The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1909-01-28
SKYIAND HOSIERY MILLS
SPENDING THOUSANDS!
VIII Have Big Addition Com
pleted March 1st. Over
$50 Employees. Wonder
full Transformation at East
Flat Rock.

00U employees. WOnoer.
full Transformation at East
Flat Rock.
The Skyland Hosiery Mills, about
three miles from Hendersonville on the
Southern Railroad, are now erecting
new buildings which will double their
capacity and give employment to over
$50 people.
The paid in capital stock of the COM
pany is $50, 600, authorized capital
$500, 900, which will be utilized in their
new mills at East Flat Rock.
The officers of the company are:
JohnF Wilcox, president; F. S. Will
cox, vice-president; H. E. Stilwell.
secretary and treasurer; C. P. Rogers,
superintendent; Herbert Wilcox, sales
manager. The stockholders are New
York capitalists, and the sales force on
the road numbers eight men.
The company manufactures a high
grade article, under the widely adver-
tised brand "Biltmore," made to retail
at 25 cents a pair. Ladies stockings
of the best grade are also made.
The main building of the mill now in
operation covers 80, 600 square feet OF
floor space, is 60x160 feet, admirably
ventilated and clean, with sunlight
pouring in the great windows so pret-
tily filled with potted plants, and almost
covered with marvellous, half-human
machinery. The employees, largely
girls, and mighty pretty and sweet
looking girls, too, seem to have ideal
working conditions in the great plea
SAINT room, and an air of brightness and
cheerful attention to their interesting
work is marked characteristic of the
whole mill force.
A new rs horse power engine and an
additional boiler will be Installed in the
modern engine room now under the
efficient care of Mark King, which will
be in the centre of the whole mill when
the addition is completed.
A large force of masons and carpen-
ters are busy on this addition, wnicn
will be 50xl16 feet, two and a hail
stories high and which will contain the
finishing department and dye house-a
most important part in the manufac-
ture of the company's product, invol-
wing as much labor and expense as the
actual making of the goods themselves.
This building will be completed by
March first. Mr.. Herbert Wilcox is
the architect and has the construction
work in charge.
The Skyland Hosiery Company owns
60 acres of land surrounding their mill.
The mill village is well laid out, the
houses are very pretty indeed in theil
white paint and green roofs. There
are now 25 cottages built, six being
built and ten more to be erected
Every family has ample garden space
with the privilege of cultivating a still
larger garden a short distance away.
Mr.. Rogers offers three prizes for the
most attractive garden surrounding s
cottage, and a modern library viii
shortly be at the service of the EN-
ployees. A fiue baseball team is al
Ready organized and a brass band il
among the possibilities. Pure water
and an excellent sewerage system are
most excellent features of this pretty
industrial village so near Henderson
vile.
The company sells direct to dealers.
Their product is high grade, retailing
at from 10 to 25 cents. The mems
half-hose are made in II beautiful colors
most attractively put up, and fully
warranted not to require darning fol
six months. Egyptian cotton is usec
exclusively for the body of the sock
and American cotton for the heel anc
toe, which are four ply and very dur.
able.
There are now $50 employees. This
number will be increased March first
to $50. The capacity of the present
mill is 1900 dozen per day. The wages
paid are good, many young girls get
ting $I.0O to $1.50 per day while the
knitters average at least So per day.
The socks are made by automatic
machinery. and there are 100, ,OOC
stitches in single pair.
When running at its full capacity 45(
people will be employed, which means g
population of over 1000 in the mill vii.
lage.
The present mill was completed anC
the first pair of socks made within 81
days of starting building operations. A
railroad siding from the Southern's
tracks will shortly be an added inn
provement. The additions to the mil
! will not cease with the erection of the
new bnilding now going up, the com.
pany having still other improvements
| in view.
The village is beautifully located il
a superb grove. The sunlight glintine
through the long lines of pine and oak
the birds so bravely singing, the azure
sky, and the flood of glorious sunshine
over all, with the familiar old noun
tains looking approvingly and solemnly
over the busy scene, makes you thinl
that life in a mill village may be very
pleasant life after all! And this. belle.
is strengthened when you step inside
the big brick building, so bright anC
clean, with scores of prosperous looking
Operatives working industriously, anG
see that long table with forty pretty
North Carolina girls bending over theil
| light tasks and listening to the whirr o1
the countless machines.
Then, it is suddenly borne upon you
maybe, that the machines are singing I
song of prosperity and peace anC
plenty to the people of these mountains
and that some glorious day even Hen
Jacksonville may hear their music ant
hearing it once may insist upon it being
multiplied until their song, too, shal
rise, q glorious anthem of praise, thai
at last true, substantial prosperity hai
come upon this town.