VOL. XII, NO. 2. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL 



13 



From the Lowell Daily Journal. 

 LOWELL. 



The whole amount of capital at present invest- 

 ed is $6,150,000. The number of mills in actual 

 operation is 19. These mills arc each about 157 

 feet in length, and 45 feet in breadth — of brick, 5 

 stories high, each story averaging from 10 to 13 

 feet high, thus giving opportunity for a free circu- 

 lation of air. The aggregate number of spindles 

 used is 84,000 — looms 3,000. The whole num- 

 ber of operatives employed is about 5000, of which 

 1200 are males, 3800 "females. The quantity of 

 raw cotton used in these mills per annum, exceeds 

 7,000,000 lbs. or 20,000 bales. The number_ of 

 yards of cotton goods, of various qualities, manu- 

 factured annually, is about 27,000,000. Were the 

 different pieces united, they would reach to the 

 distance of 15,300 miles! In this estimate is in- 

 cluded about 2,000,000 of yards of course mixed 

 cotton and woollen negro clothing, in the manu- 

 facture of which about 80,000 pounds of wool are 

 used per annum. 



The quantity of wool manufactured annually 

 into Cassimeres is about 150,000 yards. 



The Lowell Carpet Manufactory is in itself a 

 curiosity — 68 looms are kept in operation by hand 

 labor, viz : 50 for ingrained or Kidderminster 

 carpeting, 10 for Brussels, and 8 for rugs of vari- 

 ous kinds. 140,000 lbs. of wool are in the course 

 of a year manufactured into rich and beautiful car- 

 pets, the colors of which will vie with any import- 

 ed. The number of yards of carpeting made per 

 annum is upwards of 120,000, besides rugs. 



Tile operatives at present employed in all these 

 mills receive for their labor $1,200,000 per an- 

 num. 



The Lawrence Company has now but one mill 

 in operation. One other is erected, and will be in 

 operation in about three months. The founda- 

 tions of two others are laid, which will be ready to 

 go into operation, one in 9 months, the other in 

 12. These mills will contain about 16,500 addi- 

 tional spindles for cotton, and 550 looms, and will 

 use 2,500,000 lbs. raw cotton annually, furnish- 

 ing employment for 700 operatives. These three 

 mills will probably be the means of adding at 

 least 1500 to the population of Lowell. 



The Middlesex Company has lately erected 

 another mill for the manufacture of Cassimeres 

 and Broadcloths, which is said to be one of the 

 iirst manufacturing edifices in the United States. 

 It is 153 feet in length, by 46, and 6 stories high. 

 Nearly 1,000,000 of bricks have been used in its 

 construction. It will go into operation in about 

 two months, and will contain 2880 spindles, and 

 64 looms for Cassimeres, and 40 for Broadcloths. 

 It will work up about 300,000 pounds of wool an- 

 nually, and employ about 225 operatives. 



The edifice in which all the machinery employ- 

 ed in the mills is manufactured, is termed the 

 "Machine Shop," belonging to the Locks and 

 Canal Company, and is probably the largest " shop" 

 in the country, being built of brick, four stories 

 high, 220 feet in length and 45 in width. About 

 200 machinists, some of them the most skilful 

 and ingenious workmen in the United States, or in 

 the world, are constantly employed. About 600 

 tons of cast and wrought iron, two thirds of which 

 are of American production, are annually convert- 

 ed into machinery, besides a large quantity of im- 

 ported steel. 



It is computed that upwards of 5000 tons of an- 

 thracite coal are annually consumed in the Low- 



oil Manufacturing establishments and Machine 

 Shop, besides immense quantities of charcoal and 

 nine and hard wood fuel. 



Wool. — The Bellows Falls paper states that most 

 of the wool grown in that vicinity has been sold to 

 the manufacturers at from 50 to 75 cents. One line 

 iot was sold at 80 cents. 



From the Nantucket Inquirer. 

 THE SYVOUDEISH. 



The sword fish, the natural enemy of the whale, 

 is often taken in this vicinity, and its flesh is held 

 in such great estimation, that it always commands 

 a high price in our fish market. To those who 

 delight in devouring the inhabitants of the deep, 

 a slice of this formidable sea-warrior affords a 

 meal of great delicacy. In shape, the swordfisli 

 is nearly cylindrical, handsomely tapering from the 

 head downwards, and terminating in a wide scol- 

 loped tail, in which, as in Sampson's hair, lies its 

 chief strength. It has a black and shining skin, 

 without scales, similar to that of the spermaceti 

 whale. They are commonly from ten to fifteen 

 feet in length, weighing from 200 to 500 lbs. 

 The sword, as it is called, or bone, projecting 

 horizontally from the head, is the principal instru- 

 ment which it employs, either as a weapon of at- 

 tack, or as a means of procuring food. This 

 "sword" is extremely hard, with a rough, grating 

 surface, some four to six feet long, five or six in- 

 ches wide, two-edged, and through the centre 

 about two inches in thickness. 



Instances are quite common of whales being 

 found wounded on the under side — doubtless by 

 this instrument ; and whale ships have frequently 

 been attacked in like manner. We have seen a 

 plank taken from the bottom of a whaler, through 

 which the sword of one of these fish had pene- 

 trated, leaving nearly a foot inside the vessel, and 

 twice that length outside. Unable to draw it, the 

 weapon of course became forfeit, and the head of 

 the adventurous assailant must have experienced 

 much pain in parting with it — for it was found 

 broken off near its junction with the skull. 



One of these gigantic warriors of the deep was 

 captured on Saturday last, on the south shore of 

 our island, in a manner somewhat remarkable. 

 He had probably given chase to some straggling 

 bluefish or scuppaug (pauggy, as the New Yorkers 

 call them) which instinctively Jled towards shoal 

 water, where the pursuer got aground ; when the 

 surf rolled him further up the strand, subjecting 

 his head and fins to exposure in another elemeut. 

 In this situation he was discovered by two females 

 from Siasconset. It certainly required some nerve 

 to attack a monster of his dimensions, grovelling 

 aud floundering just within his native brine; and 

 the elder of the two felt rather disinclined to en- 

 gage in such sport. But the younger went man- 

 fully to the scratch, and her companion followed. 

 They took him by the horn and by the dorsal, but 

 he wouldn't stay taken in that ignoble style. 



At length, after tugging aud struggling for half 

 an hour — the tumbling billows the only witnesses, 

 to see fair play, and clear the ring — all the parties 

 being alternately half in and half out of water — 

 the amphibious combat terminated in favor of 

 the assailants. Swordfisli had unluckily got 

 canted sideways, just as one of his antagonists 

 was advising an abandonment of the battle 

 ground ; but the younger of the fair amazons, 

 vowed she'd cut his throat first, and seizing this 



auspicious moment, she plunged into his gullet 

 the deadly weapon — her scissors ! It was all she 

 could do for the glory of the conquered ! So 

 leaving him with an awful gash in the thorax, 

 writhing upon the beach, the victors trudged half 

 a mile to the nearest farm house, where they pro- 

 cured more effective implements, and returning, 

 finished their work, by decapitating the prostrate 

 sea dragon, chopping him into portable sections, 

 and sending about half "the spoils" — upwards of 

 two hundred weight, to market. When the women 

 Iirst told the story of their having taken this prize, 

 they were asked if they felt sure that the fish was 

 not already dead when discovered ? One of them 

 replied, " I guess you would'nt ha' thought so, if 

 you'd ha' seen the sand fly." 



From the Xortliampton Conner. 

 TREATMENT OP A LUNATIC. 



Some theorists and practical men believe the 

 ravings and delirium of a diseased' intellect cannot 

 be mitigated by any external circumstances or dis- 

 ciplinary treatment. We are not advocates or be- 

 lievers in the absurdities of such irrational doc- 

 trines, and here we relate an incident illustrating 

 it. At the time appointed for the removal of the 

 Lunatics to the State Asylum at Worcester, upon 

 investigation, one was found in the County House 

 of Correction there, who seemed beyond the reach 

 of human aid or control. For a long series of 

 years the light of Heaven had scarcely dawned in 

 upon him. He was confined in a dark cell of the 

 prison, and his situation was spoken of as indescrib- 

 ably loathsome and wretched. His beard was un- 

 shaven, his body attenuated to a mere skeleton, 

 and his mental and physical powers evidently in 

 ruins. He was not merely suffering from ordina- 

 ry aberrations of mind, but he was afflicted with 

 all the dreadful ravings and painful extravagancies 

 of a confirmed madman. To keep him clothed 

 was deemed an impossibility, and he was suffered 

 to remain in his dungeon with only a few tattered 

 rags and some filthy straw about him. 



When the Lunatic Hospital was opened, he 

 was taken from his cell, his long, matted beard 

 shaved, his body thoroughly cleansed, and a coarse 

 suit of strong cloth put upon him. His former 

 keeper remarked it would all avail nothing, for he 

 would never wear clothes, but would still remain 

 the same furious lunatic and raving madman he 

 ever was. When he arrived at the Asylum, he 

 was placed under the care and management of the 

 judicious Dr. Woodward, Superintendent of the 

 Institution. He was then shown his room and 

 told how pleasant and airy it was, compared with 

 the dark, offensive one he had just left. His per- 

 sonal pride was flattered when he was told how 

 well he looked in his new clothes, an object of en- 

 vy as he was to the other prisoners. He examin- 

 ed himself carefully, looked at his garments and 

 exhibited quite a degree of pride and self-compla- 

 cency. From this time, he grew fond of his 

 clothes, and when any of the other lunatics ap- 

 proached him, he would shrink back, declaring 

 they wanted to rob him of them. He became 

 pleased with his room and his situation, and the 

 kind treatment and soothing manners of the Su- 

 perintendent has changed him into one of the 

 most docile, cleanly and promising inmates in the 

 Hospital. He appeared to us passive and kind- 

 hearted, and anything else rather than the demon 

 they supposed him to be, when confined, naked 

 aud filthy, a hideous object in the county prison. 



