The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-08-29
BELLEVUE, KY.
Silk in the United States,
III ON the New York Sun,l

More than one-hall Of the silk products
consumed In this country during the
year that has just closed were OF native
manufacture. The TACT is probably a
surprise to most people, anu may we'll
draw attention 10 o branch of industry
| which, within decade ana half, has
made astonishing progress.
Repeated attempts to found silk fac
tories in the UEiled States had been
prosecuted with skill and capital, but
these, for the NEST part, proved unre-
munerative up to the outbreak of the
civil war and the high tariff regime
which followed. The necessity Of i'm
porting the raw material was, u disad-
vantage, but the relative high price of
labor seemed TO present a more insuper-
able obstacle to the success of the under
taking. a larger proportion Of handi-
work was, and still is, Indispensable in
twisting and weaving silk than in other
textile Industries. Much of this, uii-
doubtedly, may be done by women, but
they could rarely be hired for less than
81 q day, or ten times the sum paid to
silk throwers in China, and from three
to five times the stipend Of female,o pera-
tives in Italy and Southern Flance. -.
American ingenuity, however, had
contrlved to measurably neutralize
these drawbacks by improved mechan-
ical appliances. Before 1S40 Nathan
RixLord patented silk reel of his own
invention, which was material advance
on the Piedmont instrument. A number
of these reels were soon aiterward sent
to China, and although their intro auction
was attended with some difficulty, the
desired change was at length effected,
and Shanghai and Canton silk, ereeled
by RiXord's process, is now regularly
consigned to manufacturers in the Uni
ted States.
A more decisive Improvement on Euro
pean apparatus is presented by the So
called throwing machines built at Pater-
son, New Jersey, 1T being, OF course, un-
derstood that the technical word COM
prehends the various processes oil wind
ing, cleansing, doubling, twisting. re-
winding, reellng the raw silk. The adop-
tion OF this and other ingenious iHyen-
tions has enabled American manufac.
turers, under the tariff of 1865, to Offset
the excessive cost Of labor, and COM
pete successfully with foreign fabrics.
Thus, their demand for raw silk twenty
years ago fell snort of 81, 900, 600. whereas
this country at that date paid more than
$50, 900, 900 for the products of Chin ese
and European looms. BY 1875, however,
their consumption OF the crude material
had nearly quintupled, while the impor-
tation OF manufacturers silks had shrunk
to less than $24,000,0OO. The aggregate
value of the silk fabrics produced in the
United States during the last year is
computed at $27 000, 900. of which a frac-
tion was actually exported. We NAV
add that although our manufacturers are
working under tariff OF sixty per cent.
ad valorem, yet, owing to the strong
competition at nome, the price OF GER
tain goods for example, dress silks, RIB
bons and sewing silks, was never SO low
as now.
The market for the last-named product
is mainly controlled by domestic manu-
lactures. Our sewing silks and machine
twists are considered in some respeeJs
superior to the foreign article, and we
may mention that the substitution Of
spools for skeins was started in this
country. 1t may be, however, that the
remarkable evenness and freedom from
kinks secured by stretching machines
an American inventi0n-are Offset by
certain loss of strength and elasticity.
Fhe italian staple rarely needs artitioial
correction Of this sort. but Its high cost