The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-03-22

WHICH u, the QneSt IN the world. The 6r1t
bag of this sea island cotton of the crop OF
1876 was purchased by the Clark Thread Com
pany at fifty cents per pound. The inland
cotton is not used in the manufacture of
thread, being too short in the fibre. On these
sea islands were the richest planters Of the
South in
TIE OLD SLAVE DAYS,
many Of them having as high as six hundred
slaves, and compared with whom the feuda
lords of England were children in luxury,
hospitality, and elegance. But to-day all is
changed. Those vast estates are cut up into
small plantations, many of them owned by
the negroes, who now call no man master.
They bring in their seasons product, some
times on mule and again in large quantities.
Brokers on the ground or at the landings,
buy aud pay the negroes, tor their cotton,
often dividing the money according to the
labor performed in raising tho crop. Some
lease the land of the former owners, but the
old state of things is "dun clar' gone.' This
Grade and traffic, it may be fairly expected, in
few years largely increase the wealth and
intelligence Of the race in these localities. !
Ann o1A A6AANO Co1ION
brings treble the price OF inland. An acre
will produce in the neighborhood of three
hundred and fifty pounds OF seed cotton, which
when ginned weighs about seventy. five
pounds, or one to five. The negroes without
doubt will eventually grow all the cotton, as
not one in five of the Northern men have thus
far succeeded in their attempts. Let the read
er remember that we have not looked at a
single piece Of machinery yet, and then cal
culate the number OF people and the amount
OF wealth, these works employ and produce,
before We reach the factory. Thesail, the mine,
commerce and manufactures, all find employ
ment to supply The Clark Thread
Company's works, and when they
stop, the cotton may bloom and
fall unplucked, the coal miner may starye on
a bed OF black diamonds, the sails on the
rivers be spread to the breeze no more, and
the lathes in a hundred shops be lett to rust
in silence. The manufacture of Clark's 80
N. T." Spool Cotton embraces the islands Of
the sea and penetrates the bowels OF the earth.
utilizing the treasures OF wealth on every
hand, enrlching and blessing mankind at
every step, from the womb Of ages to the
spindles OF Newark. We will now examine
into the immediate sources of the power
which drives the endless machinery OF this
vast hive Of industry, with its sixty miles of
for heating purposes.
WE ENTER THE ENGINE HOUSE,
itself large enough for an ordinary factory.
Here is a mighty production Of human brain
and Drawn. In the presence of this monster,
significance and trailty. This vast piece OF
machinery, moving silently, save the sharp
click OF the improved steam cut-offs, is equal
in power to the combined draft of six hundred
horses and is two engines in one, usually term
ed double engine. The f1y-wheel, travelling
at the rate OF forty-eight revolutions per min
ute and carrying three huge belts on its
eight feet in circumference, twenty-f five feet
in diameter and weighs thirty tons or sixty
| thousand pounds. The shaft is fourteen
inches in thickness, the double cylinders are
twenty-six inches in diameter, with con-
deAsers, and stroke of five feet. They were
built by Corliss, in 1874. One of the three
belts on the fy-wheel is one hundred and
fifty feet in length. But even this double
monster could not run the works. 1t has a
big twin brother, and together they travel
every day for ten hours on their endless
journey, and never get tired. They are
wonders ofpower and elegant workmanship,
worthy OF visit from any one who wants to
see the
BIGGEST PAIR OF TWINS
in New Jersey. They are supplied with steam
from nine immense tubular boilers and four
large upright boilers, Corliss' plan They
consume twenty-five tons OF coal per day,
which will give some idea Of. the amount Of
steam necessary to drive the immense estab-
lishment. Besides these there are three Or
binary sized engines, made by Watts, Camp
bell, u Co., OF Newark in different parts ofthe
works, making seven in all, grand total OF
nearly fourteen hundred horse power. The
young mountain OF coal, which looks enough
two hundred and fifty ton boat loads, at briet
intervals.
MANUFACTURING THE THREAD.
The cotton is brought in bales to the mixing
rooms, when it is examined and placed in
bins, according to the different grades, ready
tor the scutching machines, which open and
heat the material, cleaning it from the dirt
and sand it contains in the bale. After going
through the scutching machine, it comes out
in the shape OF a roll, like wall paper, com.
pafatlvely soft, white and clean. It is, how
ever, really in very rough state, compared
with the fineness and perfection that is to be
reached. Several of these scutching machines
like the roar of a lightning express train, as it
Whirls past the platform where you stand
The first scutcher is ted with the bale cotton
from hopper which let's it through into
knives set IN large rollers, which revolve
with tremendous force, and lightning speed,
picking the cotton into small pieces ,and pass
ing it by suction of air, on to other rollers,
between which i: goes and comes out in the
shape OF a web or 'lap'' in large rolls. Four
OF these rolls are then placed u pom machine
like the first and run together through the
same process of
PICKING AND BEATING AND CLEANING,
when it comes out again in the same shape as
before, rolled to exactly the thickness which
it is desired to make the ''sliver' from which
the thread yarn is to be spun. What a
'sliver" is will be learned further on. The
machine is so delicately set that it regulates
the thickness of the web or lap to within hall
twelve to eighteen ounces. After being put
through three scutching machines in this
way and coming out with eight thicknesses of
web or lap similar to that produced by the
hrst process, it is ready for the carding ma
chimes. This Department is filed with card
ing Machines, Drawing Frames, Lappers, and
lC9'm?bing Machines, perfect labyrinth Of
which is like the roar ofmany waters mingled
with the clatter OF q thousand wheels. One
OF the large rolls of webb or lap that came from
the last scutching machine is placed on a
carding machine, which takes and runs it
BETWEEN THE TEETH
Of large and small cylinder for the purpose
OF drawing out the entangled 6bers and laying
them parallel or in the same line OF direction
and also to remove the small pellicles or
notes which may have escaped the action OF
the scutching machine. After being treated
in this way, comber or doffer takes the web
from the small cylinder, which is now deli
cate gauze; and it is gathered up and passed
through small hole, say halt an inch In size.