The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-02

the thread plable and elastic The skeins
are slipped upon octagonal wicker swift
reels, dozen on more of which revolve on an
axis fastened in the legs of each table.
thread from each reel-skein passes upward
over a smooth metal or glass rod, fixed on the
lateral edge of the table, to its revolving bob
bin. upon which it is wound. After this pro-
cess the thread is guided between the con-
tiguous edges of two sharp steel
knives, resembling scissors, which
cleanse it of gummy Jumps and
clineing waste. to another bobbin. This pro-
cess occasions considerable waste. The finer
and more regular threads are now taken for
making organzines which are the warps of
woven goods Coarser threads are taken for
trans or woofs. The most inferior are used
for the manufacture of sewing silks. Loose
and broken ends are corded like cotton and
spun into floss for embroidery. The twisting
or 'fhrowing" process is done by passing the
thread of raw silk from an upright bottom
through the eye of a craned wire flyer, which
rapidly spins with the top of the 'bobbin to
receiving bobbins revolving above. This
thread is called ''single, and for organzines
receives from - 20 10 twists to the inch.
OrganZines or trans are made by twisting
together two of these twisted threads, in an
opposite direction to the former single twist,
at the rate of from ten to seventeen turns to
the inch; the two threads having previously
ganzines receive tight twisting to induce
strength and elasticity. A swing of two
twists to the inch sometimes saves five cents
to the pound in the cost of labor, bat may
occasion greater loss in weaving. Two or
three threads of raw silk twisted loosely two
to four times to the inch is tram, shute, on
woof. In weaving, the woof has little or no
strain upon it, and it fills up the warp better
by being soft and loose. The twist in silk
sewing silk is made of three to ten threads
twisted together, and two of these latter
doubled. Sewing machine silk is trebly
twisted. Button-hole twist is the
same, with tighter twist. Twists
in the single threads of sewing
silks are ten TO fifteen to the inch and the
doubled, eight to twelve. The organzines
are reeled into skeins of one or two thousand
yards each care being taken to make them of
the exact length, as that compared with their
weight determines the quality of the goods to
be woven. The American sewing silk machine
is a great improvement over the old-fashioned
machine. By the aid of a few girls, the
former at once doubles and twists the silk,
and reels it into skeins of equal length; and it
turns out 125 pounds week. The cost of
throwing raw silk into organzines is 81 to
SO. per pound, a great proportion Of that
going to labor. Trans cost less After
weighing, the threads go to the dyer, who
is charged with the weight; also with the
number of skeins. AS the manufacturer
knows how much Of each color should be re-
turned, little fraud OF error can happen. Up
to the time the silk goes to the dyer there is
loss of three to nine per cent. from cleaning,
breaking, etc. 1t loses from eighteen to
twenty-fiv per cent. of weight in dyeing by
the boiling off of the worm gum, which is
made up greatly by surcharging with sugar or
dye. In the dye-house the silk skeins are tied
to prevent tangling. and boiled for four OF
five hours in coarse linen bags, by which the
hempy colors attain a lustre. Yellowish colors
are ''counteracted' to pure white 10y the use
of a little blue dye. This white dyeing costs
60 cents pound-less than any other color.
Of white colors the manufacturer receives
back from the dyer II ounces for every
pound The aniline or bright colors
cost 81 80 to $3 80 pound to dye. The light
green's are the most expensive. They also
return II ounces to the pound. High cOlOrs
are cheapened in the weight by the addition
of three ounces of sugar to - of silk. Drabs
and states are dyed with sumac, at a cost of a
dollar pound, and return II ounces Blacks
are dyed with nitrate of iron and cutch and
also logwood, blush shade, especially for
velvets, being desirable. Blue-blacks return
II ounces plain blacks the full complemenC,
losses being compensated by surcharging.
Surcharging can be carried to the extent Of
trebling the weight of the silk. After dyeing,
the skeins are dried on bars in close steamed
room, and then lustred by passing over hot
cylinders. Sewing silk is softened by wiring
ing, and tied into skeins for sale. Trans and
organznes are then rewound upon bobbins,
and again rewound to give proper tension
to the thread before weaving.
Present Condition and Prospects.
Such is the extent to which the American
trade has usually been carried, though pom
gees and foulards were woven in Connecticut,
and ribbons in Baltimore, twenty years ago.
During the last ten years the manufacture of
ribbons has increased rapidly. The Cheney
Brothers of Hartford are making great guam
titles of parasol coverings; the Dola Company
at Paterson are making tailors trimmings
scarfs and braids Dexter, Lambert ~ Co., of
the same city, make this season 5000 yards
of knotted fringes, and 2500 yards OF bullion
fringes per day, driving the foreign goods out
of the market The processes OF trimming
manufacture are too intricate and tedious for
! popular description. An examination of the
| goods will show delicately- y-knotted thread, or
| a base of cotton wound with silk. Broad silks
are woven upon the plain loom, and Inquired
ones upon the jacquard. The operations are
! delicate and COSTLY To get the proper length
of warp for piece, and at the same time TO
! Law a sufficient number of the warp threads
| together, amounting sometimes to 0OOo or
| 5000, the threads from a great number OF
bobbns, rolling in a frame like the old school
counting frame, are reeled backward and for
ward together on a large reel These again
are rewound upon large drum to give them
tension and lay them the right distance
apart, the operation being afterward COM
pleted by passing each thread by hand be-
tween the teeth OF q large brass comb, aud
while they are stretched cleaning them