Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-10
aMistellang.
4 New Renellant.

A New Repellant.
A new invention has been exhibited in
New York city which promises TO be as
important Is any invention of these ten
years, aud which is likely to elect great
changes in, if not revolutionize. some
branches of industry. The exhibition was
had ut IL West Sixteenth street. There
were present ex-Secretary McCulloch,
Richard Sugden Grant of the Paterson
locomotive works, +. o. French, General
Emerson Opdyke, David Mollit of the
Lite Pittsburg mine, and others.
The inventor, ID. NJ. Lamb, stood at n
table, on which WAS a washbowl, and he
held II piece Of broadclolh over the bowl
on the palm Of his left hand and poured
Croton water upon it from a pitcher You
see. il does not wet he said. He passed
he cloth around, and it was found TO be
dry. lie Subjected Il piece of black velvet
,H .H, same operation, with the same re-
s'.l ii dill not absorb any moisture, the
u.,'cr on striking It's silky pile forming
great giubuies and bounding of like quick
silver.
"What claim" said Mr.. Lamb, " is
that all fabrics treated by my solution are
rendered absolutely waterproof and moth
pIoA that it makes no difference what
ever in their appearance, and that 1t can
uc applied for Il cent yard.
This was an extreme claim. | will
show YOU, he said He took n silk hat
from the mantcl. " This hat has not been
thoroughly treated with the solution, but
only sponged with it on the outside, but
have worn it through all the rain. snow
and slcct of the last fortnight without any
protection, and you see how 1t looks.
The hat WAS passed around. 1t was as
smooth and glossy us if just handed down
from It hatter's shelf. " Here are two
pieces Of silk, cut from the same piece"
he said, producing two pieces of sleazy
silk Of II delicate sky blue. lone has
been treated and the other has not. ]
don't know which is which, and nobody
can tell by sight smell, feeling or any
other sense. They weigh the same, yet
YOU see" and he plunged them into the
washbowl. Presently he removed them
and shook them in the air. One was sat
urat, d--spoiled forever; the other was as
dry rs if Just removed from an oven. He
took an ostrich feather and plunged it in
the bowl; lifted it out and Tipped it in his
fingers so that any adherenL drops would
fall of, and handed it around. 1t was
quite dry.
He produced II piece of lovely pink vel
vet, one of the beautiful aniline colors,
and poured water on it. The result was
the same-it jumped off as quickly as
possible, like water from red hot stove.
Precisely the same result followed tie
submcrgence of lace and furs that had
been treated. They were perfectly repel-
liant.
- So of leather" he said, taking down
a tanned GOAT skin This is Kid" he
added, "such us ladies' boots are made of.
such II position that it would hold water,
and poured two quarts into the skin.
let it hang three days and three nights,
and at the end of that time it had not
leaked a drop, and half minute after
poured the water out of the kid it was as
dry as ii is now. have imprisoned moths
with these furs for year, and they would
slarvr if didn't give them something to
eat that had not been treated. The furs
are uHtoUched. Hereafter there will be
no necessity to lock up fnrs in summer"
- How much do you say it will cost to
subject goods to this treatment" asked Il
spectator who had just come in.
"A cent Il yard, perhaps" he answered.
Next to nothing, Gloves can be treated
for four cents dozen pairs, so they will
never spot or mldew."
Can clothing be washed and gloves be
cleaned that have been subjected to your
pyoccss"'
" Yes; Just rs well as before. The solu-
ton seems to enter into the fibre and rem
drrs all coIors absolutely fast. Nothing
will hdG hat has been treated with this
solution. Fading is produced by the ac-
lion Of light or heat on moisture, and my
goods never get moist. | boiled Il piece
of figured ribbon three hours, and it was
just as strongly water-repellant on taking
1t ont rs it was before"
What claim is this, he added short
~, " that in five years nobody can afford
10 wear anything that has not been treated
ly this process and rendered water and
mulh repcllant If II lady can go out
anywhere in storm without an umbrella
or ovcrshops, dressed in silks and velvets,
and feathers and laccS, with only n veil
over her face to keep the rain out Of that,
and can stay ont in the storm without get
Ting wei. VIII not every lady in the world
desire to be similarly protected, providing
it does not add anything whatever to the
price Of goods?"
"ilavc YOU any objection to telling what
your solution is?'
cannot tell exactly, even if | would.
My patents now cover the whole civil
lizcd world so there is no harm in saying
that the base is the hydro carbons with a
solution of India rubber. But there results
from my formula compound wholly new
10 chemistry, and even Professor Dorcmus