Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-12
ANOTHER DECEPTION.

Another kind of cheap silk is palmed off
upon the American sisterhood for a better
article than it really is. It is handsome,
heavy IN appearance, and yet the deception
IS not consist altogether in ''dye." The
organzine or wrap is good, honest silk, but
the tram" or filing, is in every sense of
the word ''shoddy." The refuse or waste
silk is gathered from other mills; old, dam
aged cocoons are bought and chopped up,
and silk is spun from this material inst as
thread is drawn from raw cotton. This
makes beautiful filing as it cheats up"
quite as we'll as the thread of the worm,
but it will not wear like genuine silk. That
is not tie proper word, for it is all silk
We mean we prefer the work performed by
the first worm It requires different ma
chinery to make this kind of silk, and only
one house in the United States makes it.
The house has rolled up an immense for
tune at the expense of woman's credulity
Coming to Paterson, the first thing to be
observed IN the manufacture of silk is the
utmost care and precision, from the mo-
ment the silk is found in the hands of the
workmen, to the time it is put up aud
labeled for the market
PROCESS OF THE MANUFACTURE.
Through every stage of progress the
thread must be tested by weight. The
worm sets the example of arbitrary nathe
matics, and the law must be followed to
the end. The raw silk has been taken
from the bale, plunged into boiling soapy
water, and the gum is removed It is now
pliable, glossy, and as indescribable as
dew. After drying the skeins are slipped
upon reels, which reyolve upon an axis
which is fastened to table.
A thread from each klein passes up-
ward over smooth metal or glass rod and
is wound upon a bobpin. The thread
passes through glass eye, which is NOV
able, in order to make an even bobbin.
The work is almost always performed by
children. A continuous thread, sometimes
two thousand yards in length. from the
same skein, is wound upon the bobbin.
The spools, all filed, are now placed upon
machine for cleaning purposes. The
bobbins are placed in a row, and the
thread is made to pass between two steel
knives, whose edges are brought very near
together. A similar set of bobbins re-
ceives the thread as it is unwound.
DOUBLING AND TWISTING.
After the cleansing the silk is doubled.
After the doubling it is twisted SO many
times to the inch. After going through the
same process second time, it is now ready
Tor the ''dye house. When the doubling
and twisting point is reached, s'skilled la
bor'' must be employed. It is necessary
that the threads should be of uniform size,
else an uneve1l fabric will be the result.
After dyeing the sill1en threads are ready
for the looms. This process is conducted
upon the same principles followed in the
cotton mills.
After leaving the looms the silk is laid
upon tables, and skilled workmen remove
the slight imperfections. Sharp knives of
peculiar form are used in the work. The
''tram Or filing Of the silk is twisted less
than the warp; for this reason it "beats
up" and makes closer, bandsomer fabric.
The filling to this day is often spoiled up-
on the bobbins, which are used in the shut
ties by hand labor.
OIL BOILED.
In old-fashioned days, before our Euro-
pean forefethers understood the perfection
of roguery in dyeing, they too had an Itch
ing TO make pound Of silk weigh some
thing more by artificial means: so. whilst
the young girls were spooling the silk for
''flling III, they dipped their fingers in a
of oil and lampbaelz. By this
means two ounces or more were added to
the pound. When they happened to get on
so much that the boxes which held the
fabric were so oiled these silks were pro-
''oiI boiled" To-day there are
clerks in the stores who will talk to us
about these ''oil boiled silks, " adding, this
kind Of silk wears"
After the silk is dyed sometimes little
oil is used for softening purposes, but any
thing additional is positive injury to the
silk. When twice the weight Of dye is
used for silk than is necessary, the silk is
deprecated just half in value. If thrice is
added the silk is deprecated three-fold.
BY these and kindred sorceries the
French are trying to drive American manu-
features out of the market. There are no
secrets in the manufactures at Paterson.
There is only one establishment in the
country that makes ''spun goods" and
these are made in the land of wooden
nutnegs