50 Guide to Belfast. 



build a more extensive factory. The floor space of the 

 new building is about eleven acres, and is fireproof through- 

 out. The frontage in Earl Street is 900 feet, and the main 

 factory occupies 300 feet of this. One end of the factory, 

 the main entrance and offices, face York Street, along which 

 an elevation extends some 200 feet. The main gateway 

 enters off York Street, between the offices and inner side 

 of the factory, and leads into a glass-roofed yard, which 

 gradually widens as it penetrates towards the centre of the 

 establishment, where it broadens out into a roomy square, 

 from which access is obtained to every part of the works, 

 including the factory, boiler and engine house, despatch 

 department, press cellar, offices, etc. On the ground floor 

 is a dining-room and a waiting-room for the workers. The 

 entrance to all the floors of the factory is made by a 

 staircase of solid oak, beside which is a hydraulic hoist. 

 The floors consist of heavy iron beams resting on columns; 

 brick arches spring from the beams, and are covered with 

 patent wooden flooring, and the principal rooms are laid 

 with marble tarazzo. At the upper end of the factory are 

 situated the carpenters' shops, bonded store, laboratories, 

 etc. The press-room contains hundreds of hydraulic presses, 

 which are constantly full of Irish roll tobacco, valued at over 

 ;;^75,ooo. The offices are approached from York Street 

 through a fine porch and vestibule, leading into a large 

 hall, with mosaic tiles, and having on either side private 

 offices, waiting room', etc. Behind the main hall is the 

 public office, which is lighted from the top by a large 

 dome. The offices and factory are lighted by electricity, 

 generated on the premises. Adjoining the factory is 

 the private bonded store, a building six store) s high, 

 having floor space of about 4^^ acres. This building is 

 fireproof, and is fitted up with hydraulic lifts, etc., giving 

 every facility for working. Here are usually stored some 

 10,000 or 12,000 hogsheads of tobacco leaf. The firm 

 turns out about 75 tons of manufactured tobacco weekly, 

 millions of cigarettes, and a considerable quantity of snuff. 

 It may be interesting to add that 25 years ago there were 

 about twenty firms in Belfast engaged in the manufacture 

 of tobacco. There are now only four, but Gallaher's alone 



