Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-02-24
Flax Cotton.


NJ. Ciausen, Ct whom so much has been said,
has opened manufactory at Stepncy-GEcen,
Eng, Tor the purpose fcarlying out his dlScove-
ries in flax cotton.
Chevalier Causcn, BY his method, takes the
haX-Straw rs it comes from the field; hut he pro-
poses that the farmer should mechanically Scpa-
rate the straw from the fibre by the Us" ola
Very simple machine, which pounds or breaks
the straw and effects the separation; this reduces
the substance to one-ha!f ts bulk and the straw
may be returned to the SAIL or mixed with cake,
crushed seed. &c, be used as cattle food. Now,
The stem Of that flax plant consists Of three
rartS-thc shove or wood, the pure resin orglut-
tinous matter which causes these ibrcs to adhere
together. The first has been got off by the far
r!cr bv the process described, and it remains to
remove the thi,d constituent, namely, the g!ut-
inouS substances, Chcvalicr Clauson contends
that the present system Of ste"p;ngS water, hot
or cold, will not effect this, as a large portion of
them are insoubc in water. but he has recourse
+" chemical agents. The fibre is either boiled in
4 ;cch carlst;c Sodcr for four hours, or StccrCd IN
q c1ld solution for twenty four hours. 1t IS
then sourcd in bath consisting of 500 parts Of
water to one Of Snl phuic acid. washed dried,
and further cleaned. Scuh"d and so on fax Oh
tanned in this way, being free from all coloring
matters. may be blcachcd afterwards with Grca-
ter ease. and as tie plant need not be cut TIL
ripe, the growing has the advantage offuly
ripcned seed. and greater weight per acre of
pure fibre. If is calculated that from four tons
Of fax straw onr Of fibre may be obtained.
The fibre is then cut into short lengths By
circular knvcd cutting machine. The applian-
ccs for the metamor hosts of flax into cotton are
very simple, consisting Of four woolcn watts, con-
taning solutions which will presently be named,
and an opened wooden box, or cage rather made
Of stri ps Of wood, which by means Of rope and
block, Is suspended from q small carriage run
ming along transverse beam overhead and thus
can be lowered ard raiscl, successfully into and
from the four vatS. The cage being partly filled
with the out flax or waste tow, Is lowered
into tic first vat, containing solution 0. cold
water and 10 per cent. of common carbonate of
soda 1t remains in this about an hour by which
time the liIuid has pcnctated bycapilary attrac-
ton every part of the small tubes. The cage is
then hoist"d up and lowered into the next vat,
containing one part of sui phuric acid to 200
parts of water The acd, by its superior affinity
for soda, fo:'ns 4 su|phate OF soda with it and
Hbcratcs the carbodc ac;l, which, in its cscap"
acts mechanically by its elastic force, and scla?-
ates the fine fax fllmcnts from each other.
The flax fibre soaked in the solution Of sub
carbonate Of soda is no sooner immersed i'll the
vessel containing the acidu|ated water, than its
character at once changes from that Of damp
rigid aggregation Of flax to light expansive
mass of cottony texture, increasing in size like
leavening dough Or ali expanding spongc. It's
then immersed in second bath Of carbonate Of
soda solution, and if Only required to be used i'll
an unbl"achcd state, ,nay be washed and dried.
If, however, il is to be bleachcd it is immersed
in fourth vat, continuing q solution Of hypo-
chlorite Of magnesia, and in about fifteen minutes
attanS the color, as in previous similar time it
had acquired the texture Of cotton. In fact it
gops in brown flax, aud in less than one hour
comes out white cotton. 1t is then washed, drain
cd in baskets, dried in cakes, hanging across iron
horses in stove rooms heated to 96 degrees
Fahrenheit, and then ready to be tcascd like cot