The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-24
BION III.

tive cotton mill development is to be
read in the story of the immediate
experience Of Lexington.
It is an interesting story. and mora
tina that it is instructive for it shows
how great influences are getting be-
hind cotton manufacturing on q gi-
santic scale. Possibly it is we'll To
begin with the Erlanger brothers.
don't know a thing about them ex-
cept that thew are as broad as q
barn floor. On that breadth thew have !
planned me Of the most effective cot
ton mill projects that was ever pro-
posed. The proposition is effective |
because it cuts out lost motion.
These men are not cotton mill men.
but manufacturers of underwear.
They are not building a cotton mill
90 manufacture products for the
trade, but merely to supply them
selves with the material for their
large underwear factories.
To make the underwear that they
are able to dispose of takes over a
hundred bales of cotton every work.
ing day in the year, from which it is
easy to see that these folks need some
material. To get that material TO he
sure that it is of the quality they want,
10 be sure they a have it when they
want 1T, and to provide against all
the other annoyances of having to
buy such large quantities from posi-
bile uncertain sources they decided to
build a mill for themselves.
Presumably they looked the ground
over before they decided to locate at
Lexington. That choice Was made
before anybody but the men directly
concerned knew anything about it.
Evidently they knew exactly what
they were doing when they invited
q. w. MCntcastle to become manager
Of the million dollar mill that they
.AN1 49,. 49, -. g
rs he recently said about his cotton
mill experience, he knew absolutely
nothing about it, but was open to
conviction"
The Master Stroke.
These folks do not say much about
their affairs. but it seems that after
their plans had been made the broke
the news to the Lexington people,
and Lexington bought a tract of a
hundred and fifty acres of land ad-
joining the town and gave it to the
corporation. Then came the master
stroke.
What strikes me about this propo-
sition is the absolute precision of it.
The Erlanger folks gave Mr.. Mont
castle just n charge, to go ahead
and build and equip the most efficient
mill he could provide.
He looked over the field and his
eye lit on ]. r. Shrine, Of G%reenville,
South Carolina, and ne instructed
Shrine to build a mill for a million
dollars, making it the most efficient
mill the money could provide. The
builder was no restricted in any thing
except efficiency Of results. He migh1
build the mill of brick or of cottoI
duck. equip it with water-power, cleo
trio power, mule power or gear /
mp to turn by hand with a crank if h
produced the efficiency demanded
Possibly no engineer has ever beer
given such latitude with such al
amount Of money in this State be
fore.
/ can imagine that engineer fel
pretty good when his people told hin
to take the million dollars n bull
a model mill. 1t meant to him al
opportunity to assemble h best tina
modern skill and modern invention
and modern intellect has made pos
sible. I presume it is safe to say tina
he has created here in Lexington
probably the most nearly perfect cot
ton mill on earth, for it is certaini
the last word in everything, and it
quilt TO fit no theory, but by the us
of everything that could satisfy tn
builders that it was the best tina
could be procured.
This Is a right bold claim to max
Tor a mill, but until the claim is cha
ienged and the challenge is sustaine
think it will go.
No Need For Records.
have no idea of the size Of tn
mill. 1t has $50 looms, and nearl
$4,000 spindles. 1t is big enough
be a good example of what it's builc
ers are doing, and to give it s%uffcie1
weight for the story it tells. A mi
ZION dollar experiment needs no re-
ora of its dimensions in length an
breadth.
The Erlanger people toll Mr. Mon
castle to build the mill. They to
nm they wanted the mill to show
certain efficiency of production, a &c
tam amount Of dimity a year for eat
dollar invested, and they did not ca
what methods he tried in accomplish
ing the results required.
Mr.. Montcastle looked over the tiel
me nrst thing he required was a G.
Papie engineer to plan and build II
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