The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1862-09-19
A sad story.

J thll. HuiueVllIt tlIhu CODuucu III
lunatic asylum at Camberwell. Ii,
used to sit nourniully for days anc
weeks in u corner of his lono room
little given 70 talk aud less to physica
exercise. Now aud then. however
ho broke ont into sudden blaz
OF excitement, repeating incoheren
sentences in which only the wore
flax cotton" was distinctly audible
The unhappy mans name was Chev
slier C!aussen. BY birth a Dane
and man Of high scientific educa
ton, he gave himself up early to the
STUDY of practical chemistry, partic
ulary those branches connected with
the manufacture Of textile fabrics -
Alter years of LABOR and many ex
lperimenrs he came 10 the conclusion
that the fiber OF fax, if rigbtfully
manipulated, is superior to cotton
for all purposes in which the latter
is employed, and therefore ought tc
snpersede it, as well on this accoun,
as being an indigenous plant, for the
supply OF which Europe might re.
main independent OF serf or slave. -
Clausscn's experiments were well re
crived IN his own conn,ry, and his
King gave him the title of ChevaIier,
but, unfortunate Y, little other sub.
stantial encouragement. The in
ventor then went TO France, married
a young French lady, was presented
at Court, and received tho Order OF
the L'gion oi Honor; but again got
little else but promises OF future re-
wHrd for the years OF labor devoted
to tho one great obj .ct he had in
hand. Somewhat weary OF his W o'k
and sorely pressed by poverty,
Chevalier Claussen next came to
this country, arriving icst in time
Tor the International Exhibition OF
1851. He displayed in the Hyde
Park P,lace some beautiful articles
ma % o! iiaX'cotion, and set all the
world IN rap,nres about the new in.
vention, tho moro so as he freely ex
planned the secret OF the process for
converting fax straw in,o a material
equal in all. and superior IN some
respects TO the cot Oh fabric. Tue
manipulation was simple enough,
according TO Claussen's showing
The fax, cut into small pieces by
mschlnery was left for short while
TO the combined action Of alkaline
solvents and Of carhonated alkalies
and acids, which converted the fibre
into III ater;al very similar to cot
ton, and liz even to some extent, b
be spun with cotton machinery.
The L giish manufacturers to whom
b ;roceos was explained were dc
Iight ; nevertheless, they refused
With many thanks The Chevalier's
off Ia work his Invention. twas
ound that Il X cotton could not be
proIitably spun without making va,
rious alterations in the existing ma
chinery, and to this the l. ncsshirJ
milhowners obj j,cted 50, in2: "Why
should We trouble ourselves about
the new raw material IA long 6s we
have got cotton in abuhdanca?' =
With something ola prophetic vein
NJ. Claussen demonstrated, arguing
that tho supply was not always to be
depended upon, and besides it would
he better and cheaper, in tho long
run to make European hands feed
European mills, by the aid OF per
Iected steam agercios, than TO leave
the task to The rude manual labor
Of unwilling bondsmen. 1t wac the
voice Of the preacher in The desert
Lancashire listened not; aud wher
the Hyde Park Show was over
Chevslier Claussen and his invent
ion were no more thought ofthan th,
man who discovered the compass.-.
Sorely troubled in mind, and will
abject poverty staring him in th,
face, NJ. Claussen then pursued hi
pilgrimage, crossing the Atlantic Il
America, What happened 10 hin
in the great Western Republic 1
not accurately known; but It 10 pre-
suned that some cute native isi,
hold OF the buug man from tho ol,
country, squeezing his brains an,
md then throwing him overheard. =
It was rumored that Chevalie
Claussen bad got "partnar;" an