The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, December 18, 1900, Image 7

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/ THE LEDGER, GAFFXEV, S < DECEMREK, 18, 1*100. Christinas Air Inspires to Acts ot Generosity. Our Moderate Prices Inspire to Quick and Cheerful Buying. J. R. TOLLESOH & CO., •DEALERS IN- Dry Goods, Clothing, Shoes, Groceries and Notions. 'IIS a JUbilant Time, Come Join the Merry Buying Throng, And Share in the Spirits of Christmas Joys. Just One Week and it will be Christmas. The Choosing is Greatest Here! We doubt if many of you realize how quickly these six shopping days will glide away. Why, we can hardly realize it ourselves. If you want to do careful, economical, satisfactory shopping, do 'it this week. If you do not know just what you want come here. Inspirations and suggestions spring from every corner. Any article you may think of we will show it to you in a great variety of styles, and at prices that will surely meet your approval and leave money in your purse. Cloak Department. Plush (’.-UN'S, "ilk liu'-'l. Till] sweep. iS\ to •f:>.oO. Kersey Cloth Capes, at fiom ."Pc. to .l! 1 Women’s Shoes. Ail Styles, till Sizes, all Widths, till Leathers, and an immense range of pric -. running from Toe. to iLLod. We are exadusive dealer- in the Celebrated DkWITT Sho** for Ladies, $2.00. Special.—100 pairs of Women's Shoes, sizes 2i to 4, formerly ! to .f.I.OO from .+ l .dO to $0.00, now 50c. per pair to clear. Gents’ Furnishings. Rugs--Special. I* our-in-I I ands. Collars, Cull-, Shirts, Socks, and everything that good dresser' need. Men’s Shoes. Children’s Shoes. iAIso the famous Walkover Shoe. $2.50 to $4.0o. tecial.—50 Pairs of Men’s Shoes, sizes 0 to $1.50 to $:L50, all to go at 9Sc. WV an. just 11S w,.ll l>n-i«m-<! to slu,o tlu-uominu men ami wo- Lamb’s Wool Blankets, men a> their elders at prices not to he beat, 2-»c. to $1..>0. , ... , . New lot, 10-4 size, at from 75c. to $4.50 per pair The Celebrated 1)i:\\ I 1 1 >boe lor ( hihlren, $1.00. rad* Smvrna Ruli S strictly all wool . mai IV ditl.q ■cut si zes. Brice: s raiuje from 75c. to $3.50, B< rtule Wilton Rug' new ] >att( rus hrig! it color ings, 50e. to $3 .(10. Best (jtiulit v Tapestry R ug>. ext ra 1 U‘MV\ no w c< dot •logs and us. ■>0c. to $3.00. WOMF X’S and MF.N’S RrBBF RS, full line a 1 id m •w goods. Price s ra nge from 50c. to $1.25 Wool. MACKINTOSH I • S, Yelvi >t G ollar. , A good, - ervicr ‘tilde Liar mem in a variety <• f colors, $ 1.2 • * t<» $8.50 • \\ e tire A <T( •fits for the ju stly crlel •rate d N< >X ALL Still Hats and Lave con stantly on hand a full line at $ 2.00. «m , Men’s and Boys’ Clothing. ^ . i m Mens Underwear. Dry Goods and Notions. .... i All sizes, stylish garments, well made. Our stock i- full and! Wright’s l nderwear, the sort that mean- warnjth, with comfort com] ,] ot( . i n a u details. Prices to suit you. Black Dress Goods, Colored Dress Goods, Serges, Cheviots, Flan- aud health, jtei--uit, $2.no. j Men’s suits from $3.50 to $15.00. 1 nels, Homespuns, Venetian Suiting, Ribbons, Laces, Ladies Cotton Fleece, ; very desirable and -erviceable suit of underwear, Boys’ suits from 08c. to $5.00. $1.00; other- from 50c. up. I We also make to order suits, overcoats and fancy vests. Hosiery. You will find us prepared to fill your every want in these lines. In the GROCERY DEPARTMENT we offer a superior list of attractions. Every item represents the pureest and best of its class, COFFEES. P< iTATOES. EGGS. TEA. FLOURS: CHEESE. BEANS. GRITS SODA. MOUNTAIN (TTY MILLING CO.’S. CHOW CHOIV. PEAS. STANDARD MILLS’ FANCY PATENT. MOLASSES. I CATSUP. HAM. SOAP. MUSTARD. BACON. JAMS. VINEGAR. THE GAFFNEY MANU- FACTUBING COMPANY. The Pioneer Mill of Cherokee County.il RANKS WITH THE BEST. The Pint Will Win Tilt m 0|><‘ratioii In IM!»:i ami ('oiihUIimI of Only Two Storh-H. In IHIMIaXew Adilillon was Pr«M-tt-U. Making It out- of tlif l.nrgfrtt in the South. In 181KJ beamier Oaker, who has been conspicubous in (iaffi ey for push* energy and progressiveness, began the agitation of the organiza tion of a cotton mill. The encour agement was meagre at first, but on June 3"th, the subscribers to the capital stock of the Uattney Man ufacturing Company held their first meeting. H. I). Wheat, who was at that time Superintendent for the v>' ’—- *-::<» -vs •.''*5. ,. Wit. &nf/ f. -. ;i:. I* Col. J. G. Wahhi.aw, Head bookkeeper for the Gaffney ^ Manufacturing Company. i erected in the south. For two years after the mill was put in operation it ; j run day and night, employing two j sets of operatives. Mr A. X. Wood 1 was made president of the new* enter- prise, and Mr. If. I>. Wheat was made treasurer and general manager. Tiie capital stock of the company was increased from time to time until at the present it is $800 000, and there is u rumor to the effect that tiiis is to he doubled in the near fu ture. The capacity at present is 02,000 spinning spindles, .'*0,000 twisting spindles and 1.101 Northrop looms. In January, 18'JS, Mr. Wood re signed us president of the company, an 1 Mr. II. 1). Wheat was elected in his stead, and has held the position ever since. He is a capital business man and ranks as one of the foremost mill men of the south. He has so successfully managed the mill that with the dividend to be paid in Jan uary it will have in seven years paid its stockholders ON5 per cent. This is a record unprecedented. Dunn’s Clifton Manufacturing Company, was interested in the new enterprise. It was proposed to organize with a capital of $1<H),00() but when the meeting was called to order it was found that only $44,800 of the $!<H),. 000 was represented. The enterprise looked like a failure, but the promo ters were made of sterner stuff than is in the make-up of men who fail and by hard work the remaining $5'*,2(K) was secured. The mill was -built and put in operation in 18011, and it consisted of the little two- story structure which is represented on the left hand side of the accom panying illustration. It had a ca pacity of 7000 spindles and l.'*0 looms, ind was the first fine goods mill ever was for some time superintendent of the Newberry mill. He came to Gaff ney from Newberry in’Novemberof last year. Mr. Wilbur has made many friends since he came to Gaffney. The new mill, that portion which is four stories high, was started in 18'Jf*. As an evidence of the ability of Mr. Wheat to accom plish great under takings and also an evidence of the faith he has in him self it may he stated that at the time the new mill build ing was started only $S0 (H)0 of the ■■ M' Jr •xk M two-fifths of the population of the city. These one thousand employ ees are paid oft two times a month in cash, thus enabling them to purchase their goods from any merchant they may see fit. The company runs a store hut there is coercion of em ployees to trade there. The store relies upon its abil ity to successfully cope with other merchantile estab lishment for its trade. Hiram l>ana AAlirat. Hiram D Wheat, the president and Hikam Dana Wiikat, I'resident and Treasurer of the Gaffney Manufacturing Company. Clifton,|Mr. Wheat formed an intimate association with that prince of South ern mill men, D. E Converse, presi- dent of Clifton and Glendale Mills, from whom he gained much valuable information and assistance. After continuing in successful charge of the spinning at Clifton for four years, Mr. Wheat decided to accept the superintendecy of the Morrotock Mills at Danville, Virginia, but was in a few months recalled by President Converse and installed as superinten dent of the I). E. Converse Co., at Glendale, S. C., in the summer of 1SS:{ In 188S he was transferred to a larger field and became sperinten- dent of the Clifton Manufacturing Co . extending his control also over mill No 2, upon its completion in 1889, having assisted in its erection and directing the placing of the ma chinery therein. In 1892. Mr. Wheat came to Gaffney, S. C., where he planed, built and managed mill No. 1 : of the Gaffney Maunfacturing Com pany. being elected a director and ! treasurer, and general manager of the ha- directors of the company, but since resigned from this board. Mr. Wheat is a director in D-e Na tional Hank of Gaffney, and was fo two years an alderman of the ciD of Gaffney. He is a Knight o Pythias, having been initiated ii Myrtle Lolge No. J at Columbia, 8 C.. in 1880. Mr. Wheat has also found time t< direct the building of an exceeding!; handsome Presbyterian church a this place, to which he gave not on’; his time, but most liberally of hi means. In June, 1888 Mr. Wheat was mar ried to Miss Anna S. Cannon, 0 Spartanburg county. They have tw< interesting children. Mr. Wheat is a quiet, unobtrusivi gentleman. His one fault is tha he attends strictly to nis own busi ness and has no suggestions to maki to others about theirs. Once ac quainted with him you will find bin easy to approach and exceedingl; sociable. He i’s very public spirite! and liberal. He gives much of hi means to church and charity am rarely is he ever asked to contribut % ■&r%i Mills o* tihc Gakknkv Mani kaoti kino Comiwnv. ■ . ■ ■ jm M commercial report gives the mill as high a report as that of any other mill in the country and the stock is selling readily at $12.'* a share. The product of the mill ranks with that of the best and finds a ready market. In January. 189.’*, Col. J. G. Ward- Irw, who had for six or seven years been serving in the capacity of head book-keeper for the Clifton Manufac turing Company, came here to ac cept a simi'ur position. He has been an able assistant to Mr. Wheat and much of the credit for the successful management of the mill is due Mr. Wardlaw. Mr. William Webster and Mr. J. H. Crews are able and efficient assistants in the office of the com pany. Mr. E. H. Wilbur, the gentlemanly and capable superintendent of the mill, is a native of Massachusetts. He came south several years ago and $♦*00,001) capital had been taken. Hy the time the building had been completed he had sufficient capital to stock the mill. It is said, however, that as a consequence of his anxiety there are one or two more gray hairs in his head than there would other wise have been.' As an indication of the fact that the gentlemen who took the census of Gaffney did not perform their duty as well as they might have done it can be stated that the mill has nearly one thousand people on its pay roll. For every person on the pay roll it may safely be said that there is an other that resides in the mill village that is not on the roll, so it will be seen that that portion of the popula tion itself represents nearly two thousand. We do not believe we ex aggerate when we say the mill popu lation does not represent more than treasurer of the Gaffney Manufactur ing Company. Gaffney, South Caro lina. was born at Saluda Factory, Lexington county, S. C., just across the river Lorn Columbia, on the <*th of August, 1859. He was the only son of B. A. and Sarah Wheat. Mr. Wheat began working in the old Saluda factory at an early ago, stop ping in the winter to attend the com mon schools of the community, and again resuming his work in the sum mer, thus gaining the rudiment of an education and an accurate knowledge of the mill business. He made such rapid progress in the textile art that at the age of seventeen he secured the Dosltion of overseer of spinning in the Natchez Cotton Mills, Natchez. Miss., where he remained until 1879. when he went to Clifton, 8. C., and took charge of the spinning of the Clifton Manufacturing Company. At company. This was the pioneer mill in the South to run on medium fine yarns, and was so successful as to enable the compay to build a much larger mill, known as No. 2. in 181M* In addition to his duties as treasurer of the Gaffney Mills, he was for sev eral years manager of the Tucapau Mills, near Wellford, S. C , which position he resigned ir* 18%. He has had wide and varied experience in building mills, dams, tenements, warehouses, etc., and in managing help. In 1897 Mr. Wheat was made presi dent, and has since filled the dual position of president and treasurer of the Gaffney Manufacturing Company. He was largely instrumental in or ganizing the Gaffney Carpet Manu facturing Co., the first carpet mill in the South, and was elected one of the E. B. WlLRI’K, Superintendent of the Gaffney Manu facturing Company. to a worthy cause that he does not respond liberally. He believes in advertising his town, and while it is true that he spent several months in Charlotte this year and we thought we had lost h‘m as a citizen, he only went there for the purpose of secur ing treatment for his little son. He and his family are once more in Gaff ney and there is no one here who de sires to see them reside anywhere else but here. The population of the state of New York, as officially announced, is 7.268.012. as against 5 997,853 in 181X1. Snow is from 4 to t* feet deep at Vancouver, B C., an unprecedented condition at so early a date.