Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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CLINTONLYDIA MILLS VOL. I. NO. 2 MARCH. 1952 CLINTON. 8. C. VOL. 1. NO. ? p K: ^d I urlin Dl Modern Fifty years ajjo Lydia Cotton Mills started business with 40 employees, 5,000 spindles and 150 looms. A small plant with a few houses stood in the middle of cotton fields. Today it is a different story. The mill has grown to 66,240 spindles and 1.560 looms and is one of the most modern plants in the industry. Its Lady Lydia and other fabrics are well-known for quality in the market places of the country. This reputation for quality, which in turn means more business and fuller operating schedules, did not just happen. It was the result of careful planning under five decades of Bailey management with sound policies of continuing modernization. Spinning rooms at Lvdia are modern consisting of all Whitin long draft equipment. Many of the spindles are the very laiesi Whitin K-2 ballbearing spindles with Pneumafil equipment. Lydia's weaving rooms are just as modern with some new Draper 44-inch X-2's with Diehl Transmitters instead of motor drive. Other looms are Draper E's 40-inch, with most equipped with Feelers and Thread Cutters. Jumping back to the beginning of our processes, the opening room was completely modernized in 1950 with the latest Saco-Lowell equipment. The same is true in the picker room which was completely modernized in 1950 and 1951. The slasher room w a s changed to the most modern eauinment available in 1950 In 1949 and 1950. all new Saco-Lowoll J-3 10 bv 5 fly frames for filling roving were installed in the card room. All other equipment here has been overhauled and is in first class condition. The card room was modernized in 1951. A substantial addition of Meadows spinning drives have been installed on many spinning frames. The spooling a n d warping departments have been lengthened and completely modernized this year with latest Barber-Cole 'CLo PUBLISHED FOR EMPLC I \ lant Tod Mm ly Equip man equipment. Barber-Coleman Super Speed warpers bring that department up-tothe-minute in quality production. Back to the weaving rooms, a general overhauling program has been in effect for the past two years, including motorizing and installing feelers and Stafford thread rutters and non. erally rebuilding and reconditioning the looms. The location of the cloth room has been changed and expanded facilities provided for the most efficient inspection. A new warehouse for both cotton and cloth storage was built in 1950. The Lvdia plant has modern air compressor facilities U.itU .. 1 -- * ' wiui r>v.-\i_-xiu new uniis. u icier weave rooms numbers one and two were completely equipped with modern air conditioning equipment i n 1949. The new weave room has central station air conditioning. The boiler room has been modernized as have the toilets throughout the mill. With this modern manufacturing equipment, Lvdia's employees produce quality fabrics for scores of uses throughout the nation. The print cloths, broad cloths and tobacco cloths go into plain, printed and bleached fabrics for dresses, undergarments for men and women, men's **COTt "US %*0n . I 5 DYEES OF CLINTON-LYDIA . jjjjlj I K i lay Is ped shirts, blouses, beachwear and curtain materials among others. They go into many industrial uses, such as cable windings, coated fabrics for men's, women's and sports wear and many others. Tobacco cloths go to the automobile trade, tobacco growers and into surgical bandages and other medical 1 supply liems. The name Lydia stands for Fifty Years of Quality Products. Cavaliers To Begin Season Baseball is in the air again and the hard-slugging Clinton Cavaliers already have taken to the diamond for early practice. r1 h 'i r 1 i o 1-wui Iiv. viauut\ 13 IIIC capable manager of the team this year with practically the same club as last year back in uniform. These boys put in a lot of work to uphold the Clinton name, so let's all give them the support they deserve this season. A team with good backing alwavs plavs better ball. The Central Carolina League season opens April 15 and we hope to have the complete schedule in the next issue of your paper. IT ^ajr.-^ x^^j^^kiqMW^BjW IkER MILLS. CLINTON. S. C. Lydia Plant Golden Anni Lvdia Cotton Mills this we versary of its founding and ope history which is of proud inte and those in the sister plant of Name Contest Winner Given More than 300 names poured in last month in the contest to select a permanent name for your plant newspaper. The judges spent many hours going over the entries and finally came up with the name you see at the top of the paper as the Number One choice. W. P. Burdette. Clinton plant, is the lucky S15 winner for first prize. On his entry he stated that various trades, such as carpenters, masons, plumbers, barbers, etc.. have their names, but textile workers do not. His entry: "The Clothmaker." The judges felt the same way about it. There are hundreds of different jobs in the Clinton and Lydia plants, but regardless of what they are, they all point to one end?making cloth. Second prize of $10 goes to Mrs. E. J. O'Banion. of 161 Cypress Street. Lydia. for the name, "The Traveler." Several others submitted this same name but Mrs. O'Banion's was the first one turned in. Third prize of S5 goes to J. W. Fowler. 206 Jefferson St.. Clinton plant, for "The Weaver." Judges for the contest were W. P. Jacobs, III. Rembert S. Truluck and J. C. Thomas These judges were chosen because they are not associated in any way with the plants. Scores of other good names were submitted for the paper. Others high-up in the running included Monthly Messenger, Two Mill News, Print Cloth News, Dixie Spinning Wheel, Clinton-Lydia News, C-L Monthly. The Flying Shuttle. Warp and Weft and The Party Line. * ? Sec. 34.66, P. L. & R. U. S. POSTAGE :> PAID 8 Clinton, S. C. f Permit No. 59 assail M&DPU 1 C 1 OCO I'iJ-iilVlt (?li Reaches versary ek observes the Golden Anniration, the 50-year point in its rest to both Lvdia employees Clinton Cotton Mills. The original charter for Lydia was filed with the State of South Carolina March 10, 1902. In that same year 136 other businesses were chartered within the State, but today only 16 of those are still in existence under their original charter. To give an accurate and cm men hi; summary 01 me nistorv of the plant, we have gone back through the minutes of meeting held through the years by the mill's board of directors, beginning with the very first planning session held on March 11, 1902. This meeting was called by M. S. Bailey, founder of Clinton Cotton Mills, who felt that the town of Clinton needed another textile manufacturing plant. Others who met with him included Dr. W. P. Jacobs. Dr. J. H. Miller. R. L. Bailey, P. S. Bailey, W. H. Shands and C. M. Bailey. M. S. Bailey was named president of the newly planned mill, with C. M. Bailey as secretarytreasurer. The first annual report of the president was made about a year later on May 11, 1903 and gives a picture of the busy planning and construction which took place during the first year. The president reported that "in spite of extraordinary market conditions and excessive building costs, a mill has been completed consisting of 6,000 spindles and 150 looms, later expanded during the year to 13,668 spindles and 320 looms." The mill building was constructed looking to expansion and could hold 20.000 spindles and 500 looms. There were 40 employees in this first plant, compared to the 850 people making up the Lvdia family today. Much of the first machinery and equipment of the early Lydia plant was old but it was the best available at the time the mill was built It was in 1907 that the officers and directors began a policy which has been followed through the years. They appropriated $30,000 from earnings for new replacement machinery to take the place of antiquated units. The first two per cent dividend on common stocks was declared by the directors at a meeting held Dec. 29, 1908. At this same meeting it was decided to replace 72 old plain looms with 72 modern 40-inch Northrop Draper looms. UPS AND DOWNS The history of Lvdia Cotton Mills, like all other plants in the Southern textile industry, is one of ups and downs, (Cont'd, on Page 2)