The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-04-04

Fatal Discovery ON the Border
of q Mill Pond = Vegetable
Flannel PrOduced-PoiSO
Effects of it's USe-Suicide of
the Inventor.
From the New York World. March a4th..
HARRfsBUReH, Pa, March %.
A suit is pending in one of the civil.
courts of this State growing out of
the following facfs Daring 5lS69,
1870 and 1871, maA% photographic ap-
peared in the papers In different parts
of the country chnonicleing cases of
poisoning from wearing flannel, usual
lyred Aaanel- 1t is since. claimed to
have been discovered that the diseases
so produced were essentially OF one
type. and never ensned except to per-
sons wearing flannel of the manufac-
ture of Messrs. Rhees & Howell, How
let Greek, Pa. The sult is brought by
some of the stockholders of Rhees &
Howel's flannel works against the es-
tate OF yeung Mr.. Rhees. for damages
done to their interests by new pro-
cesses of manufacture introduced by
him, which processes are said to have
led to the disastrous effects ADORE re-
ferred to-. and. in consequence of
which their fabrics were rejected from
the market and heir.dividends reduced
to nothing. The establishme of
Rhees g. Howell was one of the most
respectable and wealthy manufactures
in the country, and its dividends dur
ing at least generation have been
regular and handsome. The business
has been managed in chief by the
men of the firm, and when, in 1868,
old Mr.. Rhees died. Howell telegraph
ed to Europe for his son to come and
take his place. Wien young Rhees,
returned-early in l669-Howel had
also died, and the entire management
of the concern devolved upon him and
Mr.. David Morgans, the Intelligent
foreman, who bad been connected
with the business for more than twen-
-ty-fiFe years. -.s@x ,se-.-
Mr.. Griffith Rhees was about 80
wears old when he returned. He had
been five years in Europe, most of the
time in the University of Berlin,
where he had been pursuing course
of technical science and applied chem
istry, with the express object oil. fitting
himself for his prospective duties as
manufacturer.
Mr., Rhees was not q dreamer, but q
man OF extremely practical views. He
never let conjecture override facts in
his mind, and when he returned to the
.superintendency OF The. Howlet Creek
factory his first step in the administra-
tion--of affairs showed him to be q bus
iness man of no ordinary Qualities
He called the stockholders together
and showed themab by Irresistible fig
ureE that the Rhees, Sc Howell; mills
were losing money. He convinced
them that the protective duty ofl201z
per cent@on fianpels, high as it was,
did. not compensafe them for the Offset
duty of 601a per cent, on fine wool and
the other taxes that bnrdenad their
manufacture. The stockholders pro-
posed -ro suspend operations. This,
however, Mir. RheesOpposed, convinc-
ing Them that BY ethis course they
would lose theft skilled labor and
their Old and well established scUstom.
Besides, gentlemen" said he, l
mean to show you That American
brains, American machinery, and
American capital can do more than
the same things in any other. part of
the world"
One day, returning from walk
Mr.. Rhees called Morgans into his
study and unrolled before him strip
of something that was like cloth, nigh
the third of an inch thick, gray on
enc side, greeuish on the other, with
tho texture, and something of the
touch of felt.
What 'ssthat ?n said Mr.. Rhees.
Morgan shook his head. :" 1t might
be thick-milled flannel, but it isn't.
never handled any cloth like that"
Its vegetable" said Mr.. Rhees,
It's codferyoid plant known as wa
ter-fiannel, and grows in our mill
DAMS. -.
Morgan stared. aCott!' said he,
"if we could only get a good crop OF
that sort of thing on the ponds, we
could let the tariff and taxes go to the
| devil !"
Mr.. Rhees did notreply, but placing
a bit of the cloth under microscope,
showed Morgans that it was really q
vegetable fungus, made up of myriads
of jointed threads woven together
symmetrically and firmly, so as to
have the texture and simulate to the
actual fabric of cloth made by ma
chinery. 'rs~
This was still in the early part of
1869, Morgans' affidavit tells us; and
1t was only few days later that Mr.,
Rhees summoned him again, submit
ted to his inspection piece of red
flannel, which Morgans AYERS was in
every respect not less than 25 per cent
above the standard qualities produced
at the mill. .s
"That's English;;s said Morgans; 81
know the feel of if.@Fe
"That's Howlet Greek and Rhees &
Howel'ss,s mill pondw retorted Mr..
Rhees. "That is made ont of the
piece of vegetable fibre / showed you
the other day." added he.
f.. Impossible !" said Morgans.
al knew that Etcould make cloth
out of it," added. Mr.. Rhees, land 1
have dOne.it."
Morgans' affidavit goes on to recount
very circumstantislly the process re-
sorted to by Mr.. Rhees to convert the
vegetable fabric into durable cloth, to
keep up the strength and continuity
of its fibre, and prevent the fungus
from undergoing decomposition.
Now, MorgaiIs;w added Mr.. Rhees
:" you must keep this matter q secret,
for am going 7to- perform miracles,
and we shall have the, hands burning
us up if it gets out. l mean to dis
pense with factory, machinery and ull
/ mean to make our mill-ponds manu-
factnre this thing gfoEu us as fast as we
want it, and SO cheap that we can sell
it, pound for pound, and drive even
unwashed wool out of the market"
., Morgans locked ct his employer as
| if be expected to fea hipa turned lu-
.Ratic.. He saw instead q handsome,
Intelligent. face glowing with fine en-
Ihusiasm.
"See here. said Mr.. Rhees, using
his microscope again. Z: This cloth is
simply vegetable fibre and atarch,-
Starch is the most readily organizable
of all materials, and if chemical SYM
thesis cannot establish the conditions
precedent to the unlimited production
of these globnles OF fecul@ and their
enwrapping. fibre, it ought to surren-
der claims to usefulness. l say this:
| already know how TO make cheap