forgottenbooks.comTHE ARLINGTON MILLS. THE AMERICAN MANUFACTURER. M H E modern textile factory is the marvel Of the age. Here wool as it comes from the sheep’s back, and cotton as

A R L NGTO N M L LS

$3 sa iztot ical an ti JJBezct iptine gam m y

WITH SOME ACCO UNT

OF T H E

WORSTED DRESS—GOODS MANUFACTURE IN

THE LDUTED STATES

I L L USTR A TED

B O S T O N

1 8 9 1

Co nyfigh t, 189 1 .

B Y T H E A R L IN GT ON M IL L S.

PR E SS OF

R o ckwell ar m t utcb ill

B O ST O N

I I .

I I I .

IV .

V .

V I .

VI I .

C O N T E N T S.

PA GE

T H E A MER ICA N M A NUFA CT UR ER

H I ST O R Y OF T H E A R L INGT ON M I L L S .

D ESCR IPT ION OF T H E A R L INGT ON M IL L S

T H E CO T T ON M IL L A N D I T S PR ODUCT S

T H E WO R ST ED M A NUFA CT UR E IN T H E U NIT ED ST A T ES

PR ODUCT S OF T H E A R L INGT ON WOR ST ED M IL L S

T H E FA CT O R Y SY ST EM IN T H E U NIT ED ST A T E S

I NDE $

I L LUST RA T IO NS.

PA GE

I SOMET R IC V IEW OF T H E A R L INGT ON M IL L S Fr o n ti s p ie c e

T H E O R IG INA L A R L INGT ON M I L L , 1865

T H E SECOND A R L INGT ON M IL L , 1867

GR OUND PL AN OF A R L INGT ON M IL L S

T H E FIR ST ST O R EHOUSE , 1867

T H E N EW ST OR EHOUSE , 1886

T H E WOOL—SO R T ING R OOM

A SP INN ING-R O OM , WO R ST ED M IL L S

T H E A R L INGT ON WEA VE—R OOM

T H E A R L INGT ON CO T T ON M IL L , FR ONT V IEW

A SP INNING—R OOM , COT T ON M IL L S

T H E A R L INGT ON WOR ST ED M IL L S , R EA R VIEW

T H E A R L INGT ON CO T T ON M IL L S , R EA R VIEW

T H E WO R ST ED SP INNING M IL L , FR OM CHA L MER S ST R EET

A R L I N G T O N‘

M I L L S,

LAWRENCE , MASS.

PRESIDENT .

ALB ERT W INSLOW NICKERSON.

T REA SURER .

W ILL IAM WH ITMAN.

CL ERK .

W IL L IAM P. EL L I SON.

DIRECTOR S .

AL B ERT W INSLOW NICKERSON,

W IL L IAM A . RUSSEL L , CHARLES C . B URR ,

GEORGE A . NICKERSON, W ILL IAM WH ITMAN.

RE SIDENT AGENT .

RO B ERT REDFO RD .

SUPER INTENDENT OF W OR STED MIL L S .

W ILL IAM D . HARTSHO RNE .

SUPER INTENDENT OF COTTON MIL L S .

GEORGE E . TOWNE .

SEL L ING AGENT S .

HARD ING , WH ITMAN, CO .

T re a sure r’s O ffic e 78 CHAUNCY STREET , B OSTON .

New Yo rk Sa le sro o m s 80 AND 82 LEONARD STREET .

B o sto n Sa le sro o m s 78 CHAUNCY STREET .

THE ARLINGTON M I LLS.

THE AMER ICAN MANUFACTURER .

M

H E modern texti le factory i s the marve l O f the age .

Here woo l as i t comes from the sheep’s back,and

cotton as i t i s s ent from the plantations , begin and

finish the j ou rney through which they are trans

formed into fabri cs f o r the cloth ing Of men and women .

In this j ou rney the raw materi al passes through a success io n

O f manipu lati ons , by the aid Of mach inery, each

o f which seems more marvelous than that which

m anufactu res , precedes i t, and al l of which the inventive gen ius

o f the last centu ry has contributed to revo lution ize

the texti le manufacture O f the world . T h e automatic manu

facture Of texti les had its o rigin i n Great Bri tain , where the

geniu s o f Kay worked out the fly-shuttl e , Crompton i nvented

the mu le , A rkwright perfected mechani cal sp i nn ing,Cart

wr ight dev i sed the power loom , and L i ste r and Noble and

10 TH E A R L INGTON M I L LS.

others the combing mach ine ; and al l o f whom share with

dozens o f others , in c l ud ing very many Of o u r own fel low

c itizens , the glory o f a transformation the most wonderfu l i n

i ndustr i al d e ve lo p m e n t,’

a n d which made Great Britai n fo r

more than a centu ry the ch ief texti le manufactu ring nation

Of the world .

Step by step these texti le i ndustr i es have been transp lanted

to the Uni ted States . Under wise and fostering legis lation , ou r

people have learned to make the i r o w n cloth ing ; and in time ,

i f th is legislation continues , o u r country wi l l supp lant Great

Bri tain as the fi rst Of manufactur ing nations .

Very few Of the people who buy and wear cotton and woolen

goo ds have ever seen them made , o r have anyth ing save the

vaguest conception Of the gigantic mil ls,the wonderfu l ma

chinery,the mu lti tud inous p rocesses , the remarkab le ski l l , and

the large ab i l i ty requ ired in the ir fabri cation .

I n th is l ittle book we p ropose to take o ur readers through

a typical A meri can manufactu r ing establ i shment, the A rl i ngton

M i l ls , at L awrence , M ass . , i n o rder that they mayA typ f

c a l l earn someth ing Of the processes Of o n e o f the

$ 3323, ch ief branches Of texti le manufacture in o u r own

country,— that Of worsted dress-goods . We shal l

record the h isto ry O f th is mi l l and i ts growth from a humble

beginn ing into one Of the greatest Of the A meri can manu

factor ies ; we shal l descr ib e the numerous structu res in which

i t conducts i ts Operations , enumerate i ts great varie ty Of

p roducts , and afford some ins ight into the manner i n whi ch

they are fab ri cated .

TH E A R L INGTON M I L LS. 11

In the course O f o u r narrative we s h a ll i n c idental ly recal l th e

earl ie r h istory o f the dress-goods manufactu re i n the Un ited

States,al lude to some o f the processes pecu l i ar to i t, and

describe some Of i ts p roducts , both here and abroad . T h e

techn i cal detai ls Of the manufactu re we shal l tou ch upon only

i n the most general manne r . T h e experienced manufactu re r

wants no descriptio n O f the Operations of any machine he

u ses , n o r O f the processes Of any part of the manufactu re ; whi l e

the general reader can learn l ittle from such descrip ti ons .

W i thout attempting to be e i ther erud ite o r exhaustive , we shal l

seek to make th i s book something more than the reco rd O f the

s ingle mi l l whose name i t bears , and a contr ibution , s l ight

indeed , but i ntended to be at l east accu rate , to the h isto ry Of

o n e Of the youngest, yet already one Of the most vigorous , o f

o ur spec ial texti le i ndustri es .

T h e fore ign manufactu rer , i n vi s it ing an A meri can mi l l , i s

aston ished at the divers ity of Operations performed in one

estab l ishment , n o r does he read i ly comprehend howCo ntra st i t can be done so successfu l ly . T h e custom genb etween

E ngl ish and e r a lly i s , i n E ngland , fo r the scouring , the card ing ,A m ericanm i l ls $ and the comb ing Of the woo l to be done by one

estab l ishment,the sp inn ing by another, the weaving

by another , the dye ing by another, and very Often the fin is h

i ng by sti l l another ; whi le the packing Of the goods f o r the

market consti tu tes another d istinct and important branch o f

bus iness . A t the A rl ington M i l ls we find al l the processes ,

both f o r cotton and for wool , from the sorti ng Of the woo l to

the boxing and Shipp ing O f the goods , condu cted not u nde r o n e

12 TH E A R L I N GTON M I L L S.

roof exactly,for they requ i re more than a dozen bu i ld ings

,but

under one management , and as the ind iv i dual parts Of the same

estab l i shment .

T his d ivi s ion O f work in the E ngl i sh texti l e manufacture has

a h isto ri cal o rigin , which proves it i s not an evolution due to

i ts greate r economical advantages , as has been f r e

quently claimed for i t . T h e E ngl i sh factory system

div i s io n i s a d irect evo lu tion from the hand and home in0

552? du s try of the e ighteenth centu ry . Both card ing and

comb ing were o riginally carri ed on i n the homes o f

the work-peop le . T h e woo l was we ighed o ut to carders o r

combers by the merchant at the storehouse,and take n to the i r

homes ; thence it was returned i n the form Of tops o r card ro l ls ,

and aga in g iven ou t to be Spun . T h e yarn was so ld to the

weavers , who carried the i r p roduct to the markets on thei r

backs o r by pack-horses . A t the markets o r the inns the

merchants bought the cloths , and i n tu rn so ld them to the

fu l lers , and in t ime they reached the shops O f the drapers

after pass ing through many hands . T h e forehanded among al l

these groups o f workers i n woo l s aved the i r earn ings,became

emp loyers on a smal l scale , and many O f them were

the founders O f the great houses which sti l l con

du ct the manufacture on the bas i s of its o riginal

subdivis ion . Smal l cap ital prevented large enterp rises i n

these early days . But the woo l comber , fo r instance , whose

savings permitted h im in time to buy his o w n stock,which he

so ld i n the form O f tops , gradual ly took other combers into

h is employ, and as mach inery came into vogue , he was able to

TH E A R L INGTON ZII I L L S. 13

uti l ize i t,sti l l s el l ing his tops to the sp inner , who , evo lved from

the household i ndustry i n the same way , sti l l s old h i s yarn to

the weaver ; and so on , to the completed fabric . T hus it hap

pens that the s o - called E ngl ish system O f subd ivis io n i n

manufactu re grew up from primitive custom , and i s the out

come Of an economic necess ity , rather than a tendency towards

subd ivis ion as p roductive Of better resu lts . Indeed the ten

d e n c y i n Great Bri tai n to -day is i n the other d i recti on , and

towards the conso l idation Of a ll the phases O f the manufactu re

u nder o n e management . T h e l atest report under the Bri ti sh

Factories and W orkshop A cts shows that there are now 264

worsted mi lls i n the Un ited K i ngdom , with sp inn ing

sp indles , where sp inn ing only is done , and 288 establ ishments

devoted whol ly to worsted weaving . But there are also 1 25

establ ishments , with sp inn ing sp indles , where sp inn ing

and weaving are carried o n together ; and a compari son Of the

sp inn ing capaci ty, with the total number Of mi l ls repo rted i n

each group , shows that the latter must be much the largest

e stab l i shments o n the average .

T h e factory system o f manufactu ri ng grew up in the Un ited

States under c i rcumstances wholly d i f ferent from those we have

been descr ib ing . Up to th e time o f the R evo lution ,

T h e “ ho m e we had no texti le manufactu res here,save Of the

spuni n du s tr i e s o f

househo ld description . Our people wore e i ther

A m erica . homespun o r imported fabrics . In the mean

whi le the facto ry system was develop ing with tre

m e n do u s strides in Great Bri ta in . R eal iz ing what a sou rce Of

wealth and comme rc ial sup remacy$ i t must become,and c o n fi

14 TH E A R L INGTON M I L L S.

de n tly antic ipating that i t was E ngland’s proud destiny to man

u f a c tur e the clothing Of the enti re c ivi l i zed world,the Bri ti sh

Parl i ament enacted laws which prohib ited , under the most stri n

gent penalties , the exportatio n O f textil e machines , o r any parts

o r models Of them . A t the c lo se o f the R evolu tion,when ou r

people began to tu rn thei r attenti on to.

the industrial develop

ment Of the i r country, they found the doors c losed and barred

against them . T hey had none Of th is new machinery, the use

Of which had already revo lution ized texti le manufactu re,and

they had n o means Of Obtain ing it . T h e peop le O f Pawtu cket,

R hode Is land , appropriately celebrated i n O ctober, 1 890 ,the

centennial Of the estab l i shment O f the first cotton factory i n the

United States equ ipped with the modern sp inn ing

mach inery . I t came to th is country in the brain of

Samuel Slater . M ach ines and models we could not

get ; but no law cou ld prevent this mechan ical geni us , who had

served a long apprenticesh ip at the estab l i shment Of Jeded iah

Strutt,the partner Of R i chard A rkwright, from rebu i ld ing i n

th i s country,without models , machines for sp inn i ng identical

with those he had helped to construct i n his E ngl i sh home .

I n l ike manner the Sc h o lfie lds , who started at B yfie ld , M assa

c h u s e tts , i n 1794 , the fi rst A merican woolen mil l i n which the

E ngl ish mach inery was used , brought i t to the

United States i n thei r heads , —re invented i t, so to

speak . T hus the texti l e manufactu res , as conducted

under the modern factory system , had the i r beginnings here

without any previo us preparation o r s low evolution such as

preceded them in Great Britain .

TH E A R L INGTON M I L L S. 15

I t requ ired cap ital to embark i n the bus iness under these con

ditio ns , and at the fi rst the corporate fo rm was a necess ity— a

number O f wealthy men assoc iati ng themselves together to sup

ply the money needed to bu i ld a factory and equ ip i t with thi s

nove l and expens ive mach inery . Natural ly, they found i t nec

essary to carry o n the bus iness i n al l i ts parts . T hey cou ld not

sp i n woo l f o r others to weave , because there were no others

with the cap ital requ i red fo r weavi ng o n any extended s cale .

T his revi ew Of the genes i s of.

o u r texti le i ndustri es makes i t

clear why the system O f manufactu ri ng , as carr i ed on i n the

Un ited States , d i ffers so widely , as a ru le , from that which , as a

ru le , prevai l s i n Great Bri tai n . I t has thus happened that as

individuals have estab l i shed themse lves in the bus iness Of woo l

manufactu re , withou t resorting to the corporate form , they have

most frequently carried i t o n i n al l i ts p rocesses , from the fiber

to the fabri c . T h e fu l l i ng mil ls , which i n the early

T h e gradual days were found on nearly every New E ngland(

22222326

stream , for the fin ish ing Of the homespun c loths

m etho ds woven i n the households , have al l d isappeared with

the upgrowing o f o u r factories ; and the card ing

mi l ls , which were once as common in the vi l lages as the shoe

shop and the grocery sto re , are almost a th ing Of the past .

But s o recen t i s the i r d isappearance , that the treasu rer Of the

A rl i ngton M i l l s (himself not yet fifty years O ld ) , where

worsted sp indles are each O f them sp inn ing more yarn in a day

than the O ld hand-whee ls cou ld tu rn o ut i n a week,wel l remem

bers in h is o w n fami ly the great woo len sp inn ing-wheel which

stood in a corner Of the kitchen and suppl ied all the yarn for


the fami ly homespun . In many an atti c these wheels may be

found to-day . Scarcely two generations have passed s i n ce

the bu lk Of ou r cloth ing was made on hand machinery,i n

prec ise ly the manner i n wh ich i t had been made from the

beginn ing of recorded h isto ry .

I t may be admitted that under the A meri can system there i s

not as u n iform success in the w o o le n‘

m a n u f a c tu r e as has marked

the histo ry Of the industry i n the land O f i ts ch i e f

A dvantages deve lopment . T h e n umber Of wrecks which haveo f theE ngl i shsystem i ndeed somewhat appal l ing . I t i s rare that o n e

strewn the pathway Of p rogress i n the i ndu stry i s

man is found equal ly qual ified to supervise each and

every one Of the several p rocesses i n th is most d i fficu lt and

compl icated Of al l manufactu res . T h e E ngl ish manufactu rer,

by devoting h is attention exclus ively to a s ingle branch of the

bus iness , su ch as the sp inn ing or th e'

dye in g, comes to know it

thoroughly, and transmits h is knowledge from generation to gen

e r a tio n ,undoubtedly w i th some gain in economical cond i tions

.

I n h i s h isto ry Of the ri se and progress O f the manufacturing

enterp rises Of L owel l (“ Introduction Of the Power L oom and

O rigin O f L owel l M r . Nathan A pp leton says '

A233; O n e th ing is certain , manufactu res cannot be car

qu o ted ,r ied o n to any great extent i n this Country in any

other manner than by j o i nt-stock compan ies . A large

cap ital i s necessary to su ccess . I nd ividuals possess i ng su ffic ient

cap ital wi l l no t give themselves up to th i s pu rsu i t . I t i s contrary

to the gen ius Of the country .

”T h e i dea here expressed has

not always been borne out in the hi story of L awrence .

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among u s a smal l body Of trained men who act as the ir gen

eral managers , —men in whom enormous powers are n e c e s

s a r ily vested , who carry vast respons ib i l i ties , and

$ ual ificatio ns whose su ccess proves the possess ion Of the wides to f th e

su ccess fu lm anufactu rer thorough executive capacity . T h e range O f the i r

experience , the most varied talents , and the most

duties i nvo lves p racti cal experience in the man

u f a c tu r e i tself ; i t i nvo lves a knowledge Of mercanti le bus iness ,

upon whi ch the successfu l marketing o f the goods depends ; i t

i nvo lves large financ ial ab i l i ty, for p rovis ion must be made for

materi als far in advance O f the i r u se , and goods must be

manufactu red a year before they can be tu rned into money

again .

T h e men who make marked su ccesses i n the management

and development o f great manufacturing establ ishments in the

United States are mu ch rarer than are the successfu l

W h a t th e y bank pres idents or pres idents of co l l eges , althoughhave do nef o r th e

nati o n . to th ink so much O f the i r ach ievements . T h e l i fe

the world i s no t apt to hear so much Of them , o r

work Of a L owel l , a L awrence , o r a B igelow con

tributed more substantial ly to the material development Of

the i r country than that Of many Of the men famous in cab inet

o r senate . I t was a knowledge Of the unheralded achievements

Of such bold and far-s ighted men which led Voltai re to say that

he knew many merchants o f A msterdam Of more penetration

and admin istrative ab i l i ty than M azari n o r R i chel ieu .

T h e qual ities O f these p ioneers in ou r texti le manufactures

are repeated in the ir su ccesso rs,who are to-day d i recting


the mi l l i ons Of sp indles and the thousands of looms which clothe

o u r people . Only by studying c losely the o rgan ism Of o n e of

these estab l ishments can we real ize the wide range

T h e o f the concerns ove r which they have j u risd iction .

“ gam m

T here is hard ly any branch Of human knowledgeo f a g r e a t

m i l l . that i s n o t called into requ is i tio n at o n e stage o r

another Of th i s marvelous ly d ivers ified i ndustry .

A t the beginn ing , the h ighest engineering ski l l i s demanded

to create the bu i ld ings in which the many b ranches o f the work

are to be carried on .

T h e lo cation and arrangement of the structu res must be

p lanned with reference to the relations o f o n e branch Of the

manufactu re to the others , the utmost economy Of

T h e power , and its most effective d istribution . T hene ngine e rand thearch itect . n icest p rob lems Of h is profess ion , i n the c o n s tr u c

the arch itect o f the woo len factory deals with the

tion o f the bu i ld ings with reference to the bearing

Of great weights , and the strain and vibration Of machinery i n

incessant motion .

T hen the bu i lder Of machinery i s cal led in ; and success i n

the texti le manufactu res,more largely than in any other branch

Of manufactu ring , depends upon good judgment i nT ile the selection Of the mach inery to be emp loyed .

Improvements and modifications O f texti le ma

chinery are made almo st dai ly . Perfect as th is

mach inery seems to be to h im who w atches i t perform its work

with a preci s ion which the human hand seeks i n vain to ap

proximate , yet the s implest o f al l these mach ines i s s us c e p ti


ble Of improvement ; and the successfu l manufacture r i s the

o n e who can detect those new inventions which mark a dis

t i nct gai n e ither i n economy, efficiency, precis ion , or rap idity

Of production . M any a manufacturer has wrecked h imself by

mistakes in equ ipp ing his m i l l .

T hen comes the purchase O f the raw materi al , whi ch i s

drawn from the fou r quarters O f the globe , which

presents a greater vari ety,i n qual i ty and character

m aizev

r

v

i a i . is tic s , than any other substance known to man , a nd

which must be selected wi th speci al reference to

the parti cu lar fabri c i nto whi ch it i s des ign ed to transform it .

T hen , again , come th e ski l l and experi ence requ ired to

supervise the man ipu lation Of the mater i al thu s careful ly

gathered to gether . Fo r , whi le engineering gen ius

T h e

T h e

pro cesses O fm anu facture . Of the bu i ld ings , and Invent ion has p laced ma

chinery so nearly perfect at the command of the

manufactu rer , there i s not a moment, i n the whole j ou rney

from the fiber to the fabri c,when the human overs ight i s n o t

necessary and when the keenest, practised j udgment must not

be alert, to detect defects and shortcomings .

T urn next to the dye-house , where the nob le sc ience O f

chemistry finds i ts most u sefu l and most Insp i r i ng laboratory .

I ts secrets here reveal themselves to be uti l i z ed i n

Dyeing the tints and Shades , del i cate as those Of Natu re

has done much in the constru ction and arrangement

herse lf, which the manufactu rer imprisons i n h is

fab ri cs . N O department Of the texti le manufactu re has ad

va n c e d more rap idly than thi s one,and none i s b igger with

TH E A R L INGTON M I L L S.

promise Of reward to the workers i n it . A quarte r Of a

century ago the bri l l i ant co lo rs and e f f ects wh ich are n o w

Obtained from the products Of coal-tar were u nknown ; and

the best manufactu rers are forever on the watch for nove l

combinations and effects , whi ch are always making thei r ap

p e a r a n c e .

Intimately al l ied with the dye—house i s the des igning room ;

and here comes i n an art by itse lf, giving room for the p lay

o f the h ighest education , the most technical knowl

edge , and the most arti sti c temperament . T hose

who succeed i n this department must not only be

gifted i n taste and i n art, but they must al so pos

sess a knowledge Of the loom itse lf ; they must know ex

a c tly h o w to p lace each thread to e f fect an almost i nfin ite

variety o f comb ination weaves , through whi ch may be worked

o ut as many different patterns . A n d thus we come to the

final test Of the su ccessfu l manufactu rer , i n some

respects the most crucial Of al l , the capac i ty to

u nderstand the popular taste , to anti cip ate i ts de

mands , to comb ine what the people want with what

they ought to want , with a degree Of ski l l that wi l l

make the goods sel l and at the same time make them a cred it

to the good taste Of the makers . Fash ion i s an exacting

goddess to her own devotees ; but to the texti le manufactu rer she

i s a despot, sudden i n whim ,fickle as the breeze , relentles s as

adamant , before whose decrees he must bow, whose freaks he

must execute,whose variations he must, i f so be it he can ,

anticipate , o r fal l by the ways ide .


SO many—s ided , so wide-embracing, so cosmopol i tan in i ts

requ irements i s the bus i ness Of the successfu l texti le manu

factu rer $ I t i s l i ttl e wonder that so many fai l i n a

field so exacting . Success , o n any large scale , i s

requ ired , poss ib le on ly with the most perfect system Of o rgan

iz a tio n , with concentration O f respons ib i l i ty i n the

fi rst i nstance , and i ts most m inute and perfect subd ivi s ion

from the common center . Under the general manager,and

respons ib le di rectly to h im , are the superintendents Of the

several great departments Of the manufactu re , each supreme i n

h i s field, each ski l led i n h i s spec ialty, each capable o f managing

men , and each with so le contro l over the employment Of h i s

assi stants . T hen come the overseers Of the variou s departments

o f each bra nch Of the manufactu re , they i n thei r turn having

thei r subord inate aids,and each and every person , from the

h ighest to the lowest, understanding exactly what i s requ ired of

h im o r her , and meeting that requ i rement with that p rec is i on

O f d isc ip l ine which i s necessary to su ccess . T O accompl ish

perfect results in systems so extens ive , where success i s

dependent upon the utmost u n iform attentio n to the minutest

detai ls , systems of checks are necessary, so comp lete i n

the i r operation that i t wi l l be poss ib le to determine at any

moment whether the requ i s i te amount Of p roduct i s resu l ti ng

from a given amount Of labor in any department, and to locate ,

without erro r,the i nd ividual respons ib i l i ty for the s l i ghtest

defect at any stage Of the manufactu re .

Certainly no l ine o f work requ i res for its su ccessfu l p r o s e c u

tion on a large scale more varied powers Of i ntel lect, o r makes


more constant demand upon those e lements Of character

wh ich conquer success . Nor i s i t a n y wonder that the art

o f manufactur ing becomes absorb ing and a ttr a c

izs

c

s

ézi

s

‘

t

i

ie

: t ive , by i ts variety, i ts risks , and i ts poss ib i l i ties .im pro vem ent. T here is no l imit to attainment i n th i s field ; and

success constantly Opens new opportun ities for the

creative intel lect engaged i n develop ing th is great national i n

dus try,the most ancient Of al l the human arts , and the most

b e n efic e n t Of al l , i n i ts relations to the comfort, the happ iness ,

and the prosperi ty Of the whole peop le .

HI STORY OF THE ARL INGTON M ILL S .

H E A rl i ngton M i l l s date back only to 1 865 . T h e

corporati on was first known as the A rl i ngton Woolen

M i l l s , the name be ing changed after the manufacture

Of worsteds was undertake n . T h e early histo ry Of

the enterprise was n o t unmarked by reverses ; but it . h a s

probably developed as rap idly as any establ ishment i n the

Ori ginUnited States that does not antedate i t i n origin .

o f the W i th i ts growth has developed a sp lend id c ity,—a

A rl ingto nm us

ci ty that was unknown to the gazetteers o f the State

as recently as 1 845, and one i n whose advancing

prosperity the A rl ington M i l l s has p layed a large part .

Th e A r l i ngton M i l ls are s i tuated o n the Sp icket r iver, which

the O ld chron i clers called the Sp iggot, abou t midway

between the M errimac r iver and the M assachusetts

and New Hampshi re boundary l i ne . T h e location

places the worsted mi l l i n L awrence and the cot

ton mi l l in M ethuen . T h e Sp icket i s a n arrow and p ic tu



T h e A rl ington is one Of a chai n O f manufactu ring estab

lis h m e n ts i n L awrence o r immediately contiguous,dependent

upon the Sp icket for the i r water, and whose o r

T h e i gin is not to be traced to the uti l ization Of theE 5 5 x

M a n u f a f w r i n g water-power Of the M err imac , by the E ssex M a n

Co m pany u f a c tu r in g Compan y , i n 1 845, to which the rap id

deve lopment o f L awrence as a manufactu r ing cen

te r i s d i rectly due .

T h e sto ry o f the success ive steps toouti l i z e the water

-power

Of the M errimac river i s o n e of the grandest chapters i n the

histo ry Of New E ngland . T h e m e n'

w h o s e names

2; are identified with these enterp rises possessed what

m anufactu rers n o w seems l ike p ropheti c i ns ight into the industr ial

M a s s a c h u s e tts .

poss ib i l i ties wh ich lay h idden i n the bosom o f that

sp‘

l end id r iver . I t was not alone , n o r even chiefly,

the possess io n o f her unsu rpassed faci l i t ies i n the way O f

water-power that m ade M assachusetts the early home Of the

texti le i ndustr i es ; i t was because the Commonwealth was the

mother of such sons as Franci s C . L owel l , A mos and A bbott

L awrence , Nathan A ppleton , Patri ck T . Jackson , K i rk“

B o o tt,

Samuel B a tc h e lde r , j . W i ley E dm a n ds , and thei r associates , the

founders o f o u r texti le i ndustr i es , the men whose ach ieve

ments impart a luste r to her name not su rpassed by her states

men,her scholars

,o r her poets , men with the brains to

understand what wealth these r ivers cou ld be made to create,

what sp lendid c iti es might spring from thei r banks , what thou

sands o f people might there earn their l ivel ihood ,—men withthe cou rage

,the energy , and the ski l l to conve rt these river

TH E A R L I N GTON M I L L S. 27

beds into mi l l-races , and these meadows i nto teeming cities .

Far-s ighted as these men O f gen iu s and determination were ,

they cou ld hardly have foreseen what a marve lou sL owe l land

L awrence . founded , and which were so appropri ate ly named

growth a half-century would bri ng to the citi es they

L owel l and L awrence , afte r the men who conce ived

the enterpri ses with which these c i ties or i ginated .

1

A t L awrence the aggregation O f mi l ls i n cludes the Pacific

M r . J . F. C. Hayes, in his H isto ry o f L awrence, says that im m ediately a f terth e project o f severing th e new c ity f ro m th e territo ry o f A ndo ver and M ethuen wasbro ached , th e suggestio n was m ade in m any quarters that th e to w n sho uld take th enam e o f L awrence, as a co m pl im ent to H o n . A bbo tt L awrence, w h o h a d do ne s om uch f o r M assachusetts, and th is place in particular ; and he co ntinues

“On th e 13th O f January,1847, a m eeting o f a co nside rabl e num be r o f residents

to o k p la c e a t th e O ffice O f th e E ssex Co m pany, with a v iew to an understand ing inregard to th e nam e o f th e new to wn , to b e em bo died in a petitio n to th e L egislaturef o r a charter . A t th e suggestio n o f M r . Sto r r o w , th e nam e o f L aw rence was agreedupo n , n o t, as th e newspaper writers had pro po sed, as a co m p l im ent d istinctive ly toM r . A bbo tt L awrence, b ut as a to ken O f respect to a f am ily am o ng th e m o st l iberaland distinguished in th e co untry . There were then l iv ing three m em bers o f thi sf am ily, A m o s, A bbo tt, and Sam uel . O f these, A bbo tt and Sam uel were am o ng th e

m o st energetic business m e n O f N e w E ngland , and bo th m o re actively engaged in th ee nterprises here than any o thers n o t residents am o ng us . I n po int o f investm ent th ef am i ly und o ubted ly then h ad as great an inte rest in th e new to wn as , we m ightalm o st say, al l o thers co m bined . There was

,there f o re, a go o d i f n o t a sufficient

reaso n why th e f uture city sho uld be christened as i t was . T hat it was n o t th e in te ntio n to d istinguish o n e o ver ano ther m em ber o f th e L awrence f am ily in th e nam e o fth e city, we m ay re f er to th e d i stinct im pressio n, ‘S. L awrence, A . L awrence,’ upo na brick in th e so uth-east co rner O f o ur City Hal l . We leave th e reade r to define th e

questio n whether A m o s o r A bbo tt, o r bo th, were intended to be co m pl im ented in th e

im pressio n, ‘A . L awrence . ’ There is n o questio n that Sam uel , w h o was then agento f th e Bay State Co rpo ratio n , as wel l as o f th e M iddlesex M il l s in L o we ll, wasincluded in th e co m pl im ent.”


M i l ls , the Wash ington M i l l s , the A tlanti c Cotton M i l l s , the Pem

berton , the E verett, the L aw rence Duck Company, th e R usse l l

Paper M i l ls , the Fa rw e ll Bleachery , the M onroe Paper Company,

the Bacon Paper Company, Butler R ob inson,Phi l ips Ku n

hardt, the W r ight M anu factu ring Company, and m any others .

O n e of the youngest among them , and certainly as remarkab l e

as any in its rap id development , i s the A rl ington M i l ls .

A s recently as 1 830 the s ite Of the A rl ington M i l l s and the

n o w densely popu lated country adjo in ing i t was farming and

meadow lands . But one house stood there in that

T h e first year, although there i s a trad ition tha t a saw mi l l

3222213

5, was located o n th is spot i n the latter part o f th e

po nd . last centu ry . T h e north s ide Of the Sp icket r iver ,

i n i ts easterly course from Stevens’ pond,was the

property o f Nehemiah Herri ck , o f M ethuen , whi le that o n the

south o f the r iver be longed to the Sargent estate . A t the date

mentioned , A b ie l Stevens began to buy lands along the r iver

banks for the purpose Of secu ring water-power to be employed

in the manufactu re o f p i anoforte cases , keys , and the l ike . He

acqu ired s ixty o r seventy acres o f l and , and constru cted a

darn j ust above Herrick’s bridge , by which the O ld road to

T ower H i l l crossed the river at the po int n o w covered by the

A rl i ngton pond .

M r . Stevens bu i l t a factory and began bus iness i n 1 832 ,

A b ie lmaking cases f o r Jacob Chickering, the cel ebrated

Stevens’ p ia n o fOr te maker of Boston . I n 1848 M r . Stevensf a c to ry'

i n creased h is water-power by pu rchas ing and de

m o lis h in g the Charles Ingall s dam , lo cated a quarte r O f a mi le


above h im o n the rive r, and bu i ld ing a new and higher dam

lower down than h is or iginal structu re . T his dam sti l l remains ,

forming a part of the A rl ington M i l l s dam .

M r . Stevens’ mil l was destroyed by fi re i n 1 834 ; but he im

mediate ly rebu i lt i t, and continued i n business u nti l 1 856 , when

he reti red with a competence acqu i red i n an honorab le and

energetic bus iness career .

M r . Stevens’ sons , B . A . Stevens , C . K . Stevens , and L . E .

Stevens , estab l i shed the next enterp rise i n th is mi l l ,s u b s e qu e n t for the manufactu re o f fu r and woo l hats . I t d i denter rises .p

not prove successfu l , and after two o r three years

was d is continued .

A fte r a period Of i d leness , the mi l l property was transferred ,

i n 1 863, to Stephen N . A l l en , who at once so ld i t to the Fib r ilia

M anufactu ring Company, which u ndertook the manufactu re o f

fel ted goods . T his enterpr ise was also o f brief continuance .

T h e fol lowing year the m i l l was conveyed to the Berkley M i l l s

Corporation , and i n 1 865 to R obert M . Bailey , and by h im i n

the same year to the A rl ington W oo len M i l ls .

T h e extens ive plan t Of the A rl ington M i l ls began , therefo re ,

with the old p iano-case factory , which was a wooden bu i ld ing ,

originally o n e hundred and thirty-five feet long , th i rty-five feet

wide , and three stor ies h igh . A very excell ent rep

r e s e n ta tio n o f this o riginal woolen mi l l i s p resented .

T h e A rl ington W oolen M i l l s were i ncorporated i n

1 865 u nder the General Statutes O f M assachu setts ,

with a cap ital sto ck O f T h e fi rst i nco r

p o r a to r s were R obert M . Bai ley , Charles A . L ambard , Joseph


Nickerson , and George C . Bosson . M r . Bai ley was the fi rs t

pres ident o f the co rporation , and the first treasu rer was Sum

ner W heele r .

T h e corporation began business wi th the manufactu re Of

fancy sh i rti ng fla n n e ls and woolen felted fabri cs . I t was

hardly under way befo re a fire total ly destroyed

the mill , i n O ctober , 1 866 . T h e loss was severe,

tha m m ,but the propri eto rs w ere not d iscouraged . T hey

at once began the erection o f a n e w mill , which

was fin ished early i n the year 1 867 . T his was also a w o o de n

s tru ctu re , and i t i s wel l represented i n the p i ctu re o n the o p

p o s ite page .

T h e mil l o f 1 867 , which was torn down in 1 888 to m ake

way f o r more modern stru ctu res , was a fai r specimen Of the

woolen mi l l of those days , but very di f f erent from

M o dern any Of the numerous bu i ld ings whi ch have takeni m p ro vem entsin f a c to ry

i ts p l ace . T h e great advance Of manufacturing in

the United States i s nowhere more strikingly i l l us

tra te d than in the improved bu i ld ings i n which it

i s now conducted ; and nowhere is th is improvement shown

to better advantage than at the A rl ington M i l ls .

T h e new mi lls o f the A rl i ngton corporation are al l bu i l t O f

bri ck,and constructed o n the most approved plans Of modern

mi l l arch itectu re . T hroughout each bu i ld ing the

b fizxgsystem Of construction which is described as slow

co nstructi o n .burning i s rigidly adhered to . T h e stai rways are lo

c a te d i n towers , which recur at convenient intervals ;

and here also are p laced the closets fo r the use O f the help ,


TH E A R L I N GTON M I L LS. 31

i n wh ich the most re cent methods o f san itati on are uti l iz ed .

M onito r windows adorn nearly every roof, making the rooms

below as l ight as the open , whi le huge windows , set c lo se to

gether and extend ing nearly to the ce i l ing, allow bri ck wal ls to

exclude as l i ttle as poss ib le of the p recious dayl ight .

T h e heatin g Of these vast structures i s done by means o f large

fans,which b low the ai r through underground ducts and over

hot steam co i ls i nto the several rooms . E ach o f the two large

fans devoted to th is pu rpose i s capable of forc ing cub i c

feet o f air a minute th rough s ix-foot ducts . T h e great a dva n

tage O f thi s method O f heating is the constant change o f ai r which

resu lts , thus insu ring perfect venti lation . O f course al l th is i s an

extrao rdinary advance over the Old factory days , when the only

method o f heating was by the closed s to ve , w h ic h compel led the

breathing o f the same ai r over and over again . T h e modern

manufactu rer has come to recogn ize that everyth ing which con

tributes to the phys i cal and mental comfort of the operatives pays

a good retu rn o n i ts cost, and i s therefore a good investment , in

dependently o f al l ph i lanthrop i c cons iderations . SO general has

been the recogn iti on Of th is fact, that Co lonel W r ight says , i n

o n e o f h is repo rts , that the ai r i n ou r cotton factories i s better

than in ou r lectu re rooms .

Fire-escapes,fi re pumps , hose , and other . precautions against

fire are everywhere found . Fire cou ld make no cons iderable

headway in any department before d iscovery ; and the system

o f au tomati c sprinklers,i n u se i n al l the recently constru cted

bu i ld ings where there i s cons iderable machinery,affords an

add itional safeguard .


T h e precautions against fire do n o t end here , by any means .

A bout ten years ago a portion Of the operatives Of the mi l l were

organ ized into T h e A rl ington Worsted M i l ls Hose

T h e Company ,” and they consti tute an effective fi re bri

“ 1

,

1

;m gade , ready for an instant emergency . T h e company

b rigade. cons ists o f not less than twenty-five members,with

the Superintendent as pres id ing O fficer, and a ch ief

engineer who is the master mechan ic O f the mi l ls . T h e brigade

has regu lar dri l l s , and both hose and hydrants are inspected at

stated i ntervals . A n o fficer Of the company makes monthly

i nspections , to see that the spanners and hose a r e i n the i r p laces ,

the fi re pai ls fi l led , and the fire pumps i n good working order .

In addition to the fire brigade is a system Of fire al arm .

By press ing a bu tton i n the room where a fi re mayT h e

fir e -alarmsystem .

c a te d to the s ignal tower, and from that po int the

start, the lo cation o f the fi re is i nstantly communi

number Of the room is made know n to the members

Of the fire brigade .

Some other advances in the way Of faci l i tie s and improve

ments may be al luded.

to i n th is connection . In 1 882 the

fi rst E dison l ights were placed i n the mi l l , —as

early , probably, as in any N e w E ngland mi ll ; and

the system of e lectri c l ighting has been gradual ly

exten ded to the enti re estab l i shment . T h e electri c ity is sup

p l ied by ten arc and three incandescent dynamos o f the most

modern pattern,and four additional arc dynamos are about to

be added . A t a moment’s noti ce , thousands o f b ri l l iant l ights

drive the gathering tw i l i ght from every nook and co rner .


T h e fi fty arc l ights with which the system began are n o w

extended to five hundred and twenty-fou r arc l ights,whi ch

number wi l l soon be i ncreased by two hundred more . T here

are i n add ition over o n e thousand two hundred i ncandescent

l ights i n th e worsted mi l ls , and five hundred and fifty in the

cotton mi l ls .

I t is related i n the mills that a few weeks afte r the e lectri c

l ights were i ntroduced , some accident to the machinery com

p e lle d a brief retu rn to gas j ets . A t once the Operatives began

to complai n that they could not see to do the i r work,and that

they could not be responsib le for i ts character , with the in s u ffi

c i ent l ighting Of gas . SO great are our advances , that the Old

methods seem to be utterly inadequate , even before they are

fai r ly d i spensed with

A nother i l l u stratio n Of the gai n through electri c i ty appears

i n the uti l i zation Of the te lephone by the A r l ington M i l ls .

How they ever got along without i t is now theT h e mystery to those whose ti re less messenge r i t has

te lepho neex change . become . T h e m i l l s have the i r o w n te lephone

exchange system , and an expert i s kept constantly

busy making the connections for the forty—five te l ephones that

connect as many d ifferent rooms o r departments , each with

every other , through the central station . It i s a matter Of a

few moments’ time to send a message to every part O f the

vast e stabl ishment . A n hour was frequently requ i red to trans

mit inte l l igence that now penetrates anywhere in a moment .

I t i s by savings o f thi s kind that great establ ishments are

able to constantly reduce the cost O f production ; for time


i s money, i n a mi l l l ike th iS, more l i te ral ly, perhaps , than any

where else in the world . T h e system o f long d istance te le

phone wires now connects the Boston O ffice of the A rl ington

M i l l s with the mi l ls themse lves , and with the O ffice o f the

se l l ing agents i n New Y ork ; s o that the treasurer s i tti ng at

h is desk can commun icate instantly with e i ther the mi l l o r the

market . W hat e lse e lectri c ity has i n store for texti le manu

factu re , we can on ly imagine as yet ; but it i s s afe to p red ict

that befo re another decade passes , i t wi l l have wrought even

greater changes than those j ust noted .

T h e rebu i ld ing Of the A rl ington W oolen M i l ls i n 1 866 o c

cu rred a t a time o f great activity i n the woo len manufactu re

T h eo f the Un ited States . T h e tariff of 1 867 soon after

wo rsted went into eff ect . Under th is tar i f f the worste d inm anu facture

i n th e

U nited great d iscou ragements and with u nsati sfactory r e

States .

dus try, heretofore carr i ed on i n this country under

s ults , promised large rewards to those who were

bo ld and enterpris ing enough to undertake i t .

T h e A rl ington now embarked i n the manufactu re Of

women’s worsted and cotto n dress-goods . I n A pri l , 1 867 , the

cap ital s to ck was i ncreased to T his was

Wo rsted done by marking down the two thousand shares ,am

i go“whose par value was o n e hundred dol lars , to e ighty

m ade . dol lars , and i ssu i ng one thousand add itional shares

at the latte r value , thus making the total Of

T h e mil l was at o nce equ ipped with o n e hun

dred and s ixty looms , and the necessary machine ry f o r the

spinn ing Of worsted yarns . Fo r a time the corporatio n


encountered great and apparently i nsu rmountab le d i fficul ties .

T h e manufactu re was altogethe r new in thi s country , whi le i t

had been brought to a state O f high perfection abroad . T h e

experience , the ski l l , and the cap i tal o f the best manufactu re rs

Of E ngland , France , and Belgium were busy in i ts develop

ment , whi le ou rs were s inking money i n costly experiments .

Pioneers less cou rageou s and determi ned wou ld have been

d isheartened o n discovering , as d id the proprieto rs o f the

A rl ington M i l l s at the close of the year 1 869 , that the fin a n

c ia l condition of the corporatio n was such as toR eo rgani z atio n

n e c e s s a ry.

compel reo rgan ization . But the stockholders met

the requ i rements o f the s itu ation , and paid into the

treasu ry the whole amount o f the cap ital stock , to

make the same good,and sti l l p ressed on i n the path they had

marked o ut.

I n 1 867 M r . Will i am W hitman was e lected treasu rer o f the

corporatio n , a pos i tion wh ich he resigned i n June , 1 869 , when

he was su cceeded by M r . B . L . M err i l l . But when the cap ital

stock o f the company was made good , i n December O f the

l atter year , as stated above , an enti re reorgan izatio n Of the

management was e ff ected . M r . Joseph Nickerson , Of Boston ,

was e lected pres ident,and M r . Whitman was agai n i nvi ted to

become its treasu re r ; and he sti l l continues i n the management

Of the corporati on to which he was last elected twenty-one

years ago .

M r . Nickerson continued to act as pres ident unti l h i s death ,

which occu rred February 29 , 1 880 . He was a man o f e x c e p

tio n a l business capac i ty and o f marked i nd ividual i ty o f char


acter . A native Of Cape Cod , he took natu ral ly to a seafari ng

l i fe,early rose to the command o f a ship

,and soon became

the owner Of sh ips . L ater he embarked-

in bus iness

i n Boston as a ship chandler , and.

afterwards became

a manufactu rer of cordage and cotton-duck,which

enterp rise he carried o n i n connection with the

management o f sh ips . W i th the decl i ne o f A meri can sh ip

p ing, Captain Nickerson transferred hi s cap ital and enterprise

to rail ro ad ing . His success in th is new field was so marked

that at the time o f h is death he was o n e of the wealth iest

c itizens Of Boston . Under an exter io r sometimes rough, M r .

Nickerson carried one Of the kindest of hearts,and c o n s p ic u

o u s among h is vi rtu es were h i s undaunted cou rage and h is

devoted loyalty to hi s fr iends . He was a man cast i n a large

mou ld -One born to command . His was one o f those strong

and forc ib le natures upon which weaker ones lean in an emer

ge n c y, and to whom leadersh ip is natu ral ly and vo l untari ly

ass igned .

Captain Nickerson was succeeded i n the pres idency O f the

A rl ington M i l ls corpo ration by his son , M r . A lbert Winslow

Nickerson , who sti l l d ischarges the duties O f that O ffice .

T h e work of remodel ing the A rl ington M i l ls and increas ing

i ts productive capacity was warranted by the healthy pros

T hp e r ity that fo l lowed the reorgan ization O f the cor

eenlargem ent p o r atio n . I t was entered upon i n earnest i n 187 1 .

“if“ N e w bu i ldings were rap idly constructed and new

a n S.

mach inery added , unti l , i n 1 877 , there were five

hundred and e ight looms in regu lar Operation , producing


38 TH E A R L I N GTON M I L LS.

general management Of al l the affai rs Of the co rporation . Next

to him i n the management i s the res ident agent . M r .

R obert R edford was appo inted to th i s respons ib le

e x ififive pos ition in September , 1 888 , after serving for e ight

m anagem ent, years as superintendent of the cotton mi lls . M r .

R edford took charge of the cotton mi lls at the time

o f the ir e rection , coming to the United States f o r that pur

pose . He had had ten years’ experience as superintendent of

the R edd ish Sp inn ing M i l ls , near . M anchester , E ngland .

T h e Boston O ffice o f the A rl i ngton M i l ls is located i n the

new Nevins bu i ld ing, 78 Ch a u n c y s treet, corner R owe p lace ,

to which po i nt i t was removed from 202 Devon

sh ire street , o n D ecember I , 1 890 . T h e Bosto n

CHI CO o f the commiss ion house o f Harding , Whit

man Co . i s lo cated i n the same bu i ld ing .

T h e original sel l i ng agents of the A rl ington M i l l s was

the firm Of R . M . Bai ley CO . ,l ocated on D evonsh i re

street, Boston , M r . Bai ley be ing o n e o f the o riginal

sto ckholders o f the corpo ratio n and its fi rst p res i

dent . M r . W i l l i am W hitman , the treasu rer'

o f the

m i l ls , was connected with the house of R . M . Bai ley CO .

at the time,and when the se ll ing agency was transferred ,

i n 1 869 , to John S . E ben W right CO . , o f Devon

sh ire street,Boston

, M r . W hitman also went to that firm .

Prio r to h i s con nection with R . M . Bail ey CO . , M r . W hit

man had been fo r eleven years with the O ld fi rm o f J . M .

Beebe CO . Wright CO . retained the agency but a few

months , th is be ing the period during which the corporation was

TH E'

A R L INGTON M I L LS. 39

undergo ing reorgan ization . T h e goods were so ld from December,

1 869 , to A pri l , 1 883, by L awren ce 81 Co . W hen the latter

house su cceeded to the business Of James L . L i ttle 8: CO . they

succeeded also to the agency Of the Pacific M i l l s , and the goods

o f the latte r requ i ring the i r who le attention , the firm o f Brown ,

Wood K i ngman became the sel l i ng agents Of the A r l ington

M i l ls . I t continued to ho ld th i s re latio n unti l i t went o ut Of

business , i n 1 887 . T h e fi rm o f Harding, Colby

32325; CO . , whose New Y ork Offi ce was lo cated at 80

& Co .and 82 L eonard street, then became the sel l

ing agents o f the m i l ls , M r . Whitman at the same

time becoming a member o f the fi rm . I n June , 1 889 , M r .

Colby d ied , and in December O f that year the fi rm was d is

so lved , and the present fi rm o f Hard ing , W h itman C0 .

Organized o n January 1 , 1 890 .

With th is rap id sketch Of the origin , the early vi c iss i tudes ,

and the subsequent development Of the A rl ington M i l l s , we

wil l proceed in another chapter to a more minute descri pti on

O f the property Of the corporation as i t stands to-day .

DESCR IPT ION OF THE ARL INGTON M ILLS .

wi l l be i nteresting to trace more in detai l the

evo lu tion o f the A r l i ngton M i l l s , from the p iano

case factory, which i t occup ied i n 1 865, to the dozen

magnificent structu res , having a floor su rface of

fu l ly twenty acres , i n wh ich its manufactu r ing i s condu cted

to-day .

T h e worsted and cotton mi l ls really comprise two distinct

and separate estab l i shments , the property of the same corpora

tion , but each under separate superintendence , with separate

accounts and pay-ro l ls , and each i ndependent Of the other in

power and i n equ ipment as wel l as i n location .

T h e best impress ion of the plan o f the A r l ington M i l ls , and

the Si tu ation Of the several bu i ldings with respect to

each other,can be Obtained by a study of the iso

metri c p icture which forms the frontisp iece o f this

volume,and also the engineer’s p lan , whi ch appears

o n the oppos ite page . T hese tw o i l lu strat ions are supple


m e n te d with views Of the worsted p lant and the cotton mi lls , as

they appear from the hi l ls i de o n the Opposite bank Of Stevens’

pond . T his view is as beautifu l and insp i r i ng a s ight as o n e can

enco unter i n a day’s j ou rney . T h e panorama tel l s the story Of

the sou rce o f New E ngland’s mater ial advance , and Of her pros

p e r o u s , contented , and inte l l igent people . Pretty and extens ive

as these p i ctures are , they sti l l convey a most inadequate idea

Of the extent Of the A rl ington M i l l s ; for the camera o f the arti st

can find no po int o f view that wi l l p resent al l O f the bu i ld ings ,

whi ch are crowded into a space so compact that they seem to

grow o ut o f each other .

Before entering the mi l l p roper , we wi l l i ntroduce o u r reade rs

to the commodious O ffices o f the worsted plant, o n Broadway .

T hey are three i n number, and have been recently

02; rearranged and remodeled for the conven ience o f

o f the the i r occupants and the exped i ti ou s despatch o f theW

ES? multitud inous detai ls o f the bus i ness . Here we shal l

be welcomed by M r . R obert R edford , the res ident

agent Of the A rl i ngton M i l l s , and also by M r . W i l l i am D .

Hartshorne , the superi ntendent Of the worsted mi l l , and the

ass istant superintendent, M r . George L . Selden . M r . Hartshorne

has been i n charge Of the worsted mi lls s i nce 1 882,

$2512 coming into i ts s uperintendence afte r a tho rough

Hartsho rne . train ing as a c iv i l engineer, and a previous e x p e r i

ence i n the dress-goods department of the A rl ington

M i l ls . M r . Hartshorne i s as busy a man as may be found i n

L awrence , and the variou s branches o f the great worsted mi l ls

move o n l ike c lock-work under h is constant overs ight . Catching

'


h im at a moment O f unaccustomed le isu re , we wi l l accompany

him in a tou r Of the worsted p lant Of the A rl ington M i l l s .

T hese bu i ld ings , devoted to worsted sp inn ing, weaving , dyeing,

and fin ish ing , are s i tu ated on what was formerly known as

the turnp ike stage road to Conco rd , New Hampshi re ,

L o catio n now known as Broadway . T h e bu i ld ings are boundedo f th e

wo rstedm i I IS Stevens’ pond . T h e outlet o f th is pond , Sp icket

o n the north by Chalmers street, and o n the west by

river, runs in an easterly d i rection through the

worsted p lant, l eaving nearly two-th irds Of the p lant to the

north Of the river , the weave-shed and several o ther bu i ld ings

be ing located to the south .

Superintendent Hartshorne wi l l take us fi rst to the bo i ler and

engine houses , i n o rder that we may start on o ur tou r wi th an

i ntel l igent apprec iation Of the motive power requ i red to keep

the thousands Of whee ls and pu lleys and shafts i n motion , that

i n tu rn give motion to other thousands Of sp indles and bobb ins ,

l ooms and warp ing beams , and the whole myriad mechan ism

Of the mi l l .

T h e main bo i le r -house i s s ituated near the center Of the yard ,

and was bu i lt i n 1 888 . I t i s located ch iefly under

ground , a n arrangement which permits the coal to

be del ive red to bunkers on a level with the floor o f

the bo i ler-house , by dumping directly from the yard track

overhead .

T h is bo i ler-house is 1 50 by 50 feet i n dimens ions . I t con

tains bo i lers with a nominal capac i ty o f horse-power , but

capab le of evaporating with ease pounds o f wate r per



i n ches and 1 10 i n ches respectively . O n e of them drives five

20-i nch belts , and the other two 40-i n ch belts and one 2 5% - i n ch

bel t . A t every working morning these beauti fu l , great flywheels s lowly begin the revo lu tions , l ike giants preparing f o r

battle , to which thousands of whee ls respond l ike Clock-work, f o r

the l abor Of the day .

T h e engines and bo i le rs above descr ibed supp ly power only

f o r the sp inn ing mi lls . T here i s anothe r bo i ler-house con

n e c te d with the weaving department,which contai ns five bo i lers ,

o f 520 nominal horse-power . T h e engines which supply power

f o r the weaving department are o f 450 horse-power . A n ad

d itio n a l engine o f 100 horse-power suppl i es the fin ish ing depart

ment, and another O f the same capac ity the machine shop .

T here are also numerous othe r engines , attached to variou s

machines , i n d i f ferent departments O f the worsted plant, which

wi l l aggregate 100 additional ho rse-power . I f we add to these

engines those Of the cotton mil ls,we shall have an aggregate

capaci ty o f over horse-power .

O n Chalmers street,i n the no rthwestern corner O f the plot

we have described,stands the storehouse , constructed i n 1 886 .

I t i s somewhat i rregu lar in shape , owing to i ts p e c u

l i ar lo cation,but i s nearly rectangular , and its dim e n

s io ns are 1 2 5 by 135 feet . I t i s s ix stori es high above

the basement , and possesses an average actual area per floor of

over square feet,with a total floor area Of squ are

feet , and a sto rage capac ity Of about cub i c feet . We

present a p ictu re O f th is fine bu i ld ing , and , by way o f contrast ,

another p ictu re of the fi rst sto rehouse occup ied by the A rl i ng


to n M i l ls . T h e two bu i ld ings are typ ical O f the earl i er and

the later manufacturing o f the United States . Vast as i s the

floor area O f the new storehouse , i t must be fi l led many times

over to supply the woo l which is annual ly devoured by the

mach inery O f the mi l ls .

E nter ing th i s bu i ld ing we find i ts basement f loo r crowded

with goods , packed in cases , and ready f o r sh ipment, which

occu rs dai ly . T h e A r l ington M i l l s i s espec ial ly fo r

tun a te i n its transportation faci l i ti es , i ts raw materia l

be ing brought to i ts very doors , both to the worsted

mi l ls and the cotton mi lls , over i ts own tracks ,

which are extended through its yards , i n various d i rections ,

from the Boston 81 M aine R ai lroad . A t the cotton mi l ls the

arrangements are so perfect that the enti re bus iness o f the mi l l s

i s conducted w i thou t the aid Of a s ingle team o f horses c o n

n e c te d with that mi l l . T h e products Of both mi l ls are sh ipped

dai ly, i n cars provided by the rai lro ad corporation , which are

sent, withou t resh ipment, al l over the country .

E ntering the elevator o f the storehouse, we pass story afte r

sto ry,i n which the raw material is p i led , bale upon bale , as i t

comes from the farms and ranches Of Ohio , the far

30

315121

.

W e s t,‘

a n d sti l l farther A ustral ia . Here also are stored

wo rld . E ngl i sh woo ls , mohai rs from T u rkey and the Cape ,

the supply o f wool kept o n hand be ing necessari ly

large and varied , to meet the spec ial requ i rements O f the great

variety Of products fo r which the A rl i ngton M i l l s are famous .

I t is not a parti cu larly appetiz ing odor that salutes the nostri ls

o n the upward jou rney through these mountains of wool , not


a t'

al l suggestive O f the beautiful snow-white fiber into which this

d i rty , clotted mass is transfo rmed by the proces s es through

which it subsequently passes . Into th is sto rehouse , and o ut of

i t to the machines , there passes i n o n e year a volume of raw

woo l aggregating nearly pounds; a quantity equal

to o n e -thirtieth Of the enti re A meri can cl ip for 1 890 . It i s more

than one-th i rd o f the c l ip Of ou r greatest woo l-growing State ,

and there are on ly n i ne States in the Union which rai se an equal

quantity O f woo l .

I t wi l l help the reader to real i ze the vo lume of woo l r e p r e

sented by these figures , to state that tw o hundred mi l ls , each

us ing the same weight o f wool which the A r l i ngton

c oiiln‘

izl

t

’

i

i

; annual ly consumes , wou ld work up al l the woo lo f w o o l . grown in the world . But the increased capac ity Of

th e l arger mi l ls i n th is country barely keeps pace

with the increas ing consumption Of the A meri can people .

I n 1870 the consumption o f raw woo l i n this country was

pounds p e r c ap ita , making al lowance f o r the home produ ctio n ,

and al l the imported materi al,whether i n i ts raw state or as man

u f a c tu r e d goods . I n 1 880 the p e r c ap z’

ta consumption had

i ncreased to and i n the year 1 890 i t was p e r c ap z'

m .

T here i s no country on the globe whose peop l e approximate

o u r o w n , i n the quanti ty O f wool they consume in c lothing ,

carpets , and al l its variou s fo rms . A s the c ountry grows , the

United States may become the greatest o f woo l-manufactu ring

nations , without requ i r i ng a market o uts ide her o w n borders .

O f the wools wh ich the A rl ington finds best su ited fo r the

fabrics there made,a very large proportio n are imported . I m



allow the best p rofi t to h imself. T h e necess ities of the m a n u f a c

tu rer are Of no special concern to h im , and as a ru le he i s not

fami l iar wi th them . Under the Operation Of the tari f f, the vo lume

o f the domesti c cl ip has greatly increased ; but the number Of

sheep has stead i ly decl ined in those parts Of the country where

cl imate,so i l , food , and other conditions are best adapted to the

rais ing Of superfine woo ls . T h e spec ia l grades o f wool requ i red

i n speci al manufactu res Of worsted , are not grown here to-day

to any greater extent than tw enty-five years ago , and these

wools must continu e to be imported .

T his d igress ion occurs at a dangerous po int, fo r we left the

reader i n an elevator . R etu rn ing to the sto rehouse , we mount

to the top floors , where are located the sorti ng-rooms , i n which

the process Of manufactu re may be sai d to begin .

Here we find e ighty to a hundred men , standing each i n h i s

stal l,with great p i les O f wool before him , and from s ix to ten

baskets at h is s ide . Singu larly enough , the sorting

i s o n e O f the few steps i n the who le compl icated

and protracted process Of the worsted manufactu re

which must sti l l and always be performed by hand . Such sport

has modern i nvention made Of language that “ manufactu re ,

which means to make by hand , has come to mean j ust the

reverse,to make by machinery

E veryth ing throughout the mi l ls i s p lanned with a view to the

greatest economy and the utmost expediti on i n theT h e cleans ing

bhandl i ng of the materi al as i t passes from o n e manipegi ns .u la tio n to the next in order . From the wool-sort

ing room the fiber is carri ed , after further examinatio n and


i ntermixing, to great p ipes , through which it i s dropped into

the top story Of another bu i ld ing,where i t first u ndergoes a

process , i n a pecu l iar machine , for el im inating some O f the dry

d irt with which i t i s bu rdened i n i ts marketed condition . T h e

s ight of the long rows Of barre ls of this d i rt o r manure that i s

extracted from the sorts before any water at al l has tou ched

them , suggests that the time ought not to be far d istant when

the manufactu re r wi l l be re l i eved o f the necess i ty Of buying di rt

for wool , by i ts more carefu l preparatio n fo r market . A s thus

partial ly c leansed , the wool i s agai n shot into the

scouring department , below . T his i s a o n e -sto ry

bu i ld in g , with a length o f 144 feet and an ave rage

width o f 54 feet, which was erected i n 1 887 , at the same

time as the main sp inn ing mil l . Here the sorts are c o n

ducted to automati c steep ing machines,which feed d i rectly

into the bowls o f the scou r ing machines . From these the

wool emerges , white , damp , and nearly c lean , d i rectly and

automatical ly upon the dryers , and from the drying machines

i t i s b lown by fans to the card-room , without having been

touched by hand s ince i t l eft the feeder before the washing

mach ines .

Fol lowing the bu i ld ings i n the o rder o f the rotation of the

work , we come next to the north wing O f the worsted sp inn ing

mi l l p roper . I t i s 295 feet long and 100 feet wide ,

fou r stories h igh,bes ides basement, with a monito r

roof,which a f fords the finest poss ible l ight f o r o n e

Of the sp inn ing-rooms occupying the two upper stor ies . T his

wing has a floor area of square feet .


T h e north wing runs nearly paral le l with Chalmers street ;

whi le at r ight angles with i t, and nearly paral le l with Broadway,

i s the eastern wing, 144 feet long by 100 feet wide ,

erected in 1 890 . T his new bu i ld ing is properly a

continuation o f the north wing ; for i ts mach inery i s

to be devoted to the continu atio n of some Of the processes wh ich

begin i n the latter . I t contains a total floor area Of

square feet .

I t i s imposs ib le to describe the p ro cesses to which these

bu i ld ings are devoted , and the mach inery employed there in , i n

a manne r that wi l l b e inte l l igib le to o n e n o t fami l i ar

with the worsted yarn manufactu re,without devotin g

to the subj ect more space than is at o u r command .

Here i s done the card ing and preparing, the backwash ing, the

gi l l ing, and the comb ing, the processes o f manufactu re necessary

to the making o f the worsted top ; and the drawing, doubl ing,

sp inn ing , twisting, and roving necessary to the manufactu re of

the top into yarn . From the po int when the woo l enters the

so rt ing-room unti l i t l eaves the sp inn ing-room ready fo r w e av

i ng , there are no l ess than th irty d i f ferent p rocesses to be passed

through , each one Of which advances the manufactu re o n e step .

T h e card ing-room o f the A rl ington M i l l s i s o n the second

floor of the north wing . I t contains fif ty-e ight sets O f cards ,

mostly adapted to fine work . Into th is room the so rts

are b lown by fans from the drying mach ines , to be

at once fed upon the card ing machines , i f they are

the sho rt-stap led sorts to which the process Of cardi n g is best

adapted . T h e monster cards absorb the tangled woo l i n thei r

TH E A R L INGTON M I L LS. 5 1

greedy j aws , draw it tenderly upon thei r variou s w h e e ls ,~ c ylin

ders,and ro l lers armed with sharp teeth , shake from it any r e

main i ng di rt o r fo re ign substance , and final ly del iver i t i n the

form Of a dainty white fi lm , which is automati cal ly gathered

into the card bal ls , ready fo r the preparato ry processes whi ch

precede sp inn ing . T h e best worsted card ing—engines were f o rm‘erly made i n E ngland , where many o f those i n the A rl ing

ton card ing-rooms were secured . I t i s a p leasure to note the

rap id ity with which the A meri can machinery manufactu rers are

meeting the most cr it i cal wants o f the business i n th is depart

ment . T h e l ater purchases Of cards are o f A meri can bu i ld,

and are found to be superio r to the E ngl ish machines whose

p laces they have taken .

T h e l ong-stap led wools are fed into the preparing mach ines,

the Obj ect Of which i s to straighten the long fibers,i n o rder that

the Operation o f combing may be conducted with

G i l l ing greate r faci l i ty and with less damage to the stap le .

T h e preparatory machinery, to w hich wool n o t

carded i s subj ected , cons ists Of what are techni cal ly termed“ gi l l-boxes ,

” constructed so as to draft and open the wools.

Th e resu lt of thi s Operation i s to form a sl iver,

” which i s more

o r less u neven as it comes from the fi rst gi l l-box . Five o r s ix

o f these s l ivers are run into o n e by the use O f a second gi l l

box , with the resu lt o f so i ntermingl i ng them that the defic ie n

cies i n o n e sl iver are suppl ied by i ts ne ighbor . In the meanwhi le,

the drafting operatio n continues , and the half-dozen s l ivers a re

final ly drawn into o n e smal l er than any Of those o f which it i s

composed . T his Operation continue s through success ive gi l l


boxes,unti l the fibers , from the continued use O f the “ fal lers

and “ gi l l s , have become thoroughly separated and paral le l

with each other, and ready for the comb ing machine , by which

the straighten ing process i s to b e -continued , and the knots and

short fibers removed . Th e l ongest-stapled woo ls , prepared for

comb ing without the use o f the card , are sent to the L i ster

comber; commonly known as the“ n ip mach ine .

T h e short-stap led wools , whi ch have been subjected to the

card ing process i n the rooms above , are dropped through

wooden p ipes to the fi rst sto ry i n the form o f “ cardT h e bal ls , where the materi a l is first backwashed , i nco m bing.

m o m ,order to cleanse the woo l more thoroughly and to

dampen i t so that i t wi l l work more freely o n the

combs . Several gi l l ings i ntervene , and final ly the material

reaches the Noble , o r c i rcu lar comb , the use o f which has

greatly increased s ince the manufactu rers began to uti l i ze short

stapled wools fo r worsted sp inn ing . T h e equ ipment Of the

A rl ington M i l l s cons ists Of fif ty-three combing machines , most

o f which are o f the Noble pattern .

I t has been said o f the combing machine that i t i s o n e i n

which the power Of the cap ital ist has been exempl ified no less

than the genius Of the invento r . E xpe rimental in

w o n i r f u l vento rs spent no less than ten mi ll ion do l lars i n

perfecting the three d isti n ct varieties o f combing

machines . T h e combing mach ine cos t more to

complete,and yielded more to i ts d es igners when c o m

ple te d , than any other mach ine o f the centu ry, and it i s

certain ly the most p e rfect p ie ce Of mechanism to be found i n

m ach ine .



requ ired , and the fo llowing spring M r . Carden came to A mer

i ca . T h e hand-combers b itterly resented the final tri umph Of

mechani cal comb ing, l ittl e real iz ing how vastly i ts su ccess wou ld

i ncrease the number o f Operatives i n the worsted industry .

T h e hand—combers’ too ls were o f . the most primitive de s c r iption , cons isti ng of a pai r of combs , o n e Of which was alternate ly

held in the hand , whi le the o ther was fixed to a post ,

cfisi'

g

and into it the raw wool , afte r havi ng been properly

described , washed , O i led , and heated i n what was termed the

comb-p o t, was lashed . W i th the other comb , the

workman then began the comb ing Operation , the teeth Of o n e

comb being made to pass al ternate ly through the tuft Of wool

upon the other, u nti l the fibers became perfectly straight,

smooth , free , and clear of the “n O il,

” or short wool , which r e

mained imbedded in the comb -heads . T h e s l iver thus obtained ’

was from fou r to twelve feet long , accord ing to the wool from

which i t was combed . T his s l ive r became the “ top ”f o r the

sp inner . M r . Carden attr ibutes the or ig i n Of the word “to p

”

to the fact that the produ ct Of the hand-comber was“

33 wound by him into a ro l l wh ich took o n a shape

n o n e ,qu ite l ike that o f a boy’s top , —l arge above , andtapering nearly to a po int . But nei ther he n o r any

o n e else , s o far as we know, has been able to explain in a man

ner equal ly satisfactory the o rigi n of the word no i l . ” 1

From this primi tive process to the comb ing machine , i s an ad

vance as great as the ingenu i ty Of man eve r ach ieved at a s ingle

1 Charles V ickerm an , in h i s lecture o n T h e Wo o len T hread , $ says that th e term isf ro m th e L atin

,and m eans kno tty

,

$

o r n o t do ; b ut th is is a t least do ubtf u l .


step . I t i s imposs ib le to calcu late how great has been the in

crease in productive Capaci ty thus effected , whi le the e f f ect in

decreas ing the cost Of al l worsted fabri cs has been only less

marked . M r . Carden states that the hand-combers were paid

by the pound o f to p combed , and that the rate o f payment

ran al l the way from fourteen pence per pound O f top , where

Botany wool was u sed,to tw o sh i l l ings , and even more , per

pound , w here the fine Saxony wools were u sed . T h e cost

o f th is prel iminary process Of manufactu re thus bo re a propo r

ti on to the cost o f the raw materi al whi ch seems almost in

cred ible i n these days .

T h e “ tops ,” which are the product of the combing mach ine ,

are taken from the cans to the ball i ng mach ine , and wound into

bal ls we ighing fou r o r five pounds each . T hese areSto rage

o f sent to the storage-room , i n the basement Of the“ to”

bu i ld ing, where they are stored in d i f ferent depart

m ents , according to thei r qual i ty , and left fo r a whi le to season .

M u ch Of the yarn spun by the A rl ington M i l ls is top or slubb ing

dyed . T hat is , the sl iver O f the partial ly combed top i s made

into hanks cal led s lub b i-n g, and after being dyed by mach inery

i s retu rned to the comb and recombed , thus straightening the

fibers that have been ru ffled i n the pro cess of dye ing .

A djo in ing the w ool-wash ing bu i ld ing, and abutting o n e end

Of the new sp inn ing mi ll , stands a b rick mil l fou rDraw ing, 0

r o v i n g , a n d sto r ies h igh , b e s rde s the basement, 108 feet by 66

feet i n d imens ions , which is devoted to the drawing ,11 1 m g .

roving, and twisting Of worsted yarns . On e sto ry

i s occup ied wholly with machinery for d rawing , two stori es

TH E A R L I N GTON M I L L S.

with machinery fo r roving, and one story with mach ine ry

for twisting . T his bu i ld ing has a floor area O f square

feet .

T h e Object Of drawing i s to d imin ish the s ize Of the s l iver

from , say, an i nch or an inch and a hal f, down to an e ighth

o f an i nch , o r so th in that i t can be drawn o ut

$ 21

ni nto a thread at one pu l l by the sp inn ing mach ines .

m ach ines . T o eff ect this resu lt, the sl ivers are doub led many

times i n o rder to el iminate i rregu lari t ies from the yarn ,

and to insu re un iformity o f weight and textu re . T h e r ibbons

are thus drawn Out together to a length equal to the sum o f

the i r comb ined lengths . Some half-dozen machines are u sed i n

th is p rocess , al l bu i lt o n the same princ i p le . E ach mach ine has

two pai rs Of ro l lers , one pai r rece iving and the other del ivering

the s l ivers , and travel i ng at d ifferent speeds ; thus , i f the del iver

e rs revo lve twice as fast as the rece ivers , the s l ivers are doub led

in length i n travel ing from o n e to the other , the increase i n the

length , o r the amount O f the draft, be ing i n the s ame ratio as

the speeds o f the respective ro l lers to each other .

From the drawing-room,the next advance i s to the rov i ng

frame , the last Operati on through whi ch the s lubb ing passes

befo re sp inn ing . R oving may be desc ribed as a

Sp itz?

comb inatio n Of drawing and twisti ng, with an excess

ro o m . o f drawing,whi le sp inn ing i s a comb ination o f the

same pro cesses,with an ex cess Of tw i st ing . Final ly,

having passed the roving frame,the s l iver i s ready for sp inn ing .

W e fol low i t back again to the sp inn ing-rooms . T hey present

a s ight that must be insp iring to every spectato r who has any


appreciation o f the poetry of mechan ism . I t'

. i s imposs ib le to

secu re a p i ctu re which wi l l graphical ly portray a Sp inn ing

room to the eye ; f o r the sense Of i nfinite motion whi ch fi l ls the

spectato r i s necessari ly lost . T h e p ictu re presented herewith

wi l l , however, convey some impress i on Of the extent and gen

e ral appearance Of one O f the worsted sp inn ing-rooms O f the

A r l ington M i l l s .

T h e worsted sp inn ing i s done ch iefly by the cap and flye r

systems . T h e new sp inn ing mi l l wi l l also be equ ipped with

machinery fo r sp inn ing by the French system , so

cal led , which has been found to be bette r adapted ,

o n some accounts , to the sp inn ing o f the shorte r

stap les into the finer numbers o f worsted yarns . I n the man

u f a c tur e Of al l-wool dress-goods , which the A rl i ngton M i l l s

has su ccessfu l ly undertaken in recent years , and to which

i t wi l l devote additional attention upon the completion o f i ts

new mil l , the counts Of yarn used increase i n fineness very

rap idly . T h e fine French cashmeres,now so largely imported

into thi s country, i nvo lve the use o f yarns running between 605

and 805 , and in some cases even finer .

T h e enlarged faci l i ti es o f the sp inn ing department Of the

A rl ington M i l l s inc l ude Sp indles , Of whi ch are

flye r and cap sp indles , are mu le sp i ndl es ,

King‘

s; and are twisting sp indles . A s measured by

p ro duct. the past ach i evements Of the mi lls , thi s machinery

i s capable o f tu rn ing o ut pounds o f

yarn per annum,Of an average number , 42 . T h e average

number of the yarns spun by the A rl i ngton M i l l s has


been gradually i nc reas ing i n fineness,a fact which testifies

to the increas ing superio r ity not only o f the goods woven

by the mi l l i tsel f, but by its cu stomers also . I n 1 887 the

ou tpu t o f the worsted department was pounds ,

and the average number was about 38 . T h e i ncreased pro

duction o f the mi l ls , o f a h igher average count o f yarn , i s

much greate r i n proportion than the increased machinery

capac i ty,—a fact wh ich proves that the standard productive

capac ity o f sp inn ing machi nery i s vari ab le , dependent very

largely upon the ab i l ity o f the management to get the best

resu lts from a given capac i ty .

T h e method o f calcu lati ng the s izes o f yarn is so l i ttle

known , outs ide the manufactu re , that i t may p rove interesting

to the lay reader to state i t here .

T h e conventional “ hank o f worsted yarn measures 560

yards i n length , and the conventional method o f

designating the s ize o f a worsted thread i s by the

digi tized . number of hanks that are requ ired to weigh o n e

pound ; that i s ,

H OW

I h a nk , o r 560 yards , N o . I ya r n , w e igh s o n e po un d .

20 h a nks , o r ya rds , N o . 20 ya r n , w e igh o n e po und .

60 ha nks , o r ya rds , N o . 60 ya r n , w e igh o n e p o und .

I n tw o -p ly yarns the count i s des i gnated by the number

o f hanks which are requ i red to make a pound in the s ingle ;

that i s , 2 -60 yarn means that 60 hanks o f th is yarn in

the s ingle wou ld we igh o n e pound ; i n the two-ply, a shade

less than 30 h anks , i f the count is made exact i n the s i ngl e ,

owing to the take-up Of the twist .



muttons, o r rather , we wil l retu rn to o u r story o f what

happens to the fleece o f the mutton i n the A r l ington M i l l s .

A t the westerly end o f the bo i le r-house i s located anothe r

bu i ld ing , formerly used f o r wool sorting and woo l

T w isting , washing, but now devoted , i n i ts three s tories , to ther e

zl

izg’ twisting and ree l ing and spoo l ing O f worsted yarns

,

Sp o o l ing and the i r examination . T h is bu i ld ing is 108 feet

long , 40 feet wide , and has a floor area o f

square feet .

Stretch ing from west to east alon g the no rtherly bank o f

the Spicket river are the dye-house bu i ld ings , and

Dye-h o u se, the fin ish ing and packing bu i ld ings . T hese bu i ld ingsfin i

jrsn g’ are arranged so that by the use Of fans the s team is

pack ing very thoroughly removed , and l i ght and ai r and

good venti lation fu rn ished . T hey are of an average

width o f

0

100 feet, and a total length of about 400 feet . - T hey

contai n a floor area o f square feet .

We cannot pause to attempt any description o f the Operations

of the dye-house . T his i s o n e o f the most important stages

o f the manufactu re , and o n e i n wh ich the A rl ing

Dye ing ton M i l l s has been parti cu larly success fu l .“

T h e

corpo ration maintains a shade-room , where the secrets

o f exact match ing are suggested by the black wal ls , which avo id

reflected ti nts . T here is also a complete laborato ry, where r e

s ults a r e produced by the experimental handl ing o f dyes which

are admi red i n the atti re Of the wel l-dressed lad ies who walk

the streets o f A meri can cities , and wou ld have been the wonder

and despai r o f the anc i ent alchemists .


A bridge thrown acro ss the r iver connects the last-descr ibed

b u i ld ing with the bri ck weaving bu i ld ing, erected i n 1 879 .

T his i s o n e o f the model weaving bu i ld ings i n New

E ngland . I t i s bu t o n e sto ry high above the base

ment,i n o rder to avo id the vibration whi ch occu rs i n

bu i ld ings o f several sto ries . I t i s 390 feet i n length and 160

feet i n width,having a floor area o f square feet , o r more

than two and tw o -th i rds acres . I t i s l ight, a i ry, and roomy .

T h e student o f the texti le manufactu re can find in th is bu i ld ing

impress ive e x e m p lific a tio n of the perfection to wh ich its pro

cesses have been brought . Th e main weave—room conta ins at

p resent 9 50 looms o f variou s patterns , for vari ou s kinds o f

work,— plain

,Jacquard , b o x , broad , etc . , together with

witch-engines and mach ines f o r Spec ial work .

I n the basement are 550 add itional looms , and with the

completion o f i ts new bu i ld ings the weaving capac ity o f the

A rl ington M i l ls has been increased to looms .

I n the rear o f the weave-room are warp ing-rooms . Here

the warp threads , as they are prepared at the cotton

mi lls,are set by hand and by machinery upon the

warp ing beams in accordance with the pat tern fo r

which they are des igned,and made ready for the looms .

A s we enter the weave-room , a no i se l ike that of Pande

m o n ium let loose salu tes o u r ears . T h e d i n and clatte r of

a thou sand looms i n Operati on at once is someth ing inde

scribable . But as we grow used to the no i se , we find every

th ing proceed ing with the most perfect p recis ion , and are

amazed at the varie ty of patterns that are be ing woven by


these mach ines with a rap idi ty so astonish ing that to fu l ly com

prehend it, we must contrast i t with the s low process

o f throwing the shuttle back and forth by hand , by

wh ich al l fab ri cs were woven i n the olden times . T h e

l oom , more than any other mach ine for texti le manufacture

except the comb , exh ib its an automati c prec is ion o f several

compl icated motions most nearly approaching the human in

te llige n c e . I t has been constantly improved , and to so marked

an extent that the looms whi ch the A rl ington M i l ls have thrown

o ut from time to time , because they had grown too antiquated

f o r i ts methods , wou ld equ ip another weave-room o f nearly

equal s iz e . A mong the looms which have thus been cast

as ide are many o f E ngl ish make ; and it i s a p leasu re to be

ab le to testi fy , i n this connection , to the general superio r ity

o f A meri can-bu i l t looms over those o f any other country .

Fo r many years after the i nvention o f the power loom , i t was

deemed - imposs ible to successfu l ly weave the finer worsted

fabri cs , except by han d . A s recently as 1 870 the

great majority of those engaged i n th is b ranch Of

the work at R heims , the center O f the manufacture

o f al l-wool worsted dress-goods i n France , were hand

weavers . But the march o f events has changed al l th is ; fo r

mechan ical weaving long s ince reached a perfection su ch as

the hand loom cannot attain . T here i s a greate r regu larity

i n the product,a smal ler waste o f material , and a great saving

o f l abor,—o n e weaver i n th is c lass o f,f a b r ic s eas i ly attending

to two looms,and thus attain ing a product many times larger

than was poss ible with the hand loom . T h e power loom i s


worked without muscu lar effort , dexterity i n the repair ing o f

broken yarns be ing the ch ief requ i rement o f the Operative .

Women are found to do th is parti cu lar work with a deftness

wh ich men general ly lack .

From some po ints o f view, the fin ish ing department i s even

more interesting than any o f those which have p receded i t i n

the manufactu re . W e now have the cloth al l woven ,

2223221

1? bu t i n a condition far from su itab l e for the market .I f i t i s to be p iece-dyed goods

,that have come from

the loom “ i n the gray ,” as i t i s cal led , the dye ing fol lows

the weaving . I f we glance back at the dye-rooms fo r a

moment we shal l s ee mammoth cau ldrons,capab l e o f rece iving

a hundred p ieces o f c loth at a time , and presenting an appear

ance almost as wei rd as that o f any witch’s cau ldron o f fai ry

tale . From this uncanny bath the cloth i s taken to the fin is h

i ng-rooms , where d ifferent machines and diffe rent processes

await it, acco rd ing to the character o f the fab ri c and the natu re

o f the fin ish i t i s des i red to give i t . Some o f the

techni cal names app l i ed to these variou s p ro cesses

are pecu l iar , and they had the i r o rigin , l ike many

other terms fami l i ar to the manu factu rer,i n the bus i

ness i tsel f , i nd i cating the A nglo-Saxon origin o f the processes

they describe . T h e examination to d iscover the defects which

may exist i n a p iece o f c loth i s cal led “ perch ing,” and

the removal o f the knots and kinks i s “ burl i ng .

”T ente r

ing , gigging, crabb ing , and napp ing are among the processes

that fo l low , some with some styles o f goods , and some with al l .

Singe ing is a man ipu lation which exp lains i tsel f,although the

TH E A R L INGTON M I L LS.

looker-o n wil l wonder how it i s poss ib l e to pass a fabric ove r

a copper p late , heated to a white heat, so rap idly and so

deftly as to burn from it only the excrescences , l eav

Singeing i n gthe fabri c i tse lf u nscorched and perfect . W ashed ,

brushed , steamed , p ressed i n hydrau l i c presses , the

goods are boxed and ready for the market . It has been a long

j ourney ; and the woo l that traveled n i ne thousand mi le s fro m

A ustral ia , to begin th i s new trip through a worsted mi ll , has

many times dupl ic ated that o riginal j ou rney befo re i t i s ready

f o r the weare r . T o have fo l lowed i t i n this hu rr ied way o n i ts

tr ip wi l l se rve perhaps to impress the reader with a new idea

o f th e wonderfu l advance i n c iv i l i z ation which the modern

texti le manufactu re marks .



T hi s mi l l i s s i tuated i n the town o f M ethuen , j ust across the

L awrence l ine . I t i s abo ut o ne-quarter o f a mile d istant from

the worsted m i lls , with which i t i s connected both by

rai lroad and by a roadway o n l and belonging to the

corporation . I t i s a handsome and substantial b ri ck

structu re , three stories h igh above the basement ,

three hundred and s ixty feet long and n inety feet wide , with a

floor area o f o n e hundred and th irty-five thousand s ix,

hun

dred and ten square feet , or more than three acres . T his bu i ld

ing i s devoted enti re ly to the preparing, card ing , and sp inn ing

of cotton yarns .

T h e cotton mil l is p ictured i n th is vo l ume from two po ints o f

V i ew, the rear vi ew showin g the who le group o f the structures

devoted to the cotton department, and the front view, o f the

main mi l l only , from whi ch it wi l l at once appear that i ts p ro

porti ons are nob le and symmetr ica l . I n al l i ts parts and detai ls

i t i s arranged with the same comp leteness which characterizes

the worsted m i l ls .

Cotton M i l l No . 2 was constru cted i n 1 885—6 . I t i s located

immediately contiguous to M i l l N O . I , o n the r iver Sp i cket, and

i s connected with the packing-room by a bri dge .

0

25“ I t i s two stor ies i n he ight , three hundred feet l ong

N o . 2 ,by s ixty-one feet wide , whi ch gives a floor space

o f th irty-s ix thousand.

s ix hundred feet . Both

these mi l ls are equ ipped,

‘ l ike the worsted p lant, with every

fac i l i ty fo r the perfect and exped itio u s d ispatch Of work .

M i l l No . 2 i s fi tted up with spec i al machine ry for twisting

and warp ing , made both in this country and abroad , and also


with the most imp roved mach inery fo r putting up yarns for the

market .

T h e cotton mi l ls contain sp indles, o f which

are sp inn ing sp indles and twisting and doubl i ng sp i n

dles . O f the Sp inn ing sp indles , are for mu le

Sp inn ing and for r ing sp i nn ing . T h e p ictu re

211

32235 e lsewhere p resented o f the main sp inn ing-room in

M i l l No . 1 conveys a more graphi c idea of i ts great

d imens io ns and general appearance than any figu res can do .

T his room is the speci al p ride o f the propri eto rs o f the A r l i ng

to n M i l ls , who have omi tted from it noth ing which sc ience or

money can provide f o r producing the best resu lts,under the

most economical conditions .

T h e other floors o f M i l l No . 1 are devoted to the variou s

prel iminary processes o f the cotton manufactu re . We shal l

not attempt even a cu rso ry descrip tion o f these processes , o r

o f the mach inery employed i n them . T h e methods o f manip

u la tin g cotton are very s imi lar to those of woo l manufactu re .

T h e mach ines u sed , whi le they d iffe r somewhat i n00

122121“ constru ct ion

,i nvo lve the same p ri nc ip les o f mech

m ach inery: a n is m . M any Inventions , fi rst appl ied to the manu

factu re of wool,are uti l i z ed i n cotton , and w e e

T e r m . I t i s imposs ible to say which branch of the texti le

manufactu re owes the most to the othe r in th is respect .

T h e ob ligatio n i s rec iprocal , not only between wool and

cotton,but between al l the fibers , whether an imal o r ve ge

table . W hatever tends to s impl ify and cheapen the manu

factu re o f o n e of them , i s u ti l ized i n the manipu lation of al l ;


and i t i s a remarkable fact that this consangu in i ty between the

texti le fibers , which i s so strikingly i l lustrated i n this i nter

change and comb ination , i n modern manufactu ri ng,N °

size‘

r

h i n g has exi sted s ince c iv i l i zatio n began , so far as the pro

cesses appl i ed to the i r manufacture are concerned .

f N O book records when , o r where , o r how the d i s

c o ve ry was fi rst made that e ither an imal o r vegetab le fiber cou ld

be drawn and twisted into a thread , which in tu rn cou ld be woven

into cloth . Wherever i nvestigation has penetrated , there the

sp inn ing and the weaving are found to have existed . I n E gypt,

flax was the national fiber ; i n Ind ia , cotton ; i n China , s i lk ;

i n Greece and R ome , wool ; i n South A merica, the hai r o f the

lla m a . E ach of the primitive c iv i l i zations possessed the art,

and uti l i zed i t upon its i ndigenous fiber , and none o f them can

be said to have borrowed o r i nheri ted i t from any other . M ore

remarkable sti l l i s the fact that th is art, as it thus existed

throughout the world before the dawn o f histo ry, i s i n p rin c ip l e

the identica l art, as we practi ce i t to-day . T h e so le po int o f

d i ff erence is the substitu tio n o f power and machinery f o r the

hand,and the marvelou s i nventions which have fo llowed in the

wake o f that substitu tion . T h e card ing mach ines o f to-day

are s imply the hand cards o f o ur ancestors , adj usted to power

and automati c action , whi le the i ngen iou s sp inn ing machinery

about which we have been writi ng is a d i rect evolutio n from the

distaff and the sp inn ing-wheel .) T hese modern i nventions whichhave so transformed the art o f sp i nning and weaving are al l

fo unded upon the idea wh ich the fi rst sons and daughters o f

A dam understood as wel l as we . Widely as o u r texti le indus

th e s u n .


tries of to-day difl'

e r from those o f the anci ents,they are sti l l

,

i n thei r fundamental processes , so l ike , as to j usti fy the O ld

T estament d ictum that there i s no new thing under the sun .

A number o f smal le r bu i ld ings su rround the two cotton

mi l ls , and serve thei r various subs id iary pu rposes . T here are

some twelve bu i ld ings in al l , and they contai n a

total floor area o f square feet , o r five and

o n e -th i rd acres . T h e general lo catio n o f these bu ildm o m .

i ngs , with respect to each other , wi l l be read i ly

apprehended by consu lting the plan o f the mil ls al ready

referred to .

A t the no rthwesterly part o f the plant , and situ ated i n a

bend o f the Sp icket river , i s located the storehouse for cotton ,

1 22 feet by 45 feet , three stor ies h i gh , having a

i t$

;tota l area o f square feet , and storage

sto reho u se , capac ity o f cub i c feet , equal to five

thousand bales o f cotton . T his quantity i s about

equ ivalent to one year’s supply o f cotton for the A rl ington

M i l ls . I t is the ru le of the management to procu re its enti re

supply o f domesti c cotton at about the same time each year ,

and whi le the cho i cest se l ections are sti l l i n the market . T h e

advantage o f th is cou rse is obviou s i n a mi l l where spec ial

attention i s devoted to the sp inn ing Of superfine yarns o f a

un iform qual i ty .

E ast o f the cotton storehouse stands the mixing-house , a

bu i ld ing o f two sto ries , 62 by 47 feet , with a total floor area of

square feet . T h e second story of the mixing bu i ld ing is

o n a level with the thi rd story o f the storehouse , and con


n e c te d Wi th i t by a b ridge . Her the bales are opened , and

the cotton undergoes the fi rst manipulatio n preparatory to

i ts manufactu re . T h e cotton i s dropped from

this room to the mixing-room below,through

ho les i n the floor . T h e latter room has a capac i ty

of three hundred bales , and the cotton moves

thence to the p i cker-house , a bu i ld ing east o f the mixing

house , cons isting of o n e story and basement, each 48 by 66

feet, and havi ng a floor area o f square feet . Here

the cotton encounters i ts first experi ence with machinery , i n

the pre l imi nary process O f c lean ing, preparatory to the cards .

A ttached to the sou theaste rly end of the main cotton mi l l

i s , fi rst, a room 48 by 36 , with an area o f square feet,

’

contain ing a pai r o f Corl i ss engines of 500 horse-power, and an

adjo i n ing room in which is lo cated a Green engine o f 360 horse

power . Th e dimens ions o f the cyl i nders o f theseE n g i

zzzm m engines are 23 by 48 . E ast o f the engine-room is

bo i ler-ho use . the packing-room , 52 by 45, and south o f them

both i s the bo i ler-house , 102 by 42 feet, contain ing

ten bo i lers , seven o f w h i ch are five feet i n d iameter, and three

Of them s ix feet i n d iameter by s ixteen feet in length .

E ast o f the p i cker-room we find a shed wh i ch i s u ti l ized as

a continuation o f the card-room . In th i s bu i ld ing are p laced

1 25 E ngl ish-bu i lt revo lv i ng top-fla t cards , machines which pos

sess a remarkab le capac i ty for the rap id card i ng o f cotton , and

are also d is tingu ished from the card ing-engines they have

superseded by thei r apparatus for the automatic c leans ing o f

the card c lothing .



T his statement does not help to answer the standi ng i nqu i ry as

to what becomes o f al l the needles ; but it does reveal some

th ing o f the in fin itud e of smal l detai l s which goes to make up

the routine conduct o f a great manufactu ring establ i shment .

North o f the new twisting mi l l i s a smal l bu i ld ing , 40 feet by

34 feet, i n which the O ffice i s lo cated . O n entering it we shal l

p robab ly find the superi ntendent, M r . George W .

Sup e

gin

t

‘e n d '

T owne . M r . T owne was trained in the A rl ington

T o wne , cotton mi l l , and succeeded M r . R edford as s up e r in

tendent , i n 1 889 . He wi l l be glad to Show us about

the mi l l s and explain the processes o f manufactu re .

L ast year the cotton mi l ls consumed pounds o f

cotton , and spun pounds o f yarn . T h e average

number of these yarns was 42 .

T h e produ ct of the cotton department, l ike that o f the

worsted mi l ls , i s O f'

tw o kinds . A ll the warps that are requ i red

by the worsted mi l l i n the manufactu re o f cotton-warp dress

goods are p repared at the cotton mi l l ; but as the sp inn ing

capacity o f the latte r i s much greater than the wants o f th e

worsted mi l ls , the company is in a position to supply the trad e

with cotton yarns in variou s forms .

Since i ts cotton department got fai rly under way, the A rl i ng

ton M i l ls has made a spec ialty of the manufactu re o f fine

combed and carded yarns f o r the trade . I n th is r e

m af u fhi ir

u r e

spect i t i naugurated a new branch of manufactu re i n

sta rted . thi s country . We bel ieve i ts only predecesso r i n the

manufactu re O f superfine sale yarns i n this country

was the Hadley Company,at Holyoke . Up to 188 1 , when th is

TH E A R L I N GTON M I L L S . 73

featu re was started , the great bu lk o f the manufactu rers us ing

fine cotton yarns were compel led to supply thei r wants by

importation . T his was a d isadvantage i n many di f ferent ways ;

there was always a cons iderab le i nterval o f delay between the

send ing o f an order and the rece ipt O f the yarns , and there

was always a risk o f not secur ing exactly what was needed .

A great forw ard step i n A meri can manufac tu ring was taken

when the A rl i ngton M i l l s was equ ipped to supply , on short

noti ce , cotton yarns o f any characte r Or qual i ty that might be

requ i red .

T hat statement means much more than at fi rst app ears , as the

reader wi l l better appreci ate when we add that there are some

three hundred varieties o f cotton yarns o n the A rl ing

to n catalogue and trade l i sts , whi ch are regul arly

made there . T h e necess i ties o f the i r customers have

cal led fo r al l these fo rms o f yarn , and the machinery

has acco rd i ngly been provided . Some detai ls o f

the varieti es o f yarn wi l l p rove i nteresting . T h e gr eat number

o f these varieti es i s poss ib le,because o f the doub l e vari atio n

which occu rs , fi rs t i n the count o f the yarn , and , se condly, i n

i ts qual ity .

Six whol ly d i f ferent classes o f yarns are made at the A rl i ng

to n Cotton M i l l s . A n enumeratio n o f these c lasse s wil l n atu

ral ly begin with s ingle-warp yarn . T hi s i s made i nSing‘e ' fo rty d i f ferent s izes and qual it ies , from No . 10 to N O .

80, i nclus ive . T his range o f varieti es covers every

requ irement o f the cloth manufactu rer where s ingle

yarns alone are u sed .


I f two-p ly warps are wanted , there are no less than fifty

forms or varieties from which to se lect . T h e range

runs al l the way from 2—z o ’

s to 2—140’

s , i n clu s ive ,

whi ch covers the field for a u sefu l warp fo r any

make of texti le fabri c .

A nother b ranch of the bus iness o f th i s mi l l tou ches the

cloth manufacturer close ly, and that is the making o f l oom

harness tw i ne . T h e product o f the loom , the char

acte r and qual i ty o f the cloth produced , depend i nvery large degree upon the qual ity of the harness

employed . W hen the A rl i ngton M i l ls began to make har

ness twine , i n 1 882 , the manufactu rers o f loom harnesses were

paying exorb i tant p rices fo r a poor qu al ity o f twine , o n e smal l

mi l l p racti cal ly contro l l i ng the twine bus iness .

I t i s re l ated that this mi l l adopted a decidedly nove l method

o f keep ing the market fi rm when it was in danger o f becom ing

overstocked . T h e plan was to stop the mi l l and take the

help on a fishing excurs io n . I f the harness-maker happened

along, he must await the retu rn of the party with what grace

he cou ld . T h e A rl ingto n M i l ls u ndertook the manufactu re

o f harness twine at the so l i c itati on of both the harness-makers

and the clo th-makers , and they have s i nce continued it to

the enti re satisfactio n o f both i nterests , and not w i thou t

advantage to the reputation o f the mi l ls ; f o r the loom har

nesses now made , at a redu ctio n of th i rty per cent . i n the cost

O f the tw i ne , i nvo lve an add itional and more important s aving

to the weaver , for the harnesses l ast twice as long as they

fo rmerly did , do ing better work al l the time .

TH E A R L INGTON M I L LS. 7 5

A fou rth important branch o f the p roducts o f the cotto n

mi lls i s three and fou r p ly thread , and also s ix cord . T his

i s made i n every s ize and qual ity u sed on sewingT h r e e a fl d machines , and suppl ied to the thread Spoole rs , whof o ur

p ly rh r e ad ,put i t up i n al l colo rs fo r home use o r m a n u f a c tu r

i ng pu rposes . T h e A rl i ngton machinery has been

espec ial ly se lected with reference to th i s c lass of work , which

requ i res a smooth , clean , even , strong yarn , every yard o f

which must pass through the eye o f a needle .

Sti l l another spec i alty Of the cotton mi l ls are the fine

yarns used i n the fabrication o f plu shes , both s i lkP lushand velvet and cotton , and also i n velvets . T hese yarns arewarps '

suppl i ed i n every number and qual ity known to

the bus i ness .

Sti l l another requ i rement , o f comparatively recent origin , i s

yarn fo r electri cal pu rposes , for wind ing the coppe r

wire . T h e mil ls also manufactu re se i ne twine s

adapted to the wants o f those who requ i re a strong ,

smooth twine f o r fish ing nets and se i nes .

I n a word,these mi l ls are equ ipped to make yarns o f every

descripti on , put up i n any form requ i red by the texti le manu

factu re r,e ither fi l l ing o r warp yarn , co lo red o r

gray, o n Spools or o n beams , ready for the shuttle

o r the loom . T h e range o f the manufacture i s

shown by the fact that i ts p roducts inc lude the

twine o f which the harness i s made , the yarns by whi ch the

loom is fed , and the thread by which its produ ct i s converted

into cloth ing . In th e manufactu re of these various yarns the


A rl ington uses many vari eti es of cotton , - A l l en seed,Peeler

,

Carol ina,and Flori da Sea I sl and , E gyptian , and M i ss i ss ipp i

E gypti an , accord ing to length o f staple and other qual i ties

requ i red . T h e Peele‘

r co tton i s u ti l ized in carded yarns,

whi le the Sea I sland , with a stap le varying from On e and three

fou rths to two inches in length , i s combed and spun i nto

yarn o f super io r grades .

Some idea o f the number o f pro cesses necessary to make

o n e o f these yarn s , and the number o f doub l ings requ i red

to make it even , can be very eas i ly conveyed toT

2330 the reader . A two-hu ndred-yard spool of No . 50

tim es , Six -co rd thread has been doub led and drawn up

wards o f times bet ween the p icker lap

and the finished thread . I t wi l l help the reader to under

s tand h o w th is can be poss ib l e , when we add that a s in gle

pound o f E gypti an cotton has been spu n to a length o f

238 miles and yards .

I t has been stated that the consumption o f cotton per

s p in dl e i n th e A merican mi l ls i n the year 1825,averaged

a bout o n e hundred and forty pounds per annum . T h e

change that has s in ce o c cu rred i n the manufactu re may be

i l lu strated by the fact that the average annual consumption

per sp ind le i n the A rl ington M i l l s was about fo rty—e ight pounds

i n 1 889 . T hat means that the mi l l i s sp inn ing yarn three

t imes as fine as the average yarn spun i n the country i n

1 82 5 . If account be taken o f the greater rap id ity with

which the modern sp ind le revo lves , i t eas i ly means fou r

times finer .



E ngland manu factu rers have , i n fact , more to fear from thei r

o w n number, so rap id ly have they been increas ing the i r fac i l

i ti es of recent years . I t i s bel i eved that the sp in

dles which exi sted in 1 880, by the census o f that year , have

i ncreased to i n 1 890 ; and o f th i s i ncrease, n o tw ith

standingthe great growth i n the South , New E ngland has u n

doubtedly secu red the share necessary to retain her former

p r e é m in e n c e as a cotton manu factu r ing cente r .

W e find an i nteresti ng confi rmation o f the views here ex

pressed , in a letter wri tten j ust forty years ago , by H o n . A mos

L awrence , to R obert Barnwe l l R hett , o f South Caro l in a . M r .

’

L awrence anti c ip ated the time when South Caro l ina wou ld sp i n

h e r o w n cotton . He looked to see that time come with in ten

years,he was writing in 1 849 ; and i f he was over-sangu ine ,

i t was because he cou ld not antic ipate the terr ib le o rdeal

through wh ich the South was to pass , befo re i t cou ld attain

to industri al cond itions u nder which i t wou ld be poss ib le to

dupl i cate,i n that sect io n o f the country , the manufactur i ng

enterprises o f New E ngland . With a fu l l understand ing Of the

manufactu ring s i tuatio n i n h is o w n State , M r . L awrence wrote

We of M assachusetts wi l l gladly su rrender to you the manu

factu re o f coarse cotton fab rics , and tu rn ou r industry to

making fine arti c les . I n short , we cou ld now, i f you are ready ,

give u p to you the manufactu re o f coarse fab ri cs , and tu rn o n e

half ou r machinery into sp inn ing and weaving cotton hose ; and

noth ing w i l l help u s so much as specific duties . T h e whol e

kingdom o f Saxony is employed at th i s moment in making

cotton hose for the Un i ted States , from yarns pu rchased i n

TH E AR L INGTON M I L LS. 7 9

E ngland , and made Of you r cotton . How much better wou ld

i t b e f o r yo u and for u s to save these treb le p rofits and

transport by making up the co tton at home $ T hink Of these

matters , and look at them withou t the prej ud i ce that p revai ls

so extens ively i n your State T h e United States d id not

act upon M r . L awrence’s j udgment, with respect to spec ifi c

duti es upon cotton hos iery, u nti l 1 890,and i n consequence a

l arge proportio n Of the cotton hose worn by the A merican

peop le has contin ued to be imported down to th i s time .

Ou r growth o f fifty per cent . i n a s ingle decade , i n the other

branches o f the cotton manufactu re , finds no paral le l i n any Sim

i la r period o f the h istory of Great Britain . I ndeed ,T h e ’f‘c r e m the O fficial retu rns o f that country Show that there

s p ifix

dle s . was but s l ight gain i n the number of her sp indles

for a period mu ch longer . In 1 874 the Sp inn ing

sp indles reported i n E ngland , I re land , and Scotland num

bered and i n 1 889 th is number had only grown

to A n i ncrease o f fifty per cent . i n

o ur Sp indles , i n ten years , i s , therefo re , to be con

G reat B ri tai n .tr a s te d with an increase o f but n i ne per cent . i n

Great Bri tai n i n fifteen years . I t i s necessary ,

however,to take account of the fact that the cap acity o f

sp inn ing machinery has greatly increased during the interval ,

so that the figu res are not altogether a f a ir test of the rate o f

i ncrease , e ither i n Great Bri tain or i n th i s country . T hey se rve

to prove what we know i n other ways , that the percentage o f

the world’s cotto n crop manufactu red i n th is country i ncreases

regu larly , and at a rate most grati fying to those who bel i eve


that we are as capable Of manufactu ring al l the cotton we con

sume , as we are Of growing it.

1

T h e experience o f the mil ls whi ch have engaged in the

sp inn ing Of the finer cotton yarns has sati sfactor i ly d isposed

o f the c laim that there are atmospheri c and c l iA tm o s hericp

m a tl c c o n d ltl o n s , pecu l i ar to th i s country , wh i cho n d iti o n s .c

prevent o u r atta in ing resu lts equal to those reached

in E ngland . Undoubtedly , the conditi ons are frequently more

trying ; they embrace extremes o f heat and o f co ld from

which others are exempt . But so far as these o r other con

ditio n s , su ch as excess ive e lectri c i ty in the ai r, perceptib ly

a f fect the manufactu re , i t has been found a s imple matter

to overcome them by Spraying apparatus , which wi l l exactly

secu re any degree o f atmospheri c humidity which may be

des i red .

1 T h e U nited States n o w co nsum es in its co tto n m anufactures between 30 and 33175, percent. o f its annual pro ductio n o f th e fiber, and th e pro po rtio n is s lo wly b ut stead i ly in c r e a sing. Prio r to 1 840 m o re than three—f o urths o f o u r pro ductio n was co nsum ed in f o re ignm i lls

,b ut o u r m a nuf acturing interests have increas ed by a l i ttle m o re rap id rati o than o ur

pro ductio n . T h e f o l lowing tab le presents , in co ndensed f o rm ,th e average pro ductio n and

expo rtatio n,by decades

,f ro m 1 841 to 1 880 .

Peri o d . P roductio n . Ex po rtatio n .

Po u n ds . P o un ds .

1 ,656r207 I66 1

13970451903

2 ,183. 174i 1 13 I ,493,829 ,284


THE WORSTED MANUFACTURE IN THE UNITED STATES .

EFOR E enter ing upon a description o f the worsted

products of the A rl i ngton M i l l s , i t wi l l be i nteresti ng

to glance bri efly at the h isto ry o f th is p articu lar

branch o f texti le manufactu re , which , although

among the most recent, has a lready grown to extraord inary

dimens ions abroad , and i s rap idly advancing to theH i s tm i c a l front rank , among the products o f woo l, i n the

Un ited States .

T hroughout thi s book we have used the express ion “ wool

manufactu re ” as indi cative of al l methods o f fabri cating woo len

fab ri cs , al though we have been deal ing solely withW

21

3“ the processe s commonly known as th e worsted man

W o r steds , u f a c tur e . Notw i thstand ing the fact that a United

States Court and a j u ry o f twelve A merican c itizens

solemnly decided , i n a tri al which took p lace in New Y ork i n the

s pring o f 1 890, that a worsted c loth i s not a woo len cloth , i t

nevertheless remains the fact that a worsted cloth i s made o f


wool,that many Of the processes are identi cal with those em

p loyed i n making al l other cloths , and that the vari ations which

occu r in the manufactu re o f cloths commercial ly known as

woolens are as marked , parti cu larly i n the final“ process , as the

vari ations which occu r betw een woo lens p roper and worsted s

proper . Fo r i n stance , there is a species o f c loth popul arly

known as Jersey c loth , which i s not woven upon the loom at

al l,but knitted upon knitting mach ines , very much as sh i rts

and draw ers are kn itted . But i t i s a woo len cloth fo r a ll that

i t be longs to the great family o f cloths , be ing one

species o f the genus , j u st as worsteds are another

spec ies and j ust as there are d i f ferent groups of

worsteds f o r men s wear , and also o f dress-goods f o r women’s

wear , between which there are almost as many po ints o f

d ifference as there are between woo lens and worsteds .

Fo r i nstance , there are w o r s te ds m ad e o f long stap led woo l

wh ich i s p repared and combed , worsteds made o f short wool

which is carded and combed , and worsteds made o f woo l o f any

length , which i s carded only . I t i s often imposs ib le to te l l by

which one o f these three methods a parti cu lar worsted yarn has

been made ; and yet o n e of the methods i n i ts pre l iminary

process i s i dentica l with that of woolen yarn manufactu re .

Nature d ivides he r grand groups i nto d ifferent spec ies ,

which di f fer greatly i n thei r characteri sti cs , but have certai n

po ints o f o rgani c resemb lance ; and i n much the same

manner the manufactu re o f clo th i s d ivided i nto i ts d i f ferent

groups , whi ch have o n e common , i nvariable , and organi c

r esemblance to each other , i n that the ch ief material out o f


which they are al l fabricated i s wool from the back o f the

sheep .

Bearing th i s general resemb lance in mind,i t i s no t d i fficu lt

to point o ut the d istincti on between woo len fabrics,so cal led

,

and worsted fabri cs , so called . I t comes from the diff erent

treatment to which the woo l i s subj ected i n the pro

cess o f manufactu re . Of the two processes , that o f

worsted manufacture is much the more compl i cated

and expens ive , parti cu l arly in the earl i er stages ,which have to do with the sp inn ing o f the yarn f o r the

loom . T h e woo len yarn i s carded and spun o n a mu le , with few

intermediate manipulations . We have seen i n o u r trip th rough

the A rl ington M i l ls that these intermed iate p rocesses are very

numerou s and del i cate , i n the sp inn ing o f the worsted yarn .

T he i r introduction produces a yarn qu ite d ifferent, i n i ts general

appearance and characteristi cs,from the woolen yarn . While

thi s d i fference is perfectly apparent to the eye , i t wi l l most

readi ly be understood by subjecting them both to microscop i c

examination . Plac ing a w o o le n yarn under a glass , we shal l find

i t composed of a mass o f tangled fibers , i nterlocked and inte r

lac ing with l ittle o r no system . loose ly assoc i ated together and

lacking i n tens i le strength . A worsted yarn wi l l be found,

upon a l ike examination , to be composed o f fibers o f wool

w h ich run parall e l with each other, and are close ly twisted into a

strand which is comparatively smooth and comparatively strong .

T his d i fference between the two yarns i s primari ly created by

the use o f the comb and the gi l l-box , machines u nknown to the

woolen manufactu re proper . T h e com b , as we have previou sly



able cloth . T h e felting consti tutes the final d ifference between

the woolen and the worsted cloth . While the felti ng property

is not el im inated from a worsted , i t i s so min imized that i n a

worsted fab ri c , su ch as a d iagonal o r corkscrew,we have the

characteristi cs o f the weave d i sti nctly v is ib le .

T h e method o f making yarn known as woolen , as d is ti n

gu is h e d from worsted , was exclus ively emp loyed i n the mi l ls of

th is country for more than half a centu ry after

the found ing o f o u r texti le manu factu res . By

this p rocess were made a great var i ety of fabric s

commonly worn by the people , and i nclud ing

broadcloths,doeskins

,twi l ls

,fla n n e ls , tri cots , beavers , and l ike

goods . T h e wonder i s , however, that o u r manufactures o f

wool were so long confined to the woo len form ; f o r early

i n the centu ry the worsteds became popu lar i n E u rope , and

before any were made i n th i s country the worsted manufactu re

had nearly equal led that o f woolens , both i n E ngland and

France .

In the production o f the almost i nfin ite vari ety of f abri cs

i ncluded in the general description o f worsted dress-goods for

women’s wear, France undoubtedly stands at the

head Of the manufactu ring nations—not, perhaps , i nm anufactu re , the quantity o f these goods manufactured , but cer

ta in ly i n qual ity and in vari ety . A l though we know

of the existence o f the worsted manufactu re i n E ngland as far

back as the records o f her industry extend , and although the

very name o f the product i s thought to be derived from the

name of a town in Norfo lk , where a co lony o f sp inners from


Flanders settled i n the time of W i l l i am the Conqueror , yet the

French may be cal led the o riginators of the modern worsted

manufacture as appl ied to the l i ghter fabri cs adapted fo r female

appare l . T hey not on ly originated the most b eauti fu l and

popu lar forms o f these fabri cs , but they continu e to carry o n

the i r manufactu re with the most consp i cuous su ccess , attain ing

a fineness and . perfection o f textu re , and a beauty and novelty

o f design , which are the wonder and the envy o f other coun

tri es . T h e wonderfu l fecundity o f the French i nte l lect i n the

i nvention o f gracefu l combinatio ns o f des ign and co lo r finds i n

th i s i ndustry an unl imited fie ld .

T h e fab ri cs o f combed wool f o r whi ch R he ims was so famous

f o r centu ries ,—the says , s erges , and ta n im in s , - d isappeared

with the introductio n o f the Span ish b lood i nto theR h e i m S French sheepfo lds . A s early as 1 8 1 1 an obscure

workman o f R he ims , D a up h in o t Pa llo te a u , fi rst made

from the soft and long woo l of the R ambou i l let sheep the

most unrival led o f modern woolen fabri cs , the French

merino ; and at an even earl ie r date the ingeniou s manu

f a c tur e r s at R oubaix had made a world-wide reputation fo r the

exce l lence o f the i r stuffs . T h e great developmentR 0ub a i x Of th is branch o f i ndustry dates from the time when

the u ti l i zation o f the short-fib e r e d wools o f the

merino b lood was su ccessfu l ly i naugurated . Unti l the early

part o f th is centu ry, the long-stapled woo ls , l ike those o f

the E ngl i sh mutton sheep,were regarded as the only comb

ing wools ; and yarns made of such wools had never been

used in c loths for men’s wear,but were uti l ized only in stuffs ,


O r th in , unfe lted fabri cs , such as dress-goods and coat

l in ings . A number o f minor improvements i n mach inery

contribu ted to the change , but the revolution was completed

and perfected when Josue Hei lmann ,an A ls a c ia n i nventor and

manufactu rer, succeeded , after many trials and fai l u res , afte r

alternating hope and despai r, i n worki ng o ut a method o f me

c h a n ic a l comb ing adapted to the short fibers o f merino wool , as

wel l as to the long stap le fo rmerly regarded as exclus ive ly

combing wool . M . A l can , the lead ing French authority, whi le

he l ived , on the texti le i ndustr ies o f that country,M . A 1c a n

quo te dspoke o f th is i nvention as o n e by which the means

o f fab ricatio n were so amel io rated , i n the short

space Of a quarter of a centu ry, that the sp inn ing o f merino

wools attained a fineness and regu lar ity once imposs ib le with

the best hand-sp inn ing . T h e mach ine turned o ut l engths

of yarn meters to the ki logramme , from a kind of

woo l which twenty-five years earl ie r wou ld scarcely have pro

du c e d meters . ” From the tim e

i

o f thi s i nvention the

d istinction between woo lens and worsteds gradual ly ceased to

be due in any necessary degree to a d i f f erence i n the characte r

o f the woo l employed,for thereafter i t became poss ib le to

comb almost any woo l,however short the stap le ; and i n

l ike manner the long wools o f E ngl ish origin , cal led the comb

ing wools , are now used i ndis criminate ly i n the manufactu re o f

carded fabri cs .

T o the French i s due the c redit o f the first manufactu re

o f al l-woo l moussel ines de laine , and also o f the cotton

warp . Th e fi rst fabri cation o f the latter occurred at R o u



su ccess was s o marked that others qu i ckly fol lowed h im into

th is new and promis ing field , and to-day many of o u r l argest and

best m i l ls are engaged in the fabri cation o f a great vari ety of

worsted cloths , which , i n o riginal ity o f des ign,i n du rabi l i ty

,

i n fineness o f texture , and i n p ri ce , compare favorably with the

produ cts o f the most famous foreign looms .

that I m ight bring it to th e attentio n o f practical m anufacturers . I kept th e fl eece in m y

o f fice m any m o nths . I repeatedly sho wed it to m anufacturers,b ut they seem ed to take

b ut th e s l ightest interest in it. On e day , when th e fl eece had beco m e s o fu ll o f m o ths thatI was upo n th e po int o f thro wing it away

,M r . E . R . M udge, w h o had been a c o m

m issio ner a t th e Paris E xpo s itio n o f 1 867 , and had been m u ch im pressed w ith th e wo rstedc lo ths

,wh ich

,f o r th e first tim e , ha d been exh ib ited there , and were utterly unkno wn in th is

co untry a t that tim e, cam e to m y o f fice to inqu ire if any wo o l su itab le f o r m aking suchc lo th was gro wn i n th i s co untry . U po n his descriptio n o f th e c lo ths , I a t o nce said thatthey were m ade o f m erino co m b ing wo o l , and po inted o ut to h im M r . M o ntgo m ery’s fl e ece

,

assuring h im that there was an unlim ited supply o f such wo o ls in th is co untry . T h e nextday an expert was sent by M r . M udge to exam ine th e fl eece ; and , upo n his repo rt, o rderswere sent to France f o r co m b ing m ach inery by th e Washingto n M il ls , o f wh ich M r . M udgewas a d irecto r and th e sel l ing agent. I n th e co urse o f a f e w m o nths th e first m erinowo rsted co atings m ade in th e U nited States were turned o u t by th e Wash ingto n M i lls

,and

were so ld in th e m arket as French go o ds . T h is estab li shm ent succeeded So we l l in th efabricatio n o f their c lo ths

,general ly called wo rsted co atings, and they pro ved s o po pular

when thrown upo n th e m arket, that th e intro ducer so o n f o und a ho st o f riva ls andim itato rs .O n th e o ther hand , sim ilar f abrics were m ade a t abo ut th e sam e tim e by th e Ho ckanum

Co m pany, o f R o ckvi lle , Co nn . M r . Geo rge Sykes , th e vice-pres ident and superintendento f that co m pany, writes that abo ut 1 869 o r 1870,

he was sho wn sa m ples o f a new fabric f o rm en 's wear, then being m ade in E ngland , wh ich , upo n ex am inatio n , he fo und to be m adeo f abo ut th e sam e quality o f wo o l they were then us ing in the ir wo o len go o ds, b u t that th efibers were co m bed and laid paral le l, thus causing th e figure in th e weave to “ show upm uch brighter and c learer than it co uld be m ade to do w ith a carded thread . He learnedupo n inquiry that yarns o f th is nature had been used in and aro und H uddle sfie ld inm aking vestings

,and that M r . J o siah L o dge , o f H uddle sfie ld ,

c laim ed to have been th efirst to utilize them in tro userings and co atings . M r . L o dge was then th e designer f o rT aylo r So ns

,and is n o w o n e o f th e lead ing m anuf acturers o f fine wo rsteds a t Hudd les



i n 1 876 , that “ No event of the centu ry has done more fo r

female comfort, and fo r the industry o f wool,than the

introducti on of the cotton-warp , and its extens ive uti l i zation

by means o f improved mach inery . Cotton , i nstead of the r iva l

of wool,became at once its most important auxi l i ary

,and has

added vastly to i ts consumption ; for th is u ti l i z ation of cotton

permitted a much cheaper fabri c, p racti cal ly the same as a

woo len fabric , and one so covered wi th woo l that the presence

of cotton can only be d iscovered by the c losest inspection .

”

I t wi l l be i nteresting to recal l and preserve the su ccess ive step s

by which th is new industry was estab l i shed and fi rmly rooted i n

the United States . W e confine o ur sketch so le ly to

T h e fir s t the development of the dress-goods branch , whichdr e s s g o o d s

m adehere o f the manufactu re o f worsted su itings . I t is bel ieved

p receded by more than twenty years the introdu ction

that there are bu t two men now l iv ing who were ln

tim a te ly connected with the earl iest enterprises in th is d i rection .

abo ut th e m idd le o f 1 869 l ight-we ight wo rsteds were be ing m anufactured in quantity, m adef ro m Canad ian and Kentucky wo o ls 2-60 yarn f o r warp and fil l ing. I n co urse o f tim eA m erican fleece was large ly used . I t was n o t ti l l th e latter part o f 1 870, o r th e early parto f 1 87 1 , that heavy we ights were begun to be m anufactured , a t th e suggestio n o f Jo sephSawyer, a partner o f M r . M udge , in th e co m m issio n business . T h e first e f f o rt in this d irectio n was in im itatio n o f a d iago nal wo rsted Clo th wh ich M r . Sawyer had had m ade intoa f r o ck-co at by a L o ndo n tai lo r , in July, 1 870 . T h e weave O f th is d iago nal has beenf o rtunately d isco vered o f late as th e pro duct o f th e pattern lo o m . I t is an e ight-harnesspattern w ith a backing. T h e first heavy go o ds m arketed , ho wever, were with a tw i l l faceand basket back a do ub le clo th - m ade fro m th e fifth so rt o f Canada wo o l . P. C. K irkn o w o f th e fir m o f K irk, Hutch ins , Sto ddard , wo rsted clo th m anufacturers , o f A uburn ,M ass . , was , during th is perio d , th e e f fic ient superintendent o f th e m i l ls and th e ex ecutivem a n in car rying o ut th e o rders o f h is o f ficial superio rs . T h e success o f these ventures w aslargely due to h is Ski ll and surve i llance .


T hese are M r . W . C . Chapin , of the R ivers ide M i l ls i n Provi

dence, for e ighteen years the res ident agent o f the Pac ifi c M i l ls

at L awrence , and M r . Samue l R . Payson , Of Boston , the p res ident

o f the M anchester M i l ls . Both o f these gentlemen recal l v ivid ly

and entertainingly the struggles , the d ifl‘i c ultie s , and the tri umphs

o f the new departu re with whi ch they had so much to do .

T h e fi rst delaines made i n the Un ited States were m a n u f a c

tu r e d at a mi l l i n Bal lardvale , M ass . , o f which M r . J . P . Bradlee

was afte rwards the general agent and ch ief owner , a

m i l l which ho lds an honorable posi tion i n the texti le

annals of the country as having been the fi rst to manu

factu re fine fla n n e ls . T h e manufactu re o f de la ines was under

taken a t this m i l l by John M arland , who seems to have rented

power and machinery for that pu rpose , employing about

fifty looms . A ssoc iated with M r . M arland in th i s enterpri se

was Jeremiah S . Y oung , his brother—in - law, formerly a cle rgy

man at Portland , M aine , and subsequently treasu re r o f the

Pacific M i l l s . A ll the wool was combed by hand , and the

experiment extended to de laines for printing , and to others

for dye ing i n the p iece . Fo r a time they were pr inted by the

b lock process at North A ndover , and afterwards o n the ma

chines o f the Hami l ton M anufactu ring Company at L owel l .

M r . Chap in also p ri nted some of these goods at h is printi ng

mi l l at Fa ll R iver . M r . M arland was not a manufactu rer o f

l arge means , and although he had great perseverance , h i s

enterprise cannot be said to have been successfu l . O n e d i ffi

cu lty encountered i s sai d to have been the unwi l l i ngness of the

A merican market to accept these home-made goods , a difl‘i


c u lty which was partial ly overcome by imitati ng fore ign marks,

and disgu is ing i n every way poss ib le the domesti c origin o f the

goods . T his Obstacle i s o n e which o u r woolen manufactu rer s

encounter more o r less to th is day . T h e A mericanp d

'

m e

peop le have Imposed more obstacles I n the way o fagainst

A m erican the su ccess o f home manufactu res , by the i r p rej ud i cem adego o ds . I n favor of fore ign goods than I t 15 easy to esti

mate , o r to speak o f with patience . I t i s a prej udi ce

which undoubtedly had j ustification i n the superio r textu re and

des ign of fore ign goods at the time when the i ndustry was young

among us . But i t yie lds to o s lowly before the steady advances

which have been effected in al l b ranches o f the woo l manufactu re .

f T h e second establ ishment to enter upon th is l ine o f manu

f a c tu r in g was the A moskeag Company at M a n

A

‘

m

'

izf e a g Chester, New Hampsh i re . T h is company owned a

Co m pany . smal l mi l l at H o o k s e t i n that State , which it refitted

fo r the purpose o f making delaines , equ ipp ing i t

with two hundred looms . T h e goods Were printed at Greenwich , R hode Is land . T h e manufactu re was conti nued at

\ H o o k s e t f o r about seven years .

f I n the meanwhi le,several o f the A moskeag stockholders

o rgan ized , i n 1 845, a new company , the M ancheste r M i l l s ,

s itu ated in the town o f that name in New Hamp

M a rx is m sh ire , and at once bu i lt an extens ive factory for

M ills . the manufactu re o f delaines . ) (A t fi rst , this com

pany used carded wool only— comb ing machines

were i ntroduced about 1 855, very shortly after they had supe r

s e de d the hand comber in E ngland and France . T h e wool



facto ry into a dress -goods mi l l ; and in 1 853 the Pac ific

M i l ls , at L awrence , was organized to make the same class o f

fabri cs .

M r . Chap in was assoc iated with the Pacific M i l ls from the i r

o rigin , first as the superi ntendent o f the print works , but soon

after as res ident agent,— a post which he retained

unti l about 1 87 1 . He states that they began making

the i r de laines o u t of woolen yarn ; but almost im

mediately they imported the first combing mach ines ever

brought to this country,and at once began thei r u se .

T here were s ix o f these machines , o f the L i s ter pattern , i n

operation i n 1 854 .

A s time passed , the various fo rms of the worsted manu

factu re , as developed o n the Continent, began to find exponents

i n th is country . T h e Washington M i l l s w a s the fi rst

to embark i n the manufactu re of certai n al l-woo l

fabrics , formerly made on ly i n France . T h is branch

o f the industry has met with greater difli c u ltie s i n

this country than any other, for reasons which are well u nder

stood by practi cal manufacturers , and not least among which

i s the comparative ly h igh labo r cost o f produci ng goods , on

account o f the fineness of the yarns used . However , several o f

o u r manufactu rers have reached a remarkable degree o f ex

c e lle n c e i n these fabri cs , the A rl i ngton M i l ls be i ng Consp icuous

among them .

T h e A rl i ngton M i l l s was the fi rst to introduce , i n the

United States , the su ccessfu l manufactu re o f b lack alpacas ,

mohai rs , and bri l l i antines . A t about the same time , s imi lar


goods , Of most excel lent qua l i ty , were made by the Farr A lpaca

Company , at Holyoke , M assachusetts . Up to 1872

i t was the common bel ief that these goods cou ld only

be made at Bradford , E ngland , where the i r manu

factu re was fi rst u ndertaken , and where pecu l iar advantages

existed fo r i ts su ccessfu l prosecution . I n that year the A rl ing

ton M i l ls began to tu rn o ut goods whose immed iate popu larity

i n the market p roved them to be equal , at least, to the produ c

tions o f the best manufactu re rs i n the o ld-estab l i shed seats of

the worsted manufacture i n E u rope . T h e ach ievement was the

result o f a large expenditu re o f money, j udic i ously appl ied

from the beginn ing to the m anufactu re o f goods which cou ld

hold the i r own i n compari son with imported fab rics o f l ike

character . A t the Ph i ladelphia E xhib i tion o f 1 876 the A r

lin gto n M i l l s made an exhib i t of these goods , with

“Sgt” o n e exception the only exh ib i t o f the kind from

M i l ls a t an A meri can mi l l . Th e goods attracted marked

il

lififtl

itia

attention , and espec ial ly exc ited the wonder and

admiration o f fore ign vis itors , who saw i n them the

evidence that the Un ited States wou ld rap id ly become a com

petito r with France and E ngland i n the fabricatio n of h igher

l ines of goods than had hitherto been made i n th is country .

T h e j udges made an award to the A rl ington M i l l s fo r a very

superio r col le ction o f black alpacas , br i ll i anti nes , figured mo

hai rs , and R oubaix pop l i ns ; al l fir s t-class goods o f the i r kind ,

ve ry un iform in width,colo r

,and fin ish , and be ing o f re cent

introduction reflect great cred it o n the manufactu re rs .” We

give a c o py o f the d ip loma on the fo l lowing page


I N T E R N H T ION H L E $ H IB I T ION .

6118 7 6 14:

C E R T I F I C A T E O F A W A R D .

A R L IN GT O N M I L L S, L A W R E N CE , M A SS.

ALPACAS AND B RILL IANT INES .

N o . Gr oup 9 .

UN ITED STATES CENTENN IAL COMM ISSION .

I n a c c o rda n c e with the Act o f Co n gre s s .Ph ilade lph ia , Se pt. 27th , I876.

JOHN L . CAMPB ELL , A . T . GOSHORN , J OS. R . HAWLEY ,

Se c re ta ry. Di re c to r Ge n e ra l . Pre s ide n t.

T h e A rl ington M i l ls had hard ly fairly started i n the man

u f a c tur e o f these goods ,—the luster, o r hard-fin is h e d fabri cs

known as alpacas , pop l ins , etc . , before the fash ion

whi ch decreed the i r popu lari ty began to change .

T hey were made o f the long-hai red o r“ l uster ”

wool , commonly known as E ngl i sh wool , and largely raised

in that country, where the manufactu re o f these fabri cs attained

a larger degree o f success than attended it anywhere else .

But with the decadence of crino l ine there came into use the

soft and c l i nging fabrics,at that time made princ ipal ly from

merino comb ing wool s,which have s i nce he ld the fie ld against

al l i nnovation .



clad . O n e writer says that ou r graveyards are fi l led with the

remains o f men and women whose duratio n o f l i fe has fal len

sadly short o f that o f an ancestry whose cloth ing was fabricated

sole ly from wool , around the domesti c hearth-stone .

”

There is sti l l ample field for the further development o f th i s

b ranch o f the worsted industry i n the United States . T here

exists no adequate reason why practi cal ly the whole

consumption o f o u r people i n th is c lass o f goods

shou ld n o t be made at home . Few people real ize

what th is statement means ; h o w much of add itional cap ital,

h o w many thousands o f additional looms a n d ‘ Op e r a tive s we

requ i re , i n o rder to enable us to supply the enti re home mar

ket . Unti l very recently, more o f these goods were imported

than we made at home . T h e importati ons for 1 889

reached the eno rmous aggregate o f

square yards , with a fore ign value o f nearly $ 20 ,

T his i s equ ivalent to two and o n e -half square

yards for every woman and gi rl i n the country , and means

that o n e i n three o f o ur female popu latio n wears a foreign

made dress . By the censu s o f 1 880, the to tal quantity o f

dress-goods made in th is country was about yards

not so many as we imported in 1 889 . T h e quanti ty of the

home-made goods has large ly increased i n the ten

years s ince passed,how much we have no means

of knowing,— but sti l l the proportion o f these

goods imported , as compared with the home manufactu re , c o n

ti nn es to be vastly i n excess o f the proportion i n any othe r

branch of the wool manufactu re . Nevertheless , ou r experience

TH E A R L INGTON M I L L S. 1O1

proves that we know h o w to make these goods , and can make

them as wel l as the Bradfo rd people . Neither i n the matte r o f

c l imate , nor in the rel ative ski l l o f thei r operatives , do o ur fo r

e ign competi to rs possess any advantage which A meri can ih

ge n u ity and enterp ri se cannot overcome . Nor are we ready to

admit that even the French , whose present supremacy in th i s

field we frankly concede , can su rpass A meri cans i n the inge

n u ity and arti sti c gen ius requ is i te to create new fabri cs to meet

the constantly changing demands o f fash ion .

THE PRODUCTS OF THE ARL INGTON WORSTED M ILL S .

H E variety o f the fabri cs devised s ince the worsted

manufactu re reached its h igh state o f deve lopment

i s so large as almost to defy catalogu ing . A ppar

ently there i s no l imit to the new vari ations o f which

it i s susceptib le . A s ingle firm in Bradford has sent to A meri c a

a l is t o f worsted fabri cs embracing over s ixty di sV ariety o fwo rstedf abrics . commonly known in the trade as delaines , cashmeres ,

ti nct grades Of goods . T h e l i st i ncl udes al l the goods

brocades , I tal ian c loths , moussel i nes , bareges , gren

adines , merinos , serges , bombaz ines , Henrietta cloths , etc .

T hese names rarely possess any etymological s ign ificance ,

being u sual ly given arb itrari ly by the first i ntroducer of the

arti c le , and frequently appl i ed , with variat ions , to fabr ics qu ite

d i f ferent from the o riginals,and especi al ly to cheaper imita

tions .

T h e goods made by particu lar estab l i shments are , however,

wel l kn own to the trade by the designations which they app ly .



T h e products o f the worsted department o f the A rl ington M i l l s

no w co ns ist ch iefly o f l ad ies’ dress-goods and worsted yarns .

T h e dress-goods have from the o utset enj oyed aPro du ctso f th e

A rl ingto n . o n e : fi rst, to p r o vrde good f ab r l c s f o r the masses at

h igh reputation . T h e aim has always been a doubl e

reasonab le prices ; and , second , to meet the wants o f

those who from hab i t o r from prej ud i ce have h itherto c o n

s ide r e d i t imposs ib le to pu rchase fab ri cs of A meri can manu

factu re fi t to wear,and so have depended w ho l ly upon goods

made abroad .

T h e A rl ington cotton-warp , fancy high-co lo red plaids are r e

garded as among the best goods o f the kind made i n th e United

States,and have been so ld i n very large quantiti e s .

T h e mill s have also made a speci alty o f the man

u f a c tur e o f standard p i ece-dyed cashmeres . T he i r

qu al i ti es and 300 i n these goods are

wel l known i n the most d istan t parts o f the country . Th e

trade has always appreci ated the excel len ce o f the alpacas ,

coat-l i n i ngs,and Canton c loths made at these mi l ls . Very fine

and l ight specimens o f the latte r fabri c , espec ial ly

Co at-l inings adapted to the wants o f the rubber trade in thea n d Ca nto n manufactu re o f gossamer waterp roofs for l adi es

’

c lo ths .wear

,have been exceed ingly popu lar . O n e featu re

o f the management is i ts read iness , at any time , to make spe

c ia ltie s o n orders for pecu l i ar fabri cs .

While striving to produc e des i rab le medium-pri ced goods fo r

general u se, the A rl ington began some years ago the manu

factu re o f a fine qual ity o f al l-woo l goods . E xperiments in


this field , where the competi tion i s with the most ski lfu l and ex

p e r ie n c e d o f French manufactu rers , who have commanded the

A merican market from the beginn ing, have been

Costly, and at t imes Of u ncertain outcome . But

perseverance has bor ne i ts legi timate fru it , here as

e lsewhere ; and the fine and beauti fu l ly woven al l-woo l worsted

goods which the A rl ington has su cceeded i n p lac ing o n the

market are bel ieved to be the best goods o f th is descr iption

ever fabri cated i n th is country, and they wi l l compare most

favorab ly with the products o f th e R he ims looms . T hese

goods al ready command a large sale , and are rap idly winn ing

the i r w ay to pub l i c favo r . T h e annual product o f dress-goods

of every description now aggregates abou t yards .

T h e A rl ington M i l l s has ach ieved its success by i ts pers istent

adhes ion to the productio n o f standard grades o f

goods,which have received the popu lar approval ,

and become wel l known to the trade and the publ i c .

But the management is alw ays o n the alert to detec t new

methods of appeal i ng to the taste and promoting the com

fort Of al l c lasses o f the p eop le i n the whole field o f fabrics

known as worsted dress-goods .

But the weaving department o f the A rl ington M i l ls , even with

the new mach inery now added,has never e qual led i ts sp inn ing

capaci ty ; and fo r the last five o r s ix years i t hasW m te d devoted a great deal o f attenti on to the sp inn ing ofyarnsf o r sa le . worsted yarns fo r sale . W i th the recent c o n s tru c

tion o f sti l l another sp inn ing mi l l , and the intro

duction of the latest patterns o f machinery for sp inn ing by the



Not only i s i t necessary to u se great care i n the pu rchase of

woo l to sec u re as close a un iformity as poss ib le , but the sorting

itse lf must be carefu l ly done . We have already

described the sorti ng-room , in which a body o f

sto ck ,the most ski lfu l and experienced wool sorters i s

employed , with a large stock o f the raw materi al

always at command . T h e system here pu rsued enab les the

A rl ington to produce a given grade o f stock year in and year

o ut, withou t p ractical d i f ferences i n the grading o f a given

qual ity . T his requ ires the carrying o f a very large quantity Of

both unsorted and sorted wool at al l t imes , so that the s l ightest

vari ations o f o n e purchase with another can be equal ized , and

practi cal u n iformity obtained .

T h e u tmost care must also be used i n the wash ing o f the

wool,not only to save loss of materi al , but to produce uniform

co lor , as wel l as softness and lofti ness of stap le . T h e

Was hi ng experience o f the A rl ington i n th is department a c

cords wi th that o f the best sp inners in E ngland , who

agree that a potash O l ive-o il soap is necessary to give the

best resu lts .

T h e hand l ing o f fine A ustral ian wool requ i res very superio r

card ing and combing to produce the best resu l ts . T h e A rl ing

ton has been constantly im p r o vrn g i ts machinery ,

c a rdi n gn o t on ly to produce the largest quantity per day,and

co m b ing per comb,but also to secure the most perfect work

atta inab le .

Spec ial machinery has also been introduced f o r the produc

tion o f co lored yarns , s lubb ing dyed , which gives much the


most un iform and perfect shades , both fo r clo se matching

i n colo r and i n fastness to l ight and soap . In consequence ,

the A rl i ngton can now produce a fine co lo red

worsted yarn , e i ther two-ply o r s ingle , much s u

perio r i n qual i ty and co lo r ing to a ske in-dyed

arti cle , for almost any purpose . For kn itti ng purposes ,

s ingle worsted yarn requ i res to be perfectly made , and as free

as poss ible from slubs and bunches . Spec ial attachments o n

nearly al l o f the machinery, from the comb to the sp i nn ing

frame , have been provided i n the A rl ington M i l l s to avo id

these common defects . T h e drawing machinery i s o f the

latest patterns , with many improvements i ntroduced

by themselves . I t i s important, i n p roducing a fine

grade of yarn , that the draft shal l not exceed what

the stap le i s able to stand , and make a un ifo rm arti cle,

as they have f o r the i r fine work n ine d i f f erent operations i n

the drawing , whi ch , with the severa l doub l ings su cceed ing,

make from comb to yarn o n the i r “ $ $ $ ” grade,over three

mil l ion doub l i ngs ; and if reckoned back as far as the cards ,

counting only fou r doub l i ngs o n the comb,the number o f

doubl ings i s over seven mi l l io n two hundred and fifty thousand .

In both the drawing and sp inn ing departments particula r

care is taken as to the class o f help employed , as so much

there depends upon the care and attentio n o f the

ind ividual operative . In the drawing, the opera

tive s are dri l l ed to make n i ce , carefu l sp l i c ings , al l

the way from the gi l l-box to the sp inn ing-frame . A ve ry

sl ight neglect i n th is matte r o f p iec ing o n the gi l l-box may


Show its defect for a long d istance i n the yarn produced .

T h e sp inn ing-frames are also adapted to p rodu ce the finest

counts o f worsted yarn known to the trade , and here also the

greatest care i n the sel ection of help i s necessary . On yarn

made for sale , the do f fers are n o t permitted , e i ther in the sp in

n ing o r twisti ng, to p iece up an end .

Spec i al p rov i s ion f o r l earners i s made on work which can be f o l

l owed through the mi l l i n the several processes o f manufactu re,

so that its defects may be noted and the p roper remed ies appl ied .

T h e tw i s ting department i s spec i al ly fi tted up with a view

to making yarn fo r sale , and the frames are constantly kept i n

perfect repai r . A s l ight defect in the twis ter frameT w i sfin g wi l l p roduce serious resu lts on the twisted yarn

,and

often for a long d istance before i t i s d iscovered .

Special attention has been given to the tying o f knots, e x p e r i

ence having proved that the weaver’s knot i s the only th ing

that can be depended upon fo r c loseness and evenness .

A fte r the yarn i s spun , twisted , and reeled , i t has sti l l to be

e xamined . T his i s a feature to which the A rl ington M i l l s

owes i ts reputation as much , perhaps , as to anyE x a m i n atiOn o other . None o f the twisted yarn , u nless a customer

speci al ly asks that the examination be d ispensed

with,i s sent from the m i l l without having every skein tho r

oughly examined , whether i t i s wound o n bobb ins o r not . I n

th is way defects which ought not to exi st are detected and

remedied,and many imperfections , such as are otherwise u n

avo idab le , and wou ld have to be left to customers to report ,

are thus removed .



entertain ing p i ctu re of a l ife , certain phases of whi ch , i t must

be admitted , have almost whol ly d isappeared , an idyl l i c sort

o f l i fe , i nc ident to the novelty o f manufactu ring under the

factory system when new to th is cou ntry, and qu ite unl ike

factory l ife as i t exi sts to-day, anywhere i n the world , ou ts ide

o f books .

L owel l was then but l i ttl e more than a facto ry v i l lage . T h e

cotton mi l ls were new, o r sti l l constru cting, and help was scarce

and i n great demand . Sto ries were told al l over the country

of the new factory p lace that was bu i ld ing, and o f the fabu lous

wages that cou ld there be earned . T hese storiesT h e

Y ankeeE l Do rado farmers and mechan i cs throughout New E ngland ,

reached the ears o f the sons and daughters of the

and they poured into the Y ankee E l Dorado , fu r

n is h in g the basi s o f the o riginal popu lation o f the town . T hey

were from a class o f peop le who do not now, as a ru le , enter

facto ry l i fe . M any of them were educated ; others worked at

the loom in o rder to earn money wherewith to buy education ,

and sti l l o thers le ft teach ing fo r weav i ng, because they cou ld

command greater wages . M r s . R ob inson gives a quaint ré sumé

o f the antecedents o f the peop l e whom she found around her ,“ some o f whom were the granddaughters o f patriots who had

fought at Bunker Hi l l , and had lost the fam i ly means i n the

war fo r independence .

” I t was natural that such Operatives

shou ld form l i terary c i rc les,shou ld ed it newspapers l ike the

“ L owel l Offer ing ,” shou ld hold thei r heads h igh , and shou ld

su rround themse lves with an atmosphere which is n o t Often e n

countered in the L aw rence or L owel l of to-day .

“ T h e majori ty



n o w and forty years ago i s due to causes of which she takes

no cognizance , and i s i n no sense a retrograde change , or the

subj ect of a legitimate cr iti c ism upon the manufactu rer . T h e

people now employed as operatives have come up and taken

the p laces o f those who formerly worked i n the mi l ls , and who

now find occupations more agreeable and remunerative .

Our steri l e New E ngland now supports , by reason o f i ts nu

m e r o u s factories , immense popu latio ns which were not here and

cou ld not have secu red a l ive l ihood here , at anyIncreas ed

wages , before the establ ishment of these factor i es .co m f o rts o fl i f e . Not only has the number

'

o f occupations i ncreased

i n consequence o f these estab l ishments , but the

average incomes o f the peop le have grown i n an equal degree .

T here is as much comfort and p lenty i n the homes of the mil l

operatives in M assachusetts to-day as there u sed to be i n the

days befo re L owel l and L awrence were founded , i n the

homes O f the farmers throughout New E ngland o ut of which

came these i ntel lectual sp inners and weavers to whom M r s .

R ob inson al ludes . Compare them , home fo r home , comfort fo r

comfort, l i fe for l i fe , and the balance wi l l neve r fai l to be with

the mi l l operative o f to-day, prov i ded only that he or she be

thr ifty . T hey can afford to eat better food , to wear bette r

clothes , and they wi l l do more read ing and have more carpets

o n the floors than d id the average fami ly i n a l ike grade of l i fe

prio r to the estab l ishment o f the facto ry system . M oreover ,

they have snug deposits i n the sav ings banks , a modern luxury

which the i r predecesso rs knew l i ttle about, for they l ived fro m

hand to mouth . T his d i f ference i s due partly to increased


wages an d partly to the increased purchas ing capac i ty o f the

same amount of money . M r . E dward A tkinson , the economist ,

has calcu lated that here i n New E ngland wages are

twenty-five per cent . more than they were th i rty

and forty years ago , whi le the purchasi ng power

of money is twenty-five per cent . greate r than then . A ll

th is d ifference , equ ivalent to one-th ird o f his earn ings , and due

to the successfu l estab l i shment o f the factory system among us ,

the Operative of to—day either appl ies to h i s l ivi ng expenses ,

thus rai s i ng the standard o f comfort for al l h is fami ly, o r de

pos i ts in the s avings bank .

N o r i s i t easy to exaggerate the improvement i n su rround

ings and the gain i n opportun ity o f every descriptio n which

time has brought to the mi ll operative . Schoo ls areI m pro ved

vastly better, l ibraries are more frequent and moresurro undi ngs .access ible ; every means o f advancement i s c lose at

hand . W hat was once the exclus ive privi lege Of the few has

become more and more access ib le to al l .

T h e greatest gain to the Operative has come from the redu e

tion i n the hours o f labo r . T hey worked th irteen hou rs a day

i n the original New E ngland mi l ls , o r seventy—e ightR educed ho urs“ la b o r .

hours a week . Now they work ten hours a day, o r

s ixty hou rs a week . T hat e ighteen hours a week,

equ ivalent to n inety-three days a year o f ten hou rs each , i s

added to the lei su re of the operative , withou t deduction

from his wage , to be uti l i zed accord ing to the incl ination O f

each , but certainly not al l o f i t to be wasted i n fr ivol i ty and

amusement . M r s . R ob inson te l ls u s that the original L owel l


Operatives were not overworked , though the i r hou rs were long .

I have known a girl to s i t tw enty or th i rty minutes at a time

T he y were not driven . T hey took their work-a -day l i fe easy .

T his i s qu i te an A cad ian p i cture ; but i t does not acco rd with

the general recol lecti on o f the manner in which th i ngs went i n

the fi rst facto ries . A utomati c machinery i s so constructed and

speeded as to requ i re a fixed amount of l abor or attention from

those who operate it . A s th i s machinery has been improved

and s impl ified , more supervis ion can be intrusted to a s ingle

operative . Tw o o r three looms can now be a t

T h e w o rktended , where once an Operative cou ld tend but o n e .

n o t ex acti ng .

But i t i s not tru e that the work requ i red o f that

s i ngle operative has i ncreased in anything l ike the p roportion

o f the increase in h is p roduct from the several machines ;

n o r i s i t true that i t i s hard and exacting work , o r that

the operatives leave the factor ies at even i ng phys I c a lly and

mental ly exhausted . M achinery permits the earn ing o f wages

with les s o f phys i cal l abor, and with less of ski l l , than was the

case in the days when everything was done by handicraft . T h e

field o f l abo r has been constantly enlarging, whi le i ts r e c o m

pense has i ncreased and i ts to i l i s reduced by the devel opment

o f mechan ism as we see i t i n o u r factories to-day .

A nother mighty gai n to the operative is i n the conditions

u nder which he does h i s work . San itary andS

'

ta a n da m ry hyg ien i c cond i t ions were overlooked I n the p ioneerhygienic c o nditi o n S factories . Bad ai r

,bad venti lation , i nsu fficient heat,

fi lthy su rroundings , were inseparab le from factory

labo r fifty years ago . W e have descr ibed some o f the improve



the interest o f o n e as of the other, that th is sp i ri t o f coopera

tio n and o f lo ya lty shou ld not be lacking . A s a matter of good

bus iness,apart from the ph i lanthrop i c phase o f the question ,

the modern manu factu re r cons iders these th ings , and does the

best f o r h is employé s that close competi tion and uncertain

markets wi l l permit . I t i s an unquesti oned fact that labor i n

A meri can mi l ls is not only better remunerated than i n the mi l l s

o f any other country , but i s made up of better c itizens , who lead

happ ie r l ives in more comfortab le homes , and that i ts ch i ldren

more frequently rise to h igher stations in l i fe . I n al l these

respects,also , factory labor compares most favorably with any

other occupation by which wages are earned i n this country,and

the factory town is the equal o f other aggregations o f people , i n

the publ i c sp i rit , i ntel l igence , and morals o f i ts res idents .

T hat facto ry l i fe i s not demoral iz i ng to those engaged i n i t,

that i t does not b lunt them mentally, moral ly, or phys i cally , i s

the conclus i on at which Col . Carro l l D . W right

arr ived in 1 880,after a carefu l i nvestigation which

dem o ral iz ing covered the whole N ew E ngland field . He took up

each count i n the ind ictment against the system , and

fou nd each i n tu rn unfounded . I t necess i tates the employ

ment o f women and ch i ldren , but its tendency i s not , as shown

by experience,to destroy fami ly ties , domesti c hab its , or the

home . T h e exten s ion to women of an occupatio n whereby

they can contribute d i rectly to the support of the family may

be c laimed to have helped to bu i ld up the home , rather

than destroy it,because i t adds to i ts comforts and removes

the grind ing pove rty which makes o f home a he l l . Under


the carefu l regulations which modern laws have thrown around

the employment o f ch i ldren , the evi ls wh i ch sprang from i t

i n the early days of the factory system , parti cu larlyCarr o l l D .

‘V r igh t’s

investi gatio n now almost un iversally excluded from the facto ry ,

i n E ngland , have d isappeared . Y oung chi ldren are

and where the age permits , the fact warrants Col .

Wright’s conclus ion that they are much better o f f i ns ide than

outs ide the f acto ry

Ne ither is employment i n texti l e facto r ies i nju ri ou s to the

health . T his fact i s demonstrated by the most e labo rate stati s

t i cs,by which the death-rate i n facto ry towns i s shown

Hea lth to be not exceptional , under the constantly improv

i ng su rrou nd ings to which al l u s i on has been made .

I t has sometimes been sa id that the factory system leads

to intemperance , unthri ft, poverty, and immoral i ty ; but this

asserti on has ceased to be frequent ; for fami l i ari ty with the

socia l conditi ons p revai l ing i n a town l ike L awrence shows j u st

the reverse to be the case .

On the o th e r . h a n d , the economic advantages which spring

from the estab l i shment o f the factory system of manufactu re,

and which i ncrease with i ts sp read i n the Un ited

0

States , are as far-reaching as c ivi l i zation i ts e l f.

T hey may be summed up i n the increase o f wages

and production , and the decrease i n the pri ces o f goods pro

du c e d—which comprise the s u m m u m 507m m o f soc i al econ

o m y n o t only to those d i rectly employed,but to al l c lasses o f

soc iety and to al l commun i ties . Half a centu ry ago D r . A ndrew

Ure , i n h i s treati se o n the Phi lo sophy o f M anu factu res ,” sum


m a r iz e d the gain which has come to the world from the

uti l iz ation o f machinery in the factory system under these three

heads

I s t. I t makes i t poss ib le to fabricate some art i cles wh ich,

otherwise , cou ld not be fabri cated at al l .

2d . I t enables an operative to tu rn o ut a greater quantity

o f work than he cou ld before ,— t ime , labor , and qual ity o f

work remain ing constant .

3d . I t e f fects a substitution o f l abor comparative ly n u

ski l led , for that whi ch i s more ski l led .

M any writers have s ince d is cussed the question , but

none Of them have substanti ally improved this summary o f

the benefits o f the factory system , s ave in o n e parti cu lar ;

namely, the i ncrease i n earn ings which i t perm its to the

ind ividual operative , accompanied by a marked reductio n i n

the phys ical exertion requ i red Of h im to earn a l ive l ihood .

T h e hand-loom weaver i n the United States never

Past a n d earned more than fifty cents a day, and i n earn ingpresentwages . that he was compel led to exert h imsel f phys ically

to a degr ee not approximated i n the management o f

a power loom . T h e fact that labor comparatively unski l led can

n o w do the work which fo rmerly requ ired an unusual dexteritypossessed by but few, has vastly enlarged the opportun ities fo r

gainfu l occupation,correspondingly reduc ing poverty and p a n

p e r is m . M echan ical ski l l sti l l finds its ample employment i ts

field has also been enlarged and its earn ings i ncreased under the

impetus o f the better wage o f the less dextrous classes .

T h e practi cal demonstration Of these th i ngs may be stud ied



adopted o f pay i ng every tw o weeks . T his p lan worked so wel l

that on December I of the same year the system of weekly

payments was adopted , and has s ince been i n uSe , payments

be ing made every Friday for the work done durin g the preced

ing week . T h e A rl i ngton was the fi rst corporat ion o f any mag

n itude i n the State to adopt thi s plan , which in 1 885—6 was

made compu lsory by act of the L egis latu re .

While not in any way connected with the A rl ington M i l ls as

a co rpo ration , i t i s not ou t of p lace to allude to the A rl ington

Coo'

perative A ssoc iation , which was organized under

n gizf zn the laws o f M assachusetts in the year 1 884 by a

A sso c iati o n ,portion o f the operatives i n the A rl ington M i l ls .

'

For the fi rst two o r three years i ts membersh ip was

confined to the A rl ington Operatives , and i t was O ffic e r e d mainly

from the overseers and gentlemen connected with the counting

room o f the mil ls , du ly e lected annual ly by bal lot , but whose

personal servi ce was o n e o f dis i nterested benefi t . I t soon b e

came evident that the field o f usefu lness fo r s u ch an associ ation

was too great to be thus confined , and the membersh ip was

throw n open to the general publ i c u nder certai n proper r e s tr ic

ti ons . While then the A ssoc i ation has ceased to be so d i rectly

o f i nterest to the mi l l,there sti l l remains such a large proportio n

o f i ts Operatives connected with i t that i ts welfare conti nues to

be o f i nterest to the management .

T h e A ssoc iatio n was organ ized to carry out the princ ip les o f

cooperative d istribution upon the plans original ly adopted by

the R ochdale Pioneers Of E ngland . From the very fi rst the

b usiness has been conducted o n the basi s of absolute cash

TH E A R L I N GTON M I L LS. 121

transactions f o r sales , and p racti cal ly cash pu rchases , thus l im

iting the uncertain e lements o f bu siness to the smal lest poss ib le

margin .

T h e cap ital o f the A ssoc iati on is represented i n shares o f the

par value Of $ 5 each , but l im ited i n ownership to 200 shares to

o n e i ndividu al . T his cap ital i s permitted to earn a fixed rate

of interest only , namely , five per cent . , whi ch rate may upon

vote of the stockho lders be reduced , but cannot be in creased .

W hatever p rofi t there may be made in the bus iness over and

above the expense o f runn ing the A sso ci ation , i nc l ud ing th is

fixed rate of interest , after setting aside not less than ten per cen t .

(accord ing to the law o f the State ) as a s inking-fund , i s d i s

tributed quarterly amo n g the pu rchasers from the A ssoc i ation

on the bas is of a percentage o n the amount of purchases made .

A ll persons who are purchasers are el igible fo r th i s d ividend ;

but those who are not stockho lders rece ive only o n e -half the

rate o f dividend which may be dec lared to stockho ld ing pur

chasers . T h is stock i s not transferab le , except by permiss ion

o f the Board o f D i rectors . Indeed , su ch transfers are rendered

unnecessary i n p racti ce by the provis io n o f the constitution ,

which permits the su rrender to the A ssoc iatio n of any stock at

i ts par value after notice , and the reissue of the same to proper

app l i cants . T h e l egal l im i t o f thi s noti ce is thi rty days , but su ch

su rrenders have always been accepted practi cal ly upon demand ;

and so long as th is cond ition can be maintai ned,i t i s imposs ib le

for the value o f the stock to be e i ther more o r less than par .

A t the present time the A ssoc iation has three stores , o n e ,the

m ain o r central store,on Broadway

,near the A rl ington M i l l s ,


and two branch stores , do ing a general grocery business . I t

has also a dry-goods department i n i ts Broadway store , and a

large coal and wood yard near the track o f the Boston M aine

R ai lroad .

T h e real estate o f the A ssoc i atio n i s valued at abou t

and its share cap ital , I n additi on to i ts regu lar bus i

ness conducted by i tse lf, i t secu res a trade with two boot and

shoe fi rms and o n e cloth ing store i n the i nterest of i ts mem

bers , by whi ch a dividend of ten per cent . o n al l p u rchases i s

pai d d i rect to the A ssoci ati on o n su ch receipted b i l ls as may be

prese nted through i t, the purchaser h imself rece iving the same

rate o f dividend at the end o f the quarter o n su ch purchase as

though it were obtained d i rectly from the A ssoc i atio n itse lf.

T his i s a featu re which has also been long tried in E ngland , and

with marked success .

T o give an idea o f the smal l beginn ing and p resent increase

i n the bu s iness o f th i s A ssoc iation we annex a tabu lated

statement which exp lains i ts growth . I t i s a magnificent

commentary upon the capac ity for u sefu lness to the con

s u m in g publ ic , and parti cu larly to mil l operatives , o f associa

ti ons for c o Op e r a tive d istribution . W e bel i eve i t can be said

that no other assoc i ation i n the Un ited States has equal led th is

one in its rap id ity o f growth , i ts conservative and ski lfu l man

age m e n t, and the confidence which i t has rece ived and merited

from the publ i c .

T h e present board of d irectors conta ins but few immediate ly

connected with the A rl ington M i l ls , but i t is with some pleasu re

that we can trace the influence o f A rl ington men in its counci ls .


124 TH E A R L I N GT ON M I L L S.

yarn,as a reward fo r h is patience , nor wou ld we advise h im to

undertake the weaving of dress—goods on the strength o f any

knowledge th is book may have imparted . W e have had a

di fferent pu rpose i n p reparing i t . Primari ly , we have sought

to preserve , i n a permanent form , the h istory o f a texti le manu

factory which may fai rly claim to have conquered resu lts e n

ti tl ing it to rank with other estab l i shments whose records formpart of the permanent memorial s o f the country to whose

development they have contributed .

Beyond and above th is pu rpose , however , has been the

aim to make th is narrative a contribution to the popu lar

knowledge o f one o f the great and growing i ndustr ies of o u r

country ; to a more general understanding o f the magnitude

and importance of th is i ndustry, as compared wi th others that

engage o u r peop le ; and to a wide r apprec iation of the di ffi

c ultie s overcome in i ts conduct, o f the ab i l ity requ i red to wi n

su ccess , and o f the p r e é m in e n t serv i ces wh ich those who engage

in i t render to the pub l i c .

T h e A rl ington M i l l s i s typ ical o f a large number of estab

lis h m e n ts throughout New E ngland and the M idd le States

whose h istory closely resembles its o w n — which have attained

prosperity only after vi c iss i tude’s Often more trying than those

we have narrated , w hose projecto rs and proprieto rs have made

many sacrifices and endured long probations . Simi lar estab

lis h m e n ts are gradual ly appearing in the W est and the South ;

and wherever a new tex ti le mi l l i s founded , there , i t i s safe to

say , the people wi l l be the gainers i n every way . Wherever

and whenever a community can contribute to the i ncrease o f


these estab l i shments , to the i r prospe r ity and the i r development ,

the seeds are sown f o r a harvest i n which al l the pub l i c shares .

No department of mechan i cal i ndustry p resents a more

fascinating field o f study than the texti le manufactu res . No

where has human ingenu i ty found su ch sp lend id p lay as i n the

perfecting o f the mach inery

wh ich draws and sp ins a threadWitho ut th e ted io us to i l o f need less hands .

Nowhere do there remain wider fields and more tempting

opportuniti es f o r sti l l fu rther advance . No other i ndustry

comes qu ite so closely home to the people as that which has to

do with the fabri catio n O f the clothing they wear, —it i s st i l lthe household industry i n a wider sense than that i n which

the term was once appl ied . No other industry affords to so

many w h o earn day’s wages p leasante r or eas ie r work at bette r

remuneration , o r under more congeni al cond itio ns . No other

industry off ers to the student o f soc i al and economic l aw a

more fru itfu l o r suggestive fie ld of study . No other i ndustry

i s better worth the whi le of the nation to maintain , to develop ,

and to d ivers i fy

I f the perusal o f th i s l i ttle book Shal l help to bri ng these

truths home and make them p lain,the autho r wi l l be wel l

repaid .


I N D E $

A l ca n , M .

A l l e n , Steph e n NA ll-wo o l d re s s-go o d sA lpaca sA m e r ican sy ste m , T h e

A m o skeag Co m panyA ntiqu ity o f sp i n n i ng a nd w e a v

i ngA pp l eto n , N athanA rkw r igh t, R icha rdA r l i ngto n Co op e rati ve A s so c i atio n

A rl i ngto n fir e b r igadeA tki n so n , E dwardA tl a ntic Co tto n M i l l sA tm o sph e r ic co nd itio n sA uto m atic m ach i n e ry

Baco n Pape r COBai l ey

, R o be rt M .

88

29

103, 104

97

16

94

28

29

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Can to n c l o th sCap ita l , l a rge

Ca p ita l sto ckCa rde n , Jo h n

Ba i l ey , R . M . , Co

Bal l a rdval e M i l l sBatc h e lde r , Sam ue lB e ebe , J . M .

, Co .

B ige lo w , E . BB o i l e r-ho u seBo i l e r-ro o m , co tto n m i l l sB o o tt , K i rk .

B o s so n , G e o rgeB o sto n O ffice , T h eB rad f o rd , E ngl andB rad l e e , J . PB ro wn , Wo o d , K i ngm a nB u rn i ng o f A r l ingto n M i l l sB u r r , Cha r l e s CBu tl e r R o b i n so n

130 INDE $ .

Ca rd i ng and co m b i ng

Ca rd i ng m i l l s , E a rly

Ca rd i ng-ro o m , T h e

Ca rd-ro o m , co tto n m i l l s

Ca rd s , A m e r ican -m ade

Ca re i n se l e cti ng sto ck

Ca rtw r ight, E d m u nd

Ce n su s o f 1880

Chap i n , W . C.

Ch eape r c lo th i ng

Ch icke r i ng , Jaco b

Ch i ld re n i n f a cto r ie s

Cl e an s ing w o o l

C lo th f am i ly , T h e

Co at l i n ingsCo lo re d p l a id s

Co lo red ya rn s

Co m b i ng m ach i n e s

Co m b i ng-ro o m , T h e

Co tto n ce nte n a ry

Co tto n c ro p o f U n ited State s

Co tto n h o seCo tto n m i l l a nd i ts p ro du cts

Co tto n M i l l N O . 1

Co tto n M i l l N o . 2

Co tto n sp i nd l e s

Co tto n , va r i e ti e s u sedCo tto n yarn s

Co tto n w a rp , i nve ntio n o f

C ro m pto n , Sam u e l

D e la i ne s 93 Fa cto r ie s a n d Wo r ks h o p A cts ,D e s ign ing-ro o m 2 1 E ngl i sh

D o ub l i ngs i n ya rnD raw i ngD raw ing m ach in e ryD re s s-go o d sD ry i ng m a ch i ne sDye

-ho u seDye i ng

E

E a r ly N e w E ngl and f a cto ry l i f e . 109

E a st w i ng , T h e 50

E a sth am , T ho m a s 1 19

E co no m i c advan tage s o f f a cto rysy ste m

E dm a n d s , J . Wile yE l e ctr i c l ighti ngE l e ctr ic ya rn sE m p lo ye r s a n d e m p lo yé sE ngi ne-h o u seE ngin e -ro o m , co tto n m i l l sE ngin e s , D e sc r iptio n o f

E ngl i sh f a cto ry sy ste m , O r ig i no f . 1 2

E ngl i sh texti l e m anu f actu re s 1 2

E rb e n , Sea rch , Co 9 1

E sp r it i n m i l l s . 1 15

E s s ex M an u f actu r ing Co m pany , 26

E ve re tt M i l l s 28

E xa m i natio n o f ya rn s 1 08

E xpo rts o f co tto n 80


L aw rence , A bb o ttL aw re n ce , A m o s .

L aw re nce , Sam u e lL aw re n ce D u ck Co m panyL aw ren ce Co

L i s te r co m b i ng m ach i n eL o dge , Jo s i ahL o we l lL o we l l , Fran c i s CL o we l l O fl

'

e r i n g

L u s te r go o d s

M

M ach i n e a n d ca rpe nte r sho p s 43

M ach i n e ry , Ch o ice o f 1 9

M anch e s te r , E ngl a nd 77

M an ch e ste r M i l l s 93, 94, 95

M an u f actu re r , T h e A m e r ican 9

M a r l and , Jo h n 93

M e rr i l l , B . L 35

M e r r im ac r iv e r 24, 26

M ethu en Wo o l e n Co m pa ny 25

M i x i ng-ro o m , Co tto n 70

M o nro e Pa pe r Co 28

M o ntgo m e ry , R . M 89

M o u s s e l i ne s de l a i n e 88

M a dge , E . R 89, 90

M u l e sp i n n ing 57

M utto n Sh eep , Wo o l o f 87

N a m e , Change O f

N at io n a l A s so c i ati o n o f Wo o lM anu f actu r e r s

N e e d li n g-ro o m

PageN e w E ngl and and th e So u th 77

N icke r so n , A lbe rtWins l o w . 35 , 37

N icke r so n , G e o rge A 37

N i c ke r so n , Jo seph 30, 36

N o b l e co m b i ng m ach i n e 52

N o i l s 54

86

N o rth w i ng , T h e 49

O

05 c e o f co tto n m i l l sO ffice s o f w o r sted m i l l s

O l i ve-o i l s o apO rgan i s m o f a ln i ll

o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Pac ific M 1115 27 7 931 gs a 96

Pa llo te a u , D a u ph i n o t 87

Par i s E xpo s itio n , 1867 89

Paw tu cke t, R . I 14

Payso n , Sam ue l R 93, 94

Pe m b e rto n M i l l s 28

Ph i l ade lph ia E x p o s rtl o n 96

Ph i l anth ro py i n m anu f actu r ing 1 1 1

Ph i l ip s Ku n h a rdt 28

Ph i lo so phy o f m anu f actu re s 1 1 7

Plan O f A r l i ngton M i l l s 40

Po p l i n s 97

Po wer-l o o m , T h e 62

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forgottenbooks.comTHE ARLINGTON MILLS. THE AMERICAN MANUFACTURER. M H E modern textile factory is the marvel Of the age. Here wool as it comes from the sheep’s back, and cotton as