New-York tribune., 1874-11-07
PHILA DELPHIA MANUFAC CTUREE.

ESTABLISHMENT--OUTLINE OF THE PROCESSES or
MANUFACTURE-THE UMBRELLA IN ALL STAGES
OF GROWTH.
To the Edttor Of Ths Trtbune.
SIR: It is not alone the great factories,
whose tall chimneys RIskn calls the monuments OF our
modern civilization that the sources OF the wealth
of our great manufacturing centers. stranger in
Paris sees almost nothing OF the countless and multi
form industries which make her the first manufacturing
city in the world SO In visiting Philadelphia, even
after a look through the busy suburbs OF Richmond
Kensngton and Manyunk, with their extensive cstao
lshments for working metals, WOOD cotton aud WOOL
stranger is at q loss to know how the immense sum
total ctys annual manufacturing product Is made
up. To understand how 1t is done one must know thie
in the streets devoted apparently to trade alone there
are factories employing hundreds OF workmen You
might pass up and down OF these streets every day
for years and be Of their existence crowd
OF operatives coming down the stairs when O'CLOCK
strikes steanppe projecting into back alley, are
often the only outward signs OF manufacturing bHsl-
ness which occupies the upper stories OF half dozen
stores and produces annually articles worth HUNDREDS
Of thousands of dollars Iunumerabe utensils and orna
household and personal use are made In such
establishments The existence OF the factory IL known
TO its workmen aud its customers, but pa5sersby recos
nize the building, only by the store which occupies
the ground floor. Sometimes the manufactures
fills the whole structure with operatives aud
machinery and sells his goods In the sales
| room below. Sometimes he and his workpeope
have two three oaly under ithe roof The
whole business portion Of Philadelphia, from South-st.
to vine-st.. aud from the river front TO Broad-st,
abounds factories and the value OF their yearly
product probably equals that of the great workshops OF
the suburbs. Congressmen often fud. when tnkerna
with the tariff that in some omission or change OF duty
s ssy usa usns sae Of tes ess Gy nda
tries which perhaps supports hundreds OF famies.
Washnrton and haunt the Hobbies. aud the public
sometimes learns through their representations 10 e
correspondents Of the magnitude OF the threatened ID
Gen schenek while Chairman of Ways and Means.
once said, when breaking away from friend at the
committee room door, that he had just bad an hours ln
terview with carpettacks aud that harpins and GIN
one comprehends better than he, however, the mpor
to the s S5drs Srods on %
trng industries makes greater sum than that OF some
branches Of pansfaetgTs about which great ado Is
business OF this undemonstrative kind that is sell
dom mentioned in CONGRESSIONAL speeches newspaper
articles, but which annually produces articles whose
value Is counted by millions OF dollars, Il that OF uu-
bre making The principal mandatory IN Phadel-
pha, and probably the largest In the country is that
I'll times this irm turns out 5000 umbrellas day 1t
ploys from 800 500 hands Where is the market for
ask Exclusively ia the United States Take the last
census aud allow six persons to family and one UNI
brea every to each family. and you get the
round figure 100000 umbrellas annually as the num-
Der required supply tile wants OF the country SO
there is demand enough to require the products OF
many such establishments that OF Messrs. Drown &
Co. The cheaper kinds OF umbrellas are exclusively
., d,geig eTe imported, but most Of the silk GmbreIc
las sold in t1is country nave nn'l recently e been
merely put together OF English material The American
,kers have for long time enjoyed the advantage OF
tariff OF cent but then they nave hld 10 pay eo
per cent duty their Imported stk 45 Per cent on te
ribs and IS per cent ON the sticks 50 tbat when the cost
Of the material in umbrella was counted up, tho
actual protection amounted 10 only 10 per cent Messrs
can now make umbrellas Of American material through
ont that are good as the best Elgish article Tue
s, was the most difficult thing To Had. \ few years
ago it would have been possible, bat our American
skmakers have maze great pTSseI3 o iiSes ahu ngw
tine strong, flexible fabric essential Tor gOod umDes
cover that will endure ram ana sun ana gouSn usag'
tory they have KensngtOn but much OF the wood 10
Jore3 and must DE- because I s of tropical growth.
T annfaetre of rIbs Is separate business. The best
ones still come from She field few OF excellent qual-
he produced If the makers did not try 10 compete IN
price with cheap and poor German article instead
con ribs are imported IN the form Of long grooyed
! wires and cut and fashioned here. -.
Except for the whrr OF the sewng-machines sttcnpg
the covers umbrella making y &s S9si"es ihS
Be- come from the metal workers ready for use. Ihe
stock turned bent and polished IN wood,"IhrnnS hd
shop. II fanctu handles OF IVORY bone; o,ne, h ol
pearl or plated metal are used they are nrnlshed ny
shops in winch their manufacture r. specially. Juss
the popular tate iaSors rtrdae w"oS Samboo
and many other varieties are employed. ProoaDly tno
Which comes from Jamaica. sticks for cheap umbrellas
are usually OF maple. They first sawed square then
/ u
The first processes manufacture 10 insert the
two spring wires the stick aud put together tie DIFF
tercr parts OF the umbrella frame. Another class of
workinen who may be called umorellatallors, cut and
sew the cloth. Along the walls OF the clothroom hang
rows of trian ngularsDaped patterns, looking Ike big
wooden atirons The patterns are laid IN the eiotb.
which Is folded IN about dozen thleknesses ana the
sections for the cover cut out with sharp knie
Then each piece is inspected by holding u up 70 the
light Defective pieces are rejected; those showing
| slight faults In the manufacture are put aside as
I" secopds" for the cheaper umbrellas. and the re-
mainder 20 into the best grades TRe 6es, gingasm
! ID
I'm a great cotton aud woo-prodasng country
ike ours why" 1 asked Mr. Drown, do you have
70 oo,en f,brcs a. Because our manufacturers strive
dU d h answer explains our dependence as a nation
upon Europe for thousand articles that We ought TO
make az home From cloth room the pieces for the
gether machines In another room tue frames nave
m nt on The cover aud stitch IL the ribs, which ia
done sy girls with needle and thread Finally the bit
wbere II s fastened to the stick put on the elastic
band aud button attached and the umbrella complete
ferent woranen. besides those employed in fashionng
| and ornamenting the stick and handle.
| No important Improvement has been made IN
brellas since ribs substituted for cane. In
the country districts there still people who
don't believe Ia newfangled inventions, and the bulky
canebbed umbrellas continue, 70 suit their taste, 10
be made TO limited extent. The "up-cup," which
slides the stick aud holds the tips Is recent DEVICE
and generally put on by manufacturers, although
they do not regard 1t as genuine Improvement
When wanted 70 secure the ups little rub
The result OF the experiment Of Msssrs. Drown Co.
Of introducing silk umbrellas made from American
ters compete with those OF the best English makers
will be watched with interest not only by them but by
all manufacturers. For the excellence Of material
and workmanship In these umbrellas, the public have
the VI the oldest house IN the country In this
lue " trade, established In ls2 which has con-
the hands Of the Of those
who founded IT, The open question In regard 70 the
Of the experiment Is whether the popular pre-
| iudice in favor OF all manufactured articles having
London and Paris marks upon them can DO ovsreass>
! Ihttade,D.sa o1t IA iA.A