Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1865-01-27

Polytechnic Association of the Anne rica n
Institute.
The Association held its regular weekly
meeting at its room at the Cooper Institu,e on
Thursday evening Jan. s. 1865. the President,
S. d. Tilliman, Esq. in the chair.
The President called on Mr.. Watson to open
the regular suhjec: of The evening
THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD.
Mr.. Watson MIR. Presiden,-To the peo-
Pile of this country at large, the importance of a
good sewing thread is very great Until few
years, almost from the commencement Of the
war, English thread controlled the market bu,
within the time spoken of vast trade has
sprung up. involving tens of thousands of dol
lars of capital and giving support to hundreds
OF persons. There are, at this time, in this
country, many thread manufacturers. and the
aggregate value Of the manufactured product
amounts TO S4,000,000 annually. The number
OF yards made is incaculabe.
The necessary qualities of good sewing
thread, are strength, smoothness of finish, reg
ularity in size, ro,undiiy, freedom from knots.
and uniformity in the quality. All these are
obtained in our best American threads.
have been al some pains TO obtain the leading
threads in the market, and | have brought
here, for your inspection, the Willimantic
thread the Green and Daniels thread and the
Stafford Bros, thread. In addition TO these
there are other threads made perry's Water
twist, Samoset, Shakers and Circassion, are
well known brands.
have here also an English thread Of Coats,
and another one whose name shall not give ;
the latter submit for your examination. ['rhe
speaker here handed around an English thread
u hirI, ra 81; L. l.
TIN cad is justly celebrated, it has been in the
market twenty-five years and is uniform in
quality; |, think, however, that our domestic
thread is, in all respects, superior. In the mat
ter of strength will make simple test |
have here a spool of Coutss six-cord cotton
and one of the Willimantic Linen Company.
They are both of the same number twelve
and both are taken indiscriminately from a
dealers stock in a store. have but little faith
in public experiments, for like spoiled children,
they seldom show TO advantage, nevertheless
will tie both together at the same length and
see which will break first. The speaker here
tried the experiment, which resulted in the
breaking of the English thread.] This accords
with private experiments to determine the
same Thing. l took weights and applied them
TO q suspended Coats thread. when it broke
/ took The same weights and applied them to
an American thread, which not only sustained
them. but twenty-five per cent. additional
weight, without breaking.
have heard it asserted that glazed thread
will lose its strength alter the size has been
washed of. ! tried an experiment to deter
mine this also. and saw no difference whatever
although think it is possible to wash any
glazed or unfinished thread for sinister pur-
poses, so that the fibres will be dissolved or
torn apart, and the strength destroyed.
have here an American thread made by
Messrs. Green & Daniels, and one made by
Stafford Brothers that of Messrs. Green &
Daniels is styled ivory finish" tha, of Stat
ford Brothers "enameled thread" Both OF
these threads are first class goods. They are
200 Yards spools, four-cord threads and war
rented 10 he as represented. They are now
widely used, and manufacturers have told me
that they used American black glazed thread
in making silk clouks, it being cheaper and a.
durable for their purposes as silk thread itself
! am also informed that three-fourths of the
thread now in USE is the American thread and
our manufacturers are putting up extensive
works 10 enable them to supply the demand.
The Willimantic Linen Company have erect
ed mil in Connecticut over 400 feet long at ,
cost of 81 100000, in which they will make
six cord soft finish cotton. Very little soft. fin
ish cotton has heretofore been made in thi
country, for The reason that our makers hnv
had from 10000 to 10000 dozen glazed threat
ordered in advance of their ability to supply i,
so they were unable to make other kinds
There are many persons who dislike glaze
thread, and the introduction of it was attende,
with difficulties. 1t was asserted that the clol
was cut by il, that il ran stiiiy through tn
needle and was liable to kink. These defect
are apparent where thread is glazed too much
and experience has shown our makers that
little or medium sizing is preferable to great
er amount.
For sewing machine use glazed thread
much liked. have questioned many sewing
machine operators, and they assure me tha
what | have stated to this meeting previousl,
is correct. In my own family have been
the habit OF using the Wilimantic Linen Con
pany's thread, and may here say that | wa
led to examine the subject from the excellenC
of that article. therefore do not speak frol
casual acquaintance but from actual est
Our American cotlons, at least that variet
last named, are four-cord. From No. 40, ~
the Willimontic cotton, and l presume ii
others slso, is made from Sea Island cottol
which is the finest in the world for that parii
ular service. The lower numbers are long st,
ple, Gulf or Texas cotton. Some cotton fro
Pernambuco, South America, has been trie
by the WillmanliO Company, bat they wei
unable to use it, aud suffered loss by the e,
pertinent.
The sizing Of thread is commonly ouppose
to be starch. 1t is not. What it really is, Il
manufacturers know best. T,is is one seer
which Lcannot disclose. am able TO infor
you, howev r. that one firm used an artic
called salep procured from Turkey. ha,
never seen any salep, but am told that i, is e
cerdingly hard and almost v,reous in its T.
ture. and one of The most difficult subslanc
to grind known to man. 1t will destroy
French burr mill stone, and is, II my iniorma
did not tax his imagination too highly, a mo
remarkable article. In the place of this sale
FIVE ingredients are used, but Of the nature al
proportions of them ! am ignorant. A sis