Due to the demand of its textile products, it became necessary for Mayo Mills to expand its
operation. Rather than adding onto the existing Mayo Mills factory, it was decided that a new mill
would be built about 2 miles up the river. The new mill, to be called Avalon Mills, was to be built with expansion plans
before it was even constructed. The end walls of the mill were to be wooden so they could be
removed without too much difficulty for expansion later on. The original building was only about
1/4th as large as planned expansion. The main building was four stories with brick front and back
walls. The building was 185 feet long and 104 feet wide with an external boiler room and machine
shop. A tower on one end, which was the "rope tower", may have also housed a 9000 gallon standing
water tank. The boiler was wood fired and provided heat for the mill during winter using bare
overhead steam pipes. The mill had electric lights, using power from Southern Electric Co. out
of Charlotte NC. These lights had the capacity of 1,000 16 candlepower lamps.
Mechanical energy to drive the machinery was generated by the Mayo River. A stone dam was
built up river about 1/3 mile. The dam diverted water from the river into a manmade canal
about 20 feet wide to a bulkhead located just in front of the mill. The bulkhead screened trees
and other debris out of the water. From the bulkhead, the water flowed underneath the mill to
the machine shop behind the mill. Located in the machine shop were 2 1200 horsepower S.Morgan
Smith Turbine Water wheels. The water wheels, using pulleys and ropes in the rope tower, turned
one shaft on each floor of the mill at a rate of about 300 rpm. These shafts supplied the energy
required to run the machines. The machine shop also housed the fire pump. A 9000 gallon water
tank combined with a 1000 gallon per minute S.M. Smith Rotary pump kept continuous pressure
available for the Grinnell glass disc fire sprinkers. The new mill had one of the most
advanced fire extinguishing systems available during the time.
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