The daily gazette., 1880-02-05
SECOND EDITION
american SilHs.

Iah EhOhMOUS DEVELOPMENT OF
THIS NEW AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
From the New York Sun.
The rapid and enormous development
Of the American silk manufacture. which
Chotteau asks our Government to help
the French 70 kill lis exemplifed through
out by the growth Of our silk machine
twist product. A Massachusetts manu-
facturer began the sale of sewing silks
in 1856, on a capital Of $25. In 1876 he
gave employment 10 1000 operatives,
and sold in that year o value of $780,
600. Now American twist and sewing
silk is produced of such high quality and
at such low prices TO stop foreign impor-
tati0ns, and one of our largest establish
ments, is selling machine twist In Eu-
rope. .....'-s ~. b. III. ...,-
Our fabrication of ribbons was begun
only In 1861. At first only plain tafje ss
OF broad widths were produced. The
manufacture. advanced from -taffetas TO
gros grains Of all widthsS thence to sat
ins, double-faced and two-toned, until
weaving of brocade or jacquared ribbons
of original American designs was fully
established. The fight was hard one,
but the victory is so complete that now
only Inferior ribbons, principally schappe
and tafeta, are imported in considerable
quantity, and foreign manufacturers are
forced to initiate American tickets, trade
marks, and designs.
The genius Of the republic is to make
machine do mans work, and to make
the machine watch and tend itself. Our
silk machinerery,unlike that of Europe,
Is automatic. For this reason IL is a say
ing in the trade that 1t costs five times as
much 10 tie knot in this country as In
France. Therefore the strongest and
most perfect thread must be used here.
The unifOrnDess of the work of an au-
tomato machine exceeds that of the hu-
man hand. Our power looms for weav-
ing broad or piece goods of reeled silk,
and plain gros grains of all colors, have
been a surprise to the manufacturers Of
Europe, who had no idea that such work
could be done automatically, Amy bro
caded fabric now made, or ever hereto
fore made, in Italy, France, or Belgium,
can be reproduced on the Paterson
looms. While 1t is estimated that near
ly third of the plain silks consumed
in the United States are made here, it is
estimated that much larger proportion
Of the brocades are of American manu-
faotare. Fabric OF much more difficult
~ are wrought on our automatic looms.
All the combinations of the gros-grain
satin, brocade, and grenadine drmures
are to be found in some OF our special
products. The more complicated and
difficult art Of lace fabrication has reach,
ed such perfection with us that there il
no kind of machine silk lace which can
not be made here, even to the limitation
of all the thread laces, and, with the
inevitable result of domestic competition
that the prices are lower, while tht
qualities are better thanthose of import
ed, aces. ........
White and very light brocades, in de
mand for ball and wedding dresses, are
among the recent and successfully anbi
tious efforts Of the American manufac
ture. They are OF absolutely pure silk
and are so lustrous that even an exper
would not be able to distinguish them
from reeled silk fabrics, except by criti.
cal examination. The purchasers advan
tage In buying these goods Is manifest
While in appearance and actual worth
for wear they are equal to imported bro.
oades 10 sell at So to $4 per yard, ours
are sold at half those prices.
Seven years ago the dyers of Paterson
u0t0 buht IL was luDObSlOl6 W D6IitCbly
dye pure black silks in their establish
ments by reason Of supposed adverse
elements in the Passaio water. Three
years ago one of the Oldest of our silk
manufacturers despondiDgly declared:
II do not hope to live to see plain black
dress silks made in this country. There
Is no prospect Of 1t at present." Now q
dye Is given to American silks fully
equal to the celebrated back dyes of st.
nlannnnnA uhilo rnrfoat
weaving Of these most exacting goods Is
achieved on an automatic loom, which,
attended only by 14-year old boy or
girl, will turn out sixteen yards of broad
gross grain in day.
Our manufact arers are giving special
attention to making their goods as free
from weightinR by dye as possible-an
adulteratiou Of late years carried TO such
an extent in European black silks that,
with the exception of few of the high
est price, all are dishonesty doubled anc
trebled in weight. The American ma
kers claim that their broad silks are of
the highest standard of purity, and most
Of them accompany their goods with
directions for testing their purity.
The claim of superiority for PLAIN
American dress silks is sounded in the
excellence of the raw material. The first
great step in our advance in the manu-
factnre dates from the opening of the
overland railroad route, which brought
US raw silk from Asia. Before that time
we could get only the silk which Europe
rejected-the refuse Of the markets.
Since that route was opened the very
best comes to this country. Moreover, ,as
all the processes by which an inferior
article can be made to appear equal to
one OF higher grade are costly In labor
our manufacturers are glad to obey the
law that where labor is high priced the
best raw material il the cheapest.