Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/401

 SLATER

SLAUGHTER

which he concealed, trusting his memory entirely as to the construction of the machinery in the Arkwright and Strutt mills. He left Derbyshire for London, Sept. 1, 1789, sailing for New York, Sept. 13, and reaching that port after a passage of sixty-six days. He engaged with the New York Manufacturing company, and finding no encouragement for the introduction of improved machinery in New York, he planned to go to Philadelphia, but was induced by Capt. Brown, of the New York and Providence packet line, to correspond with Moses Brown, of Providence, R.I., who was then attempting to operate a spinning-jenny, built by Daniel Anthony and others in 1787. This spinning frame, of thirty- two spindles, had been set up in an old fulling mill at Pawtucket, where Brown undertook to operate it by water power but found the machin- ery too loosely built. This early effort at spin- ning cotton with a Hargreaves jenny determined Moses Brown to obtain the services of young Slater, with the hope of securing the Arkwright spinner, then successfully operated in English cotton mills. He took him to Pawtucket and there showed him the machinery then in partial operation, which Slater condemned and offered to replace by new machinery with three cards, drawing and roving, and two spinning frames, one for twenty-four, and the other for forty-eight spindles, after the Arkwright patent, then un- known in America, and to put it in operation, making its success a condition of receiving any remuneration except one dollar per day. He did the work from memory and almost entirely with his own hands, and at the end of the year 1790 had it in. successful operation. In 1793, Almy, Brown & Slater built a new factory, the first American mill entirely equipped with American built machinery, which they set in motion July 12, and the original seventy-two spindles taken from the old fulling mill, gradually increased as the demand for American spun cotton yarn called for a supply. His success induced capital to in- vestment in cotton spinning, and in 1798 Mr. Slater, with Oziel Wilkinson, Timothy Green, and William Wilkinson, built a second mill on the east side of the Pawtucket river, the firm be- ing Samuel Slater & Co. After this mill had been operated for some time, five or six of the hands left and erected for themselves a small mill, and by 1812 more than one hundred fac- tories operating 80,000 spindles, had been started in different parts of the country, each drawing its knowledge of the business from Samuel Slater's mill in Pawtucket. He was the first in America to introduce Sunday-schools among the laborers in factories, and from Pawtucket they were in- troduced into Providence in 1815, by William Jenkins, a clerk with Mr, Slater. At first the

schools were designed for general instruction and subsequently biblical instruction was added by religious societies. In 1806 Mr. Slater was joined by his brother John, also an English cotton spin- ner, who had determined to make his home in America, and in 1807 the}' erected at North Smithfield, R.I., a cotton mill, which, under the supervision of John Slater. i)roved very profitable, and the village and mill became known as Slater- ville. In 1812 he erected mills at " Oxford South Gore," (afterward East Webster) Mass., increas- ing their capacity each year, and in 1815-16 he added to the enterprise the manufacture of woolen cloth. He introduced the spinning of thread from cotton for domestic use in sewing in 1793. In 1811 he took into partnership Mr. Bela Tiffany, a former clerk, and Slater & Tiffany erected the first cotton mill built on the French river, which led to the establishment of woolen and cotton mills and the incorporation, in 1832, of the town of Webster and the village of East Webster, Mass. Mr. Slater took especial interest in the improvement of roads, and invested largely but not profitably in turnpike stock. In 1822, his attention being directed to the great capabilities of the Amoskeag falls on the Merrimac river, he purchased the property controlling the water- power and founded the manufacturing interests of Manchester, N.H. In the financial revulsion of 1829 he met with heavy pecuniary losses, but by making heroic sacrifices he passed the ordeal with unimpaired credit and added to his property the Providence Steam Mills and the mills at Wilkinsonville, in Sutton, Mass. He was mar- ried soon after arriving in America to Hannah, daughter of Oziel Wilkinson of Pawtucket. She died in 1812, leaving ten children. His second wife, who survived him, was Mrs, Esther Parkin- son of Philadelphia, He died in East Webster, Mass., April 21, 1835.

SLAUGHTER, Gabriel, governor of Kentucky, was born in Virginia, in 1767, He moved to Kentucky in childhood, became a farmer, and was a representative from Mercer countj' in the Kentucky legislature, 1799-1800. and senator, 1801-08, He was colonel of a Kentucky regiment at the battle of New Orleans, and won a vote of thanks from the legislature for gallant conduct. General Jackson entertained a high opinion of him as a soldier and pa- triot. He was a man of determined firmness, and in that respect resembled Jackson. On one oc- casion, while acting as president of a court-mar- tial the result of which was not in accordance with General Jackson's views, the court was ordered to reverse its proceedings, but Slaughter