cent
dividend is regularly paid and the stock is
contro led by Mr. T. Jefferson Coolidge, the
Amorys and other well-known families of
Boston. This company owns property at
Manchester valued at S2o,0Go,o0p.
Early Factories on the River.
John Stark, the famous general of the
revolution, was one of the early manu-
facturers on the Merrimac. He had a
saw mill at the Amoskeag falls and he
left 1t to go to war. His son, Caleb, con-
tinued the business afterward. The Amos
keag was a great fishing ground The sal
mon and the shad went up the river to-
gether from the sea and, curiouSly enough
they parted at the forks. the shad gong
up the Winnepesaukee and the salmon up
the Pemigewasset. The farmers came here
in the month of June and caught a years
supply of fish and lamprey cells. which they
sailed and packed In barrels and carted
home and stored away IN their cellars to
eat with salt pork In the winter. Shad
We're plenty that when a boy was ap-
prenticed to learn a trade the indenture
always contained a stipulation that he
should not be compelled to eat shad more
than three days il the week.
Cotton manufacturing the Merrinac
began in 1898, when few Boston men, an
cestors of the present owners of the big
mill, came up here to take advantage OF
the watcrpower bought the Amoskeag
falls, the rapids are ca led, and a large
tract of land around them. 1t was poor
soil and could not be cultivated, hut cotton
factories thrived upon It and the Amoskeag
has developed from year to year until il
is the largest concern OF the kind in
the world and furnishes support for not
less than $1,000 people of the 75,C0J popu-
lation OF the town. The corporation, the
company is familiar.y called. has owned
the town from the beginning. Its directors
laid out the streets; they gave land for the
churches schools, commons and for twelve
MAJ. 1irh q E.li n hl
of pleasure grounds for older people and
Fairgrounds for children that can be found
on the continent. They have built houses
fast they were needed until they now
own thousands OF residences and tenements.
The corporation owns every bui ding be
tween Elm street and the river. a section
OF the city nearly 4 mile long and four
blocks wide. These houses are said to be
model tenements and rented to the
operatives of the mill at nominal rates
through a renting department at head
quarters.
Few Changes in Operatives.
The operatives seldom change. very
few ever quit, except for age but they are
continually increasing. and the accessions
are nearly all foreigners. Nevertheless,
there has never been a strike, as l have
already said, except a year or two ago,
when a few German WeaVerS left their
looms in one of the mills because of some
dissatisfaction and remained away until
after they had Il conference with the man
agement and the differences had been
adjusted.
The operatives are opposed to organ!z-
ing, and although organizers have come
here frequently to form unions, they have
never succeeded in uniOniZing the mills.
The operatives don't want unions. They
say they are perfectly satisfied as they
are. and can look after their own affairs.
Their pay has been raised twice within
the year without their asking for 1t, but
will be cut down when the prices Of cot
ton goods fall off.
The shoemakers, who number about
5000 have no unions and make no trouble.
The 500 men in the locomotive works are
not organized, and all the other shops are
open. The cigarmakers who number
about 100 have a union, and the printers
in two newspaper and several job offices
belong to the Typographical Union.
The factory people make good wages.
The nav rolls in the big mills aggregate
so 001 900 Il year and about s175, coo a
week The savings banks contain s27,-
100000 in deposits from the operatives. |
the total deposits $4,000, 600, which |
is a large sum for a town of seventy or
seventy-five thousand population.
Gov Floyd, the present chief executive
of New Hampshire is a clothing merchant
In Manchester. He was a poor farmers
boy worked his way through the schools |
here, got a situation in a store, where lie |
made himself so useful that he was ad- |
mitted to partnership, and he finally rose |
to be the head of the firm. When he had |
secured a commercial position he went