THE REPUBLICAN

August 3, 1883

 

WAUPACA WOOLEN

A Visit to the Woolen Mill of J. W. & C. Evans.

 

                                                                                               

 

 

            Last Saturday, a visit to the Woolen Mill of J. W. & C. Evans in this city, demonstrated to the mind of the REPUBLICAN representative that here is an institution that should be a source of pride to everybody in the city and vicinity, and we doubt not it is, as well as profit to its owners.  We herewith print a cutoff the works as well as the residence of J. W. Evans, the senior proprietor.  The Waupaca Spirit (REPUBLICAN) of Dec. 18, 1855, had an advertisement of Mitchell & Redfield setting forth the fact that they have “Just completed a large and elegant flouring mill three-fourths of a mile east of the public square in Waupaca, at an expense of nearly ten thousand dollars” etc. and they were christened “the Waupaca City Mill,” etc.  Time brings changes and the mill machinery was taken out of the building and readjusted in the mill on the spot where the City Roller Mill of Baldwin & Oborn now stands.  Dayton, Dewey & Co. purchased machinery for a woolen mill and placed it in this building and put it in operation in 1867 since that time the property has been owned by shareholders, among them Wm. M. Dayton, J. M. Dewey, M. R. Baldwin, O. Vaughn, Wm. Smith, H. C. Mumbrue, T. Evans and J. W. Evans.  The concern is now wholly owned by John W. Evans and Charles Evans his cousin, they having bought up the stock owned by other parties.  Both are practical men in the business.  The above cut shows a view of the property looking north.  In the rear of the building there is a full basement story.  It is run by water power, and they have one of the finest of heads formed from the Chain o’ Lakes and our “Mirror and Shadow” as immense reservoirs, and the Crystal or south branch of the Waupaca river.  Where this mill is located there is one of the best places imaginable for the dam, across which is the general roadway leading to the city.  Also there are ample facilities and plenty of head for an extensive cotton factory or some other institution of productive industry established there.  But we will return to the factory.  Mr. Evans gave us a cordial greeting and showed us among the various rooms, gave a description of the modus operandi of the business from the time the fleece leaves the sheep’s back until the goods are placed in the hands of Charley, the “boss pusher on the road”.  The wool is received in the sorting room and for the different grades of cloths, different grades of wool are sorted out from the fleeces.  The wool is all thoroughly washed, they having every facility for doing the work to perfection.  Then it goes to the steam dyeing rooms, and truly their stock is “dyed in the wool”.  Mr. Whitney has charge of this department but Mr. Evans gives his personal attention to it as he does to every other branch of the business.  On this floor is also the fulling machine, the teaseling machine for raising the nap of the cloth, and the shearing machine that cuts-down the nap close to the fabric, also the pressing and finishing machinery.  Mr. J. Vaughn looks after this dep’t.  After the cloth is thoroughly finished a lady carefully and closely rolls it up, and embroiders the number of the piece in one corner of the goods.  In this way a complete register is kept of every piece of cloth that leaves the looms.  On the second floor are the carding machines; three machines or a full set are constantly carding for the looms and two machines are running on custom carding, parties coming from 29 to 30 miles away bringing wool to be made into excellent rolls.  They make up from 12,000 to 14.000 lbs. of wool into rolls, for customers annually.  Mr. J. Bower has charge of this department.  Mr. B. is an old, experienced hand in the business and all the machinery under his care runs like clock work.  We pass upstairs.  The first thing that attracts attention is the spinning jack.  This ingenious spinning wheel is under the charge of an English spinner, Mr. David Holmes, and he can do the work of an army of the old fashioned contrivances. However, before the jack and jenny machines were invented the “old-fashioned contrivances” had to do the work by the aid of our grandmothers’ skill.  And there is a great deal of spinning for family yarn done yet as evidenced from the rolls carded.  On the west side of the building are the looms, and here is where the noise comes in.  We don’t mean to insinuate that its because they are run by women.  Our reporter was too bashful to ask fro an introduction to all those ladies, but he came to the conclusion, after examining the various lines of cassimeres, flannels, lumbermen’s goods, etc., turned out, that they knew their business and understood the manipulation of the looms.  They have two double width looms and one single loom constantly turning out the various fabrics.  In the attic is the “picker” machine with its sharp teeth capable of picking all the wool it can get between its jaws.  It’s a saucy looking animal but a necessary adjunct to a woolen mill.

            To sum up; this firm employs from fifteen to twenty hands and they are paid by the piece.  The most of the operatives live near the mill and the houses occupied by them are either owned by the workmen or rented from the company.  The residences are all pleasant and attractive.  The amount of stock on hand of various grades of cassimers, suitings, flannels, sheetings, shirtings, etc., will foot up to 18,000 or 20,000 yards, but as Chas. Evans is out on the road for the greater part of the fall and winter, it will soon be worked off, only to have a new supply take its place. It is worth a trip to this mill to see the stack of goods all ready for the trade.  But more than that it is worth something to know Waupaca has a few institutions of productive industry that are growing better each and every years and the woolen mill of J. W. & C. Evans is one of them.

FIGURES

            The amount of the fabric product of this mill for 1883 will foot up to between 40,000 and 50,000 yards, the most of which will be sold at wholesale, and several thousand pounds of yarns.  The money paid out to employees will average over $400 per month, or fully $5,000 per year.  They have paid to the farmers in this section this season between seven and eight thousand dollars.  In the winter and spring they buy as much from eastern wool dealers.  They hope to be fixed some time so as to purchase all their wool here, also to still further increase the capacity of their mill, and we believe the time is fast approaching when they will do it.