City Mills Company, Eighteenth Street & First Avenue, Columbus

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER GA,108-COLM,19-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Street arid First Avenue, Columbus, Georgia Dates of Construction. Old corn mill: ^ Flour mill: 3 Brick office and warehouse: C Old elevator: D Concrete elevator: E. One-story warehouse: |~ Original Owner: Seaborn Jones owned site and built the first gristmill there in

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER GA,108-COLM,19-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Grist milling has been continuous at the site * since the City Mills were established in Some of the newer buildings house offices,, equipment, and warehouses used in the produc- tion of feed. The corn mill, no longer used, was built by Horace King, a noted black builder and an ex-slave. Much equipment remains in place in the older buildings, including an intact hursting frairie in the flour mill sup- porting seven run of grindstones. Other equip- ment in the flour mill, including a 50-year-old water turbine, is occasionally used. The his- tory of the site well illustrates the relation- ship between the commercial and technological evolution of a company. Historians: Barbara A. Kimmelman John S, Lupold J. B.

Karfunkle, August It is understood that access to this material rests on the condition that should any of it be used in any form or by any means, the author of such m material and the Historic American Engineering Record of the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service at all times be given proper credit. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 2)

The City Mills

Commercial grinding of wheat and corn has been continuous on the site of the City Mills Company since the establishment of Columbus in The company is presently engaged in the production of animal feeds. All buildings constructed since remain standing, with much of the machinery still in place. The newer buildings house offices and warehouses; the warehouse holds equipment used in the company's feed production. Remaining in the old mill buildings are' turbines, electrical equipment, and some milling machinery. The flour mill houses a complete hursting frame supporting seven grindstones. It is unusual to find these frames in such intact condition.

The persistence of City Mills offers an opportunity to study the effects of economic and technological changes on a company engaged in a commun U.S. industry. In addition, the mill was the first of many hydropower users at the Falls of the Chattahoochee in Columbus, and in the it became involved in hydroelectric development at the site. In order to present the history clearly, this report is divided into the following sections: Early History and Present Condition of the Site; Business History; Hydropower Development; Milling Machinery Development; Present-Day Process Flow; and a Conclusion. EARLY HISTORY AND PRESENT

Condition of the Site

In 'Seaborn Jones, a wealthy planter from central Georgia, established a small water-powered gristmill on the Chattahoochee River at Street, near the northern limits of newly-founded Columbus. By the three other mills operated at Columbus, making City Mills the "old" gristmill. [1] In late ante bellum years, City. Mills had four run of stones, two grinding corn for meal and two grinding wheat for flour. The increased demand during the Civil War years greatly expanded the production and facilities of all Columbus gristmills. Although most of these establish- ments were spared by General Wilson's Union troops in it is proba- ble that City Mills did burn, for in a group of businessmen built a new mill on the site.

[2] The new building, a three-story wood structure known as the "corn mill," is now the oldest of the complex of buildings Csee Columbus: Drawings 4 and Horace King, an ex-slave, supervised construction. King is best known for. his covered bridges; the City Mills corn mill is one of the few .buildings associated with him [3] and is an interesting example of his work. Some of the original hand-hewn heavy timber fram- ing remains in the mill (see CMC photo 1) and exhibits mortise-and- tendon jointing. [4] The addition of corrugated metal siding on the building exterior, and the replacement in of decaying interior City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 3) wooden floor joists by steel beams., obscure other aspects of original building construction (see CMS photos 2 and 3.

for yiey of mill before covering with metal). Although the mill originally had five run of stones and produced meal, flour, grits,, shorts, and bran it was still a relatively small-scale operation compared with other local mills (see, for example,tHAER, Columbus Report, Empire Mills) . The most important period of construction- at the site was from to and was presided over by George A. Pearce. Pearce had been with the mill since starting as a mechanic in the rising to become mill manager and the proprietor's son-in-law.

In he organized and received a charter for a new City Mills Company, incor- porated on June 2, [6] The extensive construction of an entire mill complex undertaken by Pearce reflects his commitment to developing a larger, more significant establishment (see "Business History" for commercial considerations prompting the construction program, and "Hydropower Development" for detailed discussion of simultaneous dam and powerhouse construction).

Initial construction in included a two-story brick warehouse, topped by a monitor, and a wooden grain elevator, both still standing (the elevator was covered with corrugated metal siding in [7] The elevator was erected 70 feet east of the old corn mill as a fire precaution, and the warehouse is located south of the elevator (see photos CMC 4 and 5, and Columbus Drawing 4, City Mills Site Plan). An iron bridge, which replaced a wooden one in connects the two buildings and once supported a corn conveyor (see CMC photo 6). At the time of construction, local newspapers described the elevator as a "massive structure"; its 94-foot bins had a capacity of bushels, with room for more unenclosed.

To power the elevator's equip- ment, a rope drive ran from the third floor of the corn mill to an out- door pulley near the top southeast corner of the elevator. When two additional floors were built on top of the warehouse in a long rectangular opening was left in the brick wall to permit the rope drive mechanism to enter the elevator; this opening and its counterpart in the corn mill are all that remain of the rope drive photo 7). [8] Construction of an additional grinding facility, now known as the "flour mill," began as the other buildings neared completion.

The Richmond City Mill Works of Richmond City, Indiana, designed the exist- ing six-story brick building, just south.of and communicating with the corn mill photos 8 and 9; also Site Plan, Columbus Drawing 4, for dimensions and spatial relations of the.new construction). [9] The upper floors served as. grain storage areas, while the first four floors .were equipped as a modern grist-milling operation (.see "Milling Machinery Development"). The machinery for the flour mill ran from its own battery of water turbines; an arched tailrace ran beneath the build- ing, releasing water from the corn mill turbines (see CRR photo 1).

The building's structure remains essentially the same as when built, with City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page A) the exception of iron girders replacing those of decaying wood on the first floor in In the City Hills Company enlarged its warehouse by adding two stories (enclosing the monitored roof, sections of which are still visible inside the building) and built a large, 100,000-bushel concrete grain elevator just north of the wooden one to supplement storage capacity photos 6, A brick addition to the warehouse com- pleted in the same year housed the company offices. The only addition since has been the construction in of a one-story brick warehouse extending east from the old warehouse/office. This was enlarged in by a brick 73x90-foot one-story extension.

[II] The activities within the building have been adapted and -modified. The southern portion of the old warehouse still houses the company offices. Feed production now centers in the northern portion, con- verted to this use in (see "Milling Machinery Development"). Grain for feed production is stored in the old elevator; the concrete elevator stands empty. No grinding is done in either the corn or the flour mill. However, some shafting in the flour mill is used occasionally to transmit power from the mill's one functioning water turbine to drive an auger conveyor in the old warehouse (see "Hydropower Development") All equipment remaining in these buildings will be described in later sections. BUSINESS HISTORY: THE EVOLUTION OF A

Product Line

Prior to City Mills was one of several small grist-milling establishments within Columbus grinding both wheat and corn. After the Civil War, production gradually increased. Between and meal production increased from 200 to bushels a day. City's production increase coincided with the burning of the Palace Mills. The elimination of a competitor meant more business. Another local competitor, the Columbus Factory complex at the Clapp's Factory site upriver, went bankrupt in the and left City Mills and Empire Mills alone to vie for the Columbus market. Pearce incorporated the City Mills Company in and began his pursuit of the Columbus market.

The hydropower expansion and mill con- struction previously discussed (see "Hydropower Development" and "Mill- ing Machinery Development") were only part of a broader coordinated effort to establish a sophisticated and important milling operation. A crucial part of this effort was Pearce's desire to bring a spur line of the Central of Georgia Railroad directly to City Mills to facilitate quick, efficient transportation of goods to and from the mill and to eliminate drayage charges. The value of such, an arrange- ment is underscored by George Woodruff's petition in September City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 5) for an injunction restraining the railroad from laying a track to City Mills. Woodruff's Empire Mills enjoyed spur line service and proximity to the ChattahooGhee River loading docks.

The court denied the peti- tion, and by July the railroad completed the spur line which still serves the City Mills Company. Pearce hoped that this, in addition to.his mill expansion and introduction of roller grinding (see "Milling Machinery Development") would strengthen his position as Empire's competitor. Business got off to an ominously inauspicious start in the flour mill. The expansion had cost more than anticipated, and the company directors were forced to admit in that they had "not made a dollar" on the new mill. Success with the recently improved corn mill-sustained optimism regarding the company's prospects. The increasing demand for corn meal helped City Mills weather the severe depression of which closed many small gristmills.

During the late construction of additions increased, and in the flour mill powerhouse was renovated and a new hursting frame was installed (details in "Milling Machinery Development"). In five additional stones greatly increased the company's corn meal capacity. By the company's production had greatly exceeded its level; corn meal production alone had increased from 500 to bushels per. day. The mill ran 24 hours a d.ay during busy grind- ing seasons. Flour production did not increase as dramatically. Although the mill's capacity for flour was greatly expanded, the production of 300 barrels per day in was just half the maximum capacity (of course, it is not clear how closely that maximum was ever approached). Attracting business for the flour mill was difficult.

Pearce reported to his stockholders in that "we have all our new equipment that we put in last year all in tune and up-to-date, but have not been able, on account of the demoralized condition of the meal and flour business, to run it." The subsequent history of the City Mills Company certainly suggests that the improvements and additions from through resulted in the overdevelopment of the mill's capacity. Several factors contributed to this situation. The interaction of hydro- power and milling expansions tended to push each development forward; increased power provided opportunity for mill expansion, and extensive mill expansion demanded increased power. Factors external to the company were also of key importance.

The great grain-growing states in the Midwest were becoming bulk flour pro- ducers in the and Large mills using roller grinding took advantage of their proximity to steady grain supplies and advantageous freight rates to flood the eastern states with inexpensive, quality flour. The older gristmills in the east, combining small roller instal- lations with grindstones, were unable to compete with the large City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 6) midwestern mills. Georgia mills felt this competition keenly. Georgia had been a major flour-producing state, and Muscogee County contributed signifi- cantly to the state's.output.

In gristmill products constituted 25% of the total annual ^alue of products in Muscogee County; by this figure had dropped to By bankruptcy and fire had eliminated several of the county's mills, and between and value of gristmill products for the entire state dropped Those of Minnesota, Kansas, and Illinois dramatically increased. It is not surprising, then, that City Mills experienced marketing difficulties after their expansion. Reports from when com- petition was "very sharp...with many new mills, shipping their goods into our territory," through reveal the struggle of the company to maintain prices at a profitable level.

The influx of midwest flour limited the mill to a local market, which was greatly encroached upon during years of a good local corn crop, when little mills, powered inexpensively by gasoline engines, sprang up in rural areas. World War I had an important effect on the product line at City Mills. The mill experienced a wartime expansion of production by taking on government business, but the major expansion was not in-flour production. The company enlarged a installation for grits produc- tion, increasing its daily capacity from 500 to bushels, and was able to continue this line for several years after the war.

However, demand contracted after the company invested in a new grits mill, and the equipment was dismantled in eliminating what had been for a short time a major, product of the company. However, during the war the company had been able to establish markets for its corn meal in the larger southern cities. The importance of these commercial developments became clear in the following years. While the company's flour production equipment and its market remained significantly underutilized and undeveloped, the company was expanding its commercial and technological base in a way which could compensate for the ill-fated investment in flour production. After the war ended, the increased capacity of the mill exceeded the amounts of wheat and corn it could obtain for grinding.

In addition, marketing the finished products was also difficult. The post-war period saw an increasing reliance on its corn meal products. Grinding for animal feed increased in importance (this period saw the installation and expansion of the feed mill and Gruendler pulverizers see "Milling Machinery Development"). Bolting of shorts, bran, and oats for feed accompanied wheat and corn grinding at the mill. The profitable nature of the local feed business continued to com- pensate for the small rewards from flour production. .Despite the severely depressed conditions of the (meal business fell 34% City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 7) between and flour, scratch feeds, and fancy feeds, shorts, and bran, the company was able to invest in in the new feed mill installation.

Despite doing grinding for the Red Cross and for the Federal Emergency Relief Agency, which greatly, upped meal and flour production (see Table I); the company still felt harassed by ths usual competition in the flour market, especially by truck-trans- ported Northwest flour being dumped in the Southeast, Although the outbreak of war in Europe increased demand for American grain, the Government gave contracts only to the larger, more modern mills; City Mills could no longer secure Government flour contracts. The "war boom" began for City Mills in Circumstances of the war market had an interesting differential effect on the company's various products, which was ultimately reflected in the machinery operating at the mill.

Production of meal jumped 61% from to and the tons of mixed feed doubled. In shar contrast, flour production dropped 53% to barrels annually between the same years (see Table 1 and Graph 1). In the mill management decided to increase production of flour and to dismantle the "old, obsolete, and worn out" equipment which "could not turn out a satisfactory product." Some of the roller grinders were the originals installed in Little of this equipment still remains in the flour mill; a few rollers can be found on the grind- ing floor. Production of meal and feed remained high. In demand for feed was so great that the mill produced less than it might have sold, and the company installed its third and fourth Gruendler pulverizers.

The war boom, tripling profits between and and sustaining them at a high level through enabled the City Mills directors to expand faci- lities for a lucrative product. National and local market conditions guided the decision to abandon one process and its technology and to expand another from which greater rewards were expected.

Hydro-Power Development

An early map of Columbus (circa shows the City Mills dam extending across the Chattahoochee River in a jagged manner (see Columbus Drawing 2); one section extended west from the mill, a long section ran north parallel with the current, and a third crossed west to the Alabama shore. This construction.took advantage of rock islands for support, as did later dams at the site. . This early dam was wooden; other details of its construction are not known. This dam apparently remained unchanged after construction of the corn mill. The turbines, sat beneath the grinding (first) floor of the mill.

Water piled against the mill by virtue of the dam's irregular formation and passed beneath the mill, through the turbines, and out the City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 8) arched tailrace on the downstream side of the mill photo 1) . In three Leffel turbines of 66, 56, and 40 inches, turned below the mill, producing a total of 75 horsepower. No major changes to the dam are recorded until Early the previous year, the Eagle-'and Phenix Mills, a large textile concern, had purchased the City Mills property. Eagle and Phenix was preparing to rebuild and heighten the dam on its own property a mile downstream from City Mills. This would raise the Chattahoochee water level by two feet at City Mills, decreasing the available head at that site.

Eagle and Phenix hoped, by acquiring the City Mills property, to forestall legal interference with its construction program. The transaction, however, involved responsibility as well as gain for the Eagle and-Phenix Mills. A condition of the purchase was that Eagle and Phenix maintain in good condition the City Mills dam. The old wood structure leaked badly and sagged in places below its original height. Consequently, Eagle and Phenix in made extensive repairs to the dam, supervised by company engineer D. W. Champagne. This "new" wooden dam was of a type known as a rafter dam. Cheap log crib- bing was incorporated with more sophisticated frame construction, a com- bination providing a relatively solid dam at low cost.

The dam still zigzagged across the Chattahoochee, supported by outcroppings of rock. In George A. Pearce, who had leased the City Mills since purchased the property from the Eagle and Phenix Mills. An impor- tant aspect of his expansion program of the mill were his plans for increased river utilization at the site. Construction of the flour mill necessitated additional power facilities; the 75 horsepower developed by the three corn mill turbines was insufficient for both mills. The com- pany in built a small wheelhouse adjacent to the west wall of the flour mill (see photos CRR 2, CMC Three 66-inch specially built Leffel turbines drove, via vertical shafts and bevel gearing, the main drive shaft of the new mill (see photo CMC 11 and Columbus Drawing 6).

Three millwright's wheels (see CMC photo devices which control the opening of the turbine wickets, were located on the grinding (second) floor of the mill. A person on the grinding floor could open or close the wickets, regulating the speed of the turbines and therefore the speed of the grinding stones. Pearce's plans for power generation at the site went beyond satis- fying h.is own requirements. In the section of the wooden dam running west from the corner of the old corn mill was replaced by a higher rock wall forming the bulkhead of the new wheelhouse and extended beyond it 35. feet into th.e river (see'Site Plan, Columbus Drawing 8). In the wall were two large "ways," each about 20 feet wide, through which workmen could draw off the ponded water when making repairs.

By the north-south extension of the dam was also replaced with stone City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 9) and reached 75 to 80 feet from the downstream wall to the eastern end of the wooden section, which extended about 500 feet to the Alabama shore. This improvement enhanced the power potential of the site.

(See CMC photos 13 and 14 for layout of dam.) Th.at Pearce originally Intended to provide a potentially signifi- cant power site is revealed in a report to his stockholders of Novem- ber 21, He announced the decision to sell to the Columbus Rail- road Company "the surplus power which we provided for when we built the extra stone wall and gates west of the flour mill." The Railroad Company leased both the site and the power it developed in its own power station, built in due west of the flour mill wheelhouse (see CRR photo 3). This station became the first centrally generating hydro- electric plant in Columbus (see HAER Report, "Columbus Railroad Company Powerhouse," for details of lease and subsequent history).

The Hardaway Contracting Company of Columbus late in started construction of the rubble masonry dam. The new structure did not fol- low the zig-zag shape of the earlier dams but ran straight back from the rock wall at the western end of the Columbus Railroad Company's power- house at an angle of approximately 20 degrees. The dam, resting not on rock islands but on solid bedrock, extended 700 feet across the river. This dam, completed in at a total cost of continues to pond water for the City Mills Company. (See CMC photo One result of this construction was an increase of one-third in the power imported to the mill's turbines. This increase had been demanded by the increased utilization of the water power site, and by the expansion of the gristmill.

The additional power available enabled the mill, in turn, to again improve and extend its facilities. Many of the improvements involved the wheelhouse of the two mill buildings. From to excavation of the riverbed beneath the old corn mill deepened the wheelpits and cleaned the tailrace. In the wooden walls and ceiling of this wheelhouse were replaced by con- crete, leaving the wooden wheelpit floor and head gutters. The existing wheelhouse for the flour mill was built during the same period; the concrete support of this building bears the date Three new turbines replaced the old and were fed through four grated intake gates. These improvements were a direct response to construction of the new dam.

Pearce's heavy investment in hydroelectric power at the City Mills site was threatened by the troublesome and erratic flow of the Chatta- hoochee River (for discussion of problems engendered by low and high water, see "Water Development at the Falls of the Chattahooch.ee," HAER Report, Low water plagued the installations at the site; the Columbus Railroad Company feared difficulties meeting its power City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 10) commitments. Hie dam required continual patching to ensure adequate water flow through the turbines. Tiring of this uncertain situation, City Mills, late in began to take contractors' bids for a new stone dam to be built across the Chattahoochee. -"Several reasons prompted construction at this time in addition to the constant repair work required on the old dam.

Extensions and improvements to the milling facilities (see "Milling Machinery Development") demanded increased power. The demand for elec- tricity was increasing; the Columbus Railroad had developed additional horsepower in increasing their rent due to the City Mills Company, and the City Mills directors were confident the railroad company would develop and pay for still more. The full and secure utilization of the developed power at the site required a stronger, more efficient dam. The new stone.dam, constructed between and represented an investment in the future of hydroelectricity at the site. Unfortunately for Pearce, circumstances external to his own company destroyed the future of hydroelectric generation at the site.

In the Columbus Power Company built a large hydroelectric facility at North Highlands (see Columbus Drawing The Columbus Railroad Company used that station as an alternate source of wholesale power, which it distri- buted to Columbus over its own wires. The railroad company was contem- plating much larger developments upstream. By the year of consoli- dation of several upriver power interests (including affiliates of the Columbus Railroad Company), the City Mills powerhouse was overshadowed by existing and planned developments. (See "Water Power Development at Falls of the Chattahoochee" report for details.) The City Mills Company consequently experienced difficulties realizing an acceptable return on its investment in hydroelectric power.

From through Pearce sought through a series of lawsuits to force the railroad company to pay rent for the additional horsepower which it had developed but no longer used. The controversy was finally settled in by an agreement establishing a fixed rental for the railroad company's two western turbines independent of actual use, in exchange for removal from the City Mills pond of condensing water for the railroad company's steam plant. Upriver construction and water utilization was a problem for the City Mills Company in another respect. Pearce was concerned with the effect of water storage at North Highlands on the volume of water available at the City Mills' turbines.

He also attempted to forestall diversion of water from his pond by the Columbus Water Works Company; an agreement was finally reached in after -six years of controversy. The many users of the Chattahoochee were crowding each other, and City Mills seemed especially pinched. Until the City Mills Company used its turbines exclusively City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 11) to provide mechanical power for grist-milling operations; Pearce pur- chased all his electricity from the Columbus Power Company.' During 1919,.several factors prompted City Mills to install a 175^kilowatt General Electric generator above the westernmost turbine of the flour mill wheelhouse. The Columbus Railroad Company had proposed an increased charge of.

electricity in the old corn.mill just at a time when more power was required. The expansion of facilities on the east side of the property (e.g., the new concrete grain elevator) rendered the wire rope transmission from the corn mill turbines to the elevators and warehouse insufficient. City Mills was forced to pay increased charges for more power, or to provide itself with, electricity. The power developed at the flour mill wheelhouse had always con- siderably exceeded what could be used in the new mill. Installation of the generator alleviated the power imbalance between the two mills. The generator provided lighting, supplementary power for the elevator, and power for dryers and unloading machinery. It also drove a corn shucker and sheller installed at the same time as the generator.

The generator was placed on the second story of the flour mill wheelhouse, adjacent to the. grinding floor of the mill.' The vertical shaft from the turbine continued through the horizontal gearing for the main drive shaft to the generator on the floor above. The generator, with a Type -Woodward Company governor and oil pump (installed in a Westinghouse Type 10-horsepower direct current exciter, and a General Electric switchboard panel, remain in place in this room. (See Columbus Drawings 4b and 5 Section AA, CMC photos 16 and 17; see also Appendix 3.) This addition helped solve the power problem in the old mill. The added security was enhanced by a flexible arrangement of the power transmission network.

If operation of the older water turbines were impaired, all the grain-handling machinery could be run by electricity, probably via belting from electrically powered to water-driven shafting. City Mills nonetheless continued efforts to increase the efficiency of its water-driven apparatus. In the company placed a 45-inch Samson turbine under the old corn mill,.and another was installed in These joined two 40-inch wheels installed in In the flour mill, all three .wheels were replaced in by three 62-inch Leffel Samson turbines. The company employed useable parts of the worn 20- year-old wheels when possible, cutting the installation cost to George-A. Pearce died on August 11, and J. P. Illges, whose family had long been prominent stockholders, succeeded him as president.

The severely depressed economic conditions seemed to inhibit Illeges's commitment to improvements, particularly regarding work on the dam and City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 12) powerhouses. Only makeshift repairs were made on badly rotted water- gates and rusted turbine runners. City Mills, now realizing the insig- nificance of the central station at the. site, was anxious, to avoid major repairs while waiting for the power company to allow its. lease to lapse on the unused powerhouse (which it finally did in Since the turn of the century, production of corn meal and feed were increasingly important in the city's product line (_see "Business History"). Improvements in the late reflected this increased significance. Production of meal and feed centered in the old corn mill and warehouse.

In the company remodelled and rebuilt the corn mill wheelhouse, providing concrete floors and walls and a new steel headgate. The same year, City Mills placed in operation a kVA Westinghouse generator on the first floor of the corn mill. It produced 600-volt 3-phase 60-cycle current at 600 Three new 45- inch Leffel Samson turbines, replacing the four older ones in the remodelled wheelhouse, powered the generator, which apparently met most of the power requirements for the mill. The company expected the generator, coupled with the new turbines in the remodelled wheelhouse, to facilitate mill operation during high water. These turbines, the generator, and a Woodward Type governor (part of the original installation) remain, with their belts and drive shaft, in the corn mill. (See CMC photo

Present-Day Use

None of the hydromechanical or hydroelectric equipment in the corn mill is presently in use. Operations ceased in that building in the late The tailrace running beneath the flour mill has been bricked at the northern end, rendering the corn mill turbines inoperable, The electrical equipment on the second floor of the flour mill does not function. All electricity is purchased from the Georgia Power Company. Of great interest in the flour mill powerhouse is the still-func- tioning easternmost water turbine (installed in The mill manager occasionally employs this turbine to power an auger conveyor carrying grain from the production area of the old warehouse to a "standby" Gruendler pulverizer in a shed east of the flour mill grinding floor.

The rusted and inefficient turbine spins the mill's main drive shaft, belted from the large easternmost pulley to a drive shaft and countershafting on the third floor, which motivate the conveyor. The turbine is also capable of powering an old freight elevator in the southeast corner of the flour mill which, although still operable, is not generally used. Two lether belts connect the third floor drive shaft to the elevator mechanism. When the elevator is stationary, the belts are each engaged to a loose idler pulley. One belt is threaded so as to criss-cross itself as it stresses -across the room, reversing the direction of.rotation of its pulley. The other belt is threaded City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 13) normally. The idler pulleys therefore spin in opposite directions.

Between them is a tight pulley belted to the.small spindle, mechanism which winds the elevator cable. A double control rope in the elevator shaft activates.one of two.bolt mechanisms, which lifts one of the moving belts onto the center pulley. The elevator cable winds or unwinds, moving the platform up or down, depending on which belt has been transferred, (See CMC photo The two other turbines remaining in the wheelhouse, and transmis- sion shafts in the mill, no longer function.. They do remain in place, giving an accurate picture of the power facilities when the mill was operating. (See also "Milling Machinery Development.")

Milling Machinery Development

Until the City Mills did only stone grinding. In ante bellum years production was small, with only four stones installed. The corn mill was slightly larger, with a run of five stones. It has been already noted that when George A. Pearce organized the City Mills Company in he intended it to be a large, important concern. Not only had the flour mill, with its 13 run of stones, a greater capacity than the corn mill; in Pearce introduced stands of rolls into his partially constructed mill. Roller milling, intro- duced in the United States in the produced a much finer, whiter flour.

The largest mill in Columbus, Empire Mills, had introduced roller grinding at least a decade earlier; Pearce was placing himself in a position to compete successfully with Empire Mills in the manufacture of fine flour. (See "Business History for discussion of the broader significance of roller milling in the company's history.) Pearce continued modernization through the following two decades. In he partially replaced his reel system of flour separation with a modern sifter process, noting that "the flour machinery has advanced with the progress of the times." In heavier, more stable shafting went into service in the flour.mill.

The improvements made on the dam and powerhouses between and doubled the available power to the mill, and additions to the mill- ing machinery took advantage of the increase. In the handling capacity of the grain elevator, powered by corn mill turbines, was doubled. By the company had remodelled the corn mill itself, add- ing new corn-stones, corn cleaning machinery, and heavier shafting. A major change in flour mill equipment accompanied the renova- tion of the flour mill wheelhouse. The building then housed, in addition to flour rollers, 12 run of stones of 180 revolutions and two run of 400 revolutions. (See Appendix 1 for mill equipment in prior to this renovation.) These stones probably ground corn rather than flour.

City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 14) During Pearce removed this equipment and installed a large hursting frame (bursting refers to the wooden framework supporting the grindstones of a mill) 45 feet in length, with vertical timbers 12 feet 2 inches high and 11 inches square. This frame was designed to support eight stones (although only-seven were installed'at City Mills), as well as the main drive shaft of the mill. This frame, extending from the first to the second level of the building, remains standing with all its shafting and gearing in place, providing an accurate picture of its connections when installed in (see CMC Drawings 5, Section AA, and 6), A heavy drive shaft runs from the wheelhouse into the mill, passing through the frame.

At the west end of the frame are three driving, wheels; the westernmost turns a thick leather belt extending to the fourth floor; the others drove equipment installed in later years, as did the large wheel at the east- ern end of the frame. (See CMC photos 20, 21, The gearing for the seven 48-inch horizontal grindstones can be seen within the cogpit of the hursting framework (see photo CMC 23, Drawing 5, detail A and C). The large vertical gears, turning with the main drive shaft, once engaged the smaller horizontal gears which send narrow shafts to the stones, but the gear teeth have now been separated by several inches (see CMC photo' ).

Seven bedstones and six runner stones remain in place and last ground corn in the (see photo CMC Both the grindstone rotation and the turning of the main drive shaft generated vibrations which could be dangerous if transmitted to the building and foundation. For this' reason, the frame is not bolted directly to the floor of the mill but rests on 11 wooden pads, which isolate the frame's vibrations. (See CMC photo Subsequent history of the City Mills Company suggests that Pearce's continuing efforts to modernize were ineffectual because of the small size and the geographic location of his mill (see "Business History").

Despite improvements in to the flour mill (perhaps in anticipation of an increased war demand) which enabled the mill to handle better qualities of hard wheat, corn products and animal feed continually increased in importance at the expense of flour throughout the century. By the end of the the City Mills establishment strongly reflected this trend (see Appendix 2), In the- corn mill, the turbines powered 13 corn grindstones.

Also on the grinding floor of this mill stood a Draver mixing apparatus (see "Present-Day Process Flow" for description) for combining a number of ground products for feed (today, a set of Dravers remain in the grinding floor of the corn mill behind a wall at the southern -end of the room,' which might have been their loca- tion in the [See photo CMC City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 15) # In the flour .mill, corn ran through the eight grindstones. Eigh- teen 9-inch double roller mills devoted to flour and three devoted to feed also stood on the grinding floor. The company had a daily capa-. city of barrels of flour and bushels of meal. All the mill products were packed on the third floor of the flour mill, carried there by conveyor systems.

(Some of this equipment, including the feeder bin for the bag closing machine, remains on the third and fourth floors.) (Photos CMC 26 and 27; see also Appendix 3.) In the company concentrated its feed operations in a modern feed mill (location not specified), The managers at the same time installed on the second floor of the flour mill a large Gruendler pulverizing mill* a hammer mill used to crush a variety of grains used in feed. The machine was driven by a belt from the middle western wheel in the main drive shaft below. The profitable nature of the local feed business continued to com- pensate .for the small rewards from flour production. In the com- pany realized that its feed installation was too small and cramped for production of a quality feed at low cost.

The directors therefore agreed to rebuild the feed mill on three floors of the old warehouse. The bins and Dravers.installed are still used today for feed production (see "Present-Day Process Flow"). By three additional Gruendler pulverizers for feed production were in operation, two placed in line with the original machine on the flour mill grinding floor and one "standby" in a shed by the mill's eastern wall. The latter machine is still in use; the other three remain in place, beside three large air blowers which whisked chaff from the machines up pipes to the roof photo 28, Columbus drawing

Present-Day Process Flow

Animal feed has remained the major product of the City Mills Com- pany, which today supplies a small local market. The company cracks its own corn, grinds peanut hulls, and crimps oats. These are mixed with purchased pre-processed grains to produce scratch feed, pellets, and sweet or wet mashes. Employees unload grain from train cars to the lowest level of the mill. Elevators carry the grain to the fifth floor, where it either passes through or bypasses a cleaner (operated by a motor-driven shaft once turned by the rope drive). Chutes carry the grain to a grinding bin or to any of 16 storage bins in the old elevator, Grain must be removed to the three southernmost bins for conveyance by elevator to the production processes in the warehouse.

The production process at the mill involves three interdependent systems, the grain, the pellet, and the Braver systems. The product of the grain system is scratch grain, a dry mix of cracked corn, wheet, and other grains. Corn is brought by grain elevators to corn crackers on the third or fourth floor of the warehouse, where the corn is heated and City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 16) popped. The corn then travels through chutes (corn cracked on the third floor is.elevated-to these,chutes) to a.cleaner- Here, air removes the husks, dust, and fine dirt. Elevators then carry the corn to the fifth floor, where it is dumped into the fourth, floor corn bin above the Draver apparatus.

On the fifth floor, a roller either crimps, oats or prepares wheat, and feeds these grains into the appropriate bins, ab-ove the Dravers. The Dravers pass the grains to the second-floor bagging apparatus. The Dravers are used primarily, however, in the production of sweet or wet feeds. The main set of seven Dravers, similar to but larger than the old set in the corn mill, are on the third floor. The bin above each Draver holds a different grain. Lever-controlled "doors" allow predetermined amounts of each grain to drop into the Draver to be shaken and sifted onto the auger beneath. After a 90 turn, the con- veyor mixes the grains with molasses, piped from a tank on the fourth floor, and with ingredients from four additional Dravers.

These sweet feeds are also "bagged out" on the second floor. Peed pellets for chickens, pigs, rabbits, horses, and catfish are major products of the mill. Ingredients must be mixed in the proper proportions before entering the pellet machine. Until the mid-1960's, the Dravers did this .mixing. The present manager, believing the inaccuracies of the Draver system to be wasteful and expensive, installed a standard two-ton mixer on the second floor. On the floor above, electrically operated automatic batch scales measure and release grain from any of seven bins into the mixer far more accurately than could be done by the Dravers. Grain drops from the mixer into a surge bin on the first floor.

Elevators raise it to a holding bin on the third floor, from which it enters a Century 100 California Pellet Machine on the floor below. The pellets pass through a fan-operated cooler on the first floor, then are elevated to the fifth, where a shaker separates the pellets from.from smaller particles. Fully formed pellets move to the second-floor bag- ging area, while smaller material is returned to the pellet machine. The three production systems are not distinct. Corn and hulls ground at the mill can enter bins above either the Dravers or the mixer. Sweet feeds can be sent to the pellet machine as well as dry mixes. This interdependence allows the mill some flexibility of operation.

CONCLUSION Technological evolution is never isolated, but interacts continu- ally with other factors,, principally social and economic, and, increas- ingly, political. The history of City Mills reveals that, at least in the case of a small local gristmill, undoubtedly typical of many others, technological- development and investment were far more opportunistic City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 17) than rational, and calculated for survival rather than innovation. For example, City Mills did not install roller grinders when they were first introduced in the United States, despite their being the most advanced milling technology of the day. The previous investment in grinding stones, and the .-small size of the City Hills market, discour- aged installation.

Pearce finally installed rollers in the as part of his competitive bid for Empire Mills' fine flour market, a com- mercial rather than a technological consideration. The economic and commercial perspective is essential in understanding the slow adoption of a modern technique in this small Southern mill. Similar motivations are found in the company's move to animal feed manufacture. The removal of flour milling machinery from the site, the gradual addition and expansion of feed production, down to the newly installed batch mixer, clearly reflect the changes in the company's pro- duct line. This, in turn, was motivated by one concern: the continued commercial viability of the company.

Understanding the company's busi- ness history therefore aids interpretation of the technology extant (and removed) at the site. ' . Pearce's investment in hydroelectric power clearly illustrates the complex relationship of technology and economics. Pearce appreciated the clearly growing demand for electricity and expected to reap rewards from the Columbus Power Company station. Erratic river flow at this particular site, however, was intensified by its sandwiched position between the Eagle and Phenix and Columbus Power Company dams. Within a few years, technological advances in hydroelectric generation and power transmission, as well as the economy achieved by bulk power production, resulted in larger hydroelectric installations.

The Columbus power interests turned their attention to more valuable sites up the river; the City Mills powerhouse became obsolete within a decade after its construction. Pearce's initial investment had been heavy, and he invested still more in dam improvement, hoping to improve the quality of the site. Although the power station never fulfilled his expectations, Pearce's efforts had an interesting effect on his mill machinery. As the company improved its power facilities, milling capacity was expanded to take advantage of the power increases. Milling capacity was spurred beyond the mill's ability to find material to grind. The company's over-expan- sion, a serious business problem, was strongly interrelated with power development at the site.

During the crises of the two World "Wars and the Depression, Govern- ment intervention, in the flour and meal industries helped shape City Mills' commercial and technological development. .During the first World War, Government requirements prompted installation of dryers for wheat and corn and for the finished products, meal and grits. This City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 18) increased the company's ability to deal with damp grains and probably boosted the company's grits market for a short time after the war. During-World War II, the Government's exclusive patronage of more modern, larger mills ended the Government contracts which City Mills had secured during Depression years.

During the war, the company installed two new Gruendler grinders for feed production and dismantled the flour milling machinery. J.A. Consideration of all factors influencing the development of the mill as a whole is essential in understanding the technological evolu- tion of the company. The fact that City Mills "survived" so long, adapting its technology to a variety of changing circumstances, makes it an excellent study for exploring the important interaction between technical, economic, and social factors in American history. City mils HAER GA-25 (Page 19) Table 1. Products, City Mills Co., Gomoiied from the Sec* v-lreasurer' s Report for each year, City Mills Company Records. Figures for Tons Fancy Feed have not been employed.

Year Bus he In veal Tons .Mixed Feed .rrels Flour ' Graoh 1. 6 a JET D Bushels Heal Tons Mixed Feed 0) 3; 2oo Barrels Flour 00 I0o J ! mo 170 0 o 150 3& 7F o (40 23 7o 120 a^ 65! Z*i 60 ho 22 5* loe 20 50: 9^ IS AS. 30 l 4c "70 H 35 to la. 32 So 10 25 40 s 20; 30 6 15* J 4 to to 2 5. t ?6 I9*H JW IW City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 20) Footnotes 1. The grist mill upriver at the Clapp's Factory complex began operation in in Winter's Palace Mills was established; by the late Empire Mills opened for business In downtown Columbus. See John H. Martin, compiler, Columbus, Georgia, From Its Selection as a "Trading Town" in to Its Partial Destruction by Wilson's Raid in (Columbus, Ba. > Vol. I, 96, Vol.

II, 36, George White, Statistics of the State of Georgia, Savannah, Muscogee County Superior Court, Deed Book M, pp. 7 June p. 16 September 2. Scientific American V (29 June 1850)a Columbus Daily Engineer (CPE) 28 June Diffee William Standard, Columbus, Georgia, in the Confederacy^ The Social and Industrial Life of the Chattahoochee River Port, Columbus Enquirer-Sun, 4 September states specifically that the "large flouring mills" were not burned in however, the CPE wrote on 7 July that "messrs. Duer, Pridgen, Ligon, Stapler and others are rebuilding the City Mill above the Commons in the northern liberties." Even the foundation was new. In addition, the article "City Mills on the Chattahoochee," Miller's Review and Dixie Miller (January states on p.

11 that "a mill was standing there when the Federal raiders came in and they burned it." 3. It is possible that King supervised construction of the old mill at Clapp's Factory (see photos WPD 2, 3 and 4). In King was one of the most active and respected contractors in the Columbus area. He first came to Columbus with his master, John Godwin, a bridge-builder.

Godwin taught King the trade; together they constructed the first span across the river at Columbus in After going to Ohio, where King was freed in (avoiding the legal encumbrances to manumission in the Deep South), the pair returned to Columbus and worked together until Godwin's death in At the close of the Civil War, King was the most skilled builder in the region, and constructed covered bridges throughout the Chattahoochee Valley, including the "upper bridge in Columbus in See Columbus Daily Sun, 14 April 18 September 8 March 26 August CPE, 5 May 7 July "Horace King," typescript, Loretta Lamar Chappell, probable author, Columbus College Archives. 4. Columbus H.A.E.R.

team architect, Donald Stevenson, believes the mortise- and-tenon technique to be "background" in illustrating that King's primary training was in techniques prevalent in the and 5. CPE 8 September advertisement for Census Manuscript, Columbus industries, Georgia State Archives, Atlanta, Georgia; Report of the President, 31 October City Mills Company Records , Columbus, Georgia. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 21) 6. Nancy Telfair, A History of Columbus, Georgia, biographical sketch of G. A, Pearce; Charter and By-Laws of the City Mills Company, incorporated 2 June . 7. Secretary-Treasurer's Report, 1 January 8. Reports of the President, 15 November 31 October Minutes of Directors' Meetings 5 February 10 August CPE 1 May 4: 2; transcript of testimony during Columbus Power Company vs.

City Mills Company, vs p. The bound transcript was found in the City Mills records. The information here is, of course, possibly inaccurate, due to the vagaries of individuals' memories, and care was taken in interpreting testimony. 9 - CDE 1 May The Richmond City Mill Works were established in after Nordyke and Marmon moved their plant to Indianapolis from Richmond City. The new plant hired the skilled ex-employees of Nordyke and Marmon, and the company was quite successful. Richmond Daily Palladium (Richmond, Indiana), 3 January 10. Directors Meeting 9 November letter of D. T. Sullenberger to 17 January Report of the President, 11 November 11. President's Report 31 October Directors Meetings 16 December 9 January Secretary-Treasurer's Report 1 January 1 January 1 January 12.

Oral interview, and tour of City Mills, with Robert Wadkins, mill manager, conducted by John S. Lupold, Barbara A. Kimmelman, and J. B. Karfunkle, 24 June 19 77. 13. CPC vs. pp. CDE 8 September Census Manuscript, State of Georgia, Columbus industries. 14. Telfair, p. 67; The Industries of Columbus, Ga., Her Advantages as a Business Center, Manufacturing Locality and Healthful Habitation, booster pamphlet, Columbus, Ga., Gilbert, printer); CDE 8 September 15. Directors' Meetings, 25 September 5 February CDE 7 May In the Central of Georgia laid a second spur line to the City Mills property (President's Report, 7 November 16. Director's Meeting, 19 November 17. President's Report to Stockholders, 9 June President's Report, 21 November 18.

President's Report, 7 November 31 October City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 22) 19. Census Manuscript, State of Georgia, Columbus Industries; President's Report, 31-October CPC vs p. 149 (Pearce's testimony). 20. Ibid. 21. Presidents Report," 14 November 22. For impact of roller milling, and concentration of production in larger, midwestem establishments, see Herman Steen, Flour Hilling in America, (Indianapolis, 36, also David Wells, Recent Economic Changes quoted in Robert Keller, The Shaping of the American Past (Englewood Cliffs, p.

The tendency to concentrate capital in large establishments is well illustrated in the Census of Manufacturers; Georgia had grist milling establishments, with invested, while Minnesota had 436 establishments in which were invested (figures from Table V, Selected Statistics of Manufacturers by Counties, p. 23. In the annual value of products for Muscopee County grist milling totaled value of all county products was'$1,404,711. Muscogee County provided 8% of Georgia1s total annual value of flour and meal products out of Figures from Census of Manufacturers, Table II, "Recapitulation by Counties," pp.

In Muscogee County grist milling products totalled while the county value of all manufacturers totalled Figures from Census of Manufacturers, Table IV, "Manufacturers in Each State and Territory," pp. 24. The % increase in value of product for Georgia, in the 3 5-year periods, rose then dropped and Minnesota jumped 11, dropped 3, and upped again by 5; Kansas jumped in the first period, 2 8.9 in the second,before dropping ,1, Illinois jumped then before dropping 2.7 Figures from U. S. Bureau of Census of Manufacturers, Flour and Grist Mill Products, "Comparative Summary by States." 25. During this time, City Mills established agreements with Empire Mills, "its strongest competitor" in efforts to maintain prices.

President's Reports, 15 November 31 October 16 October 4 November 21 October 31 October 31 October memo August One interesting illustration of the mill's difficulties is Pearce's discussion in this report of 2 new turbines installed in the corn mill. He told his directors that he planned to use the new turbines "in making meal and handling the elevator at times we are unable to get enough to run the new mill." This, too, must have been a chronic problem. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 23) 26. President's Reports, 31 October 31 October 31 October j 27. President's Report, 31 October Regular Directors Meeting 10 March 28. "City Mills . . . "'Miller's Review, January 29.

The company directors dewailed government intervention in the flour and meal trade, blaming it for depressed conditions, although they did not hesitate to accept government business during the Depression. President's Reports 31, December 31 December Secretary- Treasurer's Reports 1 January 2 January Reports to directors and stockholders 8 January 8 January There were, of course, year-to-year fluctuations in demand for each product, but the general trend was as described. 30. Secretary-Treasurer's Report, 2 January 31. Figures from Secretary-Treasurer's Reports, 32. Secretary-Treasurer's Report 1 January Sollenberger letter 17 June 33. Secretary-Treasurer's Report 1 January 1 January 34. "Plan of Columbus, Georgia," map circa Columbus College Archives. 35.

Census Manuscript, State of Georgia, Columbus Industries; exam- ination of site. 36. Deed of transfer to the Eagle and Phenix Co., 14 February CPC vs. pp. 48, The crowding of users at the Chattahoochee Falls in Columbus resulted in many such difficulties. See also H.A.E.R. reports Eagle and Phenix Mills and Water Power Development at the Falls of the Chattahoochee for more detailed discussion. 37. CPC vs. pp. 22, (Champagne's testimony), 29 154 (Pearce's testimony), (workmen's testimony). A new, tighter dam would pond more water than City Mill's old dam, particularly compensating for Eagle and Phenix's increased dam height. 38. CPC vs. pp. 37. 39. Deed of transfer, Eagle & Phenix to Geroge A. Pearce and William Tillman, 2 October Deed of transfer, George A.

Pearce and William Tillman to City Mills Company, 2 October 40. Census Manuscript, State of Georgia, Columbus Industries; CPC vs. p. physical examination of the site. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 24) 41. CPC vs. pp. pencilled note in black of CPC vs. answering charges against President's report to stockholders, 21 November 42. President's Report'to Stockholder, 21 November 43. President's Report (Annual), 15 November 31 October 44. President's Report, 16 October Due to disruptive river flow and other unstated reasons, actual construction was not begun until President's Report, 11 November 45. President's Report, 18 November City Mills Co. vs. Columbia Power Co., petition of Muscogee Superior Court, Records of Writ p. 46.

President's Report, 11 November 16 November Telfair, in her biographical sketch of G. A. Pearce, discusses the dam at some length. 47. President's Report, 21 October 48. Letters to George J. Baldwin (Col. RR Co.) from L. F. Garrard, 6 November from maanger of Atlanta office of General Electric, 12 February from H. S. Reynolds, 10 December George J. Baldwin Papers, Columbus files, Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina; see also Power Station of the Columbus Railroad Company, H.A.E.R. Report H. S. Reynolds (Co. RR wrote in that "our old station is so poorly laid out that we are always in fear of either low water or high water. It is really of little value." 49.

Board of Directors Meeting, 10 May President's Reports, 21 October 31 October 31 October 31 October 31 October 31 October 31 October letters to G. A. Pearce from J. S. Bleecker (Col. RR 26 January 3 July copy of agreement between CMC and Col. RR Co., 1 July letter to Bladwin, 30 November to Stone and Webster from Baldwin, 15 November memo of 6 November letter to Pearce from Bleecker, 3 July Baldwin Papers, UNC. See Power Station of the Columbus Railroad Company, HAER, Report 19 77, for further details of the agreement. 50. Memo to Pearce from McNeill and Henry, 25 September letter to City of Columbus and the Board of Water Commissioners from 27 August Board of Directors Meeting, 5 March Presidents Reports, 21 October 31 October copy of agreement between CMC and Frederick M. Colston et.

al., 4 April letter to Baldwin from Reynolds, Baldwin papers, UNC. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 25) 51. President-'s Report, 31 October "City Mills . . .", Miller's Review, January 52. Examination of site; data on the equipment from the manufacturers plates. 53. President's Report* 31 October "City Mills . . .", Miller's Review, January 54. President's Report, 31 December letter from D. T. Sullenberger to 17 January "City Mills . . .", Miller's Review January 192 7. 55. President's Report, 31 December Report to Stockholders, 12 January Secretary-Treasurer's Report, 21 January Sullenberger letter, 17 January 56. Secretary-Treasurer's Report, 1 January 1 January memo from R. B. Betts (Eagle and Phenix, engineer) to G. A.

Byars, 20 June Eagle and Phenix Records, examination of site (manufacturers' plates) 57. Robert Wadkins interview. 58. All information through the end of this section from examination of the site. 59. Scientific American V (29 June 60. Director's Meeting, 9 November Sullenberger letter, 17 January 61. President's Reports, 31 October 16 October 62. This was certainly the case in later years (see Miller's Review article): the fact that Pearce replaced his old stones with new ones, rather than with rollers, suggest that they were intended to process corn. For equipment in see Sanborn Insurance Map, Columbus, Ga., Map Collection, University of Georgia. 63.

President's Reports, 11 November 31 October measurements of HAER architects, Columbus, Ga., Final installation was in mid- November at a total cost of over 64. Above description of hursting frame from examination of the site. 65. President's Report, 31 October City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 26) 66. Information in previous two paragraphs from "City Mills . . .", Miller's Review, January 67. President's Report, 31 October 68. Report to Stockholders, 8 January 69. Secretary-Treasurer's Reports, 1 January 2 January 1 January 1 January 70. All information in this section is drawn from the interview and tour with Robert Wadkins, mill manager. 71. President's Report, 31 October City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 27) # Bibliography Primary

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER GA,108-COLM,19-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

City Mills Company Records. Minutes of Board of Directors' meetings, copies of Presidents' and Secretary/Treasurers' reports, both manuscript and typescript, collected in volumes, from through the A remarkably complete collection, giving information on business history and technological development of the company. Columbus Power Company vs. City Mills Company, bound transcript of court case found in City Mills Company records. In addition to interesting (if possibly inaccurate) information on various aspects of the company's history, the transcript elucidates the hydropower development between and illustrates the difficulties arising between the cramped users of Chattahoochee River power. Interviews: Robert Wadkins, mill manager.

Interview (untaped) and tour of City Mills plant, 24 June 19 77, conducted by John S. Lupold, Barbara A. Kimmelman, and J. B. Karfunkle. Provided an excellent de- scription of the present-day process, as well as helpful verifi- cation of dates and events. Secondary "City Mills on the Chattahoochee," The Miller's Review and Dixie Miller (January 18. Excellent accounting of all milling machinery within the mill in City Mills HAEE GA-25 (Page 28) Appendix I. Machinery in City Mills, from Sanborn Insurance Maps of Columbus, Georgia, (map collection, University of Georgia). (This map numbers flours from basement, 1, 2 ... 5, I have number the floors in the text from . . 6) .

Flour Mill Basement: shafting and conveyors 1st : 11 stands of steel rollers (grinding) 12 run stone of 180 revolutions 2 run stone of 400 revolutions 2nd 1 bran duster 1 shorts duster 1 wheat steamer and 1 small 6 sacking machines 3rd 4 sifters, 4 reels, 4 bolts 1 140 barrel bin, one 500 bushel bin 4 th 4 purifiers, 2 scourers, 1 separator 1 sifter, 1 cockerel machine, and 4 reels. 5 th 3 reels, 1 screen, 4 cyclone dust collectors, 1 corn cleaning fan Grist (corn) Mill 1st 3 turbine wheels 2nd Grinding Attic Storage Capacity: 400 barrels of flour) bushels of meal ) per 24 hours City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 29) Appendix II. Equipment at City Mills side, by floor, in Prom "City Mills on the Chattahoochee," Miller's Review and Dixie Miller (Jan. , 18 - ?

Old Com Mill Wheelhouse floor) - 2 40" Samson Leffel upright turbines, 4 45" Samson Leffel upright turbines. Grinding floor floor) - 13 48" corn stones, upper runners, 3 feed buns with draver feeders (chick feed); 1 corn bin. Third floor - 1 Woldron corn cleaner; 3 hexagon reels (meal); 1 double Barnard and Leas roll; corn bins; 1 Nordyck and Marmon packer. Fourth floor - 2 hexagon reels (meal); 1 reel, size unspecified, (chick feed); 1 bin; 1 meal packer; 1 suction fan and dust collector; 1 large Komemade cyclone dust collector for corn separators; 8 elevator heads.

Flour Mill Wheelhouse - 3 62" Samson improved upright turbines hp under 9 foot head)- [First floor - hursting and main drive shaftj Grinding floor floor) - eight runs of 48" cornstones; conveyor to bucket grain elevators; 21 double roller mills, 9" diameter; 18" Munson Machinery Company attrition mill; 2 Alsop electric bleachers; (in 2nd floor of wheelhouse) 1 175 Kw. General Electric generator, for light and power to corn sheller, dryer fans and unloading machinery. Third floor - 3 flour packers, 1 Nordyck and Marmon shorts duster; 1 bran duster; 6 No. 2 Buckleys, 2 Richardson Automatic Scales; 1 belt conveyor; 1 Economy bag closing machine; 1 magnetic separator; 4 20-inch Alsop agitator on draver feeder. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 30) Appendix II, cont'd.

Fourth floor - 3 wheat scourers; 1 Perfection dust collector, 3 Great Western sifters; 28 sieves; 3 Nordyck and Harmon purifiers; 2 Gardner sifters and mixers Fairbanks hopper scale capacity); 1 Nordyck and Marmon shorts duster and 1 Nordyck and Harmon bran duster; 3 flour feeders; 3 hexagon reels; bins. Fifth floor - 1 Century Milling separator; 1 large Howes scourer, on corn; 2 hexagon reels for meal bolters; 4 round flour reels Nordyck and Marmon centrifugal reels on flour; 2 Nordyck and Marmon sifters; 5 Nordyck and Marmon purifiers; 2 exhaust fans on flour mill rolls; 1 magnetic (Howes Co.) separator on wheat; Perfection dust collector.

Sixth floor - 1 Carter oat separator; 1 magnetic separator on corn; 4 Perfection dust collectors; feed exhuast purifiers; 1 30-inch exhaust fan for feed rolls; 3 hexagon reels on feed; 2 round reels on flour; 1 24-inch aspirator with fan; 67 elevator heads for wheat, corn, and flour. City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 31) Appendix ill. Equipment Remaining in Old Mills by Room Flour Mill Powerhouse 1st floor 3 Leffel Samson turbines, installed engaged to main drive shaft of mill; easternmost still in operation; westernmost adapted to power electric generator (no longer used). Main drive shaft with all necessary gearing, extending into first floor of flour mill.

3 driving wheels (and belts) to 2nd floor electrical equipment westernmost belts to governor, middle to oil pump (part of governor system) , easternmost to generator. 2nd floor 1 General Electric Alternating Current Generator (installed GE, Schenectady, No. Type ATB - Form PB; I.S. [power factor]. 8; 3-phase, 217 amps, 60 cycles [volts illegible], This is the original generator installed in the building. 1 Woodward Waterwheel Governor', Woodward Governor Company, Rockford, Illinois. Type No. size last patent date 11 August 1 Westinghouse direct current exciter, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh Works, East Pittsburgh, Pa.

Type 10 115 volts, 76 amps, Style 74C Frame 53, Hours 24; last.patent date 13 May 1 General Electric Switchboard panel* 1 variable resister, and panel containing GE frequency recorders, voltmeters, ammeters, and 1 Allis-Chalmers "Socking Contact" regulator. 1 "main" enclosed in pipe from generator from switchboard, and from switchboard out east wall of powerhouse. (Note: switchboard equipment is probably not the original installation, and is of little historical interest) City Kills HAER GA-25 (Page 32) Appendix III, cont'd.

Flour Mill 1st floor 1 main drive shaft 4 driving wheels on shaft (one at east side of hursting frame) 1 thick leather belt from westernmost driving wheel, extending to mill's 4th floor 1 narrower belt to Gruendler grinders on third floor 1 hursting frame 7 bevel gear complexes (to grindstones) within cogpit of bursting frame 2nd floor 7 run of grindstones (one runner stone removed). metal pipes suspended from 3rd floor (fed grain to stones) 3 Gruendler Crusher and Pulverizer "hammer -mills." 3 blowers with metal pipes to root several stand of rolls. 3rd floor 1 wheel and drive shaft (operating) 1 freight elevator mechanism (shaft runs through all six floors of the mill), two leather belts to drive shaft.

1 operating auger conveyor, with gear complex, and belt and countershafting from floor's main shaft. 1 A. 0. Braff "Auto-Sacker", Serial No- last patent date October 1 Unique suspended Flour Hopper Scale. 3 wooden suspended bins (similar to "Auto-Sacker"). City Mills HAER GA-25 (Page 33) Appendix III, cont'd. Com Mill 1st floor (wheelhouse) a 3 Leffel Samson turbines (installed 2nd floor 1 Westinghouse alternating current generator (installed Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. 312 kva, 600 volts, 3-phase, 60 cycles, 600 Serial No. S.O. 47A 39. 1 Woodward Waterwheel Governor, Type , No. Size last patent date 11 August Drive shaft, gearing and belting to generator and governor. 1 Draver mixing apparatus with conveyor (behind wall at . southern end of room).

No significant machinery on upper floors.