Evening star., 1907-08-23

Record Herald.
FALL RIVER, Mass, August II, 1907.
The little city of Fall River, with about
10000 population, manufactures three
fourths of all the calicoes and one-quarter
of all the cotton made in the United States.
1t has more spindles than any state in the
Union except Massachusetts, and more
than twice many as any other
city in the country. Its mills weave
more than 1900 miles of cloth every
working day, or more than two miles every
minute. In addition to cotton fabrics Fall
River produces every variety Of CLOTH from
rough Innings for shoes to the finest and
daintiest materials for ladies' dresses, from
the coarsest thread to a gossamer that is
like spiders web, a pound of which Will
make a strip Of lawn sixty feet long and
thirty inches wide. It's factories spin the
cotton thread, weave it into cloth, bleach it
and print it in many forms; they make
thread. plush, comforters, boots, shoes, felt
hats, coarse goods, twills, jeans, sateens
lawns, fancies. silks, Zephyrs, lace curtains,
crochet and Marseille quilts.
There are ninety-two mills in Fall River,
belonging to forty-one different corpora
tions, with capital stock of more than
$25, 100000. There are nearly three and
half million spindles and $1,000 looms,
which consume nearly 4OO, 900 bales of cot
ton every year and turn 1t into billion
yards of cloth.
Out of 10000 population 49, 600 are en-
ployed in the mills, with weekly pay roll
of $230,OOO and they have more than $2O,-
10000 in the savings banks of the city.
The ninety-two mills are run by ten
water wheels and III steam engines fur
nishing a total of 9S, 79S horsepower. 1t re-
qures an average of 2SS tons of coal to
supply fuel each year; 100000 gallons of
lubricating oil are used upon the machin-
cry. and 100000 pounds Of starch gives
nod anl 1,,ct no o1o hot ic adj
Remarkable Water Power.
The reason why all this great industry
is concentrated at Fall River is because Of
the remarkable water power derived from
small stream only about eight miles
long, the outflow of chain of ponds lying
east Of the city, which are supplied by
perennial springs of great force. The re-
markable advantages of this river as a mill
stream have been increased by building a
dam at the outlet of the ponds. which gives
the water an additional fall, and its banks
lishments most of the water wheels being
placed directly in the bed of the stream.
There Is almost uniform supply OF
water and no freshet has ever been known:
wheels have been supplanted by turbines
and steam power.
These industries are hundred years Old
but have grown very rapidly during the
present generation. Since 1865 the number
of spindles has increased from 26532S 10
g. 246, 46S. and the number of inhabitants
from q 600 to 100 600.
Fall River is a cosmopolitan city. There
are more English, Irish and French than
there are Americans among the inhab-
itants. The French number 10000; the
Irish, 25OOO; the English. 5000; the Amer
leans, 1900; Hebrews. 6,OO0: Portuguese,
5000 and the remainder are Italians, Rus
slams. Poles Hungarians. Greeks, and al
most every other nation on earth is repre-
tIo fiyrnc 70
mills more than 20 per cent are foreigners,
Other Calico Works Surpassed.
The most conspicuous and interesting Of
the ninety-two industrial plants Is the
American print works, said to be the larg-
est in the world. Its output of calicoes is
said to exceed in yards that Of all other
factories in America or Europe. An in
genious advertiser has figured out that it's
product is more than 600 miles of cloth a
day, 5000 miles a week, and 142,O4S miles
a year.
in the world should start out with piece
of cloth hitched to it's tender and run
around the world 1t could not keep up the
slack. Every two years the mill turns out
enough printed wash fabrics to reach the
moon, with sufficient quantity left to tie
band around the earth with a double
bow knot 1900 miles long.
The Fall River iron works owns seven
cotton factories whose combined length is
2,743 feet or more than half mile, with
an average width Of 132 feet and four
stories high. They use an average of 1,5O0
bales of cotton weekly; they have $4,000
spindles and 1857 looms, with 6OOO opera
tives who turn out an average of $4,000
pieces Of cloth each week, all unbleached
cotton. which goes to the American Print
ing Company's mill to be converted into
calicoes and other wash fabrics. But this
does not keep the presses of the printing
company Dusy. 1t is compelled to buy
n,Ntn vaalr
mills The total capacity of the American
Printing Company is Ill 600 pieces of calico
and the average 100000 pieces of 80 yards
each per week. This enormous quantity of
cloth Is bleached, dyed, printed and finished
in wash fabrics every week In the year.
The mills have been running continuously
for ten years, ffty-eight hours week,
without shutting DON.
The value of the product of these mills
Is about s12,OOO,OOO a year. They use an
average of $1,000 bales of cotton year,
which is bought in the open market.
Small Beginnings.
The Fall River iron works was started
in 1921 by Richard Borden and others as
small ship-bulding plant with a capital of
S24 900, which was afterward reduced to
$4,000. The company was incorporated in
1925 with capital of $780, which was
Increased in 1S45 to $500 GOO; but the stock
holders never paid in a dollar beyond the
nal company was the means of promoting
numerous other enterprises of great i'm
portance, including the Fall River and
Providence Steamboat lines to New York,
the railway that gives the city connection
with the outer world, the city gas works
and several cotton mills and other fac
tories. Shortly after 1880 the manufacture
of iron, which was the original industry,
was discontinued and the property consist
ing Of much valuable real estate, wharfage
and privileges, was purchased by Mr.. NJ
C. D. Bowden, who used the liberal charter
for the consolidation OF several large cot
ton mills.
The American Printing Company was es-
tablished by Holder Borden and others In
1884 with four machines and an output of
1000 pieces a week. This was gradually in
creased from year to year until its present
capacity was reached, and, in 1885, Mr. M
c. D. Borden became the sole owner by
purchase. In the meantime Mr.. Borden's
cotton mills had been enlarged and in
creased to the number of seven, which with
the print mill, is said to make the largest
manufacturing plant under one ownership
and one management that the world has
ever seen. The American Printing COMPANY
and the Fall River Iron Company are sepa-
rate corporations, but there Is only one
stockholder, Mr.. NJ c. d. Borden. He takes
very little part in the management at
1eay ba aafai It,