New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-19
SLLK-MAKING IN CONNECTICUT.

About four years ago, at one of Alice Cary'S
charming little reunions in Ncw-York City, tiny scrap
of striped silk black and purple in hue. passed about
hand to hand among the guests, who examined it
with interest ard curiosity The oddly of 1t alto
gether in the fact that it bit OF american SILK"
otherwise there was nothing in the material its ap
pearance (which would have attracted any notice,
or given it any interest in the eyes of
the and women who scanned it so curl
Ously. There not probably, single person in the
little assembly to whom the idea of silk weaving in
America was not a novelty, single woman present
who would have been surprised to learn that the
factory in whose looms that bit of silk made had
been established about 40 years and that she herself
had worn silks and popinS, ana carried SIX lIraSOs
and Sewed with SpOOs of scwingsilk every thread OF
which had been spun and woven IN Manchester Conn.
1t is 30 much the custom with Us Americans 10 talk
quite eloquenty about our country ana her mahuIac
lures and clothing OF which The ma
that il is quite well known to the trade that american
shOpkeepers often slip goods Of home manufacture INTO
foreign wrappers stamp them with foreign trade
marks, and then sell them at foreign prices in order to
persuade the facie purchasers that they are getting
something good deal better than we make in this
country. just on the principle we, who such
rampant democrats stark mad over some prince OF for
whO likely enough has principally 10 rule over hall as
large the state Of Rhode Island, and whose prncey
of one of our o. senators or the income derived from
the great ounderes Of another In these days when
"a European Queen must SIT dOlefuly At home while
her daughters npptials are celebrating else,
T Sa r6vo Wedding and Wear gown good enough
for the OCCASION when every European country
lays by its richest and most expensive goods for the
American market when tine wife of American gentle
man buys in Europe set of laces which every queen Of
fashion on the continent from Eugene IN heI lalny
DAYS down to of petty duchcsses and Processes
had looked with longing eyes and could not buy be-
cause was beyond her royal means; in such times
these II perhaps just well TO consider whether
rate he sIre thai we do not 90 TO our shops and buy
American goods under the impression that they come
These things were brought more fully under the
writer's consideration
few days in Connecticut near the silk manufactory of
Cheney Brothers in Hartford, who carry the manu-
factue OF silk goods more largely than any other firm IN
this country. The factories are IN South Manchester and
in Hartford Conn. aud make all kinds of dress silks silk
pOpns lining SILK ribbons, &C., &c, in quantities and
with perfection which Is surprising To one Who Tor the
first time sees the extent to which the work
is carried on. The raw material Of which
American silks are made Is brought from foreign
ports Cocoon culture, the raising OF silkwOrns, has
never Ourshed III this country, Notwithstanding some
vigorous efforts made 10 Introduce it, ENerybO mas
heard-f he does not remembeI-Of the nO'tts multi
cauis fever which possessed part Of this country 30 or
40 years ago. and how many hundreds OF persons under
took the culture Of mulberry trees Later. an attempt
10 raise slk-wOrms in California has been attended with
better success. There are now large nurseries on the
Pacific coast for tins peted aud nuch-prized worm;
but as yet the silk produced there Is LOT
sufficient in quantity 10 keep the looms in Manchester
running one week In The year. Therefore TO CHINA,
Japan France and Italy, for material. ana BRING
1t mere reeed of the cOcOOns in gossamer skens, which
look II they might he the product OF the spnnngen
MES OF Moth, and CObweb and the rest Oi Tna aerial
attendants. The Italian silk is the best and most costly,
because the better. fancy the silk
worm does his work the same the world OverJ but be
the Italians have the happest knack of Keeling of
the slender thread mo smooth ana even Knots.
These fbeTs OF cocoon silk are subjected TO very
much the same processes or spinning ana weaving as
those used cotton factories, except that the ma
chimes much more complicated and must handle
deliCatcY the Six hDcrs, 80 much more precious
than the cotton threads, which spun and by
similar methods. When, at last the perfect product Of
the forth the goods are OF various degrees
OF gOssness. according TO the method OF finishing, and
the character of the material used. The theory ad
yanced by some, that in the CHEAPER american
fiber with the silk. is entirely groundless. Every
thread Of all the silk and ribbon in the manufac-
tory visited is OF pure, unauthorized silk IT
from the The black silks for ladies dresses are
cordng 70 quality Marcelne silks Of every hue, aud
with purity and brilancy color which II is generally
supposed can not he attained by any but French or Ger
dyers, made In this factory, and not TO be
distinguished from the French goods OF similar texture
The American manufacturer is understood not TO claim
that he makes any goods yet as elegant aud glossy the
very BEST and alas very expensive goods which Bonnet
and two or three Oter Lyons manufacturers send here
What Is claimed. and with Justice that the American
factories make dress goods for women which combine
elegance with ebeapness and durability lin greater de-
that an elegant black Lyons silk which often
costs nom 500 10 $500 when 10 leaves tho
hands Of the Ncw-YOrk. Boston, or Chicago
mOdise, will begin, after half dozen times careful
wearing to crack on the sleeves and waist seams
skirt palts, and that new black sk nowadays there
traditions That they lasted longer In our grand
For hat Of what the foreign silk would cost, American
silk could bo had which would DEFY all weathers, and
Outwear two three Of the former Ii is not only
possible but 8n absolute TACT that we shall be able
France and Italy There is only one problem TO sOlYe
We must make machueab0 rs perfect as hand-lab0r.
The American principle of Manufacture as lIlE TRIBUNE
has maintained. s the application of machinery 10 all
things made abroad by patient haudOn. In India the
handnade shawl has the likelihood 81 geneTaOna woven
into 5 costly tissues the aces oil idsaes ato knitted