Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1855-07-04
Doom OF the Cotton Hand.

From the Buffalo Democracy, June 25.
Up in Twenty fourth street, man is now
surely spinning out the solution of colt n
planting slavery. Iron and steel machinery,
and chemical solvents are making of flax f.
bre more than rival for the Mississippi fibre
which underlies the southern system of labor,
and on which rests the politics of half this
Union, and in whose behalf the extreme re-
sort to disruption of the federal tie, and civ
il war is constantly menaced. The rivalry
between fax and cotton is established. Can
there be any doubt about the final issue of
this competition? Must not the cotton hand
lose his value, and of consequence, will not
the planter GENEROUSLY insist upon the con.
stitutional duty of tho Union to buy his
slaves at high prices and deport them to AZ
RIGA
Five years ago, in Buffalo, gentleman en-
gagged in spinning cotton, was led bv peru
sal Of an articl, in Rees' Encyclopedia, to
experiment upon fax fibre with bleaching
salts. These he deemed to be nearly idcnti-
cal with solution mentioned by Rees as en-
ployed by linen makers in Sweden to whiten
the fibre before it was carded and spun-the
ashes OF keip thrown into sea-water. The
result was satisfactory. We have seen on a
reel the fax cotton produced by him.
We have now before US three samples from
the New York establishment. No. is pear
~ white, coarse. though soft, and very CLOS
sy. 1t has only been passed through the
picker. In this state it is to be put,into the
market. No. is to show the length Of tho
fibre. This is two and a half inches long
No. 3 is the same article, carded. This one
ration is not intended to be performed az the
establishments. That will be left for the man
ufacturers to do. This last sample is white,
soft, fine and strong, and perfectly clean.-
In this condition it can be spun, either alone,
or mixed with wool. or with cotton. The
sample would eem to leave no doubt Of the
practicability of the flax cotton manufacture.
Yet tho process is q new one, and the works
Mt which these samples were made were gut
up only to systematize the invention, and or
ganixe and perfect the business.
The process Of the manufacture, as it has
teen described to us, is this. Rough Tax is
cut into required lengths (say of the desired
lengths OF the cotton fbre) BY a machine sim
liar to > common straw cutter. Two or three
tons Of this "caopPed stuff are put into
steam reservoir and steamed come three
hours, till the fibre Is cleaned of gummy
matter and separated in part from the wood.
The mass is then dried. x beating process
afterward senarates the furious from the IL
qucous portion OF the tax. The ibrous part
is next stepped for : length of time in a so
luton Of Bleaching Salts, for the purpose of
bleaching it,. Tho salts are then worked
thoroughly out, and the fax cotton is ready
for bailing and a market. q
The process is cheap one. We are in
formed that the beautiful No. article be-
fore us costs but two cents per pound. iris
appears to US almost incsedihlc-bat when
we take into consideration that Aax is raised
as crop for the seed alone, and that conse-
qaentiy the straw. or stalk can be afforded at
. merely nominal price, Ne are led; think
that FAX cotton can be manufactured at a
price yastls below the cost Of ssmaking'' cot
ton in tho slave states. There We think II 10
conceded tina; it cannot be raised for less than