October 128. 1000.
THE lLLrSTItATHI) 1112 M.
A Novel Feature
In a Private Office
Many of Tlio Hoc rentiers will recall with
Interest Dr. Seymour's live years' resltleneo
In this city, where he became so well
known as an eye specialist, and his subse
quent return to Chicago to enlarge his
business. It lias been a source of pleasure
to many of his
friends to note his prog-
ross and steady
nilvnticenicnt In his pro-
fcsslon. He has
built up a very extensive
HiH91HHHHHHHHHlHHHiiniilHIMB
REAR VIEW OP OR. SEYMOUR'S PRIVATE OFFICE CAR.
How Chinese
(Copyright, 1900, by Frank Q. Carpenter.)
SHANGHAI, Sept. 10, 1900. (Special Cor
respondence of The Bee.) The biggest cot
ton factory of the Chincso emplro Is hero
at Shanghai. It belongs to LI Hung Chang,
Sheng, tho director of railways, nnd other
wealthy Chinamen. It has a capital of
2,000,000 taels nnd it is a mill which would
ho enormous in tho United States. Its
buildings cover sixty acres, It employs 0,000
workmen and It Is now turning out 1,000
pieces of cloth nnd 80,000 pounds of cotton
yarn every twenty-four hours. Tho factory
runs day and night. It has two shifts of
workmen, each of which puts in cloven hours
nnd a half, so that It Is busy twenty-three,
hours out of overy twenty-four. Tho mill
has fifty looms, and 90,000 spindles and Its
machinery is as modern and up-to-date as
that of any cotton factory of Massachusetts.
This factory is run entirely on Chincso
capital. It is fed on cotton grown In China
and Its employes, men nnd women, are, with
ono or two exceptions, Chinese.
This mill Is tho first of China's great cot
ton factories. It is not tho only ono by any
means. There nro eight others here at
Shanghai. Thoro Is ono at Soocbow, one at
.6. jA- . .
A COUNTRY
and successful business and gathered about
him a number of very Bklllful specialists,
but withal his conducting the Chicago busi
ness, he gives the greater portion of his
time to his Nebraska practice. Ho hns
established his home In Lincoln, which be
ing more centrally located In the state than
Omaha, aside from affording excellent rail
road facilities, brings him nearer his many
patients who are scattered over Nebraska.
Use
Modern Machinery
Hnng Chow nnd two nt Wuchang, 800 miles
up tho Ynngtse. Thero is another at Hong
Kong and as soon as this war Is over others
will start up In different parts of tho empire.
The Jnpnncso have bought somo ground
hero for a factory, tho Germans own somo
of tho factories already running nnd tho
probability is that both foreigners and
Chinese will now enter tho race to supply
tho Chincso millions with cotton goods
manufactured on their own soil.
At present thero aro In central China
moro than 378,000 spindles running and over
r2.r.,000 projected.
Unlit by an Amerlciiii.
This great mill of Sheng and LI Hung
Chang was built by an American. LI and
Sheng planned it seventeen years ago, but
it was a long time before they could got
the machinery made and tho mill into
operation. It was found that tho short
staple cotton would not work with tho ordi
nary American machinery and it had to bo
adapted especially to it. This was dono by
Mr. W. Danforth, a Massachusetts man, who
came out here nt tho Instance of tho com
pany and was sent back to tho United
COTTON GIN.
RECEPTION' ROOM
During the past yeai he has made hit
trips In his own private uir, a description
of which will be Interesting to many who
have never been permitted to pors nally
Inspect these wonderful palace homes.
And to su that Dr. Seymour's ear Is n
little palace on wheels Is not ovt rdrawing
the subject, as It was originally built for
the president of the Lake Shu re & Michi
gan Southern railway, ami besides being
unusually largo is beautifully llnlihcd In
hand carved mahogany.
The car Is most conveniently arranged
for living and otllce purposes; contains in
nil eight rooms, and is lighted by u int.dcin
ncctylcnc gas plant.
Beginning at the front end which, con
trary to the usual method of housekeeping,
contains the kitchen. The culinary de
partment, which, though rather minute,
contnlns nil the essentials for the most
cxtravagnnt cook, the range being the lat
est model, but differing from that used In
tile home, Insomuch that then1 Is a little
railing around the top which we presume
Is to keep the pots and kettles from sliding
off whllo the ear Is In motion. The kitchen
contains n Inrge Ice cbest, copper covered
ment boards nnd sinks, all furnished with
hot and cold water, nnd In the eyes of an
up-to-dnte rook this kitchen and butler's
pantry, which adjoins It, are inmlcls -f
convenience In their many appointments
that nro so labor-saving. The china closet
adds Its curious features to the novice, as
the dishes are hung on hooks and placed
behind racks to keep them from sliding
nbout and becoming generally mixed up
when the enr is In motion.
But leaving the butler's pantry, which Is
supplied with sliding shelves, folding
tables, etc., nil of which nro Intended to
snvo room, wo will pass to the dlnlngroom,
States to test the matter. Mr. Danforth Is
still tho technical foreign adviser of tho
mill, although hu hns nothing to do with
Its direction, this being In the hands of
Shcng's brother.
It was with Mr. Danforth that I went over
the mill. Ho tells mo he Is tho only Ameri
can connected with It nnd that In nil the
eight cotton mills of Slinnglial not moro
than n dozen foreigners nro employed, nl
though they uso something liko lr,0()0 hnnds
Shen nnd LI Hung Chang havo another mill
In which thero Is but ono foreigner, two
other Chincso mills use foreigners as con
sulting engineers only nnd In tho factories
run by foreign capital thero are, ns a rule,
not moro than three or four foreign work
men. CIiIiicnc I'nctni-.v ClrlN,
It has 'been found thnt the Chinese are
the equals of ony people of the world as
factory hands. Mr. Danforth tells mo that
they learn quickly to handle machinery nnd
that many could tnku their places in our
mills nnd hold their own. The foremen
understand how to control tho hands nnd
tho work Is thoroughly organized. About
three-fourths of thu employes aro women
and children. I went through room after
room filled with girls weaving and spinning.
Somo of tho women hntl brought their
babies with them. Ono I remomhor hntl
laid her nlmond-oyed llttlo ono In a basket
between her knees ns sbo worked. The
baby wns quiet nnd Its cheeks broke out
Into dimples ns I tickled It.
Tho fnctory girls work from C to li, with
a half hour at noon for luncheon. Thoy
rldo to tho mill on wheelbarrows, a half
dozen sitting on tho same barrow, leaning
back to back ngalnst tho wheel, which
comes up through tho center of the vohlclo
I asked as to their wages and wns told
that tho avcrngo was 28 cents In sllvor, or
14 cents In our money a day. Tho poorest
do not get moro than G cents n day, whllo
vory skillful workmen nnd workwomen
mnko ns much ns $25 gold n month. Such
cases nro vory few. Fourteen cents a day
la Just n llttlo over 1 cent an hour, nnd
many of theso girls do not enrn even hnlf a
cent per hour. Tho night shift Is Just tho
same ns tho tiny shift, tho workwoman
changing off with each othor nnd working
nltornately all night or nil tiny for a week
at a time.
At tho closo of tho war with Japan, when
n number of tho now mills wero built,
wages roso. Thero waB a strlko or two and
the average wont up to an nmount hero
considered enormous, or from 17 to 20 cents
of our money per day. Slnco then thoy
have fallen to their present level, but thoy
AND l'AIM.UIt
which seems must commodious to
wheels, and is lifted with couches,
and chairs, nnd the room Is used
be on
tables
for n
reception loom for the doctor's patients,
aside from meal hours. The next room thu
doctor uses ns a private consulting room
and Is darkened as needed for examination
of the eyes with artlllcial lights and Is .is
well appointed tor these purpeses as the
most up-to-date city olliee could possibly
be, Following tills is the parlor, or general
consulting room, occupied by the doctors,
PRIVATE OFFICE CAR OF DR. W. I. SEYMOUR. IN WHICH HE MAKES
II1S ANNUAL TOUR OF THIS STATE.
will probably rise again with the now mills
to be built when the war closes.
Ill (III Slllipx.
Thu interior of ono of these big spinning
mills Is a curiosity. Thu factory is built of
dark gray brick, with enormt.us rooms run
ning around courts. Thu buildings nro of
two stories, well lighted with many win
dows. Each room has hundreds of modern
weaving machines, at each of which aiu
two or moro of these Chinese girls, a Dim
wit h big feet and some with llttlo ones.
Tho little-footed maidens hobble about,
swaying this way and that, as thoy arrange
tho threat). Somo of them sit on hunches
and turn tho reels by pressing tliulr llttlo
feet up and down on the pedals. I am told
that tho women with small feet cannot do
as much work as those with tho big ones.
They havo to sit down oftener, and tho big
footed women complain that they aro not
nllowcd to rest us much ns their small -footed
sisters.
The cotton Is ginned ho re In different ma
chines than In America. A great deal of It
Is ginned before It comes to tho factory in
rudo hand wringers. In tho factory small
steol Japanese gins aro employed. Thoso
nro nbout ono-fourth tho size of our modern
mnchlnes, but thoy will not tlo ouo-olghth
ns much work. Thoy nro run by steam and
arc handled by men nnd boys.
After thu cotton Is ginned It Is packed
nwny Into enormous bags, each about
CHINESE FACTORY GIRLS
ami Is used for the purposes of titling
glasses and making general examinations,
and Is a model of luxury with Its carpeted
Moors iitu' upholstering, which far sur
passes the average physician's oiilco In
comfort and convenience for their patients.
The next rooms are the doctor's private
apartments, occupied by himself and wife,
nnd consist of two adjoining rooms, each
being about eight feet siiuare, one contain
ing a ha til tuli supplied with hot and cold
water; the oilier, which is used as a small
private parlor through the day, can be
altuest instantly transformed Into a state
room, which In Its minuteness would al
most give one the Impression of a play
house, although every appointment Is per
fect for comfort.
Passing from here we icaeh the room In
(lie rear of the ear, which In reality would
be called the front hall or general recep
lion room, although the ear Is usually
moved with the kitchen forward, and be
lug attached to the tear of trains, leaves
the spia Ions plal forms to be occupied In
pleasant weather by the travelers.
Man of the doctor's moves, coining to
iiid from his home are made In the night,
which, however, tloes not Interfere with
the household retiring at the usual hour
ami arising the next morning to llud their
Hiiirouuillugs entirely changed perhapt
from the picturesque hills of South Dakota
to the proad prairie or Nebraska, and their
breakfast served as regularly and with as
little commotion as you would be called by
jnur servants In jour own home.
Dr. Seymour expects to make Omaha a
visit mmto time dining the coming winter
ami many of his friends ami acquaintances
will appreciate mi Invitation to personally
Inspect the ear.
'
twice as big as the biggest bed tick, ami
holding i:t2 pounds of coiton. Tho bales
aro not pressed down, ns with us. Tho bags
nro fnstened Into u framework, nnd thu
coolies put the cotton In with their nrms,
carrying It up steps to tho top. When tho
bag Is full they Jump In and tread It down
wltli their feet, nnd then pile In moro until
they have tho requisite weight.
Some .Modern I n veil I Iiiiim in Clilmi.
1 havo said that this factory hns modern
machinery. Its looms emtio from the
rutted Slates, but its spinning mnchlnory in
ftom England. Tho stenm englno Is a G00
horse power Corliss, from Philadelphia, I
think, which Mr. Corliss Invented especially
for it. It has an American electric light
plant ftir It and enn keep 01,000 lights burn
ing. Tho goods nro cnrrled from building to
building on tho factory railroads. It has
Its own water works, including a largo tank
nnd pumping stntlon. Tho employes go
through u tiro drill every week, nnd every
thing, ns fnr ns possible, Is flroproof, one
of tho structures hnving n roof of tho shape
of n tnnk In which ono font of water Is
nlwnys kept.
I asked Sheng ns to how much monoy tho
compnny ubciI In its business. Ho wns
rnthor reticent nbout giving figures, but
snld that It used from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000
(Continued on Eighth Page.)
ON THE WAY TO WORK.