The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-04-15

come down to us from antiquity. Inc
Chinese, the Egyptians, and the ma
tives Of India understood the art of
dying cotton cloth by the use of NOR
dants, long before the nations of Eu-
rope had either history or name.
The name calico is derived from CAL
icut, in India, where printed muslins1
were manufactured at remote peri
cd, and from whence they were first
exported to Europe in 1881. Herodo-.
tus tells us that people living on the
shores of the Caspian Sea, were in the
habit of painting the figures of AMI.
mails Oh cloth, with color obtained
from the Icaves of trees, bruised and
soaked in water. The color was not
effaceable, being as durable as the
material npon which il was stamped.
The permanent nature of those colors
indicate that the people possessed an
intimate acquaintance with the use of
mordants. ra
Calico, in our day, is fine cotton
fabric, printed in various colors, after
elaborate designs, and the operation
requires great skill i'm its application.
Like many of the ancient arts, calico
printing was in the first instance per-
formed by hand, and the assistance of
engraved blocks of wood. A tedious
and laborious process at best; it made
the cloth a very costly article. In
those early days only wealthy people
could afford to wear the fabrics thus
made. Calico printing was introduce
ii E,<rlo.,1 ,,, l.n cauanfnpnth
century, by French Hugenots. The
manufacture at the present day is per-
formed by machinery, at very trifi-
ing cost: and since the application of
modern ingenuity to the production
of calico, it has become an almost in
dispensable article for womcn's wear
i'm all commercial countries.
The colors of beautiful prints can
only be made fast by the use of NOR
dants which have perfect affinity for
the article which is being dyed. The
most elegant prints made are the bril-
liant English and French chintZes.
winch withstand the action of water
and sunlight without changing color.
These prints are also very durable
but tie French goods are the post
highly priced, and the combination OF
coIors exceed those OF any other II.an-
ufactured in the world The immense
manufactures of France owe their
celebrity TO Oberkampf. who, about
the year 1853, founded an establish
ment for printing calicoes in the Val
lev of Jouy, near Versailles.
OF all woven fabrics. wool has tie
most perfect affinity for coloring mat.
ter, while silk ranks next. Cotton
and flax retain their colors only after
undergoing careful indirect applica'
tions that produce chemical union
between the article to be colored and
the coloring matter. Indigo will i'm.
part its color to cotton without sucl
Indirect agency; but this is quality
possessed in real perfection by nc
other known dye.
Print cloths are made in factOrie;
adapted only to that especial purpose
In this country the principal seats OF
their manufacture are at Fall River
Conn.,. and several towns in Rhode
Island. These cloths are generally
woven with siXty-four threads to the
inch each Way. and are described as
GA by GA i'm market quotations. Some
cloth is only fifty-siX by sixty. The
finer qualities range higher, and the
coarser lower, corresponding to the
number of threads to the inch. This
cloth is prepared for the subsequent
imprint by first being singed. A web
of cotton cloth is passc, rapidly over
the surface of red-hot cylinder, with
the nap against the hot surface, which
ensures only tolerable singing. A
much better result is obtained by
passing the cloth rapidly over a sur
face of burning gas-jets. A jet OF
steam thrown across the web. rs it
comes from the singer. prevents any
accident from fire. Bleaching follows
the singing, and this is performed by
means of chlorine, which renders the
cloth perfectly white; when washed
and dried, the cloth is ready to re-
ceive the imprint. Owners of print
factories buy those white cloths and
color them at their mills by a process
very similar to that employed in
printing paper. The design is en-
2raved OH copper cylinder, and for
each distinct pattern ana color there
Is a separate roller. The mordant is
applied TO the coloring matter, and
the cloth is then brought in contact
with the engraved plate, and the pro-
duct is calico. The cloth receives a
separate impression for every differ
ent color: but il passes from one cyl
inder 10 another very rapidly. The
different impressions are quickly
made. Table-spreads, with intricate
figures. very richly colored, are finish
ed by hand process by means of Ell
graved blocks. These goods are con-
sequently comparatively expensive.
The most noted print factories in
this country are situated in New Eng
land ana Pennsylvania. Those in the
latter State are in the vicinity Of Phil
adeiphia. and form one of the leading
branches of industry of that section.
Immense works are also located n
Providence, II. l., which produce an
nually vast quantities OF goods which
have an extensive reput" ton through
out the United States and other coun-
tries. At Lowell, Mass. is the well
known Merrimack Print Works, and
at Lawrence. the celebrated Pacific
Mills. The Manchester Print Works,
at Manchester, Y. H., are also well
known feature of the manufacturing
interest of that city.
New York is the principal market
for the distribution of calico of Amer
lean manufacture. Some of our lead
lug merchants purchase thousands of
csses of these goods at time, in or
der TO supply the demands of their
trade.
Tribute to Women.
The following elegant extract is
from speech delivered by the late
Hon. Pierre Soule, on the bill author
70 oct cn1a traders If