The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-02-24
How Paper Collars are Made.

At the end the first room are piles of pure
white paper, awaiting their turn to be guillo-
tined in machine furnished with twenty-five
shear blades, which cut the paper into the
requisite strips for the collar, on precisely the
same principle as gigantic pair of scissors,
thus leaving no rough edge. The product OF
two paper mills is consumed in this factory, at
the rate of ton to a ton and a half per day,
the average production being about 100000
collars per day, which find a ready sale despite
the numerous limitations with which the
market is flooded. From the hands of the at
tendant, who turns out the pure, even strips
of paper, they pass into the hands OF another
fair executioner, who brings the incipient col
lar near its birth, by passing it Though anoth-
er pair of knives, by which it acquires shape
in an instant. Still another machine marches
reentlessly up and down, and as the collar
leaves its iron embrace, the three button-holes
are visible-large, clean cut firm holding, and
easily handled. Z
The collar is placed between two dies or
clamps, passed under quick, heavy pressure,
and emerges again, stamped with that close
imitation OF stitching which renders it so per-
feet an imitation of linen brother, that the
difference can hardly be distinguished; it is
stamped also with the size and corporate
mark. Next comes the crimping machine,
which draws the curved line, on which the
shape of the collar turns, and which, by allow
ing space for the cravat, insures a smooth fit.
They then pass through the nimble fingers of
damsel, who, with def fingers flying with
lightning-like rapidity, turns the collar over,
as no machine has yet been able to do. From
these hands it passes to the moulding machine
where it Is bent round into perfect shape, and
finished as aperfect collar.
This process is an important one, requires
skill in the operator and strength in the paper,
which must be of the best, to resist the inn
mense strain required to mould the collar into
perfect shape. f1r fE fH'
The collar is now, as it were, born--shapely.
trim and elegant, and ready to adorn the neck
OF the most faStidious, and having passed
through seven distinct processes in its manu-
tacture. 1t Is once more taken into hand by
woman and packed into boxes by the 100, or
in the well known little boxes of 10 each,
which are so convenient TO toss into a valise
when OFF for week in the country or else
where. For the item of boxes, the company
expended over 100000 per annum. The first
machine turned out the collar entire, perform
ing the whole work at once, but slowly and
imperfectly; but the genius Of the inventor,
quickened by the rapidly increasing demand for
the article, added improvement after improve
ment, by one machine after another, until
the mandatory is capable of turning out s.
100000 collars per month.
The American Model Collar Company EN-
ploy in this mandatory 10 neat intelligent
looking American women, who earn 81 per
day, and their work is clean, healthy and not
very laborious. Mr.. Gray who first commenc-
ed to manufacture in the Spring of 1868, has
now 80 patents on machines and collars, hay
ing previously secured them in Europe. Three
of the Directors of the company went there
this Summer, with skilled mechanics and
American machinery, to take measures to es-
tablish the manufacture in England, France
and Belgium, where they will probably attain
that popularity which the American model
collar has achieved in this countrywide
change Paper.