LOWELL (ante), a city in n.e. 'Massachusetts, the terminus of the Boston and Lowell, the Nashua and Lowell, the Stony Brook, Lowell and Andover, and the Framingham and Lowell railroads; 2,587 acres; pop. '80, 59,485. It is one of the largest manufactur ing cities in the United States, its industries havim, been the foundation and subsequent basis of its prosperity. Its natural advantages adfacilities for the economical outla.y of capital are unsurpassed, and the use made of them is unexampled. The Merrimac river, near the mouth of the Concord river, furnishes its water-power, and affords a charming addition to the landscape as viewed from Belvidere, in the e. portion of the city, a quarter occupied by the wealthiest residents. Along the wide avenue leading from this suburb a view may be obtained of the broad, winding river, the great compactly built factories, like grim stone palaces, their windows refracting the sun's rays with a metallic luster or revealing the gaslight through myriads of starry panes, the busy toiling city below, and the White mountains gleaming through miles of misty distance, with Mt. Wachusett and the Monadnock in grand relief. It received its city charter in 1836, and is governed by a mayor, a board of aldermen of 8 members, and a common council of 24. It originally comprised the town of East Chelmsford, receiving subsequently parts of Dracut and Tewksbury. It is well paved, well drained, and well lighted with gas. It has a fine city hall, other public halls of convenient size, a city libraiT of 17,000 volumes, a mechanics' library of 13,000, a court-house, 7 national banks with an aggre gate capital of $2,350,000, 6 savings banks, 2 hospitals, 2 insurance companies, a Roman Catholic orphan asylum, an old ladies' home, a young women's home, a good fire depart ment with an electric fire alarm, a well organized police force, and a horse railroad. It was named in honor of Francis C. Lowell of Boston. Its water-works, finished in 1873 and costing $1,500,000, supply it with pure water. The river at this point has a fall of 33 ft., and the water-power is owned by a company chartered in 1792, called the Pro prietors of the Locks and Canals on Merrimac River, which purchased the canal privi lege in 1821, adding to it and constructing another canal in 1847, the first cotton mill being erected in 1822. This company lease at the present time water-power equal to 10,000 horse-power for purposes of manufacture. Its water-power on the Concord river, leased by the Wamesit company is equal to 500 horse-power. The entire capital involved in its manufactures, and controlled by 12 companies, is estimated at $16,000,000, employing 16,000 operatives, of which 10,000 are females, producing 2,660,000 yds. of cotton weekly, of woolen eloth 60,000, carpeting 37,500. Number of shawls weekly, 2,500; dozens hosiery weekly, 16,800; lbs. of cotton consumed, 780,000; of clean wool, 152,500; yds. dyed and printed annually, 64,951,200. It has 80 mills, and over 678,521
spindles, Iooms 15,189, governed by 9 corporations, making use of 50 steam engines, of 6,188 horse-power in addition to the waterpower. Among the largest corporations is the Merrimac manufacturing company having 5 mills and print works, running 158,464 spindles and 3,045 looms, employing 1800 females and 900 males. The consumption of cotton is 148,000 lbs. per week, making 830,000,yds. per week, and dyeing and printing 900,000 yds. Forty engines, equal to 3,800 horse-power, are used, and 6 turbine wheels ta carry the water-power. Other corporations are the Lowell inanufacturing company, the Tremont and Suffolk mills, the Lawrence manufacturing company, and the 'Massachusetts cotton mills; the smallest capital employed being $1,200,000, and the largest $2,500,000. They produce prints, drillings, cotton sheetings and shirtings, carpets (made by the Lowell manufacturing company), ingrain, Bnissels, and Wilton, as beautiful and as dura ble as the best French and English make. They employ 1700 hands, 600 females in 1 spinning mill, 3 carpet mills, and 1 fine worsted mill; consuming 70,000 lbs. of wool and making 48,000 yds. of carpet per week, the machinery being run by a 450 horse power Corliss engine. The buildings and property connected with these mills cover 10 acres. Other manufactures are serges, cassimeres, and beavers. The Lawrence company has 550 knitting machines, producing 12,000 doz. of cotton and merino hosiery weekly. The Appleton company added a new mill in '74. Each company owns the large boarding houses, which are exhibited to the tourist as models, being built for the exclusive use of the operatives. They have also a hospital, where the sick operatives receive free attend ance, if unable to pay. There are manufactories of edge tools, files, screws, machinery, boilers, fixed ammunition and cartridges, paper, hair felt, elastic goods, carriages, fur niture, pumps, hydraulic presses, bobbins, and chemicals. Among its iron works are the Lowell machine shops, incorporated 1845, with a capital of $600,000, employing 1250 hands; the American bolt company, the Swaine turbine company, and It. Kitson's cotton machinery manufactory. Patent medicines are manufactured by Dr. J. C. Ayer Co., printing 10,000,000 almanacs annually. The Lowell bleachery, with a capital of $300,000, employing 400 hands, dyeing 15,000,000 yds., and bleaching 10.000,000 lbs. annually. The city has beautiful public squares, and in the midst of the city's turmoil and traffic stands the monument to Ladd and 1Vhitney, who were killed by a mob while marching through Baltimore with the 6th Mass. volunteer militia, April 19, 1861. The female operatives of its mills formerly supported a periodical called the Lowell Offi,ring, famous as an exponent of the intelligence, thrift, and ambitious self-respect of the working-girl of Lowell.