The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-12-30
The Story of The Decline and Fall Of
the SpitalfeldS Weavers.
AT A WORKMAN'S HOME
Ruined for Want Of a Pro.
tectiVe Tariff.
A TRADE WITHOUT A FUTURE

~ would were weaver" said Falstan Il could
sing all manner OF songs and In prosperous times.
with plenty Of work ana good wages, The Spialdelis
wcavers were jovial set They had their little gar
dcus where thoy found agreeable and profitable recro-
alton from the toll Of the loom In rearing
tulips for tho market Thcy took delight in singing
Birds and a. time supplied half London with lin
nets, goldnnches and other songsters which kind
hearted ladies' may hak wrong to capture although
they arc glad oftimes 10 buy hold them Ia cap
tivity In glded Cages. Tho poor wcavers were pro-
verbally lightnearted but tho times have changed,
and now their music II heard at ALL Is pitched IN tho
minor key. Their gardens are gone to mako room Tor
crowded population, their trade IL declining. and,
unless unexpected lie Is impaired to IT, Sptal
fields weaver will DO quite curiosity In the next
generation.
LONDON,
The silk weaving industry is carried on so quietly
In East London that to-day q stranger might walk
through tho narrow. cingy streets OF spisaelds and
Bethnal Green and return without perceivIng any
trace OF It. No silk manu factories there, except
few unimportant ones tor Weaving furniture bro
cades. Tho work Is done In the homes 81 the wcav-
era. as it was when begun by the French refugees,
who settled Ia the district 1885, alter the
OF the Edct Of Nantes. IL has been Mt intervals a
very nourishing industry and about forty years ago,
at the height oil It's prosperity IL kept 80 600 looms IN
motion.
VISIT TO sPTALPiELDs.
The writer lately visited Spiaineds to learn the
present condition OF silk manu- icture, to talk with
the wcavers, and especially TO know the truth
speeding the alleged authorizations OF silken abrics
Although tho east end OF London has lopg
been notorious for scenes Of poverty and
crime, and no would think Of looking
there for tho slightest trace OF fashionable
life 1t is still tho home OF many honest and ndustri-
Gus peope but roughs and thieves and outcasts nre
not lar away. Great Numbers OF dock lAborcrs and
street hawkers have their unsavory abodes in this
quarter Of London. During tho day tho main thor
oughlares are filed with women. Nearly all OF them
have children their arms They gather about the
cheap butchers shops and tho nshmongers' stalls
where haddocks sold tor u penny apiece, and,
alter looking and longing Tor some time, they BUY, Or
they stroll along looking into shop window where
beef steak puddngs ckeed for sale ut the ridcu
lous price OF three pence plate or stop u fcw mo.
ments TO hear the man who singing 10 y crowd Of
humble admirers. and announces, by large p'ncard
above head, that bis programme consists Of still
l Love Thee, Jim," and ''Poor Nancy Lee" Along
the street trade is brisk potatoes and fried nsh,
and the smell OF IL Is simply empowering. Fow
mon about. anu they look II they had just
turned from a housebrcaking expedition.
sPIrALPIELDs TOPOGRAPHY.
The silk weaving district lies directly east Of the
great horoughfare OF Bishopsgato aud Its continue
lion, shoreditch. Tho brick houses small ind
blacKened with SMOKE as in many other parts Of Lon
dom have peculiarly that OF broad upper
windows 10 admit plenty OF light to tho looms. In
some these large windows you Will great array
o. plants slgn that weaving Is discontinued. Ia
others you will notice The cardboard patterns OF the
jacquard looms in motion but many OF these
expressly built for weavers you Will see nothing 10
my MorK - manu- o Mne,s
there now but one. Many houses are tenanted by
cabnemakers the large windows are we'll suited
their WORK.
A wEAvERs HOME
An old weaver invited me into his house 1t was a
very humble abode in quiet street, whero the
sloried houses were all aiike aud lifted with wide,
upper windows. He and his wife lived there the sole
pants Of dwelling Tor children long
ago married and gone 10 i've distant places Tho
old man was very much exercised in mind ABOUT a
burglary which had taken place at neighbours house
| the night before lilo SAID mai thieves were very
troublesome IN the neighborhood, and his iron gray
hair stood in every direction, and his voice had tono
OF vehement earnestness whc he told his VITO the
story Of The robbery. Inquired II the weavers
doing we'll and nvsd in comfort ''Ahl" SAID he, ut
10 wonder how tho people live ~ all They Wall
soon be starving. !. am s,xty-iour and have
lived here since tour years oi age, but have
never seen tho trade SO bad as now My wife and
have savsda pound or Two ahead, bur" no added IN
doeiul tone, 1T won't last forevern II was sad to
look upon these elderly people without thor children
near them, and Obliged TO labor IN the evening OF
their days Tor scanty broad. "Come up, SIR" said
no, .'anc will show you my room" By narrow
staircase wo assembled 10 tho rom above IL was vol
lighted by large windows IN frons and rear, and
tended quite across the little house A largo stump
bed was ~ the centre OF the ROOM which set forth
conspcuously the double OF the apartment, and
loom OF simple CONTRADICTION stood along the large
back window whero he was weaving u piece OF reddish
brown ducspc sik TO be cut up into neck scarfs At
the other END OF the room another loom, but
partly taken down, because bis vile could get
weaving TO do
"How many hours a day do you work here'n
asked.
II begin at daylight and often work till hali-past
ten ~ night. can make three or Jour yards Of thls
In day, Tor which am paid tor the weaving ten
pence twenty ceuts) yard, but they sometimes take
i've per cent OF that We get tho silk already dyed
boboins from the manufacturers, who give US the
borders" Tho old man put on pair OF closentting
goggles, and took his seat al tho loom.
you nnd u trying forth eyes, no doubt working
.'Yes," he answered; "ihey put 80 much dirt into
the silk nowadays that IL nearly puts my eyes out
work ~ the weaving The colored silk am doing now
is not SO bad, but us the black, bless you that they
adultcrate the most. Sometimes the muck noarly
blinds me, and l have wear these glasses to Keep
my eyes ut ALL" Whie tho wea, plying hrs
shuttle his wife was engaged in cutting out with pair
Of peculiar SCISSORS, somewhat like those used In
warp-t1c longitudinal threads OF the fabric
or sitting at tho gull wheel by the fireplace shc
would twist upon the pulls to be inserted 10 the shut
tic the or shoot Tor the crosstn reads. warp
which Is composed Of two or three threads slightly
twisted together ana put on bobbins the call
'sram." Organzine is prepared from skoins Of raw
silk IL Is first wound upon bobbins. then assorted
ana spun and TWO or more threads are twisted TO-
gcthcr ohor boDbins Several OF these threads
twisted again into loops one two hundred yards
long. THIS process IS called ''throwing," ana tho
throwers work Is distinct department. Of the trade.
The Italian organznc IN great demand, but
the japan SILK seems TO be preferred for this pur-
pose.
SAMPLER
The old man brought out some samples oil what he
could do-narrow strips Of silk and satin--which no
kept IN an od Bible. Tho book OF Isaiah held
fancy patterns OF scarfs, the Psalms and Proverbs
were encountered with specimens OF ducape, the Acts
Of the Apostcs lined with pure figured silks and
| tho Apocalypse unfolded q superb piece Of black
satin.
THE THE scATPoLD.
"Ah /" he exclaimed, "thal's garment; bat We
have had no demand for black satin Mrs Man
ming, The murderess, executed In black satin
dress. SO she helped to trade, bad luck 10
herr Taking out another piece''This light silk my
wife did before were married. Nothing but the
pure SILK therc.b
edo you fear the competition OF the Lyons woav-
ersrn asked mo, we not afraid OF the French.
IL Is the Germans, who live nothing have
ittIo rent TO pay, that wo dread. Their goods
brought in tree Of duly and we can't compete with