DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

S. W. STRATTON, Director

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS—No. 19

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND

ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE

HELD AT THE BUREAU OF

STANDARDS, WASHINGTON

MAY 21-22, 1917

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1918

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

S. W. STRATTON, Director

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS—No. 19

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND

ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE

HELD AT THE BUREAU OF

STANDARDS, WASHINGTON

MAY 21-22, 1917

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1918

CONTENTS

Pag9

List of persons who attended the conference 5 FIRST SESSION

Opening address, by S. W. Stratton 7 The results of a new method of combining fibers, by William D. Hartshome. . . 8 Humidity in cotton mills, by F. Gordon Cobb 11 The difference between commercial grading of cotton and grading for spinning

purposes, by F. Gordon Cobb 13 A key to the nomenclature of textiles, by Louis Harmuth 15 Cotton wastes, by William N. Randle 18 The conservation of garments in laundering, by H. G. EUedge 22 Present and future textile laboratories in western land-grant colleges, by Ruth

O 'Brien 30 Modem methods of testing blankets for heat transmission, by George B. Haven . 33 Comparative service tests of cotton and wool bunting, by Walter S. Lewis and

Charles J. Cleary 41 SECOND SESSION

Opening address, by William C. Redfiield 46

Classification of raw silks and standardization of tests, by J. A. Scheibli 48

Classification of raw silks and standardization of tests, by Warren P. Seem. ... 55 A plan for the valuation of dyes, by Frederick Dannerth 63 Plea for a standard nomenclature for organic dyes, by Frederick Dannerth. ... 66 The testing and examination of Army cloth, by K. B. Lamb 69 Sewing machines and machine-made stitches, by S. George Tate 75 A method for testing fabrics at a standard moisture condition, by Charles D. Honiker 79 A society for the promotion of research work in textile technology, by S. W.

Stratton 83

3

LIST OF PERSONS WHO ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE

Arnold, L. L. Editor of Cotton, Atlanta, Ga. ArundalE, H. B. United States Conditioning & Testing Co., East Orange, N. J. Barnwell, E. H. Fabric manager, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. Barr, W. Manager of mill department, F. U. Steams Co., New York, N. Y.

Bemis, a. F. President Bemis Bros. Bag Co., Boston, Mass. BiviNS, P. A. Office engineer, Standard Oil Cloth Co., New York, N. Y. Boys, R. M. General superintendent, Goodyear Cotton Mills, Killingly, Conn. Brewster, E. W. Assistant superintendent, Plymouth Cordage Co., North Plymouth, Mass. Brodix, C. R. Union Special Machine Co., New Willard, Washington, D. C. Buckingham, F. Engineer, Riehle Bros. Testing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Butterworth, G. Carl, L. Manager, Botany Worsted Mills, Passaic, N. J. Cathcart, W. R. Technical director, mill and paper division, Com Products Refining Co., New York, N. Y. Chamberlin, W. E. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, D. C. Chittick, J. Consulting textile specialist, New York, N. Y. Clarke, A. H. Secretary to president, Bemis Bros. Bag Co., Boston, Mass. Clayton, H. D. Fellow in industrial research, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa. Cobb, F. G. Superintendent F. W. Poe Co., Greenville, S. C. Cobb, N. A. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Coffin, L. Samson Cordage Works, Boston, Mass. Cook, C. S. C. Spencer Turner Co., New York, N. Y. Cook, O. F. Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C. Cooper, J. W. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. Dannerth, F. Consulting chemist, Newark, N. J. Davis, E. H. Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. DOGGiTT, C. S. Professor of textile chemistrj^ and dyeing, Clemson College, South

Carolina. Doying, W. a. E. Inspecting engineer, Panama Canal, Washington, D. C. Earel, D. E. Department of Agruculture, Washington, D. C. EllEdgE, H. G. Industrial fellow. Laundry-Owners' National Association Industrial Fellowship, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa. Fay, J. W.

FiNCKEL, C. B. Textile expert. New York, N. Y.

Fish, G. Mill manager, Jenckes Spinning Co., Pawtucket, R. I. Gassman, H. a. Examiner analyst. United States appraiser's office. New York, N. Y.

Gaylor, F. GiBBS, H. D. Chemist in charge, color investigation laboratory. Bureau of Chemistry,

Washington, D. C. Gregory, A. E. Superintendent, Massachusetts Cotton Mills, Lowell, Mass. Harden, H. C. Superintendent of cotton mill, Somersworth, N. H. Harmuth, L. Fashion editor. Women's Wear, New York, N. Y. Harpell, J. J. Industrial and Educational Press (Ltd.), Montreal, Canada. Harris, G. S. West Point, Ga. HartshornE, W. D. Consulting engineer, Methuen, Mass. Hassett, p. J. Chemist, Remington Typewriter Co., Bridgeport, Conn. Haven, G. B. Professor of machine design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Mass. Hayes, F. A. Chief chemist, Boston, Mass. Holman, H. P. Assistant Chemist, Department of Agricultiure, Washington, D. C.

5
6 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

HoNiKER, C. D. Head of test and cost departments, Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills, Atlanta, Ga. Hook, R. W. Chemist in charge, Boston, Mass. HuTTON, C. Technical editor, Textile World Journal, Boston, Mass. Jaouith, H. J. Minot, Hooper & Co., New York, N. Y. JBLLEME, W. O. Technical superintendent, Brighton Mills, Passaic, N. J. JENKS, F. A. Special representative, Plymouth Cordage Co., North Pl3rmouth, Mass. Jury, A. E. Director, textile section. United States Rubber Co., Newark, N. J. Lamb, K. B. Textile expert, John Wanamaker, New York, N. Y. Lang, H. L. Scientific assistant. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Lanier, G. H. West Point Manufacturing Co., West Point, Ga. LevinE, B. S. Lewis, L. C Raw silk inspector, Wilkes-Barre Silk Co., Paterson, N. J. Lewis, W. S. Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. MiLLNER, J. A. Chief chemisl, Chicago, 111. MoLLER, K. William Whitman & Sons Co., Boston, Mass. Nelson, D. M. Textile chemist. Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, 111. Nolan, E. J. Examiner, United States Appraiser's Stores, New York, N. Y. O'Brien, Miss R. Instructor in textile chemistry, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa. OlnEY, L. a. Professor of chemistry and dyeing, Lowell Textile School, Lowell,

Mass. Pfeifper, a. E. Production engineer, Boston, Mass. Pierce, E. W. . Chief chemist, United States Conditioning & Testing Co., New

York, N. Y. PlunkETT, C. T. President, Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Co., Adams, Mass. Pratt, E. S. Assistant superintendent, Samson Cordage Works, Shirley, Mass. Radcliffe, F. p. Philadelphia, Pa. Randle, W. M. Director, textile department, Georgia School of Technology, Atlanta, Ga. Randle, Mrs. W. M. (Wife of above), Atlanta, Ga. RedFiELd, W. C. Secretary of Commerce, Washington, D. C. Reed, E. O. Head of planning department, Boott Mills, Lowell, Mass Richardson, H. B. ScHETBLi, J. A. Raw silk inspector, R. & H. Simon Co., Easton, Pa. Scott, H. L. Henry L. Scott & Co., Providence, R. I. Seal, C. B. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, D. C. Seem, W. p. General superintendent of throwing, Schwarzenbach Huber Co., Altoona, Pa. Shinn, J. H., jr. Superintendent, United States Conditioning & Testing Co., Phila- delphia, Pa. Skirm, G. W. Assistant general manager, U. and G. Rubber Manufacturing Co., Trenton, N. J. Spaethe, C. Research office, Botanj^ Worsted Mills, Passaic, N. J. vStanton, G. M. Manager testing machine department. New York, N. Y. Stoehr, M. W. Secretary and director. Botany Worsted Mills, Passaic, N. J. Stratton, S. W. Director, Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. SuTER, A. Textile engineer. New York, N. Y. Tate, S. G. Union Special Machine Co., Chicago, 111. Taylor, F. Office of Markets, Washington, D. C. Tretch, W. J. Superintendent, Riehle Bros. Testing Machine Co., PhiladelphiaPa. WalEn, E. D. Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. Warner, A. E. Chief chemist. Miller Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio. Waterman, C. H. T. Purchasing agent. Miller Rabber Co., Akron, Ohio. Welch, W. B. Purchasing engineer, Tidewater Portland Cement Co., Baltimore. Md.

WiLUNQMVRB. Q. T-
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE

CONFERENCE

Held at the Bureau of Standards, Washington, iMay 21-22, 1917

FIRST SESSION

OPENING ADDRESS

S. W. Stratton 1 We have invited you here for several purposes. Most importanc of all is the need

of your assistance in the development of the scientific work of the textile section

of the Bureau of .Standards. The textile industry is one of the oldest and best established in the countr}-, but it is not any further ahead in the applications of science than any of the other industries. We in this country- are coming to realize the great importance of the applications

of science in all kinds of industry'. The user of a material is interested in its adaptability and serviceability when applied to his special requireme.its. The manufacturer has, in addition, to concern himself with problems arising in producing his

material. Th; laboraLorv determines what are the essential features of the material

that make it good or bad. Whea these features become ev-ideat the manufacturer can be improved, and the product may be used more efficiently and more economically.

The Bureau of Standards is an institution equipped for scientific work of this kind. At the prese it time the.-e is great need of developing textile materials for specific purposes. An example of this wis called to our attention only a few days ago. As

you know, this country has been using silk for powder bags. The sudden increase

in the use of these containers threatens to cause a shortage, and it becomes necessary

to find a substitute for the silk. The possibility of the use of ramie and other fibers

to supersede linen in the construction of aeroplane fabrics and cords is also being

given our coasi deration. There are many other problems of this kind coming up, and you can be of the greatest assistance i i solving all of them, ilany manufacturers have already offered their facilities to assist in the making of experiments lO solve some of these problems. The Bureau is becoming more and more the court of arbi- tration in regard to the Government purchases. These purchases are made accord- ing lO specifications which are often inadequate and antiquated. Through the Gov- ernment organizations we hope to build up suitable and proper specifications and

tests for materials. The Government must buy from competitive bids, and to make

this fair and just it is absolutely necessary to have a standard of quality and method

of measuring this standard and comparing it with the matedals submitted. In this work we want you to feel that the Bureau represents you just as well as it does the Government and that we will do all that lies in our power to adjust disputes regarding questions of quality and measurement of quantity.

We have endeavored to so arrange the program of this conference that certain

specific .points may be brought out. There may be other things that you want to

discuss, and we want your suggestions as to important things that should be considered. Most of all we want suggestions about permanent organization for carrying on techxiical work in textiles. This work should be laid out carefully and comprehensively, just as it is for many other branches of industry.

I thank you very much for your attention.

' Director of the Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. 7
8 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

THE RESULTS OF A NEW METHOD OF COMBINING FIBERS

William D. Hartshorne

^ A few nigats ago I listened to a very interesting address by a young man, a Lehigh

graduate, connected with a firm supplying different kinds of steel products for Gov- ernment use. He told us whac the Government experts had found out about the

actual utility of phosphorus and sulphur in some classes of steel, facts which we did

not know in our day as students of metalhirgy. He emphasized 'ilso many other

facts, among which the manner of the discovery of the so-called rustless steel particularly impressed me. He told us of certain bars of steel which had been waiting in a laborator)^ rather longer than usual for their turn to be tested. The expert found

that all of them except one showed sig.is of rust. That one had not rustea at all, and the expert did not know why. He lef^ it a while longer, and sail it did noc ruse. He even applied weak acids with no material effect. In surprise and with much

trepidation he went carefully through the analysis of it, noting that, physically, the bar was unusuady compact and, chemically, that there was a large excess of chromium over tne standard run. It was evidently a bar from an "off heat." I do

not know all the details of his further experiments, but we were told that the/ are now producing, due to that man's observations on this "off heat" bar (which in the

routine of business might have been thrown into the scrap heap), a rustless steel material of exceptional quality, which is proving extremely useful for making the

finest cutlery for table wear and other purposes.

It was by a similar method that I discovered what I am about to tell you con- cerning a new way of spinning together almost any two classes of fibers regardless

of their relative -length. The two I was working with at the tim.e were worsted and

cotton. I had been making for special purposes some samples of what is called "core" yam; that is, worsted spun around an already spun cotton thread, a class of yam of which many thousands of pounds have been used in the past. I said to my spinner, "We have some rovings of cotton here. I want to try something."

He said, "All right; we will try whatever you say," evidently doubting the success

of the experiment. He put up a roving of cotton along v.-ith a roving of worsted and proceeded to try to spin them together. Of course it did not work at all at first; but we were persistent, and after a bit, owing to a curious combination of circumstances—remarkable because of the rarit}- of such an opportunity to permit what

were afterwards proved to be the necessary adjustments—suddenly the right conditions were established for tlmt particular combination, and the first A-arn made by the new

process Vi'as spinning. What had happened ? The man at the switchboard had started up the frame before the spinner was read}'. What was taking place? There was a marrying process going on. Those two roving ends were wrapping around each other

in the ratch space. Why should they do it, and what was the benefit? These were

the questions that had to be answered. A large variety of questions arose as to how

the effect could be produced using different materials on different kinds of frames and what were the best conditions for satisfactory- work. Many of these points have

been worked- out, particular!}' with reference to the specific question of spinning

together worsted and cotton. This is a practical process giving a novel product of special value, particularly

useful at this time from a military point of view. Here is the first bolt of a fabric for shirting flannel [indicating] just off the loom

made on a service test ordef for the United States Marine Corps, and here are a few

yards cut from it. The regular standard shade for the Marine Corps shirting flannel

is a solid olive or yellow color like this sample [showing it]. At 50 feet away you

can hardly tell these two shades apart, though the speckled white effect of the former makes the object it covers less conspicuous. The white is the cotton which has been

? Consulting engineer and president of the Te3?et Corporation, La-wrence, Mass.
SECOND ANNUAIv TEXTII.E CONFERENCE 9

left undyed to produce this effect and also to help maintaixi the strength and wearing

qualities of the material.

I was much pleased to find that the expert examiner at the Philadelphia depot

fully appreciated the importance of leaving the cotton undyed, which not only gives more strength but also avoids the difficulty met in his experience, as well as my own,

that in cotton and wool combinations, no matter how fast or well matched both materials are dyed, under any conditions of use or exposure they are unlikely to change

color alike and soon a threadbare effect is evident.

It is, of course, well known that the ordinary standard Army or Marine Corps

shirting flannels, whether all wool, all worsted, or one of the ordinary mixtures of cotton and wool, are liable to shrink greatly in washing, so that though a shirt may

be several sizes too large when first put on, the chances are that before it has had

time to be worn out it has become too short in the sleeves and too tight in the collar and aroimd the body to permit continued use by the original wearer. Now, a feature of great importance in this method of combining the wool and

cotton is that the fabric made from it are not only soft and pliable, but also within

reasonable limits, are practically unshrinkable beyond the usual results of sponging

as applied by the tailor. Continuous or repeated washings do not cause the material

to shrink and mat. The reason, I think, is evident in the maimer in which the two

kinds of fibers are put together. This bobbin, a combination of black worsted and white cotton, I have had spun

to show by its contrasting colors two facts—that it is "whole spun," not a twisted

two-ply, and that there is no chance for a continuous contact of one set of wool fibers with another. The intervening convolutions of cotton prevent continuous contact, , no matter how the threads may be placed in the fabric. The first requisite for good felting is absent. Some of these goods [indicating other sswnples] here shown have been fulled for hours. This particular one, a knitted fabric, has been fulled for four hoiu-s and shows no appreciable felting. It is to be used in fancy colors, piece-dyed, for sporting suits. You will note its elasticity—the fact that it recovers its form after much distortion. Here are some stockings, made in different shapes, styles, and colors from this kind of yam. In any of these fabrics tlie relative proportion of worsted and cotton

fiber can, within reasonable limits, be varied to suit requirements, the percentages

being determined by the relative sizes of the rovings used. Of course, yam of this kind can be knitted or woven in conjunction with any others adapted to the fabric. Here is a variety of yams—silk and worsted, silk and cotton, silk and alpaca,

mohair and alpaca, mohair and wool—made by this method. I have nothing woven

from these as yet, but their beauty and adaptability to the designers ' use is evident.

I have spoken of various combinations of different fibers. The method is also applicable to differing lengths of the same fiber—sea island and combed peeler cotton,

for instance. Here is a sample of 1/23 tire-fabric yam made from two rovings, one

of sea island and the other of combed peeler spim on a worsted frame with about a 4^-inch ratch, just as a worsted and cotton combination would be spim. Here is another sample of a like combination spun on a regular cotton frame. DISCUSSION

Mr. Bemis. Does the combination give as good a breaking strength as the long

staple alone. Mr. Hartshorne. You could hardly expect that. The strength of this sample

appears to be about 90 per cent of its sea island component.

Mr. Bemis. Do you know whether for equivalent strength and efiBciency you get any less cost in mixing two lengths of staple than in using just one staple of the

length desired? 62393—18 2
10 U. S. BUimAU Olf STANDARDS

Mr. HartshornE. I think some of the other gentlemen here can probably answer

that question better than I can. I know that there is material difference in price

between sea island or Egyptian and combed peeler at the present time. Mr. Nolan. What is the advantage ,of yotir system over the usual methods of mixing fibers? Mr. Hartshorne. If you have anything over 50 per cent of the worsted material mixed according to ordinary methods it will shrink almost as much as if it were all worsted. Mr. JELLEME. If you card wool and cotton together perfectly you get what the

trade papers call Viyella flannels. That is a carded yam, half cotton, guaranteed

not to shrink. Mr. Nolan. What is the advantage of the cloth that you have over cloth like the

Viyella flannel? Mr. Hartshorne. It does not shrink imduly even with a large per cent of worsted and may be made into light or heavy-weight fabrics. It may be made in various weights and weaves, with either single, two-ply, or multiple-ply yams. The yarns may be used in combination with any other kind. The Viyella flannels appear to be limited to about half worsted. Mr. Bemis. In the use of your process of spinning, do you change the distance between the rollers for different staples? Mr. Hartshorne. The ratch, as it is called, is adjusted to take care of the longer

staple. Mr. Bemis. If you adapt it to the longest staple that you are using in the mixture,

will it work efficiently on the short-stapled fiber? Mr. Hartshorne. Yes. In one case we had j^j4 inches between the front and back

rolls, while the cotton was only about 1% inches. Mr. Bemis. Have you tested for strength yam made irom two different grades,

separately and combined ? Mr. Hartshorne. Here is a combination, half sea island and half peeler. The

peeler alone I have not tried, but it was said to break at 105 to no poxmds; the sea

island broke at 135 to 140 pounds. The combination tested 123 poimds. The strength

is roughly equivalent to the average strength of the two materials. The other properties I do not know.

Mr. Fish. In using inch and a half sea island with inch and a quarter peeler, the

sea island, being the stronger and longer, would it not wrap spirally aroimd the peeler at the spinning frame? If that is the case, wotdd not the strain be taken off the sea

island, thus weakening the peeler? Mr. Hartshorne. Perhaps I have not made enough tests, but I expect you will get very nearly the average strength of the two materials using this method; and if carried far enough back in the drawing, both a greater strength and less cost than the average when spun separately. Mr. Stratton. We have got to get away from the old-fashioned practice of applying to special purposes whatever happens to be on the market. We have got to leam

to specify the cloth wanted and then to produce it according to specifications. Mr. Hartshorne 's work is a step in the right direction. The Navy Department is pre- paring to adopt a flannel-shirt standard and is not going to take what happens to be

in the market for other ptuposes, but is going to specify what is wanted. The question of production of long-stapled cotton is a vital one. The Bureau of Plant Industry is interested in the development of long-stapled cottons in the West,

and there is quite a movement toward the rehabilitation of this industry in the sea

islands. A few days ago I saw the plan o fa machine, which seems to be very promising, for the preparation of some of the fibers that we have been overlooking. I have seen
SECOND ANNUAI^ TEXTILE CONFERENCE II

recently excellent fiber for cordage and for textiles prepared from the ordinary flax and hemp grown in this coimtry, from cotton stalks, and from ramie. I was astonished

at how well these fibers were prepared. It looks very much as if we are going to have

available a larger number of fibers to experiment with, especially cordage fibers. Mr. O. F. Cook. You spoke of the raising of the sea-island cotton in the West. A

practical experiment was made on a lot of this fiber that has been in a mill. The

principal objection found was that there was a tendency for it to be brittle. Possibly

that might be caused by the dry climate. I think it might be well to state the general proposition that while a great deal of mechanical ingenuity is applied to the combining and substituting of cotton fibers, very much less interest and ingenuity

is applied to securing the growth of fibers which are needed. It seems to me that if the proper interest were taken in the purchase of fibers much more satisfactory fiber would be available. Sea-island cotton has been produced in California and Texas for 50 years at least, yet this fiber does not come to the manufacturer in a uniform condition. The general reason is that the conditions of production are too lacking in uniformity to allow a good fiber to be grown, except that Egyptian cotton is now being grown satisfactorily in a very dry climate. When the growth of the fiber is checked, the quality suffers, and fiber of a tmiform character is not obtained. If the demand for various kinds of cotton can be projected back to the prdoucers, then suitable fiber will be grown. The cotton grown in the Carolinas is not well adapted to the southwest conditions. Good sea island can be grown there, but it requires imusual agricultural skill. The

prices for long-stapled cotton have been extremely low. A profitable crop is not

possible for much less than 30 cents a potmd.

Mr. Stratton. I presmne it is true that in cotton, as in many other things, the

conditions must be adapted to the material. It is very seldom that you can substi- tute one material for another without adjusting the treatment to suit the material. Very frequently a substitute is better than the thing for which it is substituted, if properly treated. There may be some means of treating cotton to remove brittle- ness, even though it is grown brittle. This is a technical matter that will have to be

investigated,

HUMIDITY m COTTON MILLS

F. Gordon Cobb ^

In an article prepared last year for a local mill paper I made the statement that

it was cooler in the weave room than outside during extremely hot weather. Few people would believe this statement, and I had to produce the facts before they were convinced. In the spinning room all of the windows are generally kept open in hot weather, while in the weave room practically all of the windows are kept closed, but the thermometer is generally lower in the weave room than in the spinning room. Very few people have ever tried to find out what the relation of temperature and

humidity really is. Any boss spinner has trouble during hot damp spells, but few

of them know how to improve conditions. Strangely enough, the best conditions for spinning are almost opposite to the best conditions for weaving.

The differences in production that weather conditions make are surprising. Automatic machinery has advanced so rapidly and the operation and setting of the machines

has been brought to such a high state of eflSciency that there is, very likely, no one

thing which will improve the production of cotton-mill machinery in. the next few

years so much as the proper control of temperature and humidity.

The twist in yam has to be greatly increased in summer, with consequent decrease

in production.

' Superintendent of the F. W. Poe Manufacturing Co., Greenville, S. C.
12 U. S. BUREAU OP STANDARDS

Dry air, even when heated much above the average, still feels chilly, slight drafts are very noticeable, and colds are easily taken. For this reason a pan of water is sometimes placed on the heater in a room in winter. The evaporation will raise the humidity, making the air feel warmer, although the thermometer will show no increas

in temperature. Excessive evaporation from the skin lowers the temperature of the body very rapidly, and more heat is required for comfort when the proper humidity

is not present. A sudden increase in humidity without change in temperature often gives a feeling of oppressive heat. A boss spinner came to me one day and said his work was running very badly. As

it was on a rainy day in the winter, the first thought that came to me was that his room was too damp. He had closed up all of his windows in order to keep the dampness out and the thermometer in his room registered 85° F. while it was only 62°

outside. I told him to open all of his windows and to start up the fans, and in about two hotirs his work was running nicely. The reason is obvious, for it takes temperature

to retain humidity. Therefore when we opened the windows the temperature went down about 15 degrees and there was a smaller number of grains of vapor per cubic

foot of air. The fact that you must have high temperatures to retain humidity was demonstrated

to me very clearly by noting the changes which take place in the storage room of an

ice plant. This room was, of course, equipped with piping through which cold "brine" is passed to hold the temperature of the room low enough to keep the blocks

of ice from melting. A few minutes after the brine was turned on the floor became

wet, because the sudden lowering of temperature caused condensation. In the early morning the outside air very often has a relative humidity of 80 to 90

per cent. This decreases as the day grows warmer, although there is just as much

water vapor in the air, because the rise in temperatiure has increased the moisture- holding capacity.

It is a happy coincidence that the humidity condition which makes weaving machinery run well also makes working conditions more pleasant for the operatives. Dr. F. G. Haworth, health officer of Darwin, England, has said:

It is my opinion that the introduction of moisture into the air of weaving sheds by

artificial means is calculated to benefit the workers; that its action on suspended

particles, whether dust or microbes, is beneficial; that the workers therein are not more susceptible to such diseases as pneumonia, bronchitis, consumption, and rheu- matism than other people; and that the agitation against its use has its foundation in a misconception of the whole matter. When mill engineers realize the enormous loss of production miLs sustain by not being able to control temperattire and humidity better they will give the matter more

thought and find an economical method of regulation.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Stratton. The relation of humidity to temperature is very well known, being an elementary principle of physics, but physicists have paid little attention to the

control of humidity. It would be a good thing to have a group of men looking into

this problem. We have done some work along this line, because we needed in our own work a means of controlling the humidity of rooms. In making measurements of

all kinds and in the testing of materials it is often very important to avoid errors or complications due to variation of moisture content in the material under observation. There is a very great need for systematic and scientific study of the application of control methods to factories, both those pertaining to textiles and to many other

industries. It is a very important consideration in photographic and printing estab- lishments. In such cases the ventilation and humidity control should be designed

together so as to permit the windows to be kept closed. It is practically impossible

to regulate humidity in any other way.
SECOND ANNUAIv TKXTlI^E CONFERENCE 13

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMERCIAL GRADING OF COTTON AND

GRADING FOR SPINNING PURPOSES

F. Gordon Cobb

By way of explanation, let me say in the beginning that this paper is not intended

as a technical paper at all, but rather as a practical paper, which I hope will give the technical expert food for thought.

I do not claim to be a cotton grader from a commercial standpoint, but the varied experience I have had for 18 years trying to produce yarn and cloth from the many

grades of cotton has given me some idea as to what kinds of cotton will spin best. I believe that any man who is expecting to go into the business of buying cotton should endeavor to learn something about spinning it. i am a firm believer in the axiom that "The final stage of improvement is never

reached in any business, machine, or individual." However, we are so far from

perfection in regard to buying cotton with reference to its spinning qualities that we need have no fear of having to go into minute details to find room for improvement.

I do not believe that men engaged in any other closely related businesses are working

with so little regard for each other's interests as the buyer and the consumer of raw

cotton. For example : The physician is very closely associated with the drug business, because he knows the composition of the drugs and therefore knows what the different grades of drugs will do. The shoe manufacturer is also very closely allied with the

leather manufacturer. The shoe man knows precisely the grade of leather he must

put into cheap shoes for the laborer or into ladies' expensive shoes. Can anyone of you cotton men say that you know what grade or kind of cotton will produce a piece of print cloth with the greatest net return to the mill? You will probably reason that good middling cotton would certainly be better for any mill than middling. Then the first question I will ask you is, What kind of good middling

cotton (which, no doubt, would sound like a foolish question to you)? However, the main point I am going to try to bring out is that there are several kinds of good middling

cotton from a spinner's standpoint. If you should place before me 200 bales of cotton, 100 of them good middling and 100 middling, and ask me to select 100 bales to spin in the mill, I might pick out as many middling as good middling bales. I have tried

this with boss carders so many times that I know that often a millman would rather have certain kinds of middling cotton than certain other kinds of good middling.

Very often samples of middling cotton will have the very same character of staple,

also that oily feeling which millmen so much desire, and most important of all, the same length and strength of staple as the good middling. Therefore there is no reason why it should not spin just as well as the good middling. This reasoning would not apply with the lower grades of cotton. In making some classes of goods the cotton buyer is instructed as to the grades

of cotton he must purchase on accotmt of the appearance of the finished cloth; but

then, too, he is buying entirely by commercial grade, having no thought whatever

as to spinning qualities.

The vast majority of the spindles in cotton-growing localities are making yarns

for plain woven cloths, such as prints, drills, sheetings, and percales. Therefore I will confine my discussion to grades of cotton best suited for this class of goods.

Many mills own large ginneries and spin practically all the cotton they gin. At

the first of the season especially, when the top cotton or first opening is coming to the

gin, they use hundreds of bales fully two grades above what the local millmen know

is necessary for maximum production. This is very easy to demonstrate by going over the production records and noting if the production is materially greater while they are using good middlings and above than later in the season, when the grade

is down to a middling average. This cotton all comes from one section and has the same length and strength of staple. These mills which have gins and are making
U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

prints, drills, sheetings, and percales are consuming thousands of bales of cotton every year that could be used for the finest lawns. Then why would it not pay them

to employ expert cotton graders to assort their fancy grades? They could then

sell them to mills which require high grades of cotton for making fine yams, replace

them by purchasing cotton of the proper grade to produce economically the plain

fabrics they are making, and add the difference in price to the dividends of the mill. Any boss carder knows that many bales of cotton which have enough fine leaf or stain to throw them off grade will spin practically as well in making mediumsized yams as bales that would be rated a full grade higher, for the fine leaf or stain they carry does not affect the strength or length of the staple. Of course, there will be some difference in the amount of waste, but it is nothing compared with the differ- ence in price. I have conducted tests that will confirm this statement. When you

go below low middling and reach tlie grades which carry a very large amount of heavy foreign matter, immature fiber, and short staple, you seriously reduce pro- duction. In North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama there are practically

12 000 GOO spindles,which produce an average of about iX pounds of yarn per spindle per week. From information I have gathered I am confident that these 12 000 000

spindles are using enough cotton of grades higher than necessary for their maximum

production, so that if it were sold at its market value and the proper grades purchased

the difference in price would pay for building a good-sized cotton mill every year. In other words, American mills are using cotton fiber worth many thousands of dollars more than that which the European mills are using to produce the same goods.

I do not say that mills using good middling could just as well use middling. I am well aware of the fact tliat any mill should use a grade of cotton that will give the maximum production from its machinery with due regard for the class of goods

being made. However, there are thousands of good middling bales being used as middling bales, especially when the mill owns the gin or is buying from gins located

close by.

My prediction is that some cotton man is going to establish a system whereby his customers will profit by his knowledge of buying cotton in accordance with spinning

qualities instead of by the commercial grade; and when he does he will have been

the means of a long step forward on the part of the American cotton industry.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Bbmis. Mr. Cobb has suggested a point to which I should like to refer. It is undoubtedly trae that the mills in the South, located in the cotton-growing centers, do, for the reasons named, use a good deal of cotton of higher grade than is perhaps

necessary for their particular requirements. This is because they buy their cotton

locally and take the "gin ran." It is not clear, however, that they could advantageously do otherwise. Let us assume a mill, situated in the cotton-growing seclion, which is nmning on

goods which could be satisfactorily made from middling cotton. The natural sources

of supply for cotton are the local gins from which some of the gin cotton is bought.

Early in the season as much as half of this "gin ran" cotton may be good middling,

which is bette' than the mill really requires. Suppose the mill were to sell such

higher grade cotton as it had in stock. This would necessitate its being replaced

with cotton of the desired grade, which would generally have to come from outside

that section of the country. By the time the mill had exchanged this high-grade

cotton for a lower grade it would have paid in commissions, freight charges, etc., at least the half a cent a pound which it might have gained by the exchange. The

advantage derived from sorting out the good middling cotton would therefore be

destroyed, and as much would have been paid for the even-nmning middling cotton
SECOND ;annuaiv textile conference 15

as for tlie "gin run" in which there would have been a considerable quantity of good middling.

The cotton mill, which Mr. Cobb says could be built from the saving m.ade by

sorting out the high-grade cotton used by these mills in the South, would cost just about $3 000 000. Instead of having the money to build the mill with, however,

it would have been paid out in additional cost of raw material. In otlier M-ords, the saving that Mr. Cobb refers to would not exist. A KEY TO THE NOMENCLATURE OF TEXTILES

Louis Harmuth * My appearing before this body has a two-fold purpose. One is to present to you

a plan relative to the nomenclature of textiles. The other is to ask for your aid in carrying out the plan for every class of textiles, as I have found it almost more than

a one-man job. Anyone can find very easily in existing books the definition or description of a

fabric if he knows beforehand its name ; but if he happens to have a sample of some

fabric, the name of which he does not know, there is no system in existence by which

he could ascertain it without asking some one. Since there are books which provide a key to the names of trees, insects, etc., it may be asked why a similar system could not be applied to textiles. The dilEculty

of applying the same principle through the whole range of textiles is, however, considerable. The system which will provide a key to textile nomenclature will have

to be simple and must not take for granted more intelligence than that supplied by

the average education, so that it will be of value to most of the retail store clerks. Another difiiculty is caused by the practice of various manufacturers of substi- tuting materials and names, so that very often textiles sold under the same name

have practically nothing in common with each other. For instance, when, a few

years ago, the craze for matelasse swept through the country, some of the stores sold brocades, reversible fabrics, and other goods under that name. I found that many

retail store clerks really did not know what the real matelasse looked like. A key

to textiles, or a determinator of names backed by authority more than that possessed

by a single individual would do a great deal of good in the trade. It would help

to make the use of standard names more universal and would be of great assistance

to the student and to the dry goods clerk. In my opinion such a key should be used

in conjunction with some textbook or encyclopedia in which details of the composition and manufacture of the material can be found.

I take pleasure in submitting to you a system by which names of a large number

of standard fabrics can be determined. One of the greatest difficulties found in developing this system was in describing the finishes of the various textiles in such

a manner that they would visualize themselves, so that the person employing the system would recognize which of the descriptions of finishes applied to the sample

in question. While in its main outlines this key or determinator has been worked

out for all classes of textiles, there is still a great de'^l of detail work to be done, and

in doing this I would appreciate the assistance of others.

I will attempt to give an outline of the system used in this key or determinator of

textiles, although I am aware of the fact that in adequately describing a system by

words, its working may appear considerably more intricate than is actually the case. As an introduction mention is made of some of the elementary principles of the knowledge of textiles. In separate, consecutively numbered paragraphs are de- scribed methods of distinguishing cotton, linen, silk, wool, and artificial silk with

the aid of a microscope and a few common chemicals. For instance, one paragraph

states:

* Fashion Editor of Women's Wear and author of Dictionary of Textiles.
i6 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Fiber shows scaly surface under microscope; when burnt will produce crisp ashes and gives forfh an acrid pungent smell; when boiled in solution of alkalies will dis- solve; nitric acid will dye yellow and dissolve slowly; cold sulphuric acid will not

dissolve.wool.

A few other introductory paragraphs describe how to distinguish such elements of construction as the warp, the filling, the selvage, the pile, the nap, the swivel, and

lappet yarn. Another group of paragraphs describes the weaves. All of these descriptions begin with the enumeration of the characteristics and conclude with the name; thus, the name is always the result found. The paragraphs are numbered

consecutively throughout the entire key. In order to give an approximate idea of the actual application of this key or de- terminator, I will take up one example. Suppose we have a piece of Turkish toweling

the name of which is to be found by this system. Upon dissecting the fabric we find, according to the introductory paragraphs, that it is pile fabric made of cotton. At

the end of the paragraph by which it was found that the sample in question was a

pile fabric, a number is gii^en which refers to the chapter on pile fabrics. After turning to this chapter, the following course is taken

:

The pile fabrics, in general, are first classified into warp-pile and weft-pile fabrics, the two large groups in this class. Upon further investigation we find that the sample

in question is a warp-pile fabric, and we will consequently turn to the paragraph in- dicated by number as having to do with warp-pile fabrics. This new paragraph on warp piles mentions two new subdivisions, one with cut

pile and the other with loop or uncut pile, each of which is described and given a new index number. The sample in hand has uncut pile, we find, and so we look up the new numbsr indicated. In the paragraph for uncut pile we see that the material from which the fabric was made enters into consideration, and as we know already that our sample is of cotton, we find that it is terry or Turkish toweling.

DISCUSSION Mr. Stratton. This last paper has brought out a very important point. We

never consider questions relating to specifications or tests without finding that the

first obstacle encountered is the nomenclature. This condition is not peculiar to textiles but exists in every branch of industry.

A year or so ago, when we began cooperative work with the nonferrous metal manufacturers, I was astonished to find how often terms were used with absolutely no

understanding as to their meaning. It is impossible to proceed with the making of specifications or the developing of correct buying and selling without first understanding the methods of measurement that are going to be used and the terms that are going to be employed.

I think that almost the first permanent committee appointed should be one on

nomenclature. The very first thing that the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

to which I happen to belong, did was to appoint a subcommittee on nomenclature. There is great difficulty in avoiding ambiguous terminology in new industries, but

though the textile industry has been in existence for a long time it is still full of names ill-defined and based on tradition. It is time, I should think, that some of these were standardized in order that when you buy and sell you may know what

the terms used mean.

Mr. BiviNS. There is no dictionary or encyclopedia known to me in which the names of fibers are given systematically. Mr. Harmuth. Dr. Matthews has written an excellent book. A late edition has been published and is one of the very best books on fibers and standard grades of materials.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 17

Mr. Stratton. If that is trae, how are we to know that this book is to be adopted

as a standard authority? If it is not complete, let us fill up the gaps. One of the

best branches of work this conference can initiate is the standardization of nomenclature. Mr. Nolan. I come in contact with this subject in New York at the Appraiser's

Stores. Part of my work there is to aid in classification of wool clothing. It happens

that the word " flannels" is mentioned in Schedule K. A duty of 35 per cent is pro- vided for wool cloths, with a special provision of 30 per cent for flannels. It is evi- dently very important to establish what is a flannel when there is a difference of 5 per cent duty involved, for 5 per cent of the valuation of importations of wool cloth

will probably amount to millions of dollars during the time that this tariff will be in

effect. Last spring I went to various manufacturers and dealers to find out from them

what constituted flannels. It was surprising to me in my visits to find how much

ignorance was displayed on the subject. I have looked up all the authorities on

flannel for tariff purposes, and I find that dictionaries outgrow their usefulness on

accoimt of the fickleness of trade and fashion. Practical, theoretical, and technical men are all unable to give a precise definition. They have to take the commercial

conception as a guide in giving decisions as to whether or not a given fabric is a

flannel. It is surprising that the wdtsted and wool trade usually tmderstands the word

to describe a finish rather than a fabric. When asked for a flannel, the salesmen in some of the best clothing stores often show you a fabric of tmfinished worsted. If you ask for an unfinished worsted, they will show you the same thing. The importing interests assume that any tmfinished fabric with the handle or feel of a flannel may be entered under the flannel provision at 30 per cent. This is just an illustration of the value of proper nomenclature of fabrics. Mr. Stratton. The point brought out in regard to the customs is very important

and one with which we have frequently come in contact, but it is often even more

important that there should be acceptable definitions for terms used in contracts. Every industry is full of terms that have been accepted by the trade without their having been defined with suflnicient definiteness for use in contracts. The purchasing

in the Government service is often done by persons who are quite familiar with the

legal side of drawing up contracts, but who are not familiar with the technical details involved. An attempt is usually made to play safe by specifying a high-grade material; for example, specifying a pure material instead of a mixture. A remarkable

instance of the results of a procedure of this kind occurred once when an official specified pure Para rubber. In this particular case it would not have answered the purpose at all, although it would have cost several times as much. The official thought he was being safe in specifying pure Para rubber. The standardization of nomenclature helps to guard against such reckless purchasing as that. I do not believe

there is a business house in the coimtry in which business is carried on with propotionately as little graft, as it is called, as in the Government service; but, on the other hand, the efficiency of the latter is often small, due to just such things as ignorance on the part of the buyer of the nature of the things he is intrusted to buy.

Mr. BiviNS. I would like to ask whether the Bureau of Standards has all of the

authority in the determination of standards and specifications for the purchasing of materials by the different departments of the Government? I ask this question because it seems to me there is great lack of imiformity among the departments in

this. The different departments have different standards and different specifica- tions for the same things, and the specifications of some of the departments are

unscientific and impracticable. Mr. Stratton. It is more a question of knowledge and cooperation than of authority.

When such matters are called to our attention, we call together for discussion the Government representatives who are most interested. Discrepancies are largely the 62393—18 3
i8 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

result of tradition, and when the facts are brought to light appropriate action will be

taken. When the Government users have agreed in regard to specifications, the next

step is always to consult with the outside users. Sometimes differences are reconciled by an agreement among, various Secretaries, and in one or two instances by

Executive order. In the case of cement, after the Government engineers had come

to an agreement regarding specifications and tests, the President issued an Executive

order requiring their use. That can always be done if necessary, but is seldom

necessary. We are intrusted with certain functions regarding Government buying, but the

public always derives the greatest benefit, for what we work out for the Government

is equally applicable in private transactions. It is our purpose that no specifications or terms should be adopted upon which all the parties interested have not had a chance to pass an opinion. That usually includes the manufacturer, the user, and

the laboratory man. COTTON WASTES

William N. Randle '

Cotton wastes are the result of inefficiency in growth and manufacture and have

existed since primitive man (or more probably «voman) first conceived the idea of imitating nature's wonderful tissue fabrics woven about tender tropical plants, the

coarser canvas of the birch bark, and the rugged overcoating of the coconut. Spinning

and weaving are much older arts than writing, hence we can only surmise when the

prehistoric savage first noted the fibrous structure revealed by torn hides stripped from the bodies of animals killed for food or the coverings of broken limbs of trees, and set about devising ways and means of covering his own body and limbs with a

similar covering. It is quite probable that temperature played a much more important role than modesty in this early invention. It is even more probable that the

percentage of waste made in the construction of this first fabric far exceeded our

grossest industrial sins of omission and commission in the modem factory system, but doubtless a greater degree of care toward waste prevention was practiced than by the operatives of this day and generation.

We have heard much about efficiency, and may we hear a great deal more, for true efficiency is based primarily on waste prevention and elimination and not merely on reduced movements of physical and mechanical manipulation, as some self- styled efficiency experts evidently believe. Let us remember that truthful old

saying, "haste makes waste," and work toward the efficiency ideal having as its foundation the blending of rapidity with accuracy and resting firmly upon perfect coordination of hand and head. Nothing in human industry is more pitiful than

waste of time, talents, opportunities, and materials. The waste of mere money is

trifling by comparison, for money may be recovered ; true waste can never be reclaimed

at full value. We of the textile profession must not confuse true wastes with by-products, for intelligent waste control comes from logical differentiation of these elements of manufacture under the factory system. For example, such items as card strippings, and

comber noils are frequently considered as wastes, when as a matter of fact they are only wastes to the extent in which perfect long fibers have been eliminated in the

processes for culling low stocks from higher grades, thereby preventing the longer

fibers from passing to the succeeding process with the remaining longer fibers not

so eliminated or intended to be culled out. Let us remember that such so-called wastes as card strippings and comber noils are in truth products, by-products it is true, but nevertheless necessary in the manufacture of certain grades of yams. Let us also make close study of these and other

6 Director of the Aaron French Textile School (textile department of the Georgia School of Technology).

Atlanta, Ga.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 19

processes whereby stocks are divided mechanically, devising ways and means to prevent fibers of acceptable length and strength being thrown out with inferior stock

to receive the classification and valuation of the lower grade. The waste in such

processes is not the low stock properly removed from the longer fiber, but is the loss incident to the decreased valuation suffered when superior fibers are improperly

transferred to any inferior by-product. Such wastes can only be elirtiinated by

most careful study and further invention, but we can greatly reduce the amount

of useless waste by impressing our overseers and operatives with the importance

of stock-value conservation. Cotton is susceptible to many wastes from seed selection to final use. The ease with which cotton may be grown and the low money value of the staple have been

the chief factors contributing to these immense wastes, of which the most notable

are the failure to take advantage of neglected opportunities to greatly increase the

yield, the abuse of delicate fiber in ginning, extremely harsh treatment in manufacture, extensive damage in harvest, field, warehouse, compress, and transportation,

and a lack of appreciation of the economical value of once-used cotton. Having

been reared in the South and having had extensive experience in growing, handling,

marketing, and manufacturing cotton and in doing research work with reference

to the conservation of cotton and the utilization of its wastes, I feel that I speak with

a fair measure of authority when I state that could wastes be eliminated we might

do with half the acreage now devoted to cotton, which is only another manner of saying that we are less than 50 per cent efficient in the growth and utilization of cotton. In striving to eliminate this useless waste, let us not overlook the possibility of further conserving our resources by investigation of the possibilities yet undeveloped

in our by-products. Our by-products present wonderful opportunities for scientific research. It must be possible for fibers to be grouped, sorted, and utilized with the same degree of precision as Marconi has achieved in electrical wave-length selection and it may be that our by-products are to become more valuable than our principal

products, as was the case when our industrial brothers, the chemists, developed our most valued dyestuffs from coal tar, theretofore a despised waste. Most of us would be

eating unshortened bread in to-day's war time were it not for the oil crushed from

cotton seeds, which our fathers of the last generation burned as useless rubbish; and we could eat little meat, except for the fact that an invaluable foodstuff for cattle was discovered in cottonseed hulls and meal, which meal is also our principal source

of ammonia for fetilization, both being by-products of the new cottonseed-crushing

industry.

I hope you have not expected a technical discussion of textile machine detail, care, setting, management, and operation, or a treatise on processes for waste manipulation, the system in use in the several countries, the commercial uses and values of wastes and products of cotton wastes, or statistics of the waste industry. These may

be readily obtained from the admirable books, pamphlets. Government publications,

and textile journals with which our industry is so bountifully supplied. My purpose

has been to impress the necessity for a thorough understanding of the vast difference between cotton waste and cotton-waste products by those who would attain any

degree of success in the theory and practice of waste control and limitation. Our textile engineers are still laboring over many unsolved problems, and it may

be that whole systems of processes may have to be revised before waste control can be mastered and perfect cleaning, attenuation, twisting, coloring, and weaving accomplished without the present near destruction of fibers in our factory systems. We

need not be surprised if these inevitable improvements come from those not directly connected with the industry. We must remember that our greatest textile machine

inventions have come from the outside, for was not the spinning frame invented by

a barber, the fly shuttle by a watchmaker, and the power loom by a clergyman?

Those engaged in highly specialized industries are liable to lose perspective in close
20 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

application to detail. You visitors to tlie great city of Washington will note many

beautiful things unseen b}- many bom and reared here, as well as many opportunities

for civic improvement unappreciated by those who are exerting their best efforts to make this, our Capital City, of which all of us are so proud, the city beautiful. DISCUSSION

Mr. Stratton. Mr. Randle has again brought up a subject which is applicable to

all industries—the saving of waste. A few years ago certain questions relating to cotton bagging for cotton bales were

taken up with us by the Treasury Department in connection with the collection of the import duties. I was surprised to find the character of stufi that had been used. Year after year the worst kind of rubbish from India and Scotland had been made

into this bagging and sent over here for use. I suppose the waste that has resulted from using this kind of bagging would have more than paid the cost of a better quality. Yet they go on using it to this day.

A few days ago I saw a machine which produces from ordinary cotton stalks a very

suitable fiber for making bagging. In this process the lint is cleaned from the stalks by an air blast, and I was astonished at the amount of lint that could be recovered. Similar things are being done ia all industries. There is a very large movement

going on all over the country in the direction of the prevention of waste. We have

been so prosperous and we have had so much to do in the past that we have not had

time to look after these apparently little things, which in many cases prove to be

large things. Mr. Cook. The statement has been made that manufacturers do not choose their materials with consideration for the needs of the consumers. In the case pointed

out, materials of better quality than needed were being used. As a matter of fact, in the production of cotton neither the needs of the manufacturers nor those of the con- sumers were considered. The s^-stem has gro^^Ti without any intelligent direction, and consequently there is no connection between things. The confusion regarding

nomenclature is just a t3^pical illustration of the kind of confusion that exists through- out the whole system. In regard to waste, we can reassure the speaker about prehistoric methods of textile manufacture. The savages did not bother with saving things of which they had a

great deal to spare, but they did not waste any cotton. They beat it with a forked

stick and spun all of the product. Waste is the result of our modem system of manufacturing. Furthermore, in discarding the primitive method of using cotton fiber

all connection between the manufacturer and producer and between manufacturer and consumer has been lost. A large part of the cotton that is produced is of a character that is lacking in uniformity, and waste in manufacturing is often a direct result

of inadequate attention to the production of the fiber. Sometimes farmers leave their cotton in the rain and let it be injured. They have not adopted the point of view of the manufacturer, and until they do, protests are without avail.

It seems to me that if the manufactiu-ers, who occupy the middle ground, will take an interest both in the production and in the consumption of cotton—if they will direct their efforts back to the farmer—the kinds of cotton needed will be produced. There are hundreds and hundreds of different varieties of cotton, and manufacturers can be supplied with an}' of them if they will specify what they want and arrange

their buying system rightly.

The possible uses of cotton and the different qualities that exist in cotton are subjects which have hardly been touched upon. We must recognize the general responsibility for stimulating investigational work which will tend to eliminate waste. If the cotton field contains fiber of various lengths, as is the case all through the South,

a lot of complicated and expensive machinery would be required to separate the

different kinds of fibers. The chances are that men who raise varieties of cotton
SECOND ANNUAI< TEXTILE CONFERENCE 21

that are uniform and are very much superior for textile piurposes will not receive higher prices for it. Mr. Bemis. While I agree with what has been stated as an ideal to which we should

aim, I want to point out the difficulty of attaining it. Being impressed very much

with the possibility of raising the kind of cotton that we would like to spin, I became

interested in a plantation in Arkansas in a section where the general character of the

cotton raised is what we would like to spin. The experiment has been going now

four or five years. In spite of all our efforts we have not yet succeeded in getting

just the kind of cotton that we want.

Mr. Marshai.1,. Much is being done to call attention to wastes in cotton production and manufacture, but very little effort has been made to bring together the differ- ent people cojicemed. If anything is done here of a constructive nature, I would

like to be sure that the conditions in the wool trade are not to be overlooked. I have

had a considerable opportunity for observing the relation of the woolgrower to the

manufacturer, and I have come to believe that the ignorance of the wool manufacturer about woolgrowing is only equaled by the ignorance of the woolgrower about what the manufacturer wants. The manufacturer should project his wants back into the fields to improve future production, and the woolgrower has been waiting for him to do so. Consequently the grower has always found it necessary to produce

along lines of his own devising. Mr. Fay. Lack of efficiency is well illustrated in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The nitric acid fumes were allowed to escape until the people who breathed the air that came from the manufacturing plants had to compel them to save these wastes. Something more than the temptation of inviting prosperity by improving processes

is sometimes necessary to overcome human inertia. Mr. RandlB. Before we can make much headway in reducing waste of cotton and

wool, we must come to realization of the great difference between wastes and byproducts. We are accustomed to think of anything except our major product as a

waste. That is not true at all. After the acid fumes were confined and converted

into a commercial product they were no longer a waste, but a by-product. The

materials that have been considered as waste should be converted into by-products

whenever possible. Mr. Stratton. The last speaker brought out two or three important points. There

are very few specific cases of waste that can not be handled if attention is called to them. Not long ago a paper manufacturer asked if we had done anything regarding

the recovery of paraffin from waste paper. He told me of a large firm in New England

which was destroying daily scrap paper containing about 1200 pounds of paraffin, worth several hundred dollars. When their attention was called to it, it was not

difficult to find a remedy. Once a street car company in Washington had to be forced by law to adopt the use of electric motors instead of horses. I suppose they would

still be using horses if they had not been compelled to use electricity. One of the most serious and often the controlling factor in all questions of saving is to make the people concerned realize that they are wasting something.

Mr. Veach. It seems to me that the great waste in the wool industry is the waste

greases, potash salts, and possibly other valuable material, that result from the scour- ing of wool. If these materials were always recovered, probably two and a half million dollars yearly in valuable greases and potash salts would be added to our output,

and, in addition, our streams would be freed from the most offensive kind of pollution.

The fact that this is being done in some mills shows that the problem is not one that can not be solved. Mr. Hartshorne. I have always been extremely interested in the problem just

mentioned. The manufacturer has to be shown whether he is going to profit by

recovering the wool grease. I was formerly connected with a mill which is at the

present time profiting not less than 250 000 dollars a year by saving the grease. If
22 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

they had not solved this problem 20 years ago they would probably have been forced

to do so. Mr. Pierce. There is another point regarding waste that has not been brought up.

If the manufacturer is unable to get exactly the material he desires, he will suffer more or less waste. The trouble seems to be in present methods of grading or standardizing. We can standardize the sulphur put into iron because it is fairly homogeneous; but various parts of textile fibers are of different characters, and the only

standard obtainable is the average. It may be that that minimum is sufBciently

good for a certain purpose and so makes no difference, but for another purpose part

of the material may appear as a waste. If the Bureau of Standards could show us some way in which we could express in figures, or by curves, or some other method,

comprehensive standards for nonhomogeneous materials like wool, cotton, silk, leather, and paper, it would be doing a great favor to the various industries. THE CONSERVATION OF GARMENTS IN LAUNDERING

H. G. Elledge ^

I regard it as a distinct privilege to have the opportunity of presenting before this conference of textile experts a consideration of the conservation in laundering of all textile articles—garments as well as all household fabrics—that are commonly

laundered.

Definite information regarding the length of time a textile in use should last is entirely lacking. One hotel which has been under the writer's observation for nearly two years has been in operation for two and one-half years. When this hotel opened

it was sufficiently stocked with table linen so that when doing capacity business

one-third of the entire stock would require laundering every day. There is, of course, no absolute record of the number of times each article of tliis lot of linen has been

used and laundered, but it is a conservative estimate that each piece of table linen

in the hotel has been subjected to laundering 228 times, assuming that for one-half

of the time the hotel enjoyed capacity business and for the remainder one-half of that amount of business. Some of the napkins are beginning to show thin spots, but

there are no holes or ragged edges. As a consequence, the management is entirely

satisfied with his purchase of linen as well as with his launderer. The appearance

of this linen is such as to please the most fastidious. This stock of linen was of good quality when received from the manufacturer; but

contributing quite as much toward the good showing has been the care in using and

laundering. It has not been the practice of the hotel help to use the slightly soiled napkins as kitchen tov/els or dust cloths, as is actually the case in many hotels and

restaurants. The laundry gave this linen just the treatment necessary for keeping

it snowy white and no more. In the above narrative the writer has indicated the three agents of responsibility that must function together if the useful life of any fabric is to be conserved. The

cloth must be of good quality. The responsibility is directly that of the buyer, but

ultimately that of the manufacturer. The cloth must be properly cared for—not

soiled beyond the extent due to the ordinary conditions of usage. Towels to be

kept white and of attractive appearance and yet have a proper life should not be

used for shoe shining, etc. In this lies the responsibility of the user. The laundry- man must judge, or have an organized group of workers to determine, the nature and

extent of the treatment necessary to keep the fabric of attractive appearance and

yield the longest life in service. This is the responsibility of the launderer. The Laundryowners' National Association's Bureau of Textiles.—The

association, which maintains the researches on the problems of laundry technology

in the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research of the University of Pittsburgh, which

' Industrial Fellow. Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 23

have engaged the writer's entire attention for the past two years, also operates a Bureau of Textiles.' This bureau resulted from the work of a committee appointed

to promote and support legislation for the correct labeling of fabrics. It has, however, grown to be a service feature to the members of the Laundryowners' National

Association and has only recently been dignified by the name introduced above. To cite one of the illustrative instances of the bureau's services, there was a table- cloth laundered for the first time with a lot of 60 tablecloths. This one cloth came

from the ironer with one border shrunken. By common logic the laundrj'man knew

that it was through no fault of the laundering process that this table spread was

shrunken ; but without some specific knowledge of what might cause the shrinking or where the responsibility might rest it was difficult for him to offer a satisfactory

explanation to the irate owner of the tablecloth. The Bureau of Textiles is ready

and willing to render assistance and advice to members in such a case and to assist in obtaining an equitable adjustment of the matter. Likewise, another incident not entirely unlike the one just mentioned has come

under the observation of the bureau. A new bedspread, upon its first trip to the

laundry, came from the ironer with numerous strings of yam, some 2 or 3 inches long,

hanging from the surface. Other bedspreads of similar weave came through this same

wheel at the same load without any such untoward results. The member having

this experience obtained from the bureau expert advice which he employed in securing a satisfactory adjustment of the difficulty between the patron and the shopkeeper who sold the spread, thus absolving the laundry of any blame in the matter. Through such means the laundry owners in every locality are exerting influence upon the distributors of these important household fabrics and are trying to teach

their patrons that "seconds are seldom real bargains.

Had the owner of the shrunken tablecloth or defective bedspread been an employer of a washerwoman instead of a patron of the power laundry, adjustment would

probably have been made by the dry goods company with little questioning, the blame being placed on the manufacturer. Such a convenient scapegoat for the dry goods man is the laundry owner that in case of any defect being discovered by

the first removal of the sizing, such as in the two instances mentioned above, it is more than likely that the laundry owner will have to pay unless his interests be

conserved by his organization.

It is realized that there are many grades of raw materials that must be utilized in the total output of our textile mills; that automatic machinery and human hands are not infallible, and that economic necessity demands that all products of the mills at

all suitable to human needs must be, somehow, marketed. Yet it is the- feeling on

the part of the laundry owners that the buyers, especialty the housewives, should become more discriminating. In order to assist to this end, some means should be

devised to curtail deception in the selling of fabrics, whether this deception be per- petrated by the owner or unscrupulous jobber into whose hands defective textiles might fall. In other words, goods classified as defective or seconds in the reputable

mills should be so labeled or indelibly branded that they could less easily be rep- resented as good cloth should they find their way into the hands of the unscrupulous

dealer. Indeed, it would seem that such a measure would promote the welfare of the honest producer and consumer, as well as the laundry owner.

It is fully realized by the writer that the difficulties of the cotton manufacturer

begin in the cotton fields and extend through every treatment the cotton fiber receives

to the finished cloth. The wonder is not at the fact that evidence of the "scratch-up '

needle is often found by the launderer on first washing a piece of goods, but rather it is surprising that it is not more often discovered. These considerations may casually appear to be somewhat beyond the scope of the writer's work. They are, however,

vitally important in their relation to the problems imder investigation.

J. Clair Stone, of Minneapolis, Minn., is the active director of this bureau.
24 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Other factors relating to the responsibility of the manufacturer, of more purely a chemical nature and which offer a field for research, are the bleaching of gray cloth and the allowable weighting of silk. Better standards of control in the bleaching

process, it seems to the writer, might be desirable. It is insufficient to state that a

certain treatment does or does not tender a piece of cloth. Qualitatively any treat- ment that is given any fabric during the process of bleaching or washing has some

tendering effect, but we are concerned about quantitative results. How much, for example, does this or that process or a certain bleaching agent tender a gray cloth of a certain weight and texture ? Responsibility of the Users.—The responsibility of the user in the life of a fabric seems so obvious that the writer felt inclined to refrain from discussing the factors thereof. It is, however, one of the most important considerations and, after all, is not quite so apparent to some users. A year or two ago any observing traveler might

have frequently noted that the porter on a Pullman sleeper as a matter of practice dusted off the woodwork of the car with a pillowcase as he closed up the berths, and

that frequently a pillowcase or face towel was employed by the porter to give the

traveler's shoes the final touches. The Pullman Co. owns its own linen, and after this condition was explained by a progressive laundry owner such xmnecessary abuse

of the linen supply has been prohibited.

The fact that a garment or household fabric must suffer some wear in use is often

lost sight of. Absurd styles and carelessness on the part of the user many times reduce the life of the textile article. For instance, a child's play garment should obviously be made of a weave that would endure more severe treatment than should be given to cotton underwear. The Life of a Starched Collar.—Historically, the growth of the laundry industry is intimately related with that of the popularity of the detachable starched collar. While men's shirts and collars still constitute a large and important volume of the

launderer's business, tlie progressive laundry owners have been bidding more and more strongly for the entire household laundry work. This policy alone induced the

researches that have been undertaken in the Mellon Institute laboratories. To illustrate how some laundry owners have established control indices on their washing process, affording thereby data regarding the respective proportions of the

depreciation of a garment chargeable to wear in use and to wear in laundrying, the

following example is cited: It is the practice in many laundries to place a date numeral, sometimes in code, on every new collar that is marked in. Others place a mark on each collar in such a way that the number of trips a certain collar has made

through the laundry can easily be read. In addition to this, in one laimdry that has come under the writer's notice a lot of new collars were marked and run through

the usual process of laundering and finishing, i. e., starching and ironing. Then they

were, without being worn, repeatedly put through the process until the collar showed

signs of failure by cracking at the folds. These collars showed a life of from 35 to 40 trips through the laundry process, whereas a good showing for worn collars in the

identical processes of washing is a life of about 20 trips through the laundry. This

indicates that the actual wear in use is 43 to 50 per cent of the life of a collar. Much

of the most severe damage that is done to a starched collar, it may be remarked in

passing, is attributable to improper manipulating in putting it on and taking it off. The Responsibility of the Laundry—Standards of Work Demanded by

Patrons.—The average laundry has very definite standards with which the work must comply. The appearance must be that demanded by the patron or, in reality, that which the laundr)Tnan conceives to be required by the patron. The general

experience of laundry owners in selling service seems to be that to the patron the appearance of the laundered work is held of more importance than any extra conser- vation of the life of the goods, the latter consideration constituting a point of second-
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 25

ary importance. With some, however, the order is reversed, so that neither factor can be lost sight of. The restaurant owner who sends in severely soiled table linen usually wants his linen returned with the same snowy whiteness as is demanded by the manager of the first-class hotel mentioned in the introduction. Again, the housewife who thinks

that because the power laundry does her work the housheold linen may just as well be badly soiled, requires the same standard of appearance in the laundered linen as

is exacted by the housewife who cares for her linen as though she or her washerwoman

expected to do the laimdering in her home. Another requirement is that the laundering process shall be no more severe than is required to maintain the proper standard

of appearance. Still another objective to be attained is that the linen be returned

to the patron in a sanitary condition. As will be pointed out later, the power-laimdry

process automatically takes care of this feature. Study of ths Effectiveness of Washing Materiai^.—In the investigation

presented below the mechanical equipment of laundries has been accepted as it exists in practice. WTiile, as the investigation proceeded, the writer was observant

for any possible improvement in wash-room equipment, he earlj- became impressed

with the fact that a remarkable approach to perfection has been attained in mechanism—truly a monument to American ingenuity. The detergent reagents were

therefore studied, bearing in mind the wash-room equipment as it is. Soft Water.—It is obvious that a good supply of soft water is the most important

of the wash-room requirements. Where natural water containing less than 8 grains

of calcium carbonate equivalent per United States gallon is not to be had, the advice

of the writer to the laundrj^ owner has been that the need of a water-softening plant

is indicated. The various installation? that are offered to the trade have been investigated, and consulting service has been rendered to a large number of the association members contemplating the purchase of water-softening plants.

Detergent Value of Soap.—The reagent next in importance is soap: and

accordingly a study of the more recent theories concerning the detergent action of soap solutions has been made, not so much with the object of advancing any theory

or modification of an existing theory, but more with the idea of finding a basis for measuring the value of the alkaline salts used in washing fabrics. By somewhat

extending the work of Hillyer,^ we feel that we have found a means of determining

the relative values of these salts. These findings have been discussed in an earlier paper.* As far as the evaluation of laundry soap is concerned, investigations to date indicate that the most satisfactory method is on the basis of the fatty acids,

alkali as soap, and alkali as filler determinations, taking into consideration objectionable impurities and the temperattire at which a given concentration of the soap

solution tends to "jell," this being indicative of what the latmdryman terms the

rinsing properties. In connection with and in addition to the usual analysis the drop number or relative surface tension measiu^ement, as described by Hillyer and

more recently by Shorter,^^ has been found useful by the writer in comparing the

detergent values of two or more soaps. The drop number method can not be used

as an absolute index for an tmanalyzed soap, because a smaller percentage of real soap plus a larger percentage of carbonate alkali might indicate a higher value than

a pure soap. For the present it is necessary- and, indeed, desirable to recognize a

difference between the commercial values and the detergent values of soaps. Bleaching.—Before this conference it is not necessary to present ti^ question as

to whether or not bleaching is necessary for white cottons and linens in the launder-

' J. Am. Chem. Soc, 25 (1903), pp. 511. 524, and 1256.

' Elledge and Isherwood, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 8 (1916), p. 793. " See Circular of Bureau of Standards, No. 6s. " Loc. dt. " J. Soc. Dyers and Colorists, 32 (1916), pp. 99-108. 62393—18 4
26 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

ing process. While bleaching and its attendant souring is likely to be the most

harmful of the reactions employed, it is evident that to obtain the whiteness desired would be impossible in some cases without employing a bleaching bath. In many

classes of white work the bleaching is, however, omitted. So far as our investigations have progressed, sodium hypochlorite, prepared either electrolytically or from bleaching powder and soda or from chlorine gas and caustic soda, seems to be the best of the available materials for effecting laundry bleaching.

Proprietary bleaching materials composed of soda ash and sodium perborate or soda

ash and sodium peroxide have been offered to the laundry trade. An obvious objection to the ones containing sodium peroxide is the instability of that compound.

Several samples claimed to be of such a nature have been found upon examination

to contain no oxidizing power whatever. Emulsified Solvents.—Many stains are encountered in laundering which do not

readily yield to soap and alkali washing or to oxidizing bleaching. Kerosene or other solvents for greases and waxes, emulsified in water solutions of soap and alkali, have been offered to meet the needs presented by these conditions. Some of these have been fotmd to be very good examples of stable emulsions but to possess a questionable value in washing clothes. The writer can not quite agree with the conclusions of Pickering " that hydrocarbons are dissolved by soap solutions. The writer has found, however, that a hydrocarbon oil, such as kerosene, with about i per cent of oleic acid dissolved in it,

is effective in removing oil and grease stains by the following procedure: Treat the dry soiled garment or cloth with the i per cent solution of oleic acid in kerosene; remove this solution as completely as possible by wringing (preferably in a centri- fuge); then emulsify the residue by washing the garment or cloth in a warm alkaline bath. The oils left in the cloth are more readily emulsified by reason of the fatty acid already diffused throughout the mass. A similar application of this principle has been made for removing paint stains, using the vehicle of the paint with i per

cent of oleic acid dissolved in it as the solvent and then operating as outlined above.

Fabrics are often more severely treated to remove a stain than would be necessary

if the laundryman were advised by the patron as to the nature of the stain. In such

instances the patron could often contribute to the conservation of the fabric by giving the laundryman the historj^ of the stain. The use of the proper reagent, such as potas- sium permanganate and oxalic acid in the case of iron stains, is the practical pro- cedure to restore the fabric to its former condition with the least loss of tensile strength. Other stains, such as "wagon stains" (wet street dirt), treated immediately following the soiling are easily removed, but after being allowed to dry are very obstinate. Instruction as to the proper use and care of fabrics, such as is being disseminated through domestic science schools and magazines, will contribute in a large measure

to the conservation of fabrics by promoting the cooperative assistance of the patron

to the laundry.

Effect of Reagents and Mechanical Treatment.—The effect of all the washing

materials on the tensile strength of fabrics has been studied by Faragher." His tests were, of necessity, of the accelerated order and were conducted in the laboratory.

It seemed desirable, therefore, to extend his work by securing further data con- cerning the effect of these reagents under conditions of rinsing and mechanical

influences obtaining in usual practice. in order ta. accomplish this, the following experiments were carried out in the

laboratory "machine," a model of the usual type employed in power laundries. To determine the eSect of mechanical action in the water of the machine on cot- tons and linens, 8 pounds of miscellaneous cotton garments were placed in the machine

with 10 gallons of cold water (room temperature). This load of 3 pounds of goods

13 The Detergent Action of Soap, J. Chem. Sec.; February. 1917, pp. S6-ioi. " Ind. Eng. Chem., 6 (1914), p. 640 et seq.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 27

per cubic foot of capacity was chosen to make the test comparable to what had been

found to be the most efficient loading of the machines in actual practice. In this load was placed a handkerchief (of the quality usually retailed at '25 cents), the breaking strength of which had been determined at four places along the warp and

four places along the filling. The machine was then started and run continuously

for 25 hours. At the end of this time the handkerchief was removed, dried in the

centrifuge, ironed, and the breaking strength determined as before. The loss in

strength was then calculated on the basis of the original strength. With cold water

the loss amounted to 0.18 per cent per hour of treatment. The results of similarly

conducted tests, but varying reagents, are as shown below:

Loss per hour

of treatment,

per cent Hot water, 10 gallons o. 277 Cold water, 10 gallons, 0.41 ounce soda ash, representing a concentration 6 times as great as recommended in wash-room formulas 18 Hot water, 10 gallons, 0.8 pound soda ash 48 Hot water, 10 gallons, 6 ounces soap 5 Hot water, 10 gallons, 6 ounces soap, 0.8 pound soda 22 (Copious suds throughout.)

It will be seen from this statement that, as would be expected, hot water plus

mechanical wear is greater than cold water plus mechanical wear; that, with cold

water, sodium carbonate, in a concentration of three times the maximum concentration usually employed, had an effect entirely obscured by the mechanical effect, and that the combined effect of soap and soda in which a good suds persisted, even

though the concentration of alkali was six times the maximum usually employed in the laundry, was less than that of a soap bath alone in which the suds did not persist, and even somewhat less than hot water alone. These results are entirely in accord with those of Faragher, from which he con- cluded that soap and soda are the least harmful of all tlie washing reagents; and they even go further in that they indicate that, under conditions of practice necessary to cleanse fabrics, soap and soda, in addition to their detergent properties, actually

have a conservative function in the washing process. Twelve handkerchiefs similar to the ones used in the above tests were tested for strength and soiled with a uniform dirt mixture of iK grams of beef extract, i gram

of dried egg albumen, and 2 grams of lampblack, all mixed into a good solution and

suspension in 4 liters of water. Six of these handkerchiefs were sent to a power

laundry and 6 were sent to a reliable washerwoman.

After each lot had been soiled and washed 10 times the breaking strength was

again determined. The loss per trip to the laundry amounted to 2.6 per cent of the

original strength, while the loss per trip to the washerwoman was 2.1 per cent of the

original strength. The limit of error was estimated to be about 10 per cent; hence

the results were considered to be of the same order of magnitude. The latmdry was known to bleach in the last soap bath with 2 quarts of sodium hypochlorite of a

strength of i per cent by weight of available chlorine, or a strength in the actual bath of 0.012 per cent of available chlorine, and to sour with 6 ounces of sodium

bisulphite to a bath of 40 gallons of water. The washerwoman was known to use ordinary domestic bar soap and sal soda in undetermined quantities. The appear- ance of the laundered handkerchiefs was pronounced by impartial judges to be

superior to that of the ones washed by the washerwoman.

Another test similar to the above in every way, except that only six washings were made, resulted in a loss of 3.6 per cent per trip to the laundrj' and 3.6 per cent per

trip to the washerwoman. By comparing these results with the ones presented in the previous paragraph it will be noted that the effect of the washing process is greater per treatment for the first six treatments than for the last four. It would
28 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

appear that as the cloth approached pure cellulose in composition the chemical

effect of the washing process becomes less and less and all the loss becomes mostly

attributable to mechanical effects. Since, however, this is more of academic than

practical interest, the writer had to forego further experimentation along this line. The practical interest in the results of the tests is in the fact that a greater loss in strength is suffered in the first few washings than in subsequent ones and also because

the effect of the power laundry process is no greater than the effect of the treatment given by the washerwoman.

Since the above experiments indicated that there was something in the ordinary

washerwoman 's process that compensated for the bleaching and souring in the power- laundry process, the following data were obtained to contribute to an explanation:

The Loss Dub to Bleaching.—In order to eliminate mechanical influences as completely as possible, the effects of bleaching in a 0.012 per cent available chlorine bath were measured by the following procedure: Test strips of sheeting, about 18 inches square and weighing approximately 25 grams, were prepared and the tensile strength then measured in four places on the warp and four places on the filling. A

piece so prepared was then immersed in a 300 cm ^ bath of sodium hypochlorite of the strength mentioned above and maintained at a temperature of 180° F for 15 minutes. The cloth was then removed from the bath, allowed to drain for two minutes,

and immersed in a bath of fiftieth-normal acetic acid, in which it was thoroughly

rinsed. The cloth was then rinsed thoroughly in tap water and dried in the centrifuge. This treatment was repeated 10 times, using freshly prepared baths each

time. After the tenth treatment the cloth was ironed dry and the tensile strength

again measured. The average loss per treatment was found to be 1.3 per cent of the

original strength.

Effect of Washboard Rubbing and the Roller Wringer.—Since all reagents used by the washerwoman and the power laundry are practically identical, excepting

the bleach and sour, and since the total effect on strength is approxim.ately the same,

this loss due to bleaching and souring in the power-laundry process must be repre- sented by the effect of the washboard and roller wringer in the washerwoman's

method. It is the opinion of the writer that the centrifugal extractor, as employed

in laundries, is one of tlie pieces of equipment which contribute most to the conservation of fabrics in laundering.

Effect of Drying on Clothesline.—Exposure to tlie air when drying affect? the

strength of fabrics more than might be anticipated. A handkerchief was exposed on the roof of a city building for 23 days last July. In this period there were 184.8 hours of sunshine. After this exposure the handkerchief showed a loss of 60 per

cent of its original strength. Of course the corrosive effect of substances carried in smoke exerted a decided influence on the results of this test. Undoubtedly under

atmospheric conditions prevailing in the country, remote from industrial centers, the

effect would be somewhat less. This test, however, furnishes an important object

lesson to the city housewife and, moreover, affords an explanation of the definite way

in which lace curtains often fail just at the line marked by the opened sash of the window. Certain hotel managers, appreciating that substances contained in smoke

have a corrosive action on fabrics, have their lace curtains laundered more frequently than other considerations would indicate. The mere effect of hanging clothes on the line, not considering the flapping effect,

is indicated by the following test: The tensile strength of a handkerchief was meas- ured as described before. It was then dipped in distilled water and hung up to dry. After the operation was repeated 18 times the handkerchief showed a loss of 4.35 per

cent of its original strength, or a loss of 0.25 per cent for each drying.

Power-Laundry Treatment.—Correlating the data briefly presented above

with the experience acquired in studying conditions in a large number of representative laundries throughout the country, the Mellon Institute Fellowship has recently
SECOND ANNUAIv TEXTILE CONFERENCE 29

prepared for the members of the Laundryowners' National Association a manual of standard wash-room formulas. It is expected that this work will contribute to the campaign, already well advanced, to bring the laundry work of the household from

the home to the power laundry.

Selective Treatment.—When a washerwoman picks up an article to wash it, she will intuitively, if she is a good laundress, give the garment the treatment that

is required by the nature of the dirtiness and texture of the article. If the article is a garment of thin lawn or nainsook, slightly soiled and perhaps somewhat tendered by age, the washerwoman will rub it less vigorously on the washboard than she would

if the article being washed were a pair of white pique trousers that had been worn by a boy of 5 years of age while at play. In view of the facts suggested in the above

statement the laundrymen have been convinced that in this selective treatment lies the only point of advantage obtaining in favor of the washerwoman as to any superiority in tlie matter of cleansing or preservation of fabrics. To obtain a compensating

advantage in the power laundry, the goods that come from the home are carefully

classified, not only as to color but as to texture, kind of material, and degree of dirti- ness as well. In the manual of standard formulas there is a detailed procedure for each classification. In addition, there are provided in most plants special washing machines for the

classes represented by the fine cotton and linen garments. Such a machine is termed

a "pony washer." When washed in a machine, these goods of a more fragile nature

are washed with a thick cushion of suds in order to minimize the mechanical wear. Sanitary Considerations.—The sanitary features of power laundries have been

thoroughly investigated by the Mellon Institute Fellowship as well as in other laboratories. There is absolutely no chance of disease being spread through the agency

of the power laundry. The writer has demonstrated that even in warm water (40° C)

soap, in concentration equal to that employed in washing woolens, has a bacteriocidal

efficiency of 98 per cent for all the common pathogenes. That the high temperatures

of the various baths, the ironers, dry houses, and hot-air tumblers, furnish sufficient

sterilization, provided the goods are properly handled after ironing or drying, as they

are in all good laundries, has been absolutely proved in the Mellon Institute laboratories. Proper handling after ironing and drying means that the goods are to be

sorted in a room or place remote from the room in which the soiled goods are received. The results mentioned above are amply confirmed by other investigators, as Dr. Wile and Chapin.'s

Summary.—An endeavor has been made to demonstrate that the responsibility of the conservation of fabrics in laundries is borne by three distinct agents—the manufacturer, the user, and the launderer. To last satisfactorily, the fabric must be of good material to begin with. To promote better care in the weaving of fabrics and

to conserve the interests of the honest producers as well as those of the ultimate con- sumers and laundry owners, some effective legislation governing proper labeling of fabrics is desirable. Perhaps also a pure "ad" law would be for the general good.

The owners of the fabric must understand that the more severely a fabric is soiled the more drastic must be the treatment it receives to restore the original color, whether

it be done by the laundress in the home or by the power laundry. We have also tried to show that a proper knowledge of the nature of stains, as imparted by domesticscience instruction, would in many ways serve to promote the conservation of the

life of fabrics. The latmdry owner, in his effort to conserve the life of fabrics, is entirely at the mercy

of both the maker and seller. It should be understood that every process of washing

a fabric, wherever it is done, affects the life of the fabric to some extent. We have

also sho^'ra that the process properly conducted in the power laundry conserves the

life of the fabric equally as well as does the process employed by a good laundress. " Med. News; Dec. 3, 1904. " Proc. Rhode Island Med. Soc.; 1908.
30 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DISCUSSION

Mr. Lewis. There was a complaint that came to my notice a few days ago of a silk- ribbed soft collar that went to pieces in the first washing. Was not this due to improper sorting? Mr. Elledge. There are good and bad laundries, but even a good laimdry sometimes will make mistakes. If there should be a mistake in sorting out silks, the laundry should of course make good the resulting damage. My attention has been

called to a number of instances in which the silk facings of soft collars failed the

first time. Obviously, if they were washed with the white collars at i8o° F. in a concentrated solution of alkali they would not last long. Mr. Lewis. Were the tests made by the grab or the strip method?

Mr. Elledge. The tests were made in this way. I took a certain point on the comer of a rectangular handkerchief, measured the tensile strength on the warp at four different places, and the tensile strength of the filling at four different places in

close proximity. Eight tests were made before and eight after exposure, the mean

being taken for the calculation of the strength loss. Mr. Lewis. The handkerchief was not cut but ^vas put in the machine with the jaws extending in to the body of the fabric?

V.T. Elledge. Sufficiently far from the hem so that it could not affect the test. PRESENT AND FUTUEIE TEXTILE LABORATORIES IN WESTERN LANDGRANT COLLEGES

Rlth O'Brien

For two years we have watched and marveled at the almost unbelievable strength

and stability of the structure which the German Nation has reared in Europe, a

structure which to a large extent owes its strength not only to the thorough technical and industrial training of her individuals but also to the ever-present and progressive research spirit with which she has surrounded them. She saw long ago what we

have somehoiiN' failed to realize—that science and industry must work together if either is really to prosper—and the results of her wisdom and our folly are only too

painfull^' contrasted in many of our present-day industries. The textile industry is no exception. In comparison with its wealth and extent perhaps there has been

less interest in scientific improvements in the matter of textiles than in any other

field. This has been demonstrated most effectively during the last few months, and yet

the tendency, even ac this time, has been to lament and not to achieve. If ever we

needed concerted action in developing and encouraging textile research in this country, we need it now—action which shall be as prompt and sane as possible,

utilizing all of the laboratories, equipment, and workers which are available. With

this idea in mind 1 present for your consideration the possibilities of the land-grant

colleges of the Middle West.

In the past textile education and experimentation have been confined largely to our Eastern States, due, no doubt, to the fact that the textile industries are located

chiefly in that part of the countr>\ True we have the wool-producing States in the West, but the education and experimentation which have been needed and devel- oped have been small and mostly in animal husbandrj-—just as in the South the work has been largely along agricultural lines. In the East have been the textile

industries, and in the East are the textile schools. We are all proud of these schools and are watching their growth and development with the greatest interest. Yet

some of us have come to believe not only that the advantages of many of their depart- ments should be more accessible to the large body of college men and women through-

" Instructor in textile chemistry. University of Iowa, Ames, Iowa.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 31

out the Nation, but also that there are a multitude of unsolved textile problems which

widely-distributed scientific laboratories of the country should be helping to solve.

I say widely distributed because only in that way will the work attract a large number

of our young and variously-trained scientists. It is true that many scientifically- trained persons have very definite ideas as to the line of work they wish to enter and

will travel many miles to reach the most advantageous place to do that work; but, on the other hand, many merely seek the nearest school or laboratory for their train- ing and in after life continue to work along the lines first presented to them. In this way a large number of our western students are never brought in touch with textile work and, not knowing its possibilities, do not even consider entering that field. But the location is not the only factor to be taken into account. It is very imperative in this present crisis that these laboratories should be already built and already

equipped and manned as far as possible. We do not have the time nor would it be

sensible to attempt to build and equip new ones unless such a course is absolutely

necessary, and it seems to me that the laboratories in our land-grant colleges make

this very unnecessary.

It was as early as 1857 when Representative Morrill had a vision of a system of colleges throughout this country which, fostered by the Nation as a whole, should in time of peace so educate and strengthen the youth of the coimtry that in time of war

they could rally well prepared to protect that Nation. He introduced his bill for founding these colleges in that year, but it v/as five years later before it became a law. By its provision an amount of public land equal to 30 000 acres for each Senator and Representative to which each of the States was respectively entitled in i860 was donated to that State. All money derived from the sale of such land was to be

invested in safe stocks, the interest from which (in the words of the act) "shall be

appropriated by each State which may take and claim the benefits of this Act, to the endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college where the leading

object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical subjects and including

military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and

mechanic arts." Additional annual appropriations were provided by the second

Morrill Act of 1890 and the Nelson amendment of 1908. As a result, we have to-day over 50 of these colleges, supported partly by Federal and partly by State funds, their

size and scope depending largely on the wealth and generosity of the individual

States. Some of these are departments of or are connected with State universities, others are parts of technical or industrial institutions, and many exist alone. In a number of cases the State experiment stations are directly or indirectly connected

with them. Thus the Nation is trying to do her share, and living as I have in one

of the largest of these colleges and seeing the response which they have given during

the last two months, I have felt that in 1917, for the second time, they are paying

their debt and Morrill's vision is coming true. They are furnishing us at this time

not only men trained in military science, but also men trained in many other fun- damental sciences. From their engineering departments of the past and present

are rising the host of engineers upon whom our success abroad is to depend so largely, and from their agricultural departments are coming those whose efforts are to mean

so much to the world. From them we should be also receiving some of oni textile engineers and textile chemists. The laboratories are there, some of them, especially the chemistry and engineering laboratories, being (with the exception of very special

apparatus) well equipped for our purpose. For example, the University of Illinois has a very fine engineering department and last year dedicated an exceedingly mod- em and extensive chemistry building which is large enough to take care of an enor- mous growth and expansion. This is also true of the University of Nebraska, whose

engineering laboratories were completed a few years ago and which will enter new

and very spacious botany and chemistry buildings next fall. The chemistry depart-
32 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

meat of Iowa State College is just getting settled in its new and in many ways ultra modem building, and the engineering department and equipment is one of tlie best

in the coimtry. New Mexico, too, is just completing a chemistry building which

will allow and encourage development along many new lines. These are only a few

examples to give you some idea of the interest and support which the Western States

are giving the scientific departments of their colleges and to point out to you that the time is exceedingly ripe for cooperation along any industrial line. None of these colleges, as far as I have been able to inform myself, are giving work on the mechanical processes of textile manufacture, and very little work is being done on real textile design. A great many, however, are offering courses in textile chemistry and in general textiles. These are all undergraduate courses, but have done

a great deal toward arousing an interest in the subject and can be used nicely as a foimdation upon which to build worth-while graduate and research work. For example, the Utah Agricultural College is offering two courses and has carried on some textile research. The University of Wisconsin is offering one at the present

time. The people at the University of Wyoming are at a particular advantage in having Prof. Hill, the wool specialist, with them and feel that they can offer lab- oratory facilities as well as equipment for an extensive research laboratory if the wool growers of the State could be induced to offer financial cooperation; and, by the way, such arrangements with local associations are becoming quite common in the West. For instance, the food laboratory at Iowa State College recently purchased an experimental milling machine in cooperation with the Iowa State Millers' Association and by its analytical work is returning its value to the association. The Oregon Agricultural College has been giving elementary courses in textile chemistry for a number of years and is increasing its equipment at this time with tlie intention of making a specialty of this work. At Iowa State College we are offering three undergraduate courses at present and are increasing the equipment and scope

of the work as fast as possible. A very spacious laboratory has been set aside for this work alone and will be completely fitted out next year. A large amount of money

has already been spent on textile apparatus, and the amount and extent of the re- search which will be done in the future will depend largely on the encouragement

which it receives from the State and the country. The Universities of Minnesota,

Nebraska, and New Mexico, as well as the Oklahoma Agricultural College, have been

considering the introduction of similar courses and are weighing the advantages of such action at the present time. In other words, the start has been made, and the next few years will no doubt see many more of these undergraduate courses being given. It is only one step more to graduate work in such departments and the ultimate establishment of high-grade

research laboratories in connection with the best of them; but this will never come

unless the textile men of the countr>' awake to the need of such a step. The colleges, depending as they do on State and Federal support, must have the strong backing

of the people most concerned. We especially need this in States where the industries are few and tlie whole problem appeals to the taxpayer as being very remote and unimportant. I know this from personal experience and have a very warm

feeling for a certain woolen mill in Des Moines which, while not nearly as large as many of your eastern plants, has come to our assistance many times. We need the

little helps and the big helps. When you are sending out your representatives and

motion-picture films, do not forget that there is a western half of this country; and

when you come to realize the great need which the industry has for textile research and are ready to cooperate in the acquisition of equipment or the establishment of fellowships, do not forget that the western land-grant colleges have made a start and

will do everything in their power to justify your faith in them.

Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. I.—Apparatus used in first test?, partly erected

Fig. 2.

Complete view of apparatus used in first tests, showing entrance side

Fig. 3.Complete vine ofi apparatus used in first tests, showing exit side
SECOND ANNUAIv TEXTILE CONFERENCE 33

MODERN METHODS OF TESTING BLANKETS FOR HEAT TRANSMISSION

George B. Haven

In consequence of the marked growth in the excellence of cotton blankets during

recent years and of the, increasing price and scarcity of wool, the question has often

arisen as to the value of the cotton fiber as a means of protection against cold. Without doubt well-woven arid napped cotton blankets possess very high insulating value,

much nearer to that of woolen blankets than is generally supposed. With a view of

scientifically answering this question without the use of personal estimate or opinion

,

the author of this paper, in collaboration with Prof. George W. Swett, of the Insti- tute of Technology, undertook some two years ago a series of tests for Messrs. Amory, Brown & Co., of Boston, selling agents for the Nashua Manufacturing Co., Nashua,

N. H.

These first tests were, in a sense, primitive. The apparatus consisted merely of a

series of s-foot lengths of standard 4-inch iron steam pipe with the ends capped and

heavily insulated. The exterior surfaces of the pipes were wrapped with the various blankets under consideration . The pipe units were all connected to a common source

of hot-water supply, and after filling them and bringing them all to a temperature

slightly below boiling, as indicated by an inserted thermometer, they were allowed to cool for about nine hours. The fall in temperature was noted every 15 minutes and of course was most rapid in the pipe unit which was left bare to afford a basis of comparison. The pipe wrapped with a heavy blanket retained its heat for the longest

period, but after nine hours all the units were at approximately the same temperature. The fall in temperature was plotted against the time intervals, giving a series

of descending curves, the most rapid for the bare, pipe and the most gradual for the

best blanket. Fig. i shows this apparatus partly erected and Figs. 2 and 3 the same when complete and ready for use

.

These experiments, performed in May, 191 5, were not deemed wholly satisfactory, since no heat was added to the pipe units during the test and the temperature was

allowed to fall at will, conditions which do not approximate very closely those of the human body protected from cold by insulating fabrics. These rough tests gave, however, a remarkable illustration of the power of well-made cotton blankets to retain heat, and led to a subsequent series of experiments at the Institute of Technology in May and June, 1916. At the suggestion of Robert Amorj- of the Nashua Manufacturing Co., the author

of this paper undertook an entirely no-\'el method of measuring the heat transmission through a series of blankets. A thin copper pipe was built containing an electric heater of sufficient capacity to raise the temperature of the pipe and the water with

which it was filled to blood heat and to maintain that temperature while a large temperature gradient was maintained by performing the tests in a cold storage plant.

The electrical energy necessary to keep the pipe and its contents at blood heat was

accurately measured and the exact time recorded. The electrical energy was trans- formed into calories per minute, thus enabling the heat transmission through the

various blanket wrappings to be compared.

A copper pipe 5 feet Ipng and 4K inches outside diameter was made for the purpose by the E. B. Badger Co., of Boston. The copper used was approximately one-six- teenth of an inch thick. The ends were closed with spun copper caps of the same

thickness, soldered in place. The right-hand cap was made solid, while the leftr hand one was reinforced and tapped at its upper edge for a one-half inch vent pipe. Near the lower edge of the left-hand cap a iX-inch hole was cut for the attachment of the electric heater. The electric heater was incased in a piece of three-eighths inch

brass tubing 9 feet long, bent to the form of a U , with one witig attached to the electric

" Professor of machine desiBm, Mass. Institute of Techiiolouy, Cambridec. JFass. 62393—18 5
34 U. S. BUREAU OP STANDARDS

wiring. The whole was inserted in the copper pipe and soldered in position. Inside the heater tube were placed two heating elements, and these were wired to a three- stage button so that the heating units could be used either singly or in combination. In the tests the high capacity unit was found very valuable in preparatory warming

up, but the medium coil was used dxu'ing the progress of all the tests. Fig. 4 shows

the copper pipe and attachments. In the top of the copper pipe were two outlets three-fotuths inch in diameter and

spaced 4 inches apart. By means of rubber corks an ordinary thermometer was

introduced into the right-hand outlet. This was used simply to indicate the temperature of the water in the copper pipe when heating up the apparatus preparatory

to a test. Through the left-hand outlet a thermostat was introduced and made tight

by a rubber cork. Care was taken that the center of the mercury bulbs in both

instances lay exactly upon the horizontal line at the center of the copper pipe. In order to confine the radiation of heat to a definite area upon the barrel of the copper pipe, insulating cages 2 inches thick, made of pine, filled with plastic asbestos, and covered with a layer of canvas were placed at both ends of the copper pipe. The

asbestos was thoroughly dried by admitting steam to the apparatus for several days

prior to use. The outlets at the left-hand end for vent and wires were also cov- ered with asbestos and taped tight. The length of copper pipe left bare between

the insulating cages was 48 inches. In order to wind on the blankets imder uniform

tension, a groove was turned in each cage near its inner end. The copper pipe and

its cages were suspended at each end from a wooden horse b)^ wire loops which per- mitted the apparatus to be revolved. The horse was high enough to bring the center

of the copper pipe 66 inches above the floor. Fig. 5 shows the bare copper pipe and

cages with the thermometers inserted, the whole being suspended from the horse. The samples of blankets were cut 48 inches in width by 66 inches in length, and

along the narrow end a series of safety pins were inserted exactly 2 inches apart, each

safety pin carrying four sheet-iron washers. Fig. 6 shows the apparatus at this junctme.

This fringe of safety pins and washers pro\'ided just enough weight to keep the blankets

suitably taut while winding them upon the copper pipe. The copper pipe was thor- oughly washed before the tests began, as well as between tests, so that in no case did any

accumulation upon the surface of the pipe interfere with the radiation. A few drops of glue were used along the top of the pipe to catch the end of the blanket, the pipe being

kept meanwhile at blood heat. Fig. 7 shows the appearance of the blanket while being

wound on the pipe. The method of emptying the pipe is shown by Fig. 8. The winding on of the blankets was easily accomplished by rotating the copper pipe

and its cages while the wire loops in the grooves held it in position. Small slits were

cut for the thermometer outlets as they came around, and the washers and safety pins were always allowed to hang free, thus maintaining a constant tension in the blankets,

as shown in Fig. g. As soon as three layers had been wound on, the fabric was seciu-ely

pinned Ln position and the superfluity cut off. Pins were used to hold the tension so that it would not be diminished after cutting oS the washers. The loose end was then

carefully sewed down along the top of the pipe so as to give exactly three layers of blanket in every case. The blankets were rubbed horizontally a little to insure a good

fit against the insulation cages, but no lengthwise tension was used except that due

to the washers and pins.

To provide a method for controlling automatically the current admitted to the electric heater, J. B. Lewis of the Simplex Electric Heating Co., Cambridge, Mass., was

consulted. Under his direction a relay switch was built and connected to the heating

coils and thermostat. The thermostat consisted of an accurate mercurial thermometer

having fine platium wires inserted in the path of the mercury opposite some low temperature and again opposite 100° F. The latter was assumed to be blood heat. The principle upon which the relay switch worked was as follows : While the current was passing through the heating coils the temperature in the copper pipe would rise

36 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

and the mercury in the thermostat would ascend. As soon as ioo° F was reached

the thread of mercury in the thermostat served to make connection between the platinum wires. The current passing through the circuit thus established was used to throw the switch and shut off the current from the heating coils. As soon as the temperature of the water fell a very slight amount the current in the thermostat was in- terrupted and the switch was automatically thrown on again, admitting the current through the heating coils. Thus the apparatus automatically shut off and shut on the

electric current in the heating coils according to the changes in temperature of the

wai.er. This fluctuation could not be detected by the eye upon the thermometer and

amounted therefore to not more than 0.1° or 0.2° F. The sensitivitj' of this apparatus was thus very good, permitting much less range of temperature than that occurring

normally in the blood of a healthy person. Of course the heavy electric currents running to the heating coils could not be directly utilized in the thermostat, since arcing would take place with consequent vaporization of the mercury. The current operating the thermostat was therefore shunted from

the main circuit and passed through resistance sufficient to cut it down to a very small amount. This would not arc at the mercurial contact with the platinum wire and was

just sufficient to throw a relay switch, which in turn threw the liea\'y magnetic switch upon the main current. The amperage and voltage were read every 30 seconds while

the current was on. A floor stand, Fig. 10, was built of pine and shellacked preparatory to receiving the

wiring and instruments. The relay switch was built for 1 10 volts direct current. A plug screwed into an electric-light socket in the cold-storage warehouse chamber brought cmrent to the tioor stand. The \\ ires were attached to a cut-out block carrying fusible plugs

of 10 amperes capacity. One side of the -wiring was interrupted for the insertion of an ammeter with the usual short-circuit block. The voltmeter was inserted across the

wiring by means of soldered taps, and the circuit next went to the main switch. The

thermostat circuit was connected to the relay, and the apparatus was ready for use. The copper pipe was filled with tepid water to save time in heating up, and as soon as the temperature reached 95^ F, the heating coils were thrown over to medium and

the thermostat connected. (See Figs. 11 and 12.) In order to make certain that no air was pocketed in the copper pipe, thus changing

the amount of heat necessarj^ the vent cock was left open during all the tests. The

pipe was filled through the thermometer inlets to its full capacity. The end having

the vent was then elevated so that all air bubbles would assemble and pass out. The

pipe was then carefully leveled with a spirit level. The procedure in the tests was as follows: After running the apparatus about one

hour, all parts were assumed to be heated uniformly. The test was commenced at the

instant the switch threw on by reference to the second hand of a watch. Voltage and

amperage readings were taken every 30 seconds and the instant noted when the switch threw off. By multiplying together the average voltage, amperage, and the time the current was on in seconds, the watt seconds during the interval were found. Each test was run slightly over one hour and the total watt seconds added together. This quantity divided by the total length of the test in seconds gave the watts radiated per

second, and this was transformed into calories and British thermal units. A sample test is given in detail in Table i

.

In the left-hand column are shown the intervals expressed in seconds during which

the current was on; the second column to the right the intervals in seconds during

which the current was off. In the third, fourth, and fifth columns are expressed the hour, minute, and second of the day at which the test began or the readings were made.

In the sixth and seventh columns are the voltage and amperage readings totaled and

averaged. In the eighth column is the product of volts times amperes times seconds

duration of the interval. In the last column at the right is given the temperature

of the cold chamber in the warehouse simply to show its uniformity.
4

Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. 5.Base pipe unit with thermometer and thermostat

Fig. 6.Pipe unit "with blanket ready for winding on

Fig. 7.Pipe unit with blanket partly wound on
Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications'No. 19

Fig. 10.Floor stand wUh instruments
Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. II.General vieu- of complete apparatus

Fig. 12.

Interior lieic of magnetic snitch

a. Wire from electric lamp socket; b, cut-out block; cc, lo ampere plugs; d. short-circuit block

for ammeter; £, ammeter; fj, taps for voltmeter; g. voltmeter; switch box; i, main

switch; resistance; k, relay; /. wires to heater; three-stage button; 7i, attachment to heating coils; o. wires to thermostat; pp. asbestos-lined cages; gg, grooves in cages; rr, sus- pension wires; s, horse; tl, thermometer outlets; u, check thermometer; t, thermostat;

aa-, bindine posts on thermostat; zx, rubber corks; y, vent cock to let out air
Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. 14.

Thickness measurer in operaUon
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 37

TABLE L—Cotton Blanket

[Test No. 5, June 30, 1916. Throughout this table T.= "total" and A.= "average."]

Time current was— Time of switch throw

Voltage Amperage Watt- Room

temperature On Off Hours Minutes Seconds

seconds

Seconds Seconds

1

11

1

4

5

5

5

45

1545

59

104.3

104.1

105.

2.40

2. 38 2.38

" F

74 186 T. 313.4 A. 104. 5

7. 16

2. 387 18 460

!

35. 6

1

11

1

9

9 10

10

5 35

5 10

104.0

104.4

104.

2. 40

2. 38

2. 36

j 65 176 T. 312. 4 A. 104.

1

7. 14

2. 380 16 110 35.

6

1 1

1

1

13

1314

6 36

6

104.3

104.6

104. 2

2. 39

2. 38

2. 36

69 185 T. 313.

1

A. 104.

4

7. 13

2. 377 17 120 35. 4

1

1

1

17

17

18

20

60

20

103.9

104.2

103.8

2. 39

2. 38

2. 37

67 170 T. 311. 9 A. 104.

7. 14

2. 380 16 590 35. 3

1

1

1

21

2122

1747

17

104.5 104.3

104.

2. 39

2. 38

2. 37

59 179 T. 312. 8 A. 104*3

7.14

2. 380 17 130 35.

1

1

11

1

252526

26

2555

25

32

104.0

103.8

103. 4

2.36

2. 37

2. 34

67 170 T. 311. 2 A. 103. 7 7.07

2. 357 16 380 35- 2

1

1

11

29

2930

30

2252

2230

102.5

101.6

101.

1

2.35

2. 30

2. 28

68

178 T. 305. 2 A. 101.

7

6. 93

2. 310 15 980 35, 3

71

11

11

33

33

34

34

2858

28

39

99.8

100.0

102. 3

2. 29

2. 28

2. 40

179 T. 302.

1

A. 100.

7

6. 97

2. 323 16 610 35. 3

1

11

1

3738

38

38

38

' 8

38

52

100.0 98.7

99. 2

2. 28

2. 25

2. 24

74 1 169 T. 297. 9 A. 99. 3 6.77

2. 257 16 580

j 1

1

1

!

4152

42

1 42 !

41

114152

98.6

99.7

99.0

2. 25

2. 25

2. 24

71

1 160 T. 297. 3 A. 99.1

6. 74

2. 247 15 810

1

1

11

1

45 ] 46 i 46 ; 46

32

2 32

43

100.2

99.8 102.0

2. 28

2. 26

2. 29

71 ira T. 302. A. 100. 7

6. 83

2. 277 16 280

)
38 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

TABLE 1—Continued

Time current was

Time of switch throw

Voltage Amperage Watt- Room

temperature On Off Hours

1 Minutes 1 Seconds

seconds

Seconds Seconds

1

. 1

1

1

49 36

50 6 50 36 50 42

103.1

104 3

103!

—

2. 37

2 36

2! 35

OF

£6

174 T. 310. 4 A. 103. 5 7.08

2. 360 16 120 35.

1

1

11

1

53 36

54 6 54 36

54 43

103.5

105. 4 103.9

2. 38

2. 39

2. 37

67

177 T. 312.

8

A. 104.

3

7. 14

2. 380 16 630 35.

3

1

X

11

57 40

58 20 58 40

58 48

102.5

103.

1

102.5

2. 33

2. 34

2. 33

68

173 T. 308.

1

A. 102. 7

7. 00

2. 333 16 290 35.3

2

2

22 '2

1 41

2 11

2 41

2 49

5 42

102.0

102.9

103.5

2. 33

2. 35

2. 34

68

173 T. 308.

4

A. 102. 8 T. 7.02 A. 2. 340 16 360 35.3

T.103S T. 2622 T.248 450 T.458.9 A. 35.

3

Two tests each were made upon seven different types of blankets ranging from the cheapest kind of camp blanket to a very expensive woolen blanket. The cost of the former was about $1.50 per pair and that of the latter about $12 per pair; thus, a wide

range of quality was secured. In addition to the tests made with blankets upon the

pipe, three tests were performed with the pipe left bare and the data secured from

these tests were used as a basis in computing the efficiency of the various blankets as insulators. Table 2 is a summary of the results of all tlie tests showing radiations in watts per second in the first column, equivalent British thermal units in the second column,

equivalent calories in the third column, and the average temperature of the cold- storage compartment in the fourth column. These results are believed to be correct to four significant figures and show very conclusively that cotton blankets are nearly

as effective as wool blankets as a means of protection against cold. In the fifth column of Table 2 are recorded the average thicknesses of all the blanket

samples. It will be noted that in general the heat transmission was least when the thickness of the blankets was greatest and that it was in large measure independent

of the material from which the blanket was made. Thus tests Nos. 5 and 8 for a thick

,

pure cotton blanket gave fully as good results as the thinner commercially all-wool blanket of tests Nos. 3 and 6; also the blanket of tests Nos. 10 and 11, which showed the

greatest thickness of any in the list, indicated practically the highest insulating power

of any, although it was stated to be 50 per cent cotton and was retailed at a price to correspond. It has been conjectured that the amount of enmeshed air in a blanket has much to do with its efficiency as an insulator. The measuring machine shown in Fig. 13 is one devised and built by Dr. Robert

J. Wiseman, of the institute research staff, for measuring the thickness of a film of

oil. While not designed for measing the thickness of textiles, it is the most accurate and logical instrument for this purpose which we have seen. Most thickness measurers exert upon the sample a degree of compression which varies with the thickness
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 39

of the blanket. In Dr. Wiseman 's machine the weight of the platform upon the fabric

is always the same, no matter what the thickness. It consists, as shown by the photograph, of an ebonite base o with three vertical supports bbb. The measiuing plat- forms cc are nicely made of brass and are flat surfaces, located in an accurate hori- zontal plane. The lower platform is fixed in the machine, being adjustable for height

only. The upper platform Is attached to a hard steel shank d which reaches up

through the center of the machine. The upper platform and shank are freely movable, and they rest upon the sample to be measured with their own weight. At the uppermost portion of the machine is fastened a rachet feed micrometer e, so arranged

as to make contact with the steel shank. TABLE 2.—Heat Transmission

Material Wattsper second

British thermal

units

Calories per minute

Average room

temperature

Bare pipe Bare pipe Bare pipe Cotton blanket A

Cotton blanket A

Cotton blanket B

Cotton blanket B

Cotton blanket C

Cotton blanket C

Half cotton blanket A

Halt cotton blanket A

Half cotton blanket B

Half cotton blanket B

Wool blanket A

Wool blanket A

Wool blanket B

Wool blanket B ,

114.7

113.5

109.8 83.97

81. 70

67.95

67.16

66.44

69. 60 67.17

70. 35

61. 90

62. 87

72. 85

69. 68

60. 21

62. 76

391.4

387.2 374.7

285.5

278. 7

231.8

229. 2 226.7

237.4

229.2

240.

1

211.2

214. 5 248.6

237. 8

205.4

214. i

98.64

97.57

94.43

72. 19 70.25

58. 42 57.75

57. 12

59. 84 57.76

60.49

53. 22 54.05

62. 65

59. 91

51. 77 53.96

'F.

34.8

35.1 34.9

34.9

35.3

35.3

35.8

36.2

35.2

35.1

35.2 34.0

34.3

35.4 35.0

35.5

34.7

In taking a series of thickness measurements, the two platforms are placed in contact and the micrometer screwed down against the steel shank, thus giving a zero

reading. In order to make the reading as definite as possible, the micrometer and

steel shank were electrically insulated and a battery and telegraph sounder wired into the circuit to indicate when the micrometer contact took place. With a piece of the

fabric inserted bet'^veen the platforms, Fig. 14, a similar micrometer reading was taken and the difference between this and the zero reading gave the thickness of the fabric. In measuring the thickness of the blankets, a strip was cut 4 inches wide and the

full length of the sample which had previously been tested for heat transmission. A

series of readings was taken at the beginning, middle, and end of this sample. These

readings were all finally averaged to give the thickness of the blanket. It must be

remembered that these thicknesses are purely relative, simply being the micrometer

readings taken under similar conditions and with equal compression, using samples

from the blankets tested. It is only when so considered that these measurements are

of any value. In order to bring together for final comparison the results of all the preceding tests, Table 3 has been compiled. In the first column at the left is given the name of the

blanket, in the second column is stated the average electrical equivalent of the heat

transmission in watts per second, in the third column the same expressed in calories per minute, in the fourth column the same in British thermal units per minute, and

in the last column at the right the average thickness of the blanket as taken at three

different places. This table expresses very clearly the efficiency of the various blankets as compared with that of bare pipe and also shows the effect of thickness.
40 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

TABLE 3.—Average Heat Transmission

Material

Bare pipe Cotton blanket A

Cotton blanket B

Cotton blanket C

Half cotton blanket A

Half cotton blanket B

"Wool blanket A

Wool blanket B

Watts

per second

112.7

82. 84 67.56

68. 02

68. 76

62. 39

71. 27 61.49

British thermal

units per minute

Calories per minute

384.4

282.6 230.5

232.

1

234.7

212.9

243.2 209.8

96.88

71.22 58.09

58.48

59. 13

53. 64 61.28

52. 87

Average

thickness

Inches

"'6.' 0585 .1265

. 1080

. 1100

. 1395 .1010

. 1215

TABLE 4.—Comparative Heat Transmission

Material

Cotton blanket A

Cotton blanket B

Cotton blanket C

Half cotton blanket A

Half cotton blanket B. Wool blanket A

Wool blanket B

Relative

insulating value

Relative thickness

Per cent Per cent

58.3 48.2

88. 1 104.

1

87. 2 88.9

85. 8 90.6

98.2 114. 6 80.9 83. 1 100 100

In order to compare the blankets one with another Table 4 has been compiled.

Taking the average heat transmission of the best blanket as a basis of comparison,

the percentages for the other blankets have been calculated. The same blanket is used as a basis in computing the relative thicknesses. From these results it is* believed that the relative efficiency of various blankets

as heat conservers can readily and accurately be measured, and that cotton blankets when well ^^•oven and napped are ver)' efficient as a means of protection from cold.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Lang. I would like to ask Mr. Haven what effect laundering has on the heat

transmission of cotton blankets. Have you made any tests to determine that? Mr. Haven. We have not yet been able to try the effect of laundering on heat

transmission. Mr. Elledge. I would like to ask the speaker if he means what effect the process

of laundering will have on the insulating value of the material if it is merely washed

and not carded after washing, or if he means washed and carded as it is usually done

in first class laundries. Mr. Lang. It seems to me the reason for cotton becoming a heat insulator is found

in the air inclosed by the nap. Even if the blanket was properly laundered, its efficiency might be injured unless the nap were restored to its natural condition

afterwards. Mr. ElledgE. It would be a part of the dut}- of a good laundn^ to restore that nap

as nearly as possible to its pre\'ious condition. Mr. Haven. Will you give us some idea as to how that is done?

Mr. Elledge. vSome laundries—for instance, those handling a great many woolen

blankets for the Pullman Co.—use stretchers and mechanical carders which go over

the blanket and pick up the nap verj- lightly. Small quantities are handled by

placing the blanket on a frame and carding it by hand.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 41

COMPARATIVE SERVICE TESTS OF COTTON AND WOOL BUNTING

Walter S. Lewis " and Charles J. Cleary "

The recent substitution of cotton bunting for wooLbunting in the manufactui-e of

flags has given rise to considerable discussion as to the relative serviceability of the two materials. This paper sets forth the results of a series of tests designed to compare them with respect to durability and color fastness. The test flags were made with red and white stripes only, no ensign being included,

as shown in Fig. i. Four large flags and six small flags were exposed simultaneously, the dimensions,

arrangement on the poles, and designation numbers being as shown in Fig. 2 . Flags

numbered 5 and 15, 6 and 16, 7 and 17, 8 and 18 were, respectively, made from the ?

RED

WHITE

Fig. I.

Construction of test flags same material. Flags 19 and 20 were made from two other varieties of high-grade

bunting. The exposure was continued for six months. At intervals of two weeks,

samples for tensile-strength tests were taken, and the positions of the flags were changed in suclj a manner that each one was exposed in each position its proper pro- portion of the whole time. The tensile-strength tests of the unexposed material were made upon i-inch strips, the regular testing procedure of the Bureau of Standards being used throughout.

The method of sampling is shown in Fig. 3. The test specimens from the exposed bunting were prepared so as to contain the same number of threads as the corresponding unexposed specimens, irrespective of actual width. The average initial and final results obtained are given in Table i. No filling direction tests were made upon the bunting in the small flags after exposure

" Bureau of Standards, Wasliiiigton, D. C. 62393—18 6
42 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

because the narrowness of the stripes made it impossible to obtain specimens of suffi- cient length. The percentage gain or loss in strength during exposure, given in the

last t-svo columns, rvere computed on the basis of the original strength figures.

. 9.5 feet

Wool

Cotton

Wool

Cotton

¥.S'fee.-t 15

16

17

18

19

20

Wool

Cotton

Wool

Cotton

Wool

Wool

Fig. 2.Arrangement offlays on poles

TABLE 1

Designation number

Material Color of bunting

5 Wool Red...

I I White.

15 i Wool Red...

I White.

6 i Cotton Red...

'.

' White.

16 ! Cotton Red...

1 White.

7 ; Wool I Red...

I

i White.

17 1 Wool Red...

I White.

8 Cotton Red...

1

' White.

18 1 Cotton Red...

i White.

19 Wool Red...

White.,

20 Wool Red....

White..

Tensile strength (pounds)

Before exposure After exposure

Per cent of loss ( —

)

or gain (+) by ex- exposure

Warp

29.5 28.4

30.2

29.5 30.0

37.0

31.9

40. 3 28.8

28.8

32. 6 32.5

44. 2 44.2 46.0 , 45.0 I 31.3 34.8

32.2

33.7

Filling I Warp

25.1

23. 5

30.6

41.6

25.8

24.7

28.8

40. 5

28.9

24.9

31.5

27.

1

15.8 24 6 13.9 24.4

31.7 33.7

33.2 35.0 27 3

33. 5 24.6

29.5 29.7

33.5

33.5

34.

1

25.5

20.9

12. 5 24.2

22.8

20.

17.6

30, 6

Filling I Warp I Filling

- 2.0 -12.3

4- 4.

1

- 8. 1 -47.3

-33.5 -56.4

-39.4 + 9.1 H-14.5

-1-1.8 +11.1 -38.2

—24.2

-46.5 -34.4 - 5.

1

- 3.7

-1-3.9 + 1.2

+ 1.5 -11.0

-59.1 -41.8

—11.6

-19.

-38.8

-24.4

The results of tensile-strength tests before and after the six months exposure are plotted in Fig. 4. The best cotton bunting shows considerable loss in tensile strength, while the wool bunting was little affected. The very large proportionate decrease in strength of the red cotton bunting was evidently cau.sed by the dye or the method of application.


SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 43
44 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The biweekly inspection showed that three of the large flags began to show sig^s of fraying after three months' exposure and the other after four months. The first fraying of the small flags was observed after four and one-half months, three being afiected. Apparent fraying in the others commenced after about five months. In all instances the cotton bunting showed greater resistance to the action of wind and weather than

the wool bunting. It was noted that the wool bunting became harsh in feeling during

exposure, while no change was noted in the feeling of the cotton bunting. As regards color changes it was found that the best red wool bunting faded less than

the best red cotton bunting, and that the white cotton bunting remained white better than the white wool bunting. It was also observed that the red outside stripes faded more than the inner stripes. Determination was made of the total change in dimensions due to the six months'

exposure by computation from the number of yarns in i inch. The results obtained

in the case of the large flags are given in Table 2, each figure being the average of

results obtained on the red and white bunting. The small flags changed in relative

. dimensions about as much as the large flags. TABLE 2.—Change in Size of Large Flags During Exposure

[Figures obtained by computation: (,+,) denotes increase, (— ) denotes decrease.]

Flae Width I Length

Wool No. 5 Inches +ii - S

Per cent

2.9 Inches -8

Per cent

7 Wool No. 7 1.2 Cotton No. 6 -2

6.2 -10 8.8

3. 3 - 8i 7.5

Summary of Results—r. The best red wool bunting faded only to a small extent, while the best red cotton bunting faded somewhat more; the white cotton bunting

remained white much better than the white wool bunting.

2. The effect of the weather upon the tensile strength of the red and white wool bunting was practically the same; but the red cotton btmting was weakened to a much greater extent than the white cotton bunting. The fiber of the wool bunting was appreciably harsher and less lustrous after exposure than before. The cotton

fiber seemed to have been unaffected by the exposure in this respect.

3. In regard to fraying or tearing the best cotton bunting gave much better results than the best wool bunting.

4. The cotton wrinkled, especially when beginning to dry after a thorough wetting,

somewhat more than the wool.

5. The fraying or tearing of the stripes usually occurred in the filling yarns or the narrow dimension of the flag. The best cotton flags showed no signs of fraying up to about four months of exposiire, while the best wool flags became frayed in about

three months. Large flags were affected before the corresponding small flags in this respect.

5. The lightest bunting showed the greatest wearing qualities, this being a cotton bunting; but of the four kinds of wool bunting used the heaviest fabric showed the

greatest resistance to the wind and weather. These results therefore do not enable a conclusion to be reached as to the best weight of a bunting in this respect.

7. The large and small flags showed about the same change in tensile strength and

relative dimensions after the service tests.

8. The change in the size was greater in the lengthwise direction. Manufacturing Suggestions.—i. The red cotton btmting should be dyed with

colors that will remain practically the same shade after four months ' weather exposure

,

and the dye or dyeing process used should not cause it to deteriorate faster than similar white bunting.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONEERENCE 45

2. Cotton bunting could perhaps be shrunk to such an extent that little or no shrink- ing would occur later in the made-up flags.

3. It may be advisable to use better bunting for large flags than for small flags.

4. Stronger filling yarns or, perhaps, two-ply yarns would considerably improve the

resistance of wool bunting to fraying and tearing.

5. Since the first indication of failure was observed in the corners of the flags, it is suggested that these be reinforced either by an extra piece of bunting or with several rows of stitching. Additional rows of stitching all along the free end of the flag might

greatly improve the wearing quality.

6. It is further suggested that tlie shades of the red and blue colors be standardized

to eliminate the present variation.

7. Effort should be made to make the red color of the wool bunting faster and so to prepare the white wool bunting that its whiteness will be retained better.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Noi.AN. I would like to ask Mr. Hartshome how he thinks his mixed cotton and worsted yam ^vould work for flags. Mr. Hartshorne. I do not believe it would appl^' at all, because it would be diffi- cult to dye

.

Mr. Nolan. I mean with respect to shrinkage. Mr. Hartshorne. I do not think that it is an application that might be expected.

If the cotton flag turns out well it will be unnecessary to use worsted at all. Mr. LiND. A summary of the investigation shows that one is about as good as the

other ? Mr. Lewis. Yes. Mr. LiND. Have you arrived at any conclusion ? Mr. Lewis. The cotton bunting is apparently as serviceable as tlie wool bunting,

and the Government is, consequently, now buying larger quantities of the cotton bunting. Mr. Nolan. Do they i.ssue specifications as to the dye used? I think that is a very important consideration. Mr. Lewis. Yes, it is. We have planned an investigation for determining ade- quate color specifications. Mr. Nolan. I think you will find the dyestuff just as essential as tlie component

material.
SECOND SESSION

OPENING ADDRESS

William C. Redfield^"

I have no idea of making a speech to ^^ou, but I msh I could convey to you how it makes me feel to have you here.

I was thinking as I came along the hall how many groups we have seen in this room and how many more we hope to see ; how much has come out of it for the good

of our common countrj' and for the people of our common industries.

I remember one day there were five groups of automobile engineers here. Every

group was composed of technical men deep in the stud}^ of a particular phase of the

sciences which underlie that great industry. At another time we had in this room men interested in the production of lime. The technical men of very many of the

industrial groupings of the countr\' have gotten more and more into the habit of gathering here for the purpose of titilizing our plant and for the purpose of advancing their own v.ork. This is one of tlie places in which I like to think there is no selfish interest. There

is nobody' in the force here gathered who is primarily interested in personal profit; there is nobody to whom it matters how long it takes to solve a problem; there is nobody to whom it matters, in a certain sense, how much the cost is. We can afford here to la3- aside, through the wise provision of Congress, manj'of the elements with which you in your respective factories must certainly be concerned and to work for the truth without regard to whom that truth may affect: without regard to how long

it takes to ascertain that truth within certain limits; without regard to whether a

profit is to be made or loss incurred through that truth. There is, to my mind, a very wonderful background of thought that lies behind

the operation of the Bureau of Standards. We can be, must be, have no right to be

anything else than whoUj" dispassionate. We can afford to be, must be, have been,

intend to be infinitely- patient. We do not have to debate whether work can be undertaken with a view to whether or not it is likely to be commercially successful.

It is happily in our power to work from the standpoint of ascertaining the truth ; and

yet I should be glad to have you realize the immense economic and commercial gain

which flows out of these activities. Being a manufacturer myself, I think I never come here to talk with our scientific men without observing something which makes me want to drop everj'thing else and

follow that thing up, because my vision is opened on new fields untouched, new products unmade, new possibilities undeveloped.

The members of the staff here are reaching out into the darkness that surrounds

the human mind and pushing back that veil of darkness little by little, day by day,

a little here, a little there, reaching into that darkness to bring to light the knowledge

that mankind needs. I would like to be far enough from it, and yet near enough

to it, to see it with the eye of imagination and grasp the human side of it all. For

after all, gentlemen, your work and mine and the work of a great institution is of no

use in the world except in so far as it affects humanity. Unless men and women

are to be bettered by what we do, I am wasting my time and you are engaged in a wholly futile endeavor. I was particularly proud one day to find a magazine speak46

2" Secretary of Commerce, Washineton, D. C.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 47

ing of the Department of Commerce as the Department of Health. We do not exercise the police powers of the Government in the Department of Commerce; at least

if we do in the Steamboat-Inspection Service, we hope to do so with the conseiit and

the whole consent of the governed. Here no business man is in the presence of regulation. Here it is the whole purpose to help along and make business better and

more equitable. Our difficulty is that the business world knows so little of this work. If we had the means and the men we could do here lo times what we now

have the means and the men to do. On the other hand we constant^ find men

enduring losses, inconveniences, and handicaps that we quite know how to remove

in whole or in part if they knew we were here for that purpose.

It is a spirit of helpfulness that I would like you to get from this institution . I would

like you to feel, after you go back to your own work, that this is the kind of a place to which you could send or come knowing that whatever we have in equipment or ex- perience or organization is here for the purpose of helping you, and that it is freely, willingly, ungrudgingly placed at your disposal for that purpose; that you may send

here the men who want to know and we will put them, in so far as we may, in the way

of knowing. The man who wants to learn is the kind of man we are here to meet.

I doubt if there is any place in the ^vorld where the limits of knowledge are more

clearly understood than in the Bureau . I do not think that you will find a spirit of

false pride is to obtain here, but I do think that you will find that A\e feel a genuine

satisfaction whenever we are able to help along. The idea is to take a great industry

like this and by working together to put it on the sound business basis of scientific knowledge. That has been our great weakness in America, gentlemen; it is our great weakness. Germany 's wonderful strength lies in the fact that her industries have been

the outcome of ascertained science. As I have said more than once "Herr Doktor"

has been welcome in every German factor5^ The scientist is at home in the industries

of Germany and not at all in those of America. He has been cold-shouldered in too many of our industries. "What do I need of a chemist?" is the question asked hy

many of our American manufacturers. He needs that chemist far more than he has

vision to understand. "What has science to say to rne? What can technical men do

for me ?

'

' has been too long and is yet too much the cry of the man who operates by rule

of thumb. That rule of thumb is yet too prevalent; it is a part of the darkness, a part

of the ignorance. Out of that we are emerging, but we have a lot to learn. We could learn scientific application to industry from Qermasiy. We could learn thrift from France. We have

taught the world many things, but we ourselves must be learners still. I have not any

fear for the industries of America in any contest of the future if we bring to the front, into commanding power, in those industries the men of science. When the mill superintendent and agent listen to the scientific man, and listen attentively, with a \velcome and open mind, then American industry has nothing to fear. Our weakness

has been that we have listened with closed ears to the voice of science and have not opened our minds to the men who have studied to know . I have been a manufacturing man all my life, and I know whereof I speak from practical experience. I think,

however, that the da/ is dawning when the sun of light is going to shine more upon all our industries. Some of them are now almost wholly on a scientific basis.

I heard Dr. Steinmetz say not long ago that because his great industry was based upon scientific research and development he feared nothing from the competition of any nation on earth. I liked to hear him say this because the practical industrial success that has been achieved by the great industry of which he is the scientific brains demonstrated the profound truth that lay underneath his words. When we know, and know that we know, and yet know how little we know, and arc willing to know more, and learn from every fellow who is willing to search into the unknown, then, and not till then, will American industry have nothing to fear from any foreign competition.
48 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

CLASSIFICATION OF RAW SILKS AND STANDARDIZATION OF TESTS

J. A. SCHEIBU

I will endeavor to explain the reasons why we do not have a "standard raw silk

classification method" and will try to suggest one. Then I will endeavor to explain

the reasons why we do not have a "standard raw silk testing method" and will also try to suggest one. The Standardization of the Raw Silk Classifications.—Every country which

produces raw silk in Eiu^ope and Asia classifies it by different grades and terms. For the purpose of comparing the quality of raw silks of different countries, inspectors are compelled to use a imiform grading for all silk. Some use the Japanese classification as their basis, others the Italian, others the French. In our laboratory we use a grading

system of our own. The best silk is graded loo, and in the range from this down to 50 are included all the grades of silk generally used by silk manufacttuers. The lower range, from 50 to i, is reserved for a separate class of cheap silks, used mostly for purposes other than the manufacturing of broad silks and ribbons. Since this system of grading raw silks has been made public by the Silk Association

of America it has been generally adopted by those interested in raw silk inspection.

The classification committee of the Silk Association of America also indorsed and

accepted it. The Standardization of the Tests.—For finding the quality of a silk there is no

standard testing method, but each one of the few American raw silk inspectors uses

different tests, though almost all of them are graduates from the same textile school. Their difference in length of experience, in quickness of apprehension of good and

faulty points, and in ability for devising new and improved testing methods are the causes of the variation. They are all experimenting and trying to invent tests which

could be accepted as standards. Lack of cooperation is, of course, also a cause of the nonexistence of a standard testing

method. As is usually the case in such matters, those having little knowledge are

particularly eager for cooperation in order to profit through learning from the experience

of others, while the better informed, on the other hand, are naturally reluctant to impart their experiences without any return. The latter regard prize essays and convention addresses as being more just to them, because the knowledge disclosed by these methods is at least recorded under their own names, which, while in itself may not be

much of a satisfaction, is regarded at least as preferable to having their experienc

appropriated by others. European raw silk testing methods are excluded from being accepted by us, not only

because of the impracticability of their standardization, but also because they do not

cover the requirements of our working conditions, which are much different from those

of Europe.

The difficulty of constructing a standard testing method is realized when it is considered that yearly over a hundred and fifty million dollars' worth of raw silks are imported by us at prices from $5 to $6 per pound, simply on the classification esti- mate of foreign reelers and dealers, without our using any means, nor possessing any

means, of checking or controlling this estimate until the silk is in operation, when it

is too late to reject it. What are the difficulties of finding standard testing methods? In the first place,

chemical analysis fails to give any clues as regards the quality of silks, because it is not so much the chemical composition of the fiber that determines the value of the silk as the physical condition of the cocoon ends and particularly the degree of care taken

in reeling these into thread. In the second place, to the manufacturer it is immaterial

if one silk differs from another in the chemical composition so long as both run well in

all operations and produce satisfactory goods. These are the only two points of interest

"".Raw silk inspector for R. & H, Simon Co., Easton, Pa.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 49

he has, and as he is the one who pays the price , his views and not those of the inspectors

,

salesmen, importers, or reelers are decisive. In trying to develop a standard testing method with the mantifacturer 's point of view as a basis, a knowledge of the requisites of a standard testing method is required. These requisites are that the grade of a raw silk and the degree of perfection of the manufactured goods that can be made of it, may be, as quickly as possible, accurately

ascertained by simple methods at any time and at any place of inspection. These

requisites bar all tests, the results of which are obtained by judgment instead of by

measurement, or which do not represent the true quality of the silk; they bar, also, the tests which require too much time or labor, or which are too complicated for general use; and last but not least, they bar those which can not be made in exactl}- the same manner at different inspection establishments. A careful perusal of the tests known and generally applied reveals the fact that none

of them can be used in a standard testing method, because they all lack one or more of the requisites. The shortcomings of each of these tests are explained in a paper I read

at the First National Silk Convention in Paterson, October 13, 1915. It may suffice to say here that new testing methods which comply with all the requisites had to be

devised, and I will now present, for the first time, the tests which are used in our laboratory for inspecting close to a million dollars' worth of silk yearly. This simplified and practical method for ascertaining the grade of a silk, which I offer as a suggestion for a standard testing method, is composed of four tests. To

obtain the classification of a silk, the first two tests only are used, as they alone repre- sent the quality of the silk, while the second two represent values of the silk other than the quality. The principal or quality tests are (i) evenness and (2) cleanliness. The auxiliary or nature tests are (3) hardness of the thread and (4) winding.

The quality test results represent about 98 per cent of the price, and the nature test results represent only about 2 per cent; yet, since they are often the ultimate deciders

of the last 5 to 15 cents of the price, which is usually all that is in question between

sellers and buyers, tlie auxiliary tests seem to be of almost as much importance as the

principal or quality tests. The Two Quality Tests, Evenness and Cleanliness, —i. Evenness. Its Test, Grading, and Value. —Evenness is taken as the basis for the classification. It repre- ents two-thirds of the quality of the silk, and cleanliness one-third. Therefore, no

efforts are spared to grade evenness accurately.

The principle of the evenness test is to separate a fixed finest-sized portion from the bulk of sizings and to measure the relation of its deniers to that of the whole. From

the bulk 300 sizings are taken: a smaller number would give inaccurate results, and a

larger number would be impracticable on accotmt of the length of time required to take them.

For calculation of the evenness, the deviation of the 40 finest sizings from the 300 forms the basis. The coarse portion need not be computed, because its result in almost identical with that of the fine portion. The fine portion is the all-important one, because upon it depends the running quality of the silk in all operations, as well as the degree of perfection of the manufactured goods. The relation of the

fine portion to the average shows the quality of the silk sufficiently well to make the computation of the less important coarse portion superfluous.

The finer in size the ends are foimd to be, the more they depreciate the quality

of the silk, for which reason the 40 finest sizings are not taken as one quantit)^ but

are subdivided into five unequal sections, as follows: Section i is the 2 finest results; section 2 is the 3 next finest results; section 3 is the 5 next finest results; section 4

is the 10 next finest results; section 5 is the 20 next finest results; total, 40 finest results. The deviation of each section from the average size is computed separately in per- centage and with the help of tables is converted into grades from 100 to 50, the average

of which is the grade of evenness of the silk. By this method of calculating the grade
50 U. S. BUREAU OF" STANDARDS

of evenness, the same value is given to the 2 extreme sizings of section i, as to the

20 of section 5, and to the 10, 5, and 3 sizings of sections 4, 3, and 2, respectively.

The Test: This test is made in the following manner. For explanation a lo-bale

lot of Japanese silk is used as a basis. Ten skeins are taken out of each of the 10 bales, making a total of 100 skeins. (This

number is also required of smaller lots than 10 bales and is sufficient for larger ones.) The 100 skeins are wound 40 minutes, 25 skeins at a time, although only 6 minutes

running is required for the evenness test. The other 34 minutes are required for the cleanliness test as will be explained later. Of the 100 bobbins wound from the

100 skeins, 3 sizings of half lengths of 225 meters, which is equal to about 246 yards,

are made.of each, or in all 300 sizings. These small sizing skeins are weighed on specially constructed scales (so-called halfmoon scales), with divisions of fifth deniers from 2% to 12X deniers, but numbered for whole lengths (450 meters) or from 5 to 25 deniers. This scale is for regular sizes. For coarser sizes a second scale is required with the same subdivisions,

but for 7K to 17K deniers and numbered for whole lengths, or from 15 to 35 deniers. The subdivisions into fifth deniers are required for greater exactness. The customary

half denier divisions are not sufficiently accurate for this particular testing method.

The divisions into fifths, with readings of tenths when the hand points between two

divisions, are chosen in preference to fourths and eighths for convenience in adding.

The basis for the count or size of silk is a very odd one. The weight is expressed in

5 centigram units, called "deniers," but the length is peculiar, being 4 French ells of ii2>2 meters, or 450 meters, equal to about 492 yards. By increasing the length

II per cent to 500 meters, it becomes a strictly decimal system which is called the

"international denier" and which has already been adopted in many places abroad. The 300 sizing skeins are weighed, one by one, on the halfmoon scale described,

and the weight of each group of 10 is determined on the adding machine. From these 30 totals the average size is obtained. All the skeins are then weighed in bulk on

a larger scoop-halfmoon denier scale for checking the total of the 300 single weights.

The 40 finest sizing results are selected and transferred on special forms on which

the usual deniers and fifth deniers are printed in their order, one per line, in a vertical column. Each of the 40 fine sizing results is then indicated by a pencil mark

opposite its deniers. These 40 results are next subdivided into the five sections explained before. The total deniers of each section are then counted and their relation computed in percentage, preferably with the help of a calculation disk, to 2, 3, 5, 10, or 20 times,

respectively, the average deniers. The Grading: The five numbers thus obtained show accurately the deviation of the five sections from the average deniers. Each deviation is then converted into

its grade from 100 to 50 with the help of a table, and the average of these five grades

is the grade of evenness of the silk. This table, which is the result of thousands of

tests, is the keystone of the standard classification which I am now suggesting.

The complete table, with 2000 numbers, can not be given here, but I will give as the basis from which the table can easily be made, the percentage of deviation of grades 100, 98, and 96, of each section.

Section

Grades

100 98 96

1 Per cent

30.0

25.0 21.0

16.65

12. 50

Per cent

30.6

25.5

21.4

17.0

12.75

Per cent

31.2

26.0 21.8

17.33

13.0

23

4

5
SECOISTD ANNUAIv TEXTILE CONFERENCE 51

The continuation of the table upwards will end at grade 200. This is the starting

grade for size 13/15 and would indicate an absolutely perfect silk with no variation whatever in size. Such an evenly spun silk, of course, exists only in theory. In

practice the most perfect raw silk is midway between the absolutely perfect and the most imeven silk, or a half-perfect silk—grade 100. The range of regular silk generally used by silk manufacturers comprises the silks from half to quarter perfection. Less than quarter-perfect silks are below the regular

class and better than half-perfect silks are impossible to spin. For finer and coarser

sizes than 13/15 either different tables are used, or what amoimts to the same, additions or reductions are made from the average obtained from the table for size 13/15. It occurs occasionally that some grades of sections are over 100 or below 50, but

hardly ever the average grade. The grading from 100 to 50 allows such overlappings

without interference with the calculation of the average grade, which is one of many

reasons for its being a practical classification system.

The Value: The New York classification term is obtained from the average evenness grade with the help of a table which reads as follows, with the present prices included: Table for the Classification of Japan Raw Silks

Grade

100/95 95/85

85/75 75/70

70/65- 65/60

60/55 55/50

New York classification

Difference

In grade In cents

I Price per pound

Best double extra 5 Double extra 10 i Best extra 10 Extra 5 Best No. 1 to extra 5 BestNo.l - I 5 I No.l 5'

I

No.l to IK i 5 i

Dollars

6.00

5. 80 5.60

5. 40

5.30

5. 20

5. 10

5. 00

This table is adapted exactly to the prices; when the difference between two qualities is 10 cents per pound, the difference in the grades is 5; when it is 20 cents, the

difference is 10 grades, making each grade difference equivalent to 2 cents per pound.

Similar tables are used for all other classifications. The prices of raw silks do, of course, change constantly but can be found in New

York papers and trade journals at any time for each classification and grade. The

New York classification of Japan silks is the Yokohama classification raised by one

term. What Yokohama calls a best single extra, we call a standard double extra, and so on. Taking as an example a lo-bale lot of Japan silk with* the five eveimess grades 92,

90, 88, 86, and 84, the classification basis reads " double extra grade 88 at S5.80 on May

21, 1917."

2. The Cleanliness , lis Test. Grading, and Value.—The next test is the measurement

of the cleanliness and the spinning defects. Instead of trying to count the numerous

small, medium, and large uncleanlinesses in the threads of silk from which to deduce its running in operation, as is usually done, a better way is directly to try the running of the silk. The method of testing the cleanliness of the silk by passing the threads through metal

cleaners, as is usually done when cleaning silk, can not be accepted as a standard test on accoimt of the extreme unreliability of the results. To obtain reliable results, the opening of the metal cleaners would have to be adjusted to the size of the thread; but

as the threads of all silks vary within comparatively short lengths, according to their

quality, from one-third to one-half of their average size, the opening would have to be

adjusted to the coarsest places in the threads to allow them to pass, and by doing so
52 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

the smaller uncleanliness in fine ends would also pass through without breaking, which

makes this operation inapplicable as a cleanliness test. Again, the average thickness

of silks of various cocoon races varies from the thickness of a dime to that of a half- dollar coin, proportionately, although they are spun exactly the same size. This seems to be contradictory, but it is not, because the size of the silk in deniers is not a measure of diameter but of weight; and the difference in the specific gravity of cocoon ends of different races explains the difference in the thickness of their threads. Also, some raw silks contain up to 50 per cent more gum than others, which also influences the thickness of the thread and makes its diameter unlike those with less gum.

There are no practical means whereby the average thickness of a thread could be measured and the cleaner openi.ig be adjusted to it. The metal cleaners have, therefore, to be thrown out of consideration as a standard test. A perfect test of the cleanliness is applied in our laboratory where the cleaner opening is not stationary and, therefore, overcomes these difficulties. It shows the

results accurately, whether the average diameter of the thread is fine or coarse, whether

the thread runs evenly or unevenly, whether it has much gum or little, and ius working

is verj' simple.

The Test: In redrawing the silk from one bobbin to another on a winding frame, the thread is passed through a porcelain eye placed at the foot of the machine, between

both spindles, the up-coming thread is twisted around the down-going thread by which

live eyes are formed which, owing to the tension, adapt themselves to the average diameter of the thread and cause the ends to break at every uncleanliness, or at every

spinning defect and fine end, which \votild cause the silk to break in manufacturing if run at a high speed.

The cleanliness test, like the one of evenness, is made in five sections in order to be thorough and to obtain most accurate results. The five sections of 20 bobbins each

are tested successively with more tension and friction, the threads of the first section

are twisted one time; of section 2, twice; of section 3, three times; of section 4, four times: and of section 5, five times. Each section is first run for 5 minutes without

counting the breaks to get a fair start; then, during its next 25 minutes, the breaks are counted. The Grading; Five tables, one for each kind of twist, show the grade from 100 to 50

of the number of breaks counted, and the average of these five grades is the cleanliness grade. For finer and coarser sizes than 13/15, allowances in form of either additions

or reductions are made in proportion to their differences. These tables differ from the evenness tables in so far as grade 120 is the starting grade with no breaks at all, instead of grade 200. The number of breaks of grade 100 for the

sections i to 5, in size 13/15, are: 3, 6, 10, 15, and 22, respectively.

The Value: For each grade the cleanliness differs from the evennness, one-third of a grade is added or taken off, as^the case may be, from the basis, the result of which then

represents the actual quality of the silk. Taking as an example the cleanliness grade

76. It places the classification of the silk at 4 grades below the basis, because 4 is onethird of the difference between 88 and 76. The complete classification of both quality tests reads, then, "best extra grade 84

at $5.40 on May 21, 1917." The Two Auxiliary Tests, Nature and Winding.—j. The Nature, Its Test, Grading, and Value.—The prices just quoted with the classification tables are for hard- natured silks or Kansais. Soft-natured siks or Sinshius are quoted at 7>^ to 15 cents

less per pound. In our laboratory we distinguish a third kind of nature. These

silks, which are semihard-natured, are called Bushius because they are generally raised in Bushiu, although many silks of Joshiu and of other Provinces are also semihard

natured. Soft-natured silks cost less because they fill less; in other words, more threads are used to produce the same quality of goods as regards to their touch or hand than are
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 53

required of hard-natured silks. Another bad feature of soft-natured siks is that they

usually run poorly in all operations. On the other hand, in regard to the beauty of

luster, smoothness, and pliantness of the goods, as, for instance, in satins, messalines,

and such weaves, Sinshius are far superior to Kansais. Some believe the difference between hard and soft natiu^ed silks is not in the fiber but only in the gum ; but the superiority of Sinshius over Kansais for dyeing bright

colors when the gum is boiled out before the silk is dyed, seems to contradict this view. No means are known for measuring the hardness of the silk. The problem is ver>- simple and its solution may have been overlooked on account of its very simplicity.

It is logical that the softer a thread is, the more it can be t^visted before it breaks. For this reason, soft-natured silks are better suited than hard-natured silks for hard

twists. Consequently, an acctirate measure of hardness of a silk can be made by

twisting the threads. The smaller the number of turns required to break them the harder is the silk and the higher in price.

The Test: The test is made as follows: The twist counter is set to lo inches with the

2-inch extension rod unextended. The end is tied into this lo-inch space with such a

tension that a staple placed over it touches the board. The extension rod, the heavy

spring of which is replaced by a lighter one, is opened and the handle turned, which

twists the silk. In twisting the thread it naturally shrinks, and the sliding extension rod, extends

out. The twisting is kept on with reduced speed until the thread breaks, and the number of turns are marked. This procedure is repeated till the 30 tests have been

made, and the average breaking point indicates the hardness of the silk in the reverse

order. The thread is put in the twist tester as explained so that it may not break through

tension caused by the shrinkage in twisting and become a tension and elasticity test

.

The breaks are caused by no influence except the inability to resist further twisting.

The threads to be tested are soaked and dried in advance on a lustering machine.

The Grading: With tables on hand the quality of hardness of the silk is obtained

in grades; and here, the same as in previous cases, different tables are required for different sizes. In size 13/15, grades 100 to 80, with breaking point at 125 to 145 turns per inch, are hard natured. Grades 80 to 65, with breaking point at 145 to 160 turns per inch, are semihard natured; and grades 65 to 50, with breaking point at i6o to 175 turns per

inch, are soft natured. The Value: The price reductions to be made for soft-natured silks are seen in the

daily price quotations. In using 60 as example for the grade of hardness of the thread, our classification reads "soft-natured Japan best extra grade 84 at S5.45 on May 21, 1917.

'

' In using 90 as example for the grade of hardness of the thread, the classifica- tion reads "hard-nature Japan best extra grade 84 at S5.60 on May 21, 1917.

4. The Winding, Its Test, Grade, and Value.—The winding is figured as an extra auxiliary quality apart from both the quality and the nature, because other influences than the quality and the nature may cause silks to run poor in winding; as, for instance, poor crossing, poor lacing, hard gum places, and so on. The Test: Of the 40 minutes during which the 100 skeins are wound on the winding

machine, the first 15 minutes are allowed for a fair start and the breaks counted onl}- from the sixteenth to the fortieth minute which, at the slow speed of 120 yards per minute, makes a total of about 300 000 yards, or i pound in a 14/16 deniers silk. The

silk is wound unsoaked on pin swifts without weights with the gum rubbed out. The Grading: The best winding silk is graded 100 and the poorest 50. and the start- ing grade is 120. The number of breaks of grade 100 is 15. The Value: If the winding grade corresponds with the quality grade, its price re- mains unchanged. If it does not, i cent is deducted from the quality price for each

five grades it is below, and i cent added for each five grades it is above it.
54 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

This, however, refers to hard and semihard-natured filatures only, because for soft- natured silks part of the higher winding cost is already allowed in their lower prices,

and no dealer would consent to an extra compensation for the poor winding of Sinshius. The winding tests for these silks are, nevertheless, made with the same interest in its result for the manufacturer's own satisfaction. In using winding grade 59, for example, our complete classification now reads " hard- natured best extra grade 84 at $5.60 on May 21, 1917, less 5 cents for low winding.

After the completion of the inspection, the silk from all the bobbins is reeled into skeins of 60 000-yard lengths on a small lo-end reel. This reeling of the silk into skeins

is very practical because the silk is then in the most convenient form for storing imtil a

certain quantity has accumulated, and it is always ready to be soaked, wound, and

thrown into 6 to 12 end tram, or any other kind of thrown silk which balances the

variety of sizes and natures of the silk for use in goods where such mixtvues are of no

influence on their quality. Thus, very little silk is lost as waste. Concluding Remarks.—It seems to be appropriate to say a few words at this oppor- time time about our prospects of reeling the raw silks we consume and keeping the $150 000 000 a year at home, which we now send abroad in payment of our raw silk

bills. We can raise as good silks as any other silk-raising country, and the high price, which

is our only barrier, can be lowered by the simple method of reeling directly on bobbins,

instead of into skeins. This can be done in drying the wet silk thread by running it over a heated surface, which is a commonly known operation. Up to a few years ago

it was thought necessary to have the silk reeled into skeins for soaking, but now a way

has been found of soaking silk on bobbins. In reeling the silk from cocoons directly on bobbins and selling it in this way in the market, we eliminate enough labor and

expense to offset our higher cost of labor. When we reel and sell oiu" raw silk on bobbins, foreign countries vnll hardly be

able to compete with our own products because otir prices will be as low as theirs; and they can not export their raw silk to us on bobbins, because it is appraised as manufactured silk and taxed as such. A war situation forced us to free ourselves from foreign dyestuffs, but it is to be

hoped that the same cause should not be needed to make our raw-silk industry

independent, and the time for this preparedness is right now. How simple our reeling and selling method would be in comiaarison to foreign ones

is readily seen by citing an example, as follows: A lo-bale lot of silk, reeled in the interior of Japan, for instance, is laced, taken from the reel, twisted into skeins, bimdled and packed, then shipped to Yokohama,

There it is labeled and packed once more, shipped to Vancouver, and by silk trains sent directly east, where it is sold and shipped to throwing mills. Here it is impacked.

the skeins opened, put in a soaking bath, soaked over night, put on winding frames,

and woimd on bobbins; and then it is in the shape in which we reel it directly. In addition to the labor costs which we eliminate, we save steamship and railroad

freight, also marine and fire insurance, bankers' commission, numerous middlemen's

profits, the interest on the capital for one and a half to two months, etc. We can even

go a step ftuther and set, for instance, an organ spinning frame against the back of a

reeling frame and throw the silk from cocoons directly into first time organ. For this operation the threads are to be soaked and dried while running, which can easily

be done. The Italian Government has advertised a competition with prizes up to 40,000

lires, among which the perfection of such combination frames takes the leading place,

which proves that its construction is considered possible.

By the time we will have such time and labor saving combination reeling and

throwing frames I hope to be in a position to suggest a standard testing method for thrown silk on tlie same basis as ttie one now suggested for raw silks.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 55

DISCUSSION

Mr. CmTTiCK. The cost of labor in Japan, in China, and in Italy in connection with

raw-silk reeling is very small. In China the cost of this highly-skilled work is about

lo cents a pound and in Japan approximately 20 cents. I am certain that in this coimtry we can not get highly skilled reeling operators for less than $2 or perhaps $3 a day. A highly-skilled reeler will reel from a first-class cocoon not more than i pound of silk a day. Supposing that 20 cents is paid and that a full pound of silk is reeled every day, and that labor can be obtained here for $2 a day, we would still have a difference of $1.80 a potind in cost of reeling. I think it is a very unpromising

field for our domestic labor. Mr. Stratton. Some time the supply might be cut off. • Mr. Chittick. If all the people in those districts of the United States where silk could be reeled were to do nothing else but reel silk, they would not produce as much

as is required. Mr. ScHEiBU. Some years ago a man brought up some skeins to New York to be

inspected. These silk skeins were very well spun, comparing favorably with the

best Italian silks. He told me that the first year he figured it had cost about $15 per pound. A year afterwards he came again with silk spun in Georgia, and he

said that he had got the cost down to about $6. At that time Japanese silk was about

$3.50. To-day Japanese silks cost $6, showing that if conditions would remain the same, American silk products could compete with Japanese. Mr. Chittick. When you consider the significance of the fine variations in the

silk, the generations of inherited talent that are back of the reeling, and the number

of people required, it is evident that the difficulties are almost insuperable. Of all the industries in the world it is the one in which manual labor enters to its greatest extent. Some time ago at the Bradford Technical Institute a story was told of a wool comber

who invented the means of spinning silk. He said if he had been brought up in the

silk trade he would have seen from the beginning that it was impossible. Mr. Stratton. Very few cases have yet arisen where highly skilled labor can not be replaced by machinery. In consequence of the generations that are back of this

silk industry I suppose that it is befogged by the law of tradition. It is probably

imbued with the necessity of doing things a certain way because they have always

been done that way before and is not susceptible to improved methods. This is not

true of the silk industry alone. There is undoubtedly a great deal of truth in what

you say. However, improvement is achieved by men who make an effort rather than by those who are impressed with the hopelessness of the problem.

CLASSIFICATION OF RAW SILKS AND STANDARDIZATION OF TESTS

Warren P. SEEM 22

I wish to acknowledge the courtesy of the Schwarzenbach Huber Co,, at whose

expense and direction these experiments were conducted for the benefit of the silk trade of the United States, and that of the Klots Throwing Co. for the preliminary' researches and experiments.

It affords me pleasure, after 18 years of research work, to present to you what I believe to be a scientific method of classifying raw silk. My work was originally

conducted for the purpose of standardizing raw silk thread. It has been very thorough,

and every quality has been scientifically investigated with respect to its effect upon

the quality of the cloth. There are nine recognized qualities of raw silk—color, luster, hand, nature, cohesion,

strength, cleanness, evenness, ductility. For reasons named in my article on "Silk

throwing," now appearing in Silk, only four of these are essential qualities with ^ General superintendent oi throwing, the Schwarzenbach Huber Co., Altoona, Pa.
56 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

respect to \vhich raw silk must be classified—strength, evenness, cleanness, and

cohesion. These four qualities can now be measured by mechanical devices. For strength determination I use the standard serimeter. This is known as the tenacity test. I make this test on 30 threads, selected from 20 skeins, discarding the

5 highest and the 5 lowest results and taking the average of the 20 intermediate tests. Evenness and cleanness are determined on the gage reel showna in Fig. i. A set

of gages consists of 10 hardened steel gages accurately ground and adjusted with weighted feeler blades one-sixteenth inch wide, graduated in deniers to conform

to the diameter of raw silk as determined b}- Rozenzweig by specific weight, given in Serivalor, and in Silk for December, igi6. The gages are adjusted to conform to the average diameter of the silk tested, and the thread run through is taken up on a reel to which a measuring device is attached. For details of test see Prize Essays, published by the Silk Association of America in 1915, and my paper on the "Value of standardizing raw silk,

'

' read before the First National Silk Convention at Paterson, N. J

.

For cohesion I use the machine sho«Ti in Fig. 2. ^vhich was built upon the principles that govern the opening of the thread in weaving. The test is made on 200 threads

in the following manner: Ten threads are woimd side by side on a reel from each of

5 skeins, making 50 threads; a black card board i}^ inches wide and 6 inches long is then fastened imdemeath these threads by means of gummed pasters on each end of the card; four cards with a total of 200 threads are used in making a test; each card is placed under the weighted lever of the cohesion machine, and the threads are stroked

I inches with a roller operated by a reciprocating rod until all of them are opened.

The number of strokes required to open all of the threads is considered the cohesion, the final result being the average of those obtained from the four cards. The threads

are examined with a flexible steel spatula after each 50 strokes. Cohesion is the term applied b)- Rosenzweig in Serivalor to tlie quality of silk thread that causes the fibers to adhere together, forming one compact thread, and

that prevents the thread from opening and splitting in weaving or in first-time spinning. It is dependent upon the adhesiveness of tlie sericin and the twist or croisure used in reeling the cocoons. It is one of the most essential qualities in weaving

with grege. The spinning of the single raw silk thread obviates the necessity for a high cohesion in the case of organzine, but a cohesion high enough to overcome the opening up of the fiber during soaking and to prevent the thread from splitting in the

process of spinning is necessar}-. For tram the cohesion must be high enough so that the fibers will lie parallel, thus preventing the extremely loopy or flo.ssy condition which results when the cohesion is low. A low cohesion indicates an open thread, a high cohesion a closed or compact thread,

as shown in the microphotographs reproduced in Figs. 3. 4, 5, and 6. These were made for me hy Messrs. Douty and Arundale , of tlic United States Conditioning &

Testing Co. Fig. 3 shows the openness of a thread having a cohesion of 298 strokes; Fig. 4, 566 strokes; Fig. 5, 827 strokes; and Fig. 6, 1612 strokes. This quality is generally judged by inspectors by scratching the thread with the

nail of the thumb and noting the effort required to open the thread. On account of the roughness of some Chinas and hard nature Japans, caused partly by reeling in water containing lime and sandstone, the variations in sharpness and thickness of the nail and in the pressure exerted by different persons it is impossible to get an

acciirate cohesion test by that method. Generally too little silk is examined to give

a representative value, even if the method were reliable. This quality can not be

determined hy friction, as the smoothness or roughness of various grades of silk seri- ously affect the results. The fact that the microphotographs do not show more openness for the thread having a cohesion of 827 than for that having a cohesion of 1612

(Figs. 5 and 6) does not prove that the machine is unreliable, but only that one or both of the following conditions exist: First, the depth of the thread may prevent a higher magnification being used to show whether a difference in the openness exists; second, it is possible that threads showing a cohesion of approximately 800 strokes
Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. I.

Gage reel

Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. 3.Thread having cohesion of 2g8 strokes. X 150

Fig. 4,.Thread having cohesion of ^66 strokes. X 150
Bureau of Standards Miscellaneous Publications No. 19

Fig. 5^

Thread having cohesion of 82/ strokes. X 150

Fig. 6.Thread having cohesion of 1,612 strokes. X 150
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 57

are of maximum compactness, a higher cohesion being entirely due to the adhesiveness of the sericin. The classification used for cohesion is as follows: Very good, over 2001 strokes; good,

1501 to 2000 strokes; fair, looi to 1500 strokes; poor, 501 to 1000 strokes; very poor, 500 and imder. In general, Italian silks show the highest results. Chinas intermediate, and Japans

lowest. There are, however, grades of Japans and Chinas that are as high in cohesion

as the best Italians. In determining the value of a sample of raw silk, four tests are made; winding,

tenacity, gage, and cohesion. After they are completed, the classification is made by the percentage method,

which appears to be the only method by which all test results can be reduced to a common basis. The highest grade is rated as 100 per cent and the lowest as 60 per cent. The winding test is made on 20 skeins, making a starting nm of 15 minutes and then winding 300 000 yards, as described in Prize Essays, and in Silk for October, igi6.

This test is made to assist in determining the value of the silk but does not enter into the clasification. The strength, or tenacity, test is valued as follows: Four times average diameter,

100 per cent, very strong; three and one-half times average diameter, 87 per cent,

strong; three times average diameter, 73 per cent, weak; two and one-half times average

diameter, 60 per cent, very' weak. Working results in throwing and weaving justify

this classification. The tenacity test is an important one as it reveals the presence of weak threads which are frequently the cause of poor weaving qualities. Fine ends,

loops, split ends, and corkscrews weaken the thread, and their relative number must

be considered when rating the thread with respect to strength. The very fine threads average 50 per cent finer than the general average, and the fine threads 33 per cent

finer with proportionately less strength. A loop or corkscrew diminishes the strength

of the thread hy that of one cocoon fiber or about 14 per cent. Split ends are only half

as strong as those without defects. The relative value for strength is determined as shown in Table A. From the total number of defects appearing in the highest and

lowest grades, as shown in August and September, 1916, Silk, we find that on XXX,

2ocommon defectsequal 100 per cent; on No. 2, 2iocommon defects equal 60 per cent

from which interpolations are made for intermediate grades. The true strength

equals the average of the tenacity test and relative value for strength due to defective

threads, as shown on classification blanks. TABLE A.—Relative Value for Strength

[Multiply the number of defects showu on gage test by the following amounts, sum up the results, and then apply table for relative value: Very fine, X loops, X K; corkscrew, X H; fine X

split, X M.]

Class Common

defects Per Cent

f 20 100

25 99 30 98 34 97 39 96

44 95 49 94 53 93 58 92

63 91 Good 68

72 9089 77 88

82 87 87 86

91 85

96 84 Fair 101 105 83

82 110 81 lis 80

Class

Only fair .

Poor.

Very poor.

Common

defects Per Cent

120 79

124 78

129 77

134 76

139 75 143 74

148 73

153 72 158 71 162 70

167 69

172 68

177 67

181 66

186 65

191 64 195 63 200 62 205 61 210 60
58 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

For evenness and cleanness determinations, 20 skeins drawn from different parts of the bale appear to be the usual number taken by testers, for which Rosenzweig in Serivalor gives good reasons. In considering the number of yards to be tested, we are confronted with the fact that defects come in very irregular order. They may be i, 5, or 20 inches, or 5, 10, or 600, or more yards apart. If we examine a mirror having but

150 yards and slugs come only once in 600 yards, we must examine foxu- mirrors to get one slug. While this may seem to indicate the presence of very few such defects, yet

in 300 000 3'ards there would be 500 slugs which is very large number. In a yard of cloth with 20 000 ends, there would be 34 slugs, making a ver>' unclean cloth. The

point to determine is the amount of thread which should be taken in order to show the

average condition of the bale . Several thousand tests made show that it is not governed

by the yardage, but by the distance between defects, or in other words, the number

found in 300 000 yards. The basis of 300 000 yards is taken because it represents a yardage upon which spinning results, waste,, and cost calculations can be reliably based. On the lower grades of silk it is not necessary to test the same yardage of thread

as on the higher grades. I have found that a determination involving 150 defects will give an average result; and when that many or more appear in 20 000 yards, the test can

be completed with 20 000 yards; if the first 20 000 yards do not show 150 defects, then

40 000 yards must be tested; if 40 000 yards do not show 150 defects, then 60 000 yards must be tested ; but it is never necessary to test more than 60 000 yards. As shown by Rosenzweig in Serivalor, published by the Silk Association of America

and by Silk in the July and August, 1916, numbers, evenness need only be considered with reference to extremely fine and coarse threads which appear with the following

frequencies in the highest and lowest grades: Fine threads—XXX, 10 fine threads per 300 000 yards rated as 100 per cent; No. 2, 150 fine threads per 300 000 yards

rated as 60 per cent; coarse threads—XXX, o coarse threads per 300 000 yards rated

as 100 per cent; No. 2, 50 coarse threads per 300 000 yards rated as 60 per cent—from which interpolations are made for intermediate grades.

TABLE B.—Relative Value for Evenness

[The number of very fine threads is multiplied by 2 and the result is added to the number of fine threads

.

The correspondinj percentage is then noted from the table. This percentsre is averaged with the per- centage similarly found for coarse threads. ]

Class Fine Per cent Coarse Class Fine Per cent Coarse

f 10 100 f 84 79 26

14 99 87 78 27 Very good 17 98 I 91 77 28

21 97 4 94 76 30

24 95 5 98 75 31 28 95 7 Poor

• 101 74 32

31 94 8 105 73 34

35 93 9 108 72 35 Good 38 92 10 112 71 36

42 91 12 115 70 37 45 90 13 f 119 69 39

49 89 14 122 68 40

52 88 15 126 67 41 Fair 56 87 16 129 66 42

59 86 17 Very poor 133 65 44

63 85 19 136 64 45

65 84 20 140 63 46

70 83 22 143 62 47 Only fair 73 82 23 147 61 49

77 81 24 150 60 50

80 80 25

The degree of cleanness is determined by the frequency of waste, very large knots,

large knots, nibs, very large slugs, slugs, loops, bad throv/s, and corkscrews. These

are classed as common defects and are reduced to a relative basis in proportion to their seriousness, and from this common basis we have XXX, 20 common defects
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 59

LOT NO 3 STOCK Japan

Raw Silk Classification

Kay £lst 191 7 MARK Sample bale no. Sample CHOP Sample grade Saag)le size 13/15

APPEARANCE QUALITY SCALE

BASED ON

COMPARATIVE VALUES

WHITE

IVORir OtEAM

VERY EVEN

EVEN X

FAIRLY EVEN UNEVEN

VERY UNEVEN

VERT GOOD GOOD

FAIRLY GOOD

FAIR pooa

VEaV POOR

VERT aiLKT

SILKY NERVY

FIRM STRAWY

SPONGY VERY BAD. PENALTY 5%

BAD. " 3% GOOD '

STANDARD AMERICAN

STRAIGHT CROSSING

GUMS. SOFT Z

NOT STANDARD

DTHERS NARROW mi yards

(EASURABLE QUALITIES

WINpiNG COUKT

'JSAUtJE TEST RAWfNOTS (240)

VEJOTFINE; SO* UNDER AVG SIZE

COAR9E, 33* OVER WA^TB

VEHY LARGE KNOT*

LARGE KNOTS

NIBS VERY LARGE SLUGS 8LUG3 VERY LARGE LOOP*

T.OOFS

SPLIT ENDS BAD THROWS

CORK. SCREWS TOTAL

40

2455

135

120 P,n^ 45 Caane

£ e!

zl 150

?A

849| 152:

TENaCTTY TEST GRAMS 47 TENACITY JUDGED C COHESION TEST STROKES. UK30AEED 349

COHESION. JUDGED BY NAIL TEST. IN STROIC^I 84 H

•TREttOTHEVCNNE58-

OUALITT60^-84

RELATIVE VALUE A3 PER GAUGE TEST ^

RELATIVE VALUE AS PER GAUGE TEST EQUALS AVERAGE OF STBENGTH, EVENNESS AND CLEANNESS PENALTIES-LOW COHESION

HAItJY COSmTION

73

6660

66

Beit No. I

GENERAL REMARKS

SIOTJATURC W, 3.

ENTER SPirrMIHO RHI»ORT MERE

Fig. 7
6o U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

equdl 100 per cent; No. 2, 700 common defects equal 60 per cent—from which inter- polations are made for intermediate grades.

TABLE C—Relative Value for Cleanness Reduce each defect to relative size by multiplying as indicated in following: Waste, Xi; very large knots, Xi; large knots, XK; nibs, X 3-; very large slugs, Xi

;

slugs, XX; loops, Xr^; bad throws, Xi; corkscrew, XtV- Add the results together,

and determine the percentage from the following relative table:

Class Total

defects Per cent Class Total

defects Per cent

f 20 100 f 377 79 37 93 394 78

54

71 98

97

411 428

77

76

88 96 445 75 105 95 462 74

122 94 479 73

139

156 93

92 496

513

72

71 173 91 530 70

190 90 547 69 207 89 564 68 Fair 224 88 581 67

241 87 598 66

256

275

8685 615

632

65

64 292 84 649 63 Only lair 309 326

83

82

666 683

6261 343 81 700 60

360 80

Let us now follow out a test and calculate the classification. The following are the

results of actual test made

:

Defects found by gage test made on 20 000 yards Number

Mnltipled byEquivalent on

300 000 yard

basis

Raw knots Very fine Fine

Coarse Waste

Very large knots

.

Large knots Nibs

Very large slugs. Slugs Very large loops.. Loops

Split ends Bad throws Corkscrews

(240)

Total.

12045

120

210

120 28530

225

45 810

15 150 240

2455

Number of winding breaks on 300 000 yards, 40; tenacity test, 47 grams; cohesion test, 349 strokes. We will now proceed to fill out the classification blank and reduce the defects to a common basis by rules shown on classification blank, which gives us a true value on the test sample of 66 per cent or No. i to No. lyi grade.

You will notice that on the classification blank (Fig. 7) I specify eight grades.

We have found in thread making and weaving that five grades are sufficient to meet

the needs of the American market. Mr. Jewett claims that five grades are also about

the limit of the production of the filatures.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE

TABLE D.—Relative Value for Tenacity

6l

(Test 30 samples. Drop the s highest and the s lowest results and average the 20 intermediate results. Apply the table to obtain the percentage. This result is averaged with the relative value for strength, obtained from Table A, on the classification blank, giving the final strength value.]

Class Per

cent

Deciers

11 12 13 14 IS 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

flOO 112 99

98

97

95

f 93

92

91

44 48 52 56 60 M 68 72 76 80 84

• 88 92 96 100 104 108

41 45 49 53 57 61 65 67 71 75 79 82 86 90 94 98 101 105

Fair

89

8786

8584

83

8180

78

77

767473

7170

6967

66

65

64

63

61

60

39 42 45 49 53 57 61 63 67 70 74 77 81 84 88 91 94 98

Only lair

35 38 41 44 48 52 •56- 59 62 65 69 72 75 78 82 86 88 91

33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75 78 81 84

Very poor

29 32 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55 58 60 63 67 69 71 74 77

27 30 32 35 37 40 42 45 47 50 53 55 58 60 62 65 67 70

In discussing the use of gages, the criticism is sometimes made that since the diameter of silk thread of the same denier may vary as much as 100 per cent according

to the number of cocoons from which the tliread is reeled and the sponginess of the

fiber, no gage can be used. There are, especially in the lower grades, a large number of threads that are from

40 per cent to 100 per cent larger in diameter than the average. I have never considered it necessary to weigh them, as evennesS is a matter not of weight but of measure- ment. Since these coarse threads twist up tighter and show streaked in certain

clothes, and since the best silks have very few of them, it is evident that silk can be

reeled without them. To be complete the test must detect them. I find that the

increase in diameter due to sponginess is about 8 per cent to 10 per cent, and when a spongy silk is tested, the gages used are coarser in that proportion.

These conditions invalidate the elaborate methods of determining evenness by

weighing. I have repeatedly run through the gages 13/15-denier skeins which were

very even by weight but which had four coarse parts, 5 to 50 yards long, over 24

deniers in diameter (according to Rosenzweig's measurements) and an equal number

of fine parts of about the same length, 8 deniers in diameter. Consequently, the fine and coarse threads balanced each other giving an even weight. Mr. Rosenzweig says

that to get the short fine and coarse threads 20 yards of thread must be weighed.

It is generally known that the best of silks have threads 20 per cent above and below

the size limits and that such threads do not cause any serious consequences in manufacturing. The threads causing trouble are those that are 40 to 60 per cent above or below the limits. The gages are peculiarly suitable in view of this fact. As to the

coarse threads this has already been explained. The fine threads are not themselves

caught; but, as fine threads under 60 per cent of the average size are caused by care-
62 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

lessness in reeling, they are almost invariably accompanied at the beginning or end,

by bad casts, bad throws, or other defects, which are larger in diameter than the average of the thread. These catch in the gages, break down, and the operator records both the defect and fine thread. The tension used also assists in breaking

and thereby revealing fine threads.

It serves no useful purpose to know the minute defects in raw silk, but it is important

to know tlie number that are larger than the average diameter of tlie thread, as it is these that show in the cloth. The defects plainly visible are generally twice as large as the average diameter of the thread. Assuming that a 13-15 denier silk is being

tested and that the thread is running 10 deniers, the plainly visible defects are 20

deniers. If the thread is running through at 14-denier gage, they, of course, catch and break down. Now suppose that the thread has changed to 17 deniers and a defect one-fourth larger than the thread appears. This also catches and breaks down.

On first thought this appears to show a fault of the gages but with due consideration you will find it a distinct advantage. A defect one-fourth greater than 17 deniers would be a 21X deniers, or quite a large defect. A defect proportionately twice as great on the lo-denier thread and not be as large. It will be observed, therefore, that the gages automatically give a practical result as to cleanness of the thread, which is exactly what is wanted. The distinctive features of the gages are

:

First. The size of the defects to be counted is not left to the judgment of the operator; the threads are broken down. This method, therefore, gives excellent uniformity with different operators. Second. The cover a thread will give in the cloth has been estimated by the feeling; the gages provide a more accurate method.

Third. The evenness and cleanness are both determined by one test, which materially reduces the cost. The silk is run through the gages on a cross reel which makes

the unwinding of the silk economical as to cost and waste. This also makes practicable the use of a greater amount of silk. Fourth. As the sizing skeins have been proven unreliable for judging uniformity,

a compound sizing test can be made.

Fifth. It is the extremes of evenness and cleanness that cause poor working

qualities and defective cloth, and these the gages reveal. They also reveal other

defects enabling a technical inspection of the silk to be made.

The results obtained with the use of mirrors are affected by the individual vision

for which there is no standard. Often an average-size thread is compared witli a

coarse one and called "fine," whereas it should be called "even." There is also confusion in counting the various defects when they are numerous.

I solicit a thorough investigation of my methods, and will be pleased to assist in any way desired. DISCUSSION

Mr. Chittick.—I fully approve of the viewpoint of Mr. Seem with regard to grading

the quality of silks. We have been rather careless in our rav^' silk classification, and

I think it would be highly desirable from a commercial as well as a scientific stand- point if a definite basis were reached for the proper grading of silk. I would suggest that for each lot there could be a paper setting forth the salient characteristics of that

lot. Three lots, for example, considering all their attributes might be considered

as of the same quality but one might be superior in strength, one might be superior in

elasticity, and one might be superior in cleanliness. If such a paper were provided

the purchaser would be able to select from them with reference to his needs. In this way a man who was going to make a strong woolen need pay but little attention to the

regularity of the silk so long as it was strong; a man who was going to twist it into crepe would desire another quality; and another man would be primarily interested

in the cleanliness of the silk.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 63

A PLAN FOR THE VALUATION OF DYES

Frederick Dannerxh^^

The scientists and industrials of our country are passing from a condition of selfish- ness to one of usefulness. We are in a transition period in -which individualism is being displaced by rational communism—the greatest good for the greatest number.

Until recently it has been customary' for each chemist or each laboratory, to devise methods of analysis without regard to the requirements of any other group of investigators; but fortunately for the industrial establishments of the United States, this condition is rapidly disappearing. The trend of the day is to compare notes, to coor- dinate ideas, and to reduce the experience of many chemists to standard methods

of analysis. It is fitting, therefore, that a conference such as this should serve as a

clearing house for data secured in any particular field of investigation, and with this in mind I present a plan for the valuation of dyes as developed in the Textile Trade

Laboratory of Newark. This plan includes a determination of the follo\\ing points:

(i) The strength of the dye; (2) the money value of the dye; (3) the best method for applying the dye to fibers; (4) the fastness of a dye after it has been applied; and (5) proximate analysis of a dye. In the case of silk we use a r-gram sample of a light fabric weighing 2 ounces per

square yard (boiled ofi), as this is easier to manipulate than skeins. In the case of wool we use a lo-gram sample of scoured worsted yam or fabric. In the case of cotton we use a lo-gram skein 2/20's yarn which has been previously boiled off. If the dye

is to be used in the factory for bleached yam, the sample used for the test is bleached. The standard solutions used for dyeing tests in this laboratory' are

:

Sulphuric acid : Dilute 10 g of 98 per cent concentrated acid (sp. gr. 1.84) with water

to make 1000 cc. (One cubic centimeter of this solution is ver)- nearly equivalent to o.oi g sulphuric acid.j Acetic acid: Dilute 10 g of 29 per cent commercial acetic acid (sp. gr. 1.040) with

water to make 1000 cc. Sodium sulphate or Glauber salt: Dissolve 100 g of the cry-stals in water to make

1000 cc. Sodium chloride or table salt: Of the commercial salt take 100 g and dissolve in water to make 1000 cc. Sodium carbonate or soda ash: Dissolve 100 g of commercial soda,ash in water to make 1000 cc. Soap solution: Dissolve 10 g of a certain oleate soap or a commercial olive oil soda

soap, having approximately 30 per cent water content, in water to make 1000 cc. Dye solution: Dissolve i g of the dye in the least necessary quantity of boiling water, and dilute with cold water to make 1000 cc. If the textile sample used for the test weighs I g as in the case of silk, and it is desired to use i per cent of the dye (based on

the weight of tlie sample) it is neoessary to use 10 cc of the standard dye solution; or,

if the textile sample weighs .10 g, as in the case of wool, it is necessary to use 100 cc of the dye solution.

1. The Strength of the Dye.—To determine the strength of a dye we measure

out a volume of the dye solution equal to 2 per cent of the weight of the textile sample.

One gram of silk fabric would then require 0.02 g of dye (20 cc). The swatch is dyed

according to the usual process for the particular dye, and the finished colored fabric is dried and examined with the imaided eye in a good north light. This test is sometimes of value for comparing black dyes to determine which is the fullest shade. In

that case the dye should be applied in several strengths—i, 2, 10, 20 per cent.

2. The Money Value of the Dye.—The method commonly used for control

tests in European dye factories is the one used in our laboratory. It is based on

a standard dye having an arbitrary value of $1 per pound. To examine a dye

Consulting chemist and head of the Textile Trade Laboratory, Newark, N. J.
64 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

which has been offered at $i per pound, we dissolve i g of the dye in looo cc of water. For the dyeing test we use a textile sample weighing lo g and add to the dye bath 200 cc of the standard dye solution. This is equivalent to 0.2 g of dye or

a 2 per cent shade. If another dye is offered to the purchasing agent in a textile

mill, and the price charged is $0.75 per poimd, we use ^^^^^^^-^=266 cc of the solu- 100^200 CC

tion. Or if a certain dye is offered at $1.25 per pound, tve would use =160

cc of the solution.

3. The Best Method for Applying the Dye to Fibers.—When the character

of a dye is unknown, it is necessaiy to determine the method best adapted for applying

the dye to vegetable or animal fibers. For this purpose at least eight different baths

are prepared with 1000 cc of distilled water and the additions indicated. One series of tests is carried out with cotton yam and another series with woolen 3"am. In the preliminary tests, small 10 g skeins of scoured yam are used, and 0.20 g of dye is added

to each bath. Bath No. I. Contains no additions whatever other than the dye. The skein is boiled in the bath for one hour. Bath No. 2. Add 10 g (that is, 100 per cent) sodium chloride. Note the absorption

of the dye at various temperatures.

Bath No. 3. —Add 4 per cent potassium carbonate and 0.75 per cent olive oil soap. Note the absoption of dye at various temperatures.

Bath No. 4. Add 100 per cent sodium chloride and 5 per cent acetic acid. Note

the absorption of dye at various temperatures.

Bath No. 5. Add 5 per cent acetic acid. Note the absorption of dye at various temperatures.

Bath No. 6. Mordant the skein in a bath containing 3 per cent potassium bichromate

and I per cent sulphuric acid, at the boil for one hour. Then enter in a dye bath to which s per cent acetic acid has been added. Bath No. 7. Mordant the skein in a bath containing 3 per cent potassium bichromate

and 3 per cent cream of tartar, at the boil for one hour. Then enter in a dye bath to which s per cent acetic acid had been added. Bath No. 8. Add 10 per cent sodium sulphate and 4 per cent sulphuric acid. Note

the absorption of dye at various temperatures.

4. The Fastness of a Dye.—The fastness tests carried out at this laboratory are

classed as follows:

1. Those encountered in the processes of textile manufacture. These include:

(a) The alkaline influences met in the processes of scouring, fulling, boiling-off, and

mercerizing; (6) the acid influences met in the processes of carbonizing, stoving, and

cross dyeing; (c) the heat influences met in the processes of drying, singeing, ironing,

calendering, and potting; and ((f)the oxidizing influence of the chlorine bleach bath,

and peroxides.

2. Those encountered when the yam or fabric is in actual use: (a) Alkaline in- fluences—street dust and laimdering; (6) acid influences—^perspiration, fuel gases, and

fruit stains; (c) heat influences—the high temperatm-es experienced in household

ironing, and in exposure to tropical sunshine; and (d) weather, which includes air,

light, and rain. Here are 24 influences which may affect the shade or the brilliancy of a colored

fabric, but they are not of equal importance for all fabrics. Some of the methods and solutions used by us are as follows:

1. Soap solution: Dissolve 10 g of sodium oleate soap in i liter of water. Agitate the sample in this solution for 30 minutes. Make separate tests at 60° C and at 100° C.

2. Alkaline solution (weak). Dissolve 2 g of dry sodium carbonate in i liter of water. Agitate the sample in this solution for 30 minutes at 100° C.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 65

3. Alkaline solution (strong). Dissolve 20 g of dry sodium carbonate in i liter of water. Immerse the sample for 5 hours and hold at 60° C.

4. Acid solution (weak). Dilute 100 cc of hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.18) with

water to make i liter. Spot the sample with this dilute solution, and allow it to act

for 10 minutes before noting the change in color.

5. Acid solution (strong). To 100 cc hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.18) add 200 cc of water. Spot the sample with this solution and allow it to act for 2 hours before noting the change in color.

6. Chlorine solution. Immerse the sample in a solution of chloride of lime and

leave at room temperature for i hour. Make one test with a solution having a strength

of 1° B6 and a second test with a solution having a strength of 0.1° Be.

7. Street-dust test. A paste is prepared by gradually rubbing down 20 g of ordi- nary lime with 150 cc of water. The sample is spotted with this mixture and allowed

to dry. The powder is then brushed off and the change in color noted.

8. Light test. Whenever possible, a sample at least 2 inches square is used. Onehalf inch of the sample is exposed, the remainder being covered with black card- board. The who^e is placed under glass in a rain-tight frame and exposed on a roof

for 50 hours of actual direct sunlight. The months usually best adapted for this test are July and August. A record should be kept of the approximate latitude at which

the test was carried out. A daily record of the sunlight is kept in order to determine

the number of hours of actual sunlight in a given period. We find this exposure

test to give results similar to an actual open-air light test, even though the glass may

act as a filter for certain light rays.

9. Perspiration test. We find that the character of perspiration varies with the

race, condition of health, and age of the individual and with the season of the year. For general information we use a solution containing in i liter 50 g of 50 per cent

acetic acid and 100 g of sodium chloride. The sample is alternately immersed and

dried, and the change in color is noted after 10 immersions. Proximate; Analysis of a Dye.—This examination includes a determination of foreign matter in commercial products. The substances most frequently encountered are (i) Glauber salt and table salt, usually added to a dye in order to standardize

it, and (2) dextrine and glucose, usually added to dyes in order to assist their solubility. "Standardization" as applied to dyes means thinning by the addition of some

water soluble substance so that a pound of the dye purchased in one month will have

the same coloring power as a dye purchased a year later. During periods when there

is a dye scarcity an unscrupulous broker will naturally seek to sell as many pounds

of dye as possible. He sincerely hopes that the purchaser—that is, the textile manufacturer—will not stop to discriminate between good and bad products. In this case the addition of salt or dextrine in quantity is an unqualified fraud, and this condition has been helped considerably by the apathetic attitude of dye consumers

during the past three years. "Homogeneity" refers to the chemical uniformity of a dye. If a commercial dyestufl consists of a mixture of two or more dyes this is ascertained by (i) blowing the powder onto a sheet of filter paper which has been previously moistened; (2) scatter- ing the powder on sulphuric acid; (3) fractional dyeing; (4) capillary absorption;

or (s) spectroscopic examination. All of these methods are too well known to require

special description at this point. Consumers are aware of the fact that most commercial products contain more or

less "substances not dyes. " In order therefore to obtain definite information on this point and to eliminate such dyes as are grossly adulterated, it is recommended that bidders on dyestuff deliveries be required to present a statement in connection with

each bid on each dye, covering the following points (it will be noted that this is not

a "specification" but merely a form of "request for information"):
66 U. S. BUREAU OP STANDARDS

1. Does the dyestuff contain more than one dye? If so, indicate the constituent dyes by their standard name (see Schultz Farbentabellen).

2. If any dyestuff offered consists of two or more dyes, quote separately on each

constituent dye.

3. How much, if any, organic matter not dye is contained in the dyestuff offered under this bid ? 4. How much, if any, inorganic matter not dye is contained in the dyestuff

offered under this bid?

5. Quotations on dyes should be accompanied by dyed samples showing the appli- cation of the color on cotton, wool, or silk in definite percentages. (This will enable

the ptu'chaser to calculate the approximate cost for producing a shade of a given

strength).

PLEA FOR A STANDARD NOMENCLATURE FOR ORGANIC DYES

Frederick Dannerth

In the fifth edition of Farbstoff Tabellen by Dr. Gustav Schultz, we find that 7300 distinct names or marks are used in commerce to designate approximately

1000 distinct organic dyes. Applying the rule of averages, one might say that each dye appears in commerce under seven different names. The systems used by various manufacturers to distinguish their dyes from those of competitors have resulted in certain adjectives becoming characteristic for certain

firms. As examples of this, we have the adjective pronouns diamine, oxamine,

diphenyl, dianil, benzo, naphthamine, triazol, pheno, each of which is used almost

exclusively by one firm. What would an inorganic chemist say if I were to suggest that zinc oxide be sold under such names as " Bamegat white, " " Euclid white, " " Dearborn white, " " Chey- enne white," " Absecon white," "Zinc white," and "Water white"? Most users of this important pigment would, I believe, object strongly to such a procedure. Then

again, let us imagine zinc oxide being sold under the names of other well-known pig- ments, such as talcum, lithopone, barytes, whiting, gypsum, white lead, and so forth. Both of these conditions now exist in the organic dyes industry.

There are very few cases in which one dye of known chemical constitution is sold by all firms under one and the same name. Dye makers will claim that the chemical

constitution of a large number of dyes is unknown or known to only one maker. In such cases a name might be adopted. When a manufacturer undertakes the pro- duction of a dye which is already on the market, he should, in my opinion, be obliged

to adopt the existing designation for the dye. The fact is that competing dye manufacturers are so skilled in dye analysis that new dyes are examined and classified soon after they appear on the market. This part of analytical chemistry is most

necessary to prevent infringements upon patents. Dye manufacturers may claim that endless confusion would result if the names of their dyes were changed, and they may also claim that the present names are really

"brand" designations. Such confusion would, at worst, be only temporary, and the name of the firm would be sufficient "branding '

' for all commercial purposes. In fact, the same name is now used in many cases by several firms.

It is one of the basic duties of technologists and scientists to secure for all materials a uniform nomenclature. We should apply this principle to our several industries.

If you will stop to consider that some consumers are purchasing annually between

$50 000 and $100 000 worth of dyes, you will realize the importance of standardization

of nomenclature. Dye makers may say that dyes are put out in various "strengths" in order to meet

the demands of the consumers for low-priced dyes. This is well known by textile chemists. A cost comparison test carried out with a certain dye made by 10 different
SECOND ANNUAL, TEXTILE CONFERENCE 67

mantifacturers will show that the price of the dye is very nearly proportional to its strength.

Dye makers may say that some commercial dyestuffs are mixtures of two or three

dyes, adjusted to meet a special need. This condition is similar to the case of "blended whisky" in the food and drug act. Textile chemists desire a uniform nomenclature for straight dyes of known composition. It likewise seems desirable to limit the adjectives " anthracinon, ' ' "alizarin, '

'

and "anthracene" to derivatives of anthracene. Another term used in the designation of dyes, and used very loosely, is the word "fast.

'

' In recent years this has been

added to many dyes as a selling feature with the result that the word has almost lost

its real significance. The words "acid," "direct," "diazo," "sulphur," "alizarin"

are used as adjectives at the present time to designate certain dyes and at the same

time indicate the manner in which they are applied to the fibers. This plan might

be extended by the use of the terms "basic, '

' and " vat,

'

' to designate dyes of the type

of "methylene blue" and "indanthrene blue," respectively. In any case one term

for example, "acid red"—should be used to designate one and only one dye, because

the brand of the dye can be adequately indicated by the firm name which accompanies it. Proposals for standardizing nomenclature are, in most cases, effective only when

they originate in technical societies under conditions which admit of an unbiased dis- cussion of the subject by both producer and consumer. With this in view, I would move that the chairman appoint, within the next month, a committee of three or more

textile chemists to consider the subject of this paper and make such recommendations

to the next general meeting of this conference as it may consider fit. To illustrate the confusion which now exists in the commercial nomenclature of organic dyes, I present herewith examples of the cases referred to. Dyes which appear in commerce xmder the same name but which are quite different in chemical constitution are as follows (the numbers in parentheses refer to the dye

numbers in "Schultz"):

Example i.—Acid violet 4RS, Hoechst (526); Acid violet 4BN, Badische (527); Acid violet 6B, Bayer (529); Acid violet 6B, ter Meer (530); Acid violet 7BN, Hoechst

(533); Acid violet 7B, Badische (534); Acid violet 6BN, Badische (548); Acid violet 6BNS, Sandoz (561). Example 2.—Alizarin yellow 3G, Bayer (48); Alizarin yellow R, Hoechst (58); Alizarin yellow G, Sandoz (177); Alizarin yellow FS, Durand (482); Alizarin yellow

A, Badische (770). Example 3.—Crocein scarlet B, Bayer (249); Crocein scarlet 8B, Kalle (255); Crocein

scarlet 3BX, Bayer (167); Crocein scarlet 4BX, Kalle (169); Crocein scarlet oext., Kalle (251). Example 4.—Fast red D, Badische (168); Fast red S, Hoechst (166); Fast red VR,

Bayer (164); Fast red O, Hoechst (161); Fast red B, Badische (112). Dyes which appear in commerce under different names but which are identical or

similar in chemical constitution are as follows: Example i

. —The dye formed by the action of caustic soda on paranitrotolueneorthosulphonic acid. By varying the concentration of the solutions, the temperature, and

the duration of the reaction, the exact comj osition of the product may be influenced. The essential and main product is in all cases, however, the sodium salt of azoxyazodistilbenetetra-sulphonic acid. The product of this reaction is a yellow, direct dye

(consult Schultz, dye No. 9) which appears in commerce under the following names:

Direct yellow R, Bayer; curcumin S, Berlin; naphthamine yellow G, Kalle; diamine

fast yellow A, Cassella; sun yellow, Geigy; afghan yellow, HoUiday; azidine fast yellow G, Jaeger; renol yellow R, ter Meer. Example 2.—The dye formed by the action of paraphenylhydrazin-sulphonic acid on dioxytartaric acid. This is a yellow, acid dye (consult Schultz, dye No. 23) for
68 U. S. BURJSAU OF STANDARDS

wool and silk. It appears in commerce as tartrazin, Bayer; hydrazin yellow O,

Greisheim; wool fast yellow, Basel; acid yellow AT, Casella; buffalo yellow, Schoell- kopf ; fast wool yellow G, Kalle; tartrabarin, ter Meer. Example 3.—The dye formed by the action of concentrated nitric acid on the nitro- samine of the dye Orange IV. This is a yellow, acid dye (consult Schultz, dye No.

141) which appears in commerce as azo yellow 3G, Hoechst; azo acid yellow, Berlin; azoflavin S, new, Badische; Indian yellow G, Bayer.

Dyes having uniform names and chemical compositions as sold by different dye

manufacturers are as follows: Example i.—The dye formed by the action of diazotized anilin on metaphenylene

diamine. This is a yellow, basic dye (consult Schultz, dye No. 33), known in commerce as chrysoidin and sold as such by Badische, Holliday, Bayer, Berlin, Hoechst,

Cassella, ter Meer, Griesheim, Basel, Geigy, and Kalle. Example 2.—The dye formed by combining diazotized tolidin with 1:4 naphthylamine-sulphonic acid. This is one of the oldest of the direct red dyes, so important because they dye cotton without previous mordanting. This red direct dye

(consult Schultz, dye No. 363) is known in commerce as benzopurpurin 4B, and sold

as such by Bayer, Berlin, Levinstein, Griesheim, ter Meer, and Sandoz. Example 3.—The dye formed by the oxidation of dimethylanilin with copper

chloride. This is a violet, basic dye (consult Schultz, dye No. 515) known in com- merce as methyl violet and sold as such by Berlin, Badische, Bayer, Cassella, Hoechst,

Holliday, Griesheim, Kalle, and ter Meer. This shows that it is perfectly possible to arrange for the coal-tar dyes a nomenclature which is at once rational and practical.

DISCUSSION

Mr. Stratton. Yesterday a standard nomenclature for fabrics was suggested, an exceedingly important thing. Here is another thing equally important. As

has already been pointed out, reform can only be accomplished by bringing together

all the parties interested. At the Bureau we are studying questions relating to

colors. We have a special appropriation for an investigation of the methods of measuring color. There is no use specifying a color unless yoit can measure it. It is possible that dyes can be defined through specific chemical characteristics one of which may

be color. It is important that some sort of permanent organization be perfected

and small committees be appointed, consisting of five or six people, who are inter- ested in nomenclature and who will study the problem and submit a report at the next meeting. Mr. PiERce. I have had some close experience with tliis question, having been

in the dyestuff business for over 18 years and connected with the people who suc- cessfully made aniline dyes in America in the face hi the most severe German com- pe i+ion. There was seldom any difficulty of the factory turning out a product equal in quality

to that made in Germany, but it was never offered under the German name. The

state of affairs is exactly the same as we now see in the drug market. We read " There

is no aspirin except Bayer's aspirin," but they do not tell us that there are tons and

tons of acetylsalicylic acid that can not be sold as "aspirin" on account of the na&e

being copyrighted.

Occasionally a popular dye on which all patents and copyright have expired will become known by one of its original names—like tartrazin, for example. Formerly

the standards for our own use were made in Germany, but now that there is a great American combination to make dyestuffs and intermediates, I think they would

be glad to have American standards and would be pleased to have overtures from

the textile industry looking toward the establishment of American standards.
SKCOND ANNUAL TEXTlIvE CONFERENCE 69

Mr. ChiTTick. May not that be worked out along the lines of the color card of the French dyers? They send out cards to representatives of the different branches

of the industry. The work was undertaken some time ago and resulted in a cooperative effort on the part of producers and distributors. THE TESTING AND EXAMINATION OF ARMY CLOTH

K. B. Lamb 24 When asked to present a paper at this conference, I had several subjects in mind,

among them a description of the work we are doing at Wanamaker's in New York

and Philadelphia to improve and test merchandise and to work out new problems. But I chose the subject you find on the program, as being of more timely interest. Our Army must be built upon the most solid foundation. We must not do things in a slipshod or hurried way, and we must benefit by the initial mistakes of the allied Governments. One of their mistakes was the use of poor equipment. There is, and will be for some time, a shortage of supplies in this country and in remedying

this shortage we must see that the best and most serviceable equipment possible is obtained. Of this equipment the most important factor, except food, is clothing. There is probably no service which is as hard upon a textile fabric as that of the soldier in the field. He lives, eats, and even sleeps in his tmiform and unless it gives him

proper service his efficiency becomes impaired.

During the first two years of the war I was the chemical engineer of the United

States Conditioning & Testing Co. in New York. There we made the ofiicial tests for many of the foreign Army buying commissions who were then buying cloth in this country and, of course, for the American manufacturers submitting samples to these commissions. In general, I believe in the honesty of the American manufacturer, but I will say

that, to my mind, it was almost criminal to submit the type of cloth which in many

cases passed through my hands for tests. The allied Governments foiind it necessary thoroughly to test their samples and

shipments, and we will also find it necessary. The object of testing is not only to detect dishonesty, but also to secure the right fabric for the purpose, and to indicate

to manufacturers what they must work for. I believe that our mills can turn out as good, if not better, fabrics than those of any other country.

Before I describe the tests made, just a word in regard to the general requirements

of Army cloth.

First, it must be strong to enable it to resist wear and tear and therefore must be

made of good stock and have a large number of threads per inch. Second, it must be warm and should therefore be partly felted. Third, it should combine the above without being too heavy.

Fourth, it should be dyed with fast dyes.

I am not going to describe new, untried methods of testing nor to make this address very theoretical in nature, because I do not think this is a time for experimentation

or theory. Now is the time, if ever, to apply what we already know in a practical

and workable way. The tests which I am about to describe briefly have all been

made and proved efficient. They are the official methods which we used for the

t foreign army commissions and upon which maiay of the large contracts were placed. For convenience I have divided the tests under the heads (i) physical and (2) chemical.

I. Physical Tbsts.—(a) Strength.—The first test of importance is the test for strength. This can be made by either of two methods: First, by the strip method;

and second, by the American mill method (or as it is sometimes called, the "Navy

test") of testing in the piece.

" Textile expert with John Wanamaker, New York City.
70 U. S. BUREAU Olf STANDARDS

The strip method, which is the one almost universally used by the European

armies, is a tensile strength test performed upon a strip of cloth of given width and

length.

The British standard strip is one 3 inches wide and 7 inches long (between the jaws of the machine). This is also usually used by the Russian Army when buying

in England or the United States. The French standard strip is one 5 centimeters wide and 15 centimeters long

(between jaws). I believe the}' sometimes specify a strip 15 centimeters wide and

50 centimeters long. The Italian and Serbian Governments also use the 15-centi- meter by 5-centimeter strip. In preparing the test pieces, at least five samples each in the warp and filling directions of the goods are cut from different parts of the piece. Especially in the warp direction must the pieces be selected from several places distributed across the width of the goods. These samples are cut to within about three-eighths of an inch

of the desired width and then raveled down on each side. This is done to insure continuous, unbroken threads throughout the length of the piece. If cut directly to

size, some of the outside threads are bound to be severed, and in a cloth containing

a low number of threads to the inch the strength will necessarily fall considerably

below the true value. The strips are left about \% inches longer than the specified

length, to provide clamping space in the jaws of the testing machine.

When prepared, the samples are placed in a conditioning room in an atmosphere

of 65 per cent relative humidity and 70° F. In such an atmosphere the wool will theoretically contain its normal "regain," or moisture content. The humidity of the air is a point too often overlooked by manufacturers in making

tests and one which has a very great effect upon the strength of cloth. Tests which we made and which have been made by the Bureau of Standards all show that a

variation of as much as 20 per cent in strength is sometimes found with a variation

of about 50 per cent in the relative humidity of the atmosphere in which the tests are made. This extent of variation in humidity is a condition often met with in

this climate. Thus we see how unfair a test may be if made under very damp

conditions when the strength is lowest and then compared with another test which

may have been made under very dry conditions when the strength was highest.

By making all tests at a uniform humidity, they are all comparable.

There are various types of tensile strength testing machines now in use, and it will not be necessary to describe them in detail. However, they all work on one

fundamental principle; they have two parallel jaws which are set at the required

distance apart and which separate at a definite, uniform rate of speed until the sample, which has been clamped between them, breaks. The breaking point and

elongation are both registered. The machines should be power driven, as this gives

a uniform pull upon the sample. In out tests the jaws separated at the rate of 10 inches per minute.

Special care must be used in clamping the test strip. The jaws should hold it firmly without allowing it to slip, but without any danger of cutting it. The sample

should be inserted so that the pull is directly perpendicular.

Good breaks, as a rule, run directly across the strip, although with loosely woven

clotlis this will not always occur. With very tight and firm cloths the break is often

a sudden snap, showing that all the threads failed simultaneously. This shows that

a uniform tension has been applied and that uniform threads make up the fabric. There is always a certain amount of variation found due to inequalities in the yams

or the number of threads per inch, twist, etc., but this variation should be low in a well-made cloth. In the method of testing in the piece, jaws i inch wide are used. The jaws are clamped i inch apart in the goods. The machine used is similar to the strip-testing

machine, being power driven by electric motor with the jaws separating at the rate

of 10 inches per minute, and the test is carried out under similar conditions.
SECOND ANNUAIv TEXTlIvE CONFERENCE 71

I do not consider this test fair or scientific. In the strip test the pull comes directly

upon the warp threads—considering a test in the warp direction—without any filling threads on the side of the test piece affecting the result in any way. In the test in the

piece, on the other hand, the filling threads at the side of the inch of cloth being

tested have more or less effect upon the result on account of the more or less firmness given by them. This being a fact, it is evident that the kind of weave, texture, and

finish of the cloth will introduce a variable factor in the test, so that results obtained

will not show the strength of the i inch of warp or filling threads and are not even comparable unless cloths of identical weaves and finish are considered. The only advantage this test has over the strip test is that a test can be made directly without previous

preparation of samples.

(b) Stock.—The next examination of importance is that of the stock used in the

goods. The warp and filling threads should be examined separately, several threads being taken from different parts of the sample.

The approximate average length of fiber is found by untwisting parts of the different threads, measuring as many fibers as is practicable, and averaging the results. Next, a microscopical examination is made which shows the appearance of the

fibers and their diameters, thus helping to determine the grade of wool used. The

microscope will also detect the presence of shoddy; at least, this is true in most cases, although occasionally a very high grade of shoddy, when intermixed with new wool,

will escape notice. The ends of the wool fibers in the case of shoddy are torn and

frayed out, and the scales are usually partly removed, these characteristics being due

to the rough mechanical and chemical treatment necessary for reclamation.

(c) Weight.—Before determining the weight, the sample is placed in the conditioning room in an atmosphere of 65 per cent relative humidity and at 70° F. Under these

conditions, as has been stated, wool theoretically contains its normal "regain" or average percentage of moisture. The French unit of weight is the square meter. The British unit is the square yard,

although many specifications are based upon a size of 52^ inches wide between sel- vages and 28 inches long. The Russian Government also used the latter size when

buying in this country.

(d) Threads per Inch.—Another determination of importance is that of the number

of threads per inch in warp and filling. This is accomplished by taking a length of at

least 2 inches, pulling out several warp threads, and counting the ends of the filling threads. In a like manner the filling threads are pulled out and the warp threads counted. If 4 inches are taken as a basis, the result found is, of course, divided by 4

to give the threads per inch. Samples should be selected from different parts of the piece and check coimts made.

When the sample has been felted, considerable care must be exercised in separating the threads not to injure or divide the thread ends to be counted.

(e) Shrinkage.—Another most important test is that of the amotmt of shrinkage.

The following method is what we finally developed and used for the tests for the Russian purchasing commission : The sample is first placed in the conditioning room so that it will contain its proper amount of moisture. This is necessary, as the amount

of moisture present affects the actual physical size of the sample. It is then cut to

its proper size as specified and immersed in water of room temperature (70° F) for four hours. At the end of that time it is removed and dried in a drying oven. Then

it is placed again in the conditioning room and brought up to the proper condition,

for which an hour and a half is allowed, and finally, again measured.

It sometimes happens that the warp threads have a high twist in comparison with

the filling threads. In such a case there will often be a slight elongation in the filling direction due to a squeezing up of the fabric by the warp threads, which, of course, shrink much more than the filling threads on account of their higher twist. Consequently, the fabric spreads in the filling direction with a large shrinkage in the warp

direction.
72 U. S. BUREAU OV STANDARDS

Care must be taken to see that the sample is thoroughly wet through when first immersed in the water and that no air bubbles are held by it. The shrinkage is reported

as percentage shrinkage in the warp direction, in the filling direction, and in area.

2. ChBmical Tests.—(A) For Fastness of Dyestuff.—The principal tests of a chemical nature are those which are made to determine the fastness of the dyestuff used in dyeing the sample. Considerable emphasis should be placed upon this test, for uniforms are subjected to more rigorous conditions of wear than any other type of clothing.

The tests usually made are as follows:

(a) Fastness to Light: This test is made only when the necessary time is available. A strip of the fabric is put in a frame in which half of the strip is exposed to the light

and half covered, the whole being under glass and in a window with southern exposure. At the end of one, two, three, and four weeks the samples are examined and the differ- ences in color between the exposed and the covered portions noted. Those which

show appreciable fading at the end of one week are rated as not fast and those which

show no fading at the end of four weeks as very fast. This test may also be made with mercury-vapor lamps. This, in a few hours, gives a result similar to that obtained by the regular sunlight test. (6) Fastness to Washing: This is carried out by plaiting a strip of the sample with a white cotton and a white wool strip of like size. The three are then heated for 15 minutes at 40° C in a bath containing i per cent of pure neutral olive oil soap and

0.05 per cent of sodium carbonate. Another similar plait is heated in a bath of i per

cent of the olive oil soap at 65° C for one hour. After washing, the samples are thoroughly rinsed in warm water and dried. The

fastness is then rated (a) according to the change in color in the sample, (6) according

to the color of the soap solution used for the test, and (c) according to whether or not

the color has bled into the white wool and cotton strips. This test is also an important one for army cloths. '

(c) Fastness to Acid: The fastness to acids is determined as follows:

First, the sample is spotted with concentrated hydrochloric acid and the change

in color noted. Then another sample is plaited with equal parts of white wool and cotton as before, and treated with a 0.25 per cent solution of bisulphate of soda for i}4 hours at 90° C. The sample is then washed and dried and the color compared with the original

sample.

Finally, a third sample is heated in a 3 per cent solution of sulphuric acid at 80° C

for one-half hour. The sample is then washed and dried and the color compared with

the original color.

(d) Fastness to Alkali: The sample is plaited with equal parts of white wool and

cotton as before and heated in a per cent solution of sodium carbonate at 40° C for one hour. It is then washed carefully, dried, and the color compared with the

original color, and the white wool and cotton examined for stains. A second sample

is heated at go° C in a 0.05 per cent solution of sodium hydroxide for one-half hour and the change in color noted.

(e) Fastness to Perspiration: This is determined by spotting the sample with a 10 per cent solution of sodium chloride. It is then dried at ordinary temperature, well brushed, and the change in color noted.

(/) Fastness to Sea Water: This is an especially important test for all cloths to be

used in the Navy. It is determined by plaiting a sample with equal quantities of white wool and cotton as before, and allowing it to stand for 24 hours in a cold solu- tion of 30gof sodium chloride (salt) and 6 g of calcium chloride per liter. It is then

dried without washing and the color examined.

(B) Finishing Materials.—It is often advisable to determine the percentage of finishing materials in woolen goods, though as a rule this is not necessary. If the determination is desired, it is carried out as fqUows:
SBCOND ANNUAL, TEXTILE CONFERENCE 73

The sample is first dried thorougUy at 105° C and weighed. It is then treated by- heating first in a I per cent solution of pure neutral olive oil soap at 80° C for one hour

and then in a i per cent solution of hydrochloric acid for one-half hour, taking care

to thoroughly wash all soap out of the sample before placing it in the acid bath.

It is then washed, dried, and weighed and the percentage loss calculated. In closing, I would like to say just a word about the subject of cooperation. We

have had conferences of the raw-material people, of manufacturers, of jobbers, of

retailers. I would like to have held a single conference involving raw- material

people, manufacturers, jobbers, and retailers. Then we might accomplish something.

It is only through the cooperation of every business concerned in the manufacture of our supplies that we are going to supply the great army we must raise in order to bring this war to an end. DISCUSSION

Mr. Stratton. It is unfair to the contractor to introduce, changes after a contract

is let, but the Government often makes this mistake. Changes in the specifications or standards of test should be made by agreement between the purchaser, the manufacturer, and the tester. Too often the tester is one of the parties interested. That

is one advantage of having the work done at the Bureau. It is probable that all inspection for war purposes will be done under the supervision of the Bureau. Fre- quently people are afraid to come in contact- with modern methods and modem

devices because they are afraid that the weakness of their methods will be exposed.

After the establishment of a standard of quality has been agreed upon, the methods

of maintaining this standard are the next consideration. Mr. Shinn. The "regain" allowance for army cloth has been recently discussed

at a conference held in New York and 11 per cent has been practically decided on as a suitable amount. There is no recognized standard in this country for regain for

cloth. In making experimental tests I have not yet been able to make the moisture content of any form of textile material come up to the European standards. A

standard condition of 65 per cent relative humidity and 70° F temperature would be

all right if everybody would accept it. If the specifications are based on a percentage of regain, then I think there will be more trouble. The percentage of regain

varies according to the way in which the cloth has been manufactured and handled. Mr. Chittick. In connection with Mr. Lamb 's remarks I want to call attention to the necessity of removing the oil before a test is made. For example, a lot of hosiery

might be purchased which gave visible evidence of the presence of oil. In order to determine the amount of oil, it would be necessary to scour out the grease and then

boil off the oil. There is a natural marrow inherent in the wool fiber, and if the scour- ing out of the oil was done with too great severity, the wool might be robbed of this natural marrow and its weight correspondingly reduced. Another thing Mr. Lamb referred to was the grip of the jaws not being sufficiently

tight to cut the fabric. I have made many tests, and I have found out that when the jaws of any thread-testing machine or cloth-testing machine are extremely tight, there is a tendency for the breakage to occur at the jaws on account of shearing action. Therefore, it is a question whether a test giving a break at the jaw can properly be

thrown out and not included in the averages. It is also a question whether a slow breaking test should be regularly applied, since it does not correspond to the strain

to which the cloth is often subjected. It seems that a quickly applied test should be added to the other. Further, I would like to ask Mr. Lamb if the British Govern- ment requires the test of a strip of cloth 3 inches wide or if the sample is raveled down

so that there will not be any cut threads. Mr. Lamb. A 3-inch width is actually broken. Usually they ravel down a quarter

of an inch on each side. In regard to a jaw break we eliminate the test unless the

piece is broken in the middle.

Mr. BiviNS. The discussions we have had here have been largely about results of

tests on textiles and raw materials, but I think if we were to analyze them, we would
74 U. S. BUREAU OP STANDARDS

find that they can be grouped imder three heads—classification, standardization, and

iiniformity of nomenclature. I am not a textile man, nor a chemist, nor a technical man, simply an ordinary business man, but all these subjects come up in our work.

Dr. Dannerth spoke about the numerous scarlet dye varieties purchasable under the same name. We once lost thousands of dollars simply because the dyestuffs we had

been accustomed to getting were not obtainable. Our customers lost confidence in us and we lost confidence in the dealers. Dr. Stratton and others have mentioned the desirability of getting together to organize a permanent society through which all such matters would be considered. In speaking for the carpet-fabric industry, I want to say it would be welcome. If any effort is made this afternoon toward that organization, I would be glad to co- operate. Mr. Chittick. I would like to ask Mr. Lamb if the dyes in foreign orders will give

good results when tested according to the methods mentioned.

Mr. Lamb. At first they were strict in regard to dyes, but they soon found out

that tests of the material submitted would not fulfill the requirements. They were

especially careful about the washing test. Now they are much more lenient. Miss O'Bribn. I would like to ask if there is any machine for testing the wearing

qualities of material. Mr. Chittick. I saw one referred to in the Textile World Journal. I think it was

not found possible to get satisfactory results. The tests were continued until the

cloth was worn so that the light could be seen pretty clearly through it. It is possible there may be apparatus available which is not yet used in this country. Mr. Pierce. After considering the various soiu-ces of ultra-violet rays, including

flaming arcs, we finally installed the one which we are using at present for fading

tests. The light is a mercury^-vapor arc on the plan of the Cooper-Hev,-itt lamp

familiar to all, but instead of a long glass tube, there is a fused quartz tube of 8 inches length. The tube is covered by a metal hood, and in working with this light the eyes must be carefully protected by amber glasses. The action seems to be approximately eight times that of direct sunlight. Often light tests outdoors

are made by exposing samples tmder glass, but this should not be done, for ultra- violet rays are stopped by glass. Mr. Hartshome once remarked to me that at the Arlington Mills tliey had noted that entirely different changes of color were observed when the fading of a weather test was compared with that of an artificial light. The

explanation of this is evidently that under the ultra-violet light the heat is sufficient to dry out tlie sample, and the fading is due entirely to molecular disintegration. In tlie presence of moisture there is formed both hydrogen peroxide and ozone. Consequently, a weathering test, being alternately dampened and dried, is subject

to a bleaching effect in addition to the fading due to ultra-violet rays. Moisture effects can be obtained tmder the ultra-violet lamp by occasionally

wetting the sample, but as this is a purely arbitrary procedure, it is safer to make the

tests always under dry conditions. The value of the lamp is, at present, confined to the making of comparative tests.

If the quartermaster's department wants olive-drab cloth as per a certain standard, the manufacturer naturally wants to know whether his goods are going to come up

to specifications. Every test can be made quickly except the 30-day exposure test, but by putting the two samples imder this light for, say, 30 hours, the desired information is obtained. As soon as weather conditions are suitable, I intend to make an approximate

standardization of the light as compared with sunlight. I have had made a quartz tube similar to a test tube. In this will be exposed such solutions as ammonium suc- cinate with a quantity of uranium salts or a solution of ferrous oxalate. These solutions yield gas on exposure to simlight, and the measurement of the quantity liberated in a definite number of hours can be compared with the result obtained under the lamp.
SECOND. ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 75

Mr. Haven. I would like to ask whether Mr. Lamb noted a great many tmbroken

threads on the side of the sample.

Mr. Lamb. Yes, there are always some unbroken threads. Mr. Haven. Were they counted?

Mr. Lamb. No, they were not. It does not make any difference how many threads

are broken so long as the fabric breaks. Mr. Haven. I would like to ask Mr. Lamb what means he employs to maintain

a xmiform condition of humidity and temperature. How long were the samples al- lowed to remain in the room before they were considered to be in moistme equilibrium with the atmosphere?

Mr. Lamb. The samples were exposed for two hours. To maintain a standard humidity we use fan which blows air into the room in dry weather. When the humidity is too high, the air is blown over ice. Mr. Haven. Was it regulated by hand?

Mr. Lamb. It was motor driven, but regulated by hand. Any of the regular

humidifying apparatus is adequate.

SEWING MACHINES AND MACHINE-MADE STITCHES

S. Geoege Tate 2^

Evolution of trade diuing the last century has been synonymous with speed, for as commercialism increased by leaps and bounds, so did speed. The ever-increasing

demand for greater production, but with less cost, was principally met through the agency of labor-saving devices and machines, and the sewing machine has certainly earned the right to be placed in this category. In 1800 all sewing was accomplished by hand at the maximum rate of 30 stitches per minute, whereas to-day nearly all sewing is done on machines, the foot-operated

and power-operated machines forming as many as 800 and 4000 stitches per minute,

respectively. For seaming fabrics by a straightaway line of through-and-through stitches, only

three machine-made stitches have met with extensive practical application. These

are known as (i) the single-chain stitch, (2) the shuttle stitch, and (3) the double- locked stitch. The earliest attempt to produce stitches by a machine was apparently made by an

Englishman, Thomas Saint, who in 1790 obtained a British patent which shows and

describes a machine for making a line of chain stitches from a single thread. This

machine, as far as is known, was never marketed and was evidently a commercial

failure because it lacked two of the elements necessary to insure success, an eye- pointed needle and an automatic feed. The first practical sewing machine was built by a Frenchman, Barthelemy Thimonnier, who, in 1830, obtained a French patent, No. 7434, thereon. This machine also made a line of chain stitches from a single thread. A firm was formed to exploit the

invention, and in 1841, 80 wooden machines were actually in operation, each machine

forming about 200 stitches per minute. A riot, caused by seamstresses and tailors who feared the machines would do away with hand sewing, put an end to these machines and also to the firm, and left Thimonnier a poor man. He later obtained a new partner and built machines of metal and increased the rate of speed. The Revolution of 1848, however, blighted his hopes and ruined both himself and his partner.

It was not until 1840 that Elias Howe, an American, conceived his idea of an auto- matic sewing machine. He built a machine and obtained a patent thereon in the United States, No. 4750, dated September 10, 1846. A company was formed and a machine known as the "Elias Howe, Jr." was placed on the market, the machine

forming about 320 stitches per minute. This Howe machine embodied the main ele- ments which are present in all machines of to-day. Specifically, it included a ver25 Union Special Machine Co., Chicago, 111.
76 U. S. BURISAU OP STANDARDS

tically reciprocatory eye-pointed needle, an automatic feed, and a shuttle which

carried a second thread through the needle-thread loops to form a line of shuttle

stitches. The Howe machine remained on the market for many years, but was finally obliged

to yield to the demand for higher speed, and this demand was filled by power-operated

machines of other makes. Elias Howe's perseverance and success in placing the sewing machine on the market necessarily gives him the honor of being the originator of the sewing machine.

The double-locked stitch machine was originated by Grover and Baker, who

obtained United States patent No. 7931, dated February 11, 1851, thereon. In this machine each needle-thread loop in the line was doubly locked by the second or looper thread which was carried by a lower needle or looper, the looper first entering the needle-thread loop and the needle then entering a loop in the looper thread. The commercial^ Grover and Baker machine was, however, apparently manufactured under their patent No. 9053, dated June 22, 1854. The first commercial single-tliread, chain-stitch machine was constructed hj James

E. A. Gibbs and was apparently manufactured under his three United States patents,

17427, dated June 2, 1857, 21129, dated August 10, 1858, and 28851, dated June 26, i860. Sewing-machine stitches are employed for joining fabrics in the process of manufacturing articles of almost every conceivable kind, and these articles may be grouped

under three divisions—clothing, shoes, and miscellaneous. The clothing trade may

very well include aprons, caps, cloaks, coats, collars, corsets, gloves, hats, jackets,

leggings, mittens, overalls, pajamas, petticoats, shirts, skirts, stockings, sweaters,

trousers, underwear, uniforms, vests, and waists. In the shoe trade, sewing machines are employed in stitching together the various

parts which enter into the formation of the shoe upper and also in applying the sole to the shoe upper. Under the miscellaneous division may be listed automobile curtains, cushions,

lamp covers, tires, and tops; awnings, bath robes, bathing suits, bed ticks, blankets,

flags, mattresses, rugs, window shades, and tents, and also the manufactiure of bags

and the closing of filled bags.

A sewing machine usually comprises a support for the fabr'ic, a reciprocatory needle which penetrates the fabric and carries a needle thread therewith, either a threadcarrying or nonthread-carrying implement movable under the support and cooperating

with the needle thread to form the thread concatenations, and an automatic feeding

mechanism for feeding the fabric in a positive, step-by-step manner, the distance the

fabric is moved determining the length of the stitch being formed. In each cycle of operation, as the needle starts to rise the needle thread, which extends downwardly

through the needle hole formed in the fabric to the needle eye, is caused to spread

laterally to form the needle thread loop. As this loop is being formed, the second implement enters the same and cooperates therewith to form a thread concatenation. The construction of these concatenations varies in accordance with the type of stitches being formed. Machine-made stitches consist of a line of concatenations produced from one or more

threads and spaced a predetermined distance apart, the distance between adjacent

concatenations being considered as the length of a stitch and each concatenation

constituting the end of one stitch and also the beginning of the next adjacent stitch, A seam formed from a line of machine-made stitches, in order to approach the perfection of the hand-made stitch, must have strength and elasticity, and the stitches must be incapable of raveling when placed under a strain. The common chain stitch is formed by a single thread which is first looped downwardly through the fabric, and then at a point removed therefrom and at a stitch- length distance the thread is again looped through the fabric and through the first-
SECOND ANNUAI, TEXTILE CONFERENCE 77

mentioned loop, and so on, thus producing a series of enctiained loops on the under

side of the fabric. A seam formed by this stitch embodies considerable elasticity and

strength, but it lacks the vital nonraveling element. The last-formed loop is not

locked, and a transverse strain imparted to the seam will cause the loops readily to unloop one from the other in progression along the entire line of stitches. Even if the ends of the seam are tacked, a broken or skipped stitch plus a transverse strain will readily cause the stitches to ravel from the point of breakage and thereby destroy the seam. This condition is somewhat relieved by waxing the thread with hot cobbler's wax, such as used in shoe and harness work. The shuttle stitch is formed by two threads, one being supplied through the medium

of a needle and the other being supplied from a bobbin carried by a shuttle, the shuttle passing through the needle-thread loop to place the shuttle thread over the needle

thread, whereby when the threads are drawn taut they will directly concatenate or hinge one against the other. In practice, the concatenation is generally positioned in the middle of the needle hole in the fabric, so that a single line of thread on each

surface of the fabric will be visible. Each needle-thread loop is not locked in position

by the shuttle thread. This fact becomes readily apparent if the threads are severed between any pair of adjacent concatenations and a transverse strain applied to the seam at the point of breakage. The loose ends of the threads at the point of breakage

will permit several concatenations on each side thereof to become loose and thereby open the seam and permit the seam to be readily ripped. Inasmuch as the threads are directly hinged and pull equally one on the other, the stitch is only as strong as the weaker thread employed, minus an indefinite amount caused by the fact that the other thread tends to chafe or cut it in two. It is advisable, therefore, to employ threads which, when in the material, will have substantially the same strength. The larger the bobbin the larger the shuttle, and consequently the size of the needle-thread

loop through which the shuttle passes is dependent upon the traverse circumference

of the shuttle. Each needle-thread loop has got to be pulled upwardly through the needle hole in the fabric in order to .tighten each concatenation, and dtiring each

operation the thread is pulled through the material being sewed and through the eye

of the needle. Thus a given point in the needle thread will pass through the needle eye from 30 to 60 times, the number varying in proportion to the size of the needle-thread

loop formed by the shuttle plus the length of stitch being made. The seesawing action

of the needle thread through the needle eye, as above described, necessarily reduces

its strength when finally embodied in a seam. Also the tendency of one thread to chafe and cut the other at the point of joining when the stitch is being tightened, is considerable. To offset these weaknesses, an oversized needle thread should be employed. The tensile strength of a seam may be somewhat varied by increasing the size

of the shuttle thread and by varying the tensions controlling both threads, so as to cause the shuttle thread to lie wholly on the under surface of the fabric instead of causing the concatenation to be pulled into the middle of the fabric. These stitches, in order to make a tight seam, must be set so that opposing strains are placed at each

concatenation so as to cause one thread to pull directly against the other. The stitch is, therefore, practically devoid of any elasticity beyond that which is inherent in the

threads. This may be readily tested by forming a bias seam and imparting an endwise

strain thereto. The double-locked stitch is formed by two threads, a needle thread and a looper

thread, each concatenation being formed by a loop of looper thread being first passed

through a loop of needle thread and then a loop of needle thread being passed through

the loop of looper thread, and so on, thus producing a series of double loops in the

looper thread on the under side of the material. These loops are concatenated with the

needle-thread loops in a manner to doubly lock every one of said needle-thread loops. The bight of one looper-thread loop extends around both strands of the needle-thread

loop and lies against the material, and both strands of the other looper-thread loop
78 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

extend througli said needle-thread loop below the first-mentioned looper-thread loop.

The first looper-thread loop, when under strain, not only instires elasticity to each

stitch but also acts on the needle-thread loop to bind the strands of the second looper- thread loop which pass therethrough. Furthermore, the second looper-thread loop not only acts as a staple to lock the needle-thread loop, but also locks the first looper- thread loop against slipping off the needle-thread loop. Thus each needle-thread loop

is doubly locked, and consequently each end of every stitch is doubly locked, and

should either or both threads be severed between any pair of adjacent thread con- catenations the next adjacent stitches will not be affected when imder strain and

the line of stitching will remain intact. The double-locked stitch is, therefore, true to

its name.

In the shuttle stitch the size and quality of the lower thread must at least equal that

of the needle thread; and by increasing the size of the lower thread and laying the same in a straight line on the under surface of the fabric the amount of elasticity in the stitches will be equal to the elasticity of the straight thread, and the stitch obvi- ously will not be any stronger than this thread. In the double-locked stitch an under thread much inferior both in quality and size can be employed, and this combination of threads in the double-locked stitch will give to a seam produced thereby

a tensile strength approximately 50 per cent greater than the shuttle stitch employing

the same size needle thread and an even-sized under thread. Therefore, an inferior and imdersized lower thread gives to the double-locked stitch greater tensile strength than an even or oversized lower thread gives to the shuttle stitch. Although the consumption of under thread in the double-locked stitch may be

somewhat greater than in the shuttle stitch, the relative cost will be approximately

the same on account of the different sizes and qualities of threads employed and

because both threads are taken directly from spools, without any waste ; whereas the lower thread of the shuttle stitch has to be woimd on bobbins, which causes a consid- erable amount of thread to be wasted each time the shuttle is replenished and also causes thread to be wasted at the beginning of every line of stitching. In conclusion, it will be noted: First, that the double-locked stitch can not tuilock or come out itself imder any condition of wear; second, that it will not ravel and the seam will not rip if the stitches are cut or broken, this being a point of more vital importance than all others where the strength and secvudty of seam are the main

factors; third, that the stitch can be raveled by one who knows the key, this method

of raveling being an advantage rather than a disadvantage, and could only be a dis- advantage if it affected the reliability of the seam, which is not the case; fourth, that

it is necessary in order to ravel the stitch first to physically unlock the last-formed concatenation by withdrawing the looper thread which extends through and locks the needle thread loop; fifth, that frequently it is desired to remove the stitches in order to reserve an article for futiu-e use, or other use, and this feature makes the

stitch of particular value in certain lines of manufactture; and, sixth, that the peculiar formation of the stitch, resulting in greater strength, elasticity, and security, with

the added advantage that it can be tmlocked and raveled out, if necessary, forms a combination of merits which is not possessed by any other stitch formation. DISCUSSION

Mr. HONICKER. I would like to ask the gentleman if he has worked out the relation that the upper and lower threads must bear to each other to get an equal strength of the two. Mr. Tate. In the double-lock stitch the imder thread is always inferior both as to

size and quality. Mr. Chittick. What is the reason that for machine work the threads generally have

a reverse twist?
SECOND ANNUAIv tnxtlh^ CONF:eRSNCe 79

Mr. Tate. When the needle is down at the lower end of the stroke and starts to come up, the needle thread is caused to sway a little to form a loop into which the needle enters. If the twist is not proper or if it is in the wrong direction the needle

will not enter the loop. Mr. SmNN. I have had some experience with that in connection with sewing

machines and also with the spiiming. The twist in the sewing thread must be in the opposite direction to the regular twist in order to form the loop and to throw it in the right direction. If the thread has a regular twist, the loop will be thrown toward

the needle. A METHOD FOR TESTING FABRICS AT A STANDARD MOISTURE

CONDITION

Chas. D. Honikbr

When the necessity for a definite knowledge of the strength of fabrics began to be

felt, various means were adopted for making strength tests. For a long time proper

allowances were not made for the effect of the moisture condition of the material being tested. Irately, however, owing to great discrepancies found in the results of

tests made upon the same materials by different persons, it has come to be considered

of the utmost importance that a standard condition be adopted. There is presented

in this paper a method of regulating condition which is easy of application, costs

little to install, can be operated at small expense, and gives entirely satisfactory- results. The method known as the "bone-dry" method has numerous disadvantages, the

chief of which are: First, that the dry condition is not a usual working condition; second, that the essential oils of the fabric are dried out and the fabric structure changed; and, third, that the difficulties of maintaining a bone-dry condition

increases in direct ratio to the number of samples to be tested. A method of testing which yields satisfactory results and does not have these dis- advantages consists in maiataining a moisture condition in the testing room which

will give a standard amount of regain.

The following table gives the average results of several thousand breaking tests under varied hygrometrical conditions of outside air. It shows conclusively that the strength of the fabric remains practically constant while the same percentage of regain is maintained, irrespective of temperature between reasonable limits.

Average Strength at Regain of Per Cent

Material

Temperature

60-54° F 65-69° F 70-74° F 75-79° F

1 RX 81. 58

80. 42

66. 65

105. 50

73. 42

112. 25

63. 42

177. 83

82. 00 80.92

66.41

106. 15

74. 30

116. 55

64. 36

172. 33

80.96

80. 38

67. 00

106. 41

75. 09

116. 81

63. 93

177. 68

79. 60 80.20

66.60

108. 20

75. 20

114. 00

63. 60

185. 60

2 DX

3 BRW

5 HSN

5W.

14 SW

17 NX

8 Y

95. 14

83. 32

95. 38

84. 38 96.03

84. 37 96.63 Aveiage without 8 Y 83.91

The testing procedure is as follows: The regain scale is constructed from a regular Brown & Sharpe yam balance. In

place of the pan for the samples there is substituted a wire rack on which samples

'Head of test and cost departments, Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills, Atlanta, Ga.
8o U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

similar to those to be tested are exposed. This scale is inclosed in a case made of fine-woven brass wire cloth and can be set to indicate a regain of 8^ per cent, or any

other desired. Samples weighing exactly 200 gr in bone-dry condition are exposed on

the rack. This bone-dry state is obtained by drying at a temperature of 105° C for a period of five hours. The scale beam is made to balance at zero with this bone-dry

test sample in position on the rack. The testing room is equipped with apparatus for supplying humidity and for cir- culating the air. The regain scale is exposed in the testing room at the same time as the samples to be tested, and readings are taken periodically. When a regain of 8J4 per cent is indicated, the testing is begtm. The humidifying apparatus is stopped

or started as may be necessary to maintain this amount of regain. The testing room

is always in a livable condition, and the regulation can be done by a person without

much technical knowledge.

Our investigations along this line have developed a number of applications which

will be of interest to our cotton-manufacturing friends. The principal one enables the numbers of yams to be kept regular irrespective of changes in hygrometrical conditions. A regain scale, similar to that described above, is installed in the opening and picking

department. The amount of moisture in the cotton may be determined at any time. The weight of the picker laps may then be regulated according to the regain scale.

If a large amoxmt of moistiu'e is indicated, the weight of the laps shotdd be increased

so that there will be the desired amoimt of cotton fiber, and vice versa. Similarly a testing room may be used for regulating the size of roving and yam.

It will be foimd that fewer changes of gearing in carding and spinning departments are necessary when this system is employed.

I can give examples of stuprising apparent changes in weight of yams. For instance, a certain test showed a number of samples of yam, rated as No. 20's, one day to size

19.72, and the next day 21.02, a change of nearly 7 per cent. This apparently large

change in weight is of course entirely due to change in the amoimt of moisture con- tained in the yam. Examples of this kind show conclusively that effective methods

of making moistiire allowances are necessary. Om method will give satisfactory

results without the installation of an expensive equipment of hxmiidity control for the entire mill. DISCUSSION

Mr. Gassman. The Customs Service at the port of New York has an office called the

analytical bineau which determines the component fiber of chief value in imported

materials. In the cotu^e of this work they naturally come across many fibers. I have a few here which have been imported but are practically xmknown on account

of the war. One is a fiber grown in this coimtry according to the authority I have here.

I will read what the discoverer of that fiber says about it.

322 RussELi, SXRBBT, Saginaw, Mich., Jutw 7, IQ15. Mr. H. A. Gassman,

New York City. Dear Sir: I inclose a small sample of the new ozone silk fiber which I am obtain- ing from a wild plant found growing in American swamps, but I have not yet pro- gressed far enough to have any cloth to dispose of. The manner of obtaining the fiber from the plant is a secret as yet and not patented.

The plant will grow in the New Jersey swamps and any one can grow them. Very truly yours, „ _ ThB Boyce Fiber Co. By S. S. Boyce, Pres't.

I am sorry to state that I have not received the yam or cloth from the man, so I am

not able to give the results of the test. The fibers are here for inspection. Mr. CmxTicK. I have had a great deal of correspondence with Mr. Boyce. I have

quite a number of samples of fabrics made by the American Woolen Co. from fiber
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 8i

furnished by him. They contain about 80 per cent of ozone fiber from the swamp

milkweed and about 20 per cent wool shoddy. This makes a very nice fiannely look- ing cloth dress goods which seems to be a most acceptable and desirable kind of cloth.

It is not by any means a freak and apparently it could be profitably raised in many

localities. I have also received considerable correspondence regarding the samples

Mr. Smith furnished me. I have many samples of this material both in the stalk and

in the fiber. It has a very good tensile strength in proportion to the cross section of the fiber. Judging from the ease with which it can be produced and the amount of -

land suitable for its production, I imagine it will prove a very valuable addition to our

textile fibers. Mr. Gassman. I have three more fibers which have been imported from Germany.

The following information has been furnished me regarding them

:

SoLiDONiA.—This is a vegetable fiber which is very similar to wool in structure and

length, having a staple from 2X inches to 12 inches. It has an even luster which

improves greatly after dyeing. The raw material is white and can be bleached to an extreme white. The regular cotton dyestuffs and a certain number of wool and silk dyestuffs may be used in dyeing. Solidonia absorbs perspiration readily, affording to the skin a sensation of warmth, thereby differing favorablj^ from cotton. This property

makes it an ideal fiber for all knitting purposes, including stockings and underwear.

It may be spun on the worsted system to very fine numbers either by itself or mixed

with shoddy, wool, cotton, or other fiber. It naps very easily, and has fulling ca- pacity. For this reason it can be used in the design of new fabrics, having silky or velvety surfaces. One of the characteristics of the fiber is that mixed with wool,

shoddy, or cotton and spun on the woolen system, it produces a cloth of worsted

character. There is a sample of lanella, about which I have the following information: LanSLLA.—This can not be bleached. In appearance the fiber resembles jute, but

is of an entirely different character. As a substitute it is similar to medium-grade

wool and may be dyed with acid-wool dyestuffs. Cotton dyes can not be used. After dyeing the fiber develops a remarkable luster which brings out the colors very

brightly. The handle is similar to that of a medium grade of wool. It has the ability

of wool to resist the transmission of heat. It is recommended for use in men's wear and dress goods, for it gives a nice feeling fabric of woolly character. The unusual

characteristics and the low price of the fiber offer unlimited opportunity for designing new fabrics. Lanamar.—This fiber is somewhat coarser than lanella and can be substituted for

it, giving a slightly coarser cloth. Owing to its low price it can be used as a substitute

for jute in the manufacture of burlaps or any other material in which jute is required

.

The fiber will resist the influence of moisture, which makes it a desirable material for cloth used in mines in connection v/ith the prevention of fire damp.

Mr. ChiTTIck. Vvliat are the prices of those fibers? Mr. Gassman. The prices are not given. Lanella and lanamar are prepared from seaweed which grows on the Chinese and East Indian coasts. All these fibers are prepared in Germany and are not now being imported into this country on account of the war. Mr. Dewey. The difficulty consists in producing it in sufficient quantity. Swamp

milkweed probably grows as well in the swamps of New Jersey as anywhere, but it is an exceedingly difficult problem to cultivate this plant in quantity. The growth

of wild plants as perennials presents a great unsolved problem, and it has not been

proven that they can be cultivated, although several of them grow where they are not wanted. If the)' did get the quantity they wotdd have the same difficulty of separating the fiber from the stalk as with flax. Those of you who have tried it know how exceedingly difficult it is to get the flax fiber in quantity.

Now the second fiber mentioned, solidonia, was produced in Germany from the ramie plant. It was introduced in this country to a limited extent before the war.
82 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Mr. Chittick. Regarding flax, the trouble is not so much getting flax as getting a flax that is suitable for spinning. It has been grown as close together as wheat,

but we have not been able to get over the difficulty of weeding. As some of you

know, when the flax plant is allowed to branch, the more it branches, the more flowers and seeds it will have, and the more oil will be produced. If it has been left in the ground until the seeds are full of oil and ripe, the stalks are too diy for the production

of good fiber. When it is cut down and thrashed a broken mass of tow remains. It

•is a big economic question to find a use for such material. To grow that fiber, the seed is planted like wheat. When the plant is 4 inches high the weeds will grow

faster than the flax and will kill it. It has to be weeded by hand. The pulling

of the flax plant also has to be done by hand because the roots go down several inches

into the grotmd.

Mr. Dewey. When I spoke of the milkweed, I did not intend to start a discussion on flax. There are two distinct kinds of flax grown. You can not get a long fiber from ordinary seed flax any more than you can get sweet com from a j-ellow com seed. The question of weeding is" not serious if the land is well prepared. Our land for instance is not so weed^^ as the European land. As to pulling there were five flax pulling machines in the field last year. None of these machines proved satisfactory

enough to be used commercially, however. Further experiments are being made.

Fiber fl.ax is being grown in eastern Michigan on an area something like 15 times as great as last year. There are other large areas in Montana and Oregon where flax

of as good quality as that grown in Belgium can be grown. We have not been able

to produce the fiber, but we can produce the plant. Mr. Lewis. I would like to ask Mr. Dewey if a good flax line or linen can be pro- duced from cut flax straw. Mr. Dewey. Certainly. The principal difterence is not in the fiber flax root. Especially in the western regions the bundles are laid on the ground. The moisture from the ground extends up into the cut ends, discoloring and partly rotting the lower end of the stalk and weakening this portion of the fiber. If the plants are fixea

so that they will stand on the roots, the whole stalk cards more tmiformly, and the lower part is protected from injury. There is less danger of injury in Oregon because

the time of harvest is very dry, while in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota they

have wet weather. Mr. Stratton. I would like to ask Mr. Dewey to what extent ramie is actually woven in this country. Mr. Dewey. I do not know of any one who is weaving it. I saw a letter the other day in which a manufacturer of ramie threads stated that a test had been made witli a certain fabric, but the fibers were not suitable for the fabric they had in mind.

Mr. Stratton. Is anyone engaged in preparing a fiber of this kind in this country.

We are very anxious to secure some cloth from ramie. 'It is said by some that it makes a better cloth for airplanes than linen, that it is very free from shrinkage due

to moisture, and that it keeps its shape very well. Mr. Chittick. I do not know where you can get it. There has been a great deal

of misunderstanding about the strength of ramie, but experience shows that it is not as strong as cotton. Mr. Stratton. I would like to try it out. Mr. Chittick. I can probably send you some British fabric containing certain percentages of ramie fiber, and I can also probably send you some that are ramie

entirely. Mr. Stratton. I want a cloth about the same weight as the finer linen. Mr. Shinn. At the present time we have some ramie in our establishment. We

are having difficulty in getting an even thread and especially a fine thread. The

fiber is fairly strong but very irregular in strength, and consequently no standards

for strength and fineness Have been established. It is used considerably in making
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 83

mantles for Welsbach lights, and it has been used to some extent for cloth, but I do not know of any cloth made solely of ramie. Ramie filling is sometimes used with

a cotton warp but not in fine goods. Mr. Stratton. Are you familiar ivith the linen used on airplanes? We want a cloth made like that. Mr. SmNN. Until a yvay is found of spinning ramie yam to compete -with linen,

',re vdll not be able to get a ramie cloth to take the place of linen. Mr. SxRATroN". I have been informed that the cloth was being made and used

abroad and that it is as smooth as linen. I would like to get some of it for laboratory

tests. • We are making experiments to determine the comparative value of linen and cotton cloth for airplanes. If suitable cloth can be made from some other fiber, we will extend our work to include that fiber. A SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF RESEARCH WORK IN TEXTILE

TECHNOLOGY

S. W. Stratton

I will say just a few words in regard to the meeting and to plans for continuing this work. It would be an excellent plan to institute a societv" which will, among other

things, bring together at least once a year the men who are actually engaged in studying the physics and chemistry- of textiles. There are a great many things that can come

from such meetings, and they need not interfere with the work of any of the existing

organizations. The various existing textile organizations ver\' properly give their attention to economic considerations. We are principally concerned with the pro- motion of scientific work and the standardization of tests and nomenclature. It is quite as necessarv' to have standard terms and standard tests as it is to have standard pounds and standard yards. If we are to have proper contracts, especially in the Government service—if v. e are to buy according to the sj'stem laid down by law—it is exceedingly important that we have on hand proper specifications and proper tests. Our attention has been called time after time to the practices of dishonest bidders. As a rule, the manufacturer intends to do the right thing, and we always proceed on the

supposition that he is honest. Occasionally, due to the fact that competitive bids sometimes are considered without a rigid examination of the goods submitted, a dis- honest manufacturer obtains a contract. An example of this occurred when a man

combined all sorts of adulterated articles in making paints and oils, bid against the

ver\- people who had prepared them for him, and got the Government contract. Now,

there are honest individuals in all the industries: in fact, it is the dishonest individual who is the exception. Nevertheless, if we are going to have competitive bidding as required by law, we must be exceedingly careful in establishing the standard before- hand. The manufacturer, the user, and the testing laborators- will then all understand

that they have agreed to accept this standard. This organization can be a splendid agent for bringing the Government purchasers

face to face with the manufacturer. The man v.'ho understands the technical side of manufacturing does not often manufacture. If there is one thing more than any other

to which the progress of American industries is due, it is to the organizations of technical men.

It is astonishing how the various groups of manufacturers will get together and compare notes with the utmost confidence. The days of business secrets have gone by.

Sometimes an industrial chemist says he can not explain a certain thing because it is a secret. The chances are that he is either doing something that he ought not or else he is covering up his own ignorance. I have found out by attending conferences of

this kind that you are all working toward the same end and in much the same way. The method adopted by the automobile firms for utilizing their patents is of interest. They take out patents in the usual maimer, but they have a cross-licensing system so that all of them may be universally used, thus doing away with all litigation.
84 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

We are primarily after the secrets of nature, which none of us know. The industries

are beginning to look upon scientific work as most important. You would be sur- prised at the number of plants installing research laboratories. In some industries a

large number of small producers prefer to unite for the purpose of working out their problems. In all these researches and in all the testing incidental to research this Bureau can be of great assistance. In the first place, we are continually testing supplies purchased by the Government. We have taken up the various specifications for the testing of paper, rubber, textiles, and other things in order to put the Government purchasing on a sound basis.

It is not unusual for a large firm to send its buyer here to find out the method the Gov- ernment uses to regulate its piurchases. The work of the Bureau in connection with the Government departments is done in a spirit of helpfulness and cooperation because every department in the Government service is just as anxious to put buying on a good basis

as we are. It is very important that we have correct standard methods of test. We

have no business to make a specification for test unless we know on what the quality

of the article depends. The usual procedure is to find an article which has proven

good in use and a similar article that has proven bad in use and make a laboratory in- vestigation to find out the physical and chemical properties that make one good and

the other bad. The industries throughout the country are using imperfect specifica- tions which must be corrected, and that can oni}' be done by careful study of the uses

of the materials and by associating the results obtained with suitable laboratory work. Now your organization will enable the Bureau to assist in this. I want to ask you to think of the Bureau 's work not only witli reference to yom own industry, but also with

reference to all tlie industries. There are very few aspects of the textile industry that you are not more familiar with than we are. On the other hand, there are many questions concerning the things that enter into your industrj' and the articles you use that we know more about tlianyou do. For instance, we have in tlie Bureau a group of men who are measuring the standards of weight, volume, etc. Almost all measure- ments depend on the mass, length, capacity, and specific gravity, and these men can

help you in questions involving these standards. Another division of our work relates to electricity. One of the secrets of progress

is to know the tools with which you can work. Electricity is one of the tools which you always apply. Here, there is a group of electrical experts to whom you can

refer your electrical problems. The)' are studying the various problems arising in every industry with respect to applications of electricity. In another division heat and thermometr)'^ are given consideration. If you want

to know about the expansion of materials, melting points, boiling points, testing of thermometers, the measurement of temperature, or the conductivity of materials, you will find a group of experts working along the lines in which you are interested. Then we have a division for optical work. If you want someone to suggest to you

an optical arrangement, you will find assistance here. There is no industry into which optics does not enter to a far greater extent than would be supposed at first glance. For example, questions of color and the standardization of dyes are very

important. In the division of chemistry our specialists are well informed as to the fundamental

facts of chemistry, and we may be able to solve chemical problems for you that have

failed of solution previously.

Our engineering divisions give their attention to problems arising in the construction and use of steel, nonferrous alloys, brick, cement, stone, oil, and other building

and engineering materials. Our men can often help you witli work involving these

things.

This brief outline shows the scope of the Bureau's work. All these questions are grouped about the fundamental facts of physics and chemistry. If you want to know these fundamental facts, you can get tlie information here, and maybe a
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTILE CONFERENCE 85

knowledge of those facts will enable you to handle your particular work better than

before.

I would not have you think that we are experts in textile manufacturing. We have,

however, a section in which special attention is given to the determination and measurement of the physical properties which affect the quality of textiles. This,

of course, involves consideration of manufacturing. The manufacturer is vitally interested in all aspects of the quality of his product, for a thorough knowledge of his raw and manufactured material enables him to produce an article which will suit the purpose for which it is to be used. With this in view, I would suggest that you perfect an organization which will hold meetings here once a year to discuss these matters, to establish methods of purchasing and testing, and to promote scientific work which enters into the industries as a whole. Some of the papers given here are of the greatest importance, and to those who are interested in scientific work, a regular organization of these bodies would prove a power in many ways. A large portion of the men making up the trade organizations

are not scientific men, but they are intensely interested in results. They want to know the significance of technical work. Technical men want to know how results were obtained, and they want to discuss the details of procedure, the adaptability of nomenclature standards, and simil .r topics. To my mind an organization of the kind

proposed will naturally give special attention to fundamental and vital facts and to applications of science to industry. DISCUSSION.

Mr. Haven. I want to speak a word of personal appreciation of this meeting and

also the one held last year. These conferences have very great value not only to the manufacturer but also to the men outside of manufactiiring lines in the schoolroom

or laboratory. I should like very much to have these meetings perpetuated, and

just to bring it to a vote, I would like to make a motion that it is the consensus of

this meeting that the Director of the Bureau of Standards be requested to call a conference similar to this in character approximately a year from now, and that he

appoint a committee of five men as widely separated as possible in textile fields to

assist in securing papers for presentation at that meeting. Mr. Nolan. I second that motion. Mr. Stratton. Motion seconded; are there any remarks? Would it not be well to appoint special committees to consider special questions such as the standardization

of the nomenclature of dyes and fabrics? There have been several very important

things that have been brought up at this meeting. Would it be well to let the committee spoken of handle those, or do you think we ought to have special committees

appointed for that purpose ? Mr. Chittick. Would not that be a large imdertaking for such a small committee ? I want to suggest that it would be a wise course to send these problems to the secretaries of the various textile organizations. Many of their members have a decided

interest in matters of standardization. Should 3'ou suggest to them the desirability

of their forming a committee which might do some work along these lines, then one

of the members of that committee might present the results of the work at the next

conference. The representatives of these different organizations could possibly

cooperate in this way to mutual advantage.

Mr. DannERTh. There is a person here to-day who has given a good deal of thought

to the promotion of textile and technical societies. I think we would appreciate it

if Prof. Olney, of the Lowell Textile School, would tell us what his ideas are regarding

the formation of a permanent society of the type suggested. Mr. Olney. I will say that I think there is a grand opportunity for an official organization for establishing standards in textile work.
86 U. S. BUREAU OF STANDARDS

My principal interest is in regard to textile chemistrj^ and dyestufis, and I know

tliat in that branch of the work there is a remarkable field, one \Yhich, up to the present time, has been almost absolutely void of any official or organized endeavor

to put it upon a standard basis. In regard to the various associations of textile manufacturers, I am interested in manufacturing myself, and I believe in some of those organizations, but the papers which are read at their meetings are written chiefly by nontechnical men. JIany

of the papers are purely of an advertising nature presented to bring before the societ}- some particular apparatus, machine, or process. I think that, often, men go^away

from those meetings feeling that they have not received any technical or scientific information. I believe the manufacturers themselves appreciate this fact and would

like to have some organization cause to be investigated sj'stematically and scientifically matters of real concern to them. As yet they have not taken any move in that direction. With regard to testing of dyestuffs, I will say that at the Lowell Textile School

for 20 years we have been working on the testing of dyestuSs, and we are gradually

building up a system of testing which is fairly complete from our point of view. We

have changed it somewhat ever>' year in order to improve it, but it is not official in any sense of the word. Of course, a great many of the students may go out and use some of the tests or perhaps the whole series, but it is not ofhcial. Now I believe if men who have worked on this subject, like Dr. Dannerth and

Dr. Matthews and perhaps a graduate of the chemistrj" coiirse of the Lowell Textile

School, were to bring the proposition definitely before the manufacturers, they v.ould be more than pleased to cooperate even with financial assistance. As there has been

no organization, they do nothing, and the whole situation remains simply as a future

prospect. The manufacturing establishments, perhaps because they are not scientific, usuall)- do not feel that they can afford to hire a chemist, a phj'sicist, and specialists in other branches of the sciences, so all of the scientific work devolves upon the chemist,

and he may be called upon to perform investigations for which he is not trained. The chemists at many large manufacturing plants will not come to a meeting of this kind because, as they say, they are too bus}' or are afraid their attendance would

not meet with the approval of their superiors. Vv'hen the agents and treasurers of these mills can be made to see the value of these meetings, they will tell their chemists

that it is a part of their work to attend. A great many things can then be accomplished

that are not accomplished to-day.

I think the agents and treastirers of mills will cooperate with the work of a technical organization if it is given some official status.' Mr. Stratton. You have brought out one very important point. In many

industries, a great deal of attention is paid to the financial aspects, in accordance with the supposition that they were of fundamental importance. Some of them,

having decided that they must have a chemist, hire one just as they hire a clerk, and the chemist is supposed to do everything. That is why so many of the industrial chemists are bluffs. They have to pose as knowing all these things and, therefore, are not personally to blame. If we organize, a great deal may be done toward

teaching the capitalists the importance of having specialists to look after the various branches of their technical work.

I am sure you are just as much interested in the development of a technical society

as we are, for the Government interests are much the same as those of the textile

industr>'. You will be exceedingly fortiinate in having a place at which you can meet the representatives of the various departments. If questions regarding contracts with the Government departments come up, all irregularities, crude specifications, and unjust inspection may be rectified. The Bureau is not a biased party

at all. We are just as much concerned in seeing that justice is obtained for the manufacturer as for the Government.
SECOND ANNUAL TEXTlIvE CONFERENCE 87

Mr. Haven. In making my motion a few minutes ago I simply desired to bring

before this gathering some means of perpetuating these pleasant and very profitable

meetings. I would like to emphasize again my original motion. The head of the Bureau of Standards shall select, if it be his will and discretion, a committee of five men representing respectively (i) cotton, (2) wool, (3) silk, (4)

all other fibers, and (5) dyeing and chemistry; and these five men shall form, with him, a committee to conduct the next meeting, especially in regard to securing papers of value. The work of this committee need not be restricted to these five men. I think each of them would call upon others in his line of business for assist- ance. In that way the questions in which the manufacturers are most vitally in- terested can be brought up and discussed. These magnificent laboratories may find answers to many of these questions, and I think that bringing them to the attention

of this Bureau is a great function. I wish to emphasize this point in connection with my original motion. Mr. Stratton. Are you ready for the question? You have heard the motion.

All those in favor of appointing this committee for the piurpose of handling future meetings say "a)'e. " Contrary, "no." The motion has passed.

I want to say in closing that we appreciate very much your coming here. The

Bureau is striving to take up in its laboratories those problems which are most needed,

and it is only through an intimate contact with the representatives of the in- dustries that the Bureau can find out what the vital problems are. The effect of

this meeting will be to make our work more efficient and to enable us to direct it along the lines of the most urgent needs. This will be of the greatest assistance to

us, and we are very grateful to you. We know you are all busy at this time of the

year, but we found out long ago that it is the busy man who does things.