Looms Cost From $
First Mill Began Sixty Years Ago
Mr. Erwin Outlined Costs
In Letter to B. N. Duke;
Promised Him a New Mill
To Challenge Competition
On April 8, 1892, W. A. Erwin
who was thin Secretary-Treasurer
of The E. M. Holt Plaid Mills in
Burling! .m. wrote Benjamin N.
Duke concerning plans for organis
ing a cotton mill.
Said Erwin, "... allow 20 to $23,-
000.00 as operating capita] for the
250 lo::m mill and 40 or $>0,000.00
as opeiv.t ng capital for the 500
loom mill, provided that new and
tnwt improved machinery is put in.
"Looms of various make* used by
different mills in the State vary in
cost from S6O to sllO at the Shops,
therefore being strapped and har
nessed. There is also quite a varia
tion in the cost of Spinning ma
chinery and all, of eourse, is sup
posed to be based upon the quality
*and qmi tit 1 y of each machine's
worjc.
"I will soon submit to you ac
commodation and estimates of a
plant on which I will ehailenge
owpetitiv*i."
This is the spirit in which our
Company was begun and only the
prices have changed since 1892.
New looms today cost approxi
mately SI3OO each! Erwin Mills is
sj>endiug thousands of dollars on
"new and most improved machin
ery" in order to "challenge competi
tion" in 1953.
Did Y*m Know—
Mill
plants
t'apn
doulfl
• Er«i
Carol
v 11ns, i
Bj
Tfl
were a
of oul
where]
also t«
and ti
Erwin
THE ERWIN CHATTER
VoL IX, No. 4
Tobacco Money Financed
Erwin Cotton Mills Co.
The News in
Brief -1953
The new wide Sanforiaer. origi
nally ordered for Durham, has been
nsla 1:H1 at Cooleemec and is now
in operation. It was decided to in
stall the machine there because
Cooleemee has more ;-oods to San
forize than Durham. The Durham
cloth for fitted shoets will lie sent to
Cooleemee to be Sanforized.
The sale of Company-owned
bouses at CooletTuec will begin on
May 4, 1953. Alester (J. Furinan
Co., who will conduct the sale, will
•set up an office at 1G Marginal
Sti-eet  n that date. The office will
be open from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00
P.M. each weekday except Satur
day, and their representatives will
be able to furnish all details con
cerning the purchase of Company
houses. The occupant of each house
will be given the first opportunity
to buy his house. Other employees
wishing to purchase a house should
make application at the Alester (J.
Furman office also.
Two promotions have been an
nounced for the Cost De|>artuitnt
in our General Office at Durham.
Rawlings is now the
|u. » >a rtinent
APRIL, 1953
First Product Was Cloth For
Smoking Tobacco Bags
Washington Duke and his two
s;ms, B njamin Newton Duke and
James Buchanan Duke, started
manufacturing smoking tobacco at
the »nd of the Civil War. Their
first product was granulated to
l ac:-o put in cotton bags and labeled
Pro-Buno-Publico. Another son.
Brodie Duke, manufactured smok
ing tobacco in Durham under the
i:ames Semper Idem and Duke of
Durham.
W. Duki & Sons Co. was formed
in 1878, consisting of Washington
Duke, his three suns, and George
W. Watts. The Company was rea
sonably successful but could not
comj>ete with Bull Durham Smok
ing Tobacco made by the Blacknall
Co. For that reason the Dukes
started manufacturing cigarettes in
1881. James B. Duke joined four
rivals and the American Tobacco
Company was formed in 1890. Prof
its from that American Tobacco
Company (dissolved in 1911) were
used by B. X. Duke to finance the
r.rganization of The Erwin Cotton
Mil's Company in 1892.
One of the our first products was
cloth for smoking; tobacco bags. The
American Tobacco Co. did not gain
control of the famous Bull Durham
Smoking Tobacco until 1898, at
which time Erwin Mills was inanu-
Probably the to
■Mliljiit'a brie was
The Old and The New
' K i "iTMtidftlifttli ifiiirfl II -
HHK!
This is the old Cooleemee dam across the Yadkin River, probably th« winter
of 1890. Cn the right is the old grist mill
ygfefft r
M . L ,V;:y|i;3;. : ;:- .■ .: ■ , v : : : _.
The new dam was built aronnd 1906 when Erwia bought the Cooleemee
Cotton Mills. The mill was powered by one single and three double water
wheels, most of which are still in use today.
How Erwin Mills
Sixty-one years ago Benjamin X.
Duke decided to invest some of his
profits from the American Tobacco
Company in textile manufacturing.
He needed the advice of a capable
textile man and the name of W. A.
Erwin was suggested to him. An
interview followed and Mr. Duke
jras so impressed with Mr. Erwin
he hired him on the spot.
H'hen the incorporation papers
He drawn up, the lawyer asked
Duke what name had been de
ified for the company. The To
pacco manufacturer was taken by
surprise and could not think of a
fame. The lawyer then suggested.
Let us name it for this young man,
ten if it fails the onus (burden)
ill be upon him, and if it succeeds,
t will be to his glory."
i The suggestion was quickly ae
epted by Duke and The Erwin
►Cotton Mills Company was born,
with W. A. Erwin being the young
man upon whose shoulders was
placed the responsibility for the
success or failure of the new enter
prise.
Home Site
For Mill
Property i*or the original Xo. 1
Mill was brought from W. 0. Black
nail, first Sheriff of Durham Coun
ty. Sheriff BhcknaH's home was
about where the mill smokestacks
were built ami the property ex
tended to the railroad track spur.
The house was torn down when the
mill was built.
In April 1812, the Durham Con
solidated Land Company donated a
strip of land adjoining the Black -
nail site to B. X. Duke. Mr. Duke
wrote to W. A. Krwin of the dona
tion saying that the land was do
nated "piovided t!ie mill is erected
kn the Blacknail site and provided
Be will consent to the extension of
Bnth Street to the Railroad."
B'This I am very glad to do,"
Kites Duke, "as it gives us a much
Hier front and shapes it up nicely
Bus. I have consented to let them
ML AMD MRS. W. A. ERWIN
So more sincere or glowing tribute
to Mr. \V. A. Erwin could be found
than this letter written to B. N\ Duke
by L. Banks Holt of the Oneida Cot
ton Mills. Graham, X. C., on April 20.
1892.
"My experience is that in a lifetime
we seldom find an 'all round' inaii.
one of extensive business capacity, en
tirely reliable, 'as true as steel' and
with all, a Christian gentleman.
Through associations with Mr. Krwiu
as my clerk and partner in business
of 17 years. I cannot part with hint
without saxiiig to you that I cannot
liud words that will express too
strongly my goo.l opinion of hiin."
have the small corner on the East of
this extension which will be cut otf
from the i>lacknall lot. It is in a lo\
place ami could not be of any value
to us.''
\V. A. Erwin replied to B. X.
Duke: "1 bey to congratulate you
upon securing tl.-- donation »i tin
strip of land mentioned. Thi- will
make our site all we could vi«i. it t»
be."
The decision to build the Krwin
mill on the Blacknali site ha> an
other sidelight in the building of
the City of Durham. At the time
the property was chosen, Brodie
Duke, B. N. Duke's brother, owned
most of Xorth Durham and wanted
to develop it. He wanted the Er
win mill on his property but Mr.
Erwin and B. X. Duke decided
against it. This made Brodie Duke
angry and he retaliated by building
his own mill The Pearl Cotton
Mills, now Erwin Mill No. 6.