Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-07-10
THE HISTORY OF COTTON HATS.

THE HISTORY OF COTTON HATS.
Ingenious and inventive individuals
amongst Hat Manufacturers, have long
considered it an object meriting the most
vigilant search to discover some method
whereby cotton might be advantageously
manufactured into hats. With fibre
as fine, and as strong as the fur Of the
Beaver, and susceptible of a more per-
manent color, perfectly free from those
coarse hairs inseparable from fur, it was
evident that if some method could be
devised whereby cotton couldbe wrought
into hats, it would prove an important
acquisition to our country; inasmuch as
it would be the means of supplying our
citizens with hats of equal fineness and
durability with the Beaver, at much
lower price; and also, as it must afford a
valuable article for expectation, where
fore the Agriculturist the Merchant and
the Manufacturer, were alike interested
in the attainment of this object, conse-
quently various plans were formerly
suggested and experiments tried to dis
cover some process whereby cotton
could be wrought into hats like fur, but
all in vain, and the project was then
abandoned. But young man from
Ohio, subsequently formed the idea of
making Hats of birch bark and covering
them with cotton plush; he communi-
Gated his plans to me and some expert
ments were made, without much sue
cess. Other persons in different places
made Hats of paper and covered them
in the same way, but shower ofrain de-
stroyed them at once. At length an in
genious shoemaker near Boston, hav-
ing become acquainted with the qualities
Of certain Gums in rendering not only
leather, but paper also impervious to
water, devised method of putting pa
per Hats together with cement, render
ing them completely water proof
throughout, after which, he covered
them with cotton plush, and they justly
obtained considerable degree of cele-
brity in rhe vicinity where they were
made. In this stage of the progress of
the business, in the beginning OF the year
1919, commenced manufacturing Cot
ton Hats, being fully convinced that in
the hands of a skilfull hat manufacturer,
the business might be so improved as to
CRAFTY every wish that had Leen felt OIL
the subject. Finding BY experience the
method then prac,ised deficient in many
respects, which rendered the hats liable
to various objections, commenced and
prosecuted a series of experiments which
resulted in the discovery of a superior
set of apparatus Tor putting the bats to-
ge.her; and also ola cement for render
ing them impervious to water, and tor
more firmly cementing the Plush to the
paper, which is much more elastic and
durable than the kind before used, and
greatly increases the strength OF the hats
/ now make the bodies of my improved
elastic Water Proof Hats of peculiar
kind of paper manufactured from can
yass expressly for the purpose, possess
ing great strength and durability whe1
preserved from wet: the paper is oiiet
and coated several times with the above
mentioned cemcnt.-The best Sea lslant
Cotton only will lie used in future, which
is spun and wove into very strong clotl
upon one side Of which a thick strons
nap is raised, it is then colored with tn
most permanent black dye, after whic
| the hats are covered with it; being pre-
viously prepared as before described
the cloth and paper are firmly united in
| to one body by means of the aforesaid &c
ment; thus each part strengthening an
preserving the other, affords a light
handsome and durable hat, eta 9aal't,