The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-09-18
Adventures OF a Rag.

Adventures OF a Rag.
You've seen, no doubt, q miserable,
wretched girl picking dirty rags out of
the gutter, putting them into a horrid-
looking bag she has, and carrying them
off. Well, the history of one of those
rags, its adventures and wonderful
changes, is more marvellous than any
fairy story. And the best of it is, every
word is true. 1 think you'll agree that
it is marvellous when I tell you that,
nice and neat and dainty as you may be,
you may put that horrid rag among your
choicest treasures. You don't believe
it! Well, haven't 1 already told you
lots of things you heard of? And
do you think I've told you all I know ?
Wait a bit and see. Let us follow the
rag, going off on the back of the poor
girl. Having filled her bag, she goes
at n to an odd, dismal-looking shop,
that you wouldn't put your foot into,
where a wretched-looking man buys old
iron, rags, bottles. and in fact, nearly
every thing other people throw away.
He weighs the rags, looks them over,
counts ner out pay generally a few
pennies, and she takes her bag and
goes out. Here we must bid her good
by, for from this moment the rag goes
up in life, while she, poor child, will
pick rags tomorrow, and perhaps all her
life, and there'u be very little going up
for her. When the dealer has enough
rags he puts them in a bale, and sends
them off to a paper mill. Oh, yes you
knew paper was made of rags, didn't
you? Well, the first thing that happens
to them in that big noisy place is to be
taken cut of the bale, pulled over by a
lot OF girls, and assorted. Silk rags go
to one corner, bits OF wooden to another,
white cotton to a third, and colored cot
ton to a fourth. To follow the rag we
saw taken from the gutter, We should
have to go to the colored cotton corner.
From the sorting-room our dirty rag
will be carried, with lots of others, to
the cutting-room. This is a terrible
place, where unfortunate girls sit at a
sort of bench, on which are fixed sharp
knives. The girls cut the rags into
shreds, splitting open hens, and taking
off buttons. This, as you can guess, is
fearfully dirty work. The room is full
of aust, and the girls look like quite
respectable drt-heaps themselves. As
soon as the rag is shredded it gees
through a trap-door in the floor, and
falls into a big tub.
There Aren't you glad it has come
to a washing-place? 1t fairly makes
one feel dusty to think about handling
such things. In that tub, with plenty
of lime-water, it boils half a day, and
I'm sure it needs it. Lime-water, per-
haps you know. takes not only the dirt,
but every bit of color out of things.
You girls who have made "skeieton
leaves" know all about it.
From this very thorough bath the rag
goes, white and clean, into the cutting.
machine. This wouldn't be a very nice
place to fall into-and it's right on o
level with the floor too. 1t is a large
round vat, with sharp knives revolving
all the time. They cut the rags into
threads, while clear water runs ovel
them all the time for five or six hours.
Don't think it's clean enough yet.
After all this cutting and rinsipg the
water is drawn off, some chemical stuff
put in, and left for two hours. Then the
water is turned on, andth knives begir
again, and cut and grind for five or siA
hours more. OF course, by this time,
after all these knives and chemicals anC
~waahings, there's not a rag and hardly