Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-24
WALKS AMONG WOODEN MILLS.
A Treatise on Wool Securing
Pirst step in the Manufacture of Cloth
ce.l d cIeanIna ,ne larme,.. l.Ieeee..

-
merciai Bulletin.
What 10 commercially known as
wool Is only about one-half or one
quarter quarter wool after all. Even
the flecccs OF Ohio aud Michigan,
which are called "washed wools,r be-
cause the sheep have been washed In n
brook or pond previous to shenrinQ,
must he subjected To a further cleans
ing az the mill and half their weight
washed away. Some of the ''un-
washed fall WOOL of California and
other sections of the country suffer "A
reduction of ~ per cent. in ayoirdupols
in process ofscouring. The substances
from which the fibres are olcansed
consist not only of sand and dirt and
other extraneots matter, but also OF
certain animal excretious and espe-
cially OF
A LARGE AMOUNT OF NATURAL OIL.
This oil Is all important element in
the growth of the fleece, its increase
being usually due to an Improvement
In the quantity or quality OF wool
shorn. 1hc weight OF grease In the
woods of Humboldt aud Mendocino
counties, California, for instance, has
increased or 8 per cent lately because
of improvement in quality. Ohio
woods, also, used TO waste ) or 10 per
cent less ia securing than they do to-
day. Every fibre Of fleece upon the
sheep has AT it's base bulb contain
ing the nourishing oil or ''yolk"
which Is az absolute necessity for hav-
ing Merno wool abundant or in good
condition. According as this secre-
ton of "yollS'' Is active. the fibres be
come fine, thick and long.
Millmen are sometimes inclined to
speak of the many thousands OF dollars
which they pay annually for grease
and dirt merely 10 be washed down
the rivers from their mills. But such
remarks are only partially true at best.
Manufacturers are every year becom-
ing more particular In testing the ac-
tual secured value OF wool before pur-
chasing; aud Il glance at the relative
quotations for washed, unwashed and
secured woods, shows that the prices
are 80 regulated that the clean fiber Is
about all that Is paid for in any case,
The cost of transportation is the prin-
cipal expense which results from send
ing the wool to market aud TO the fac
tory with the dirt and grease still in 1t
ONE METHOD OF SECURING.
prefer to scour their own wool, since
the success of subsequent processes de-
ponds to u great extent upon the thor
ough cleansing OF the raw material
with NJ little injury as possible TO the
fibre. Improper methods of cleansing
might not only break or destroy the IL
bre but also impair its felting proper
ties or unfit IL for curding,
spinning or dyeing. The securing de-
partment in WOODEN factory Is almost
always in charge Of the boss dyer. The
method employed in II representative
mill engaged in the manufacture OF
fine fancy casslnieres Is as follows \
series of four long iron tanks are 80
united that the wool can be worked di.
rectly from one tank into another. The
first tank contains liquid alkali, form
ed by dissolying carbonated soda ash
Ia water heated to n temperature o.
1902. The wool il fed into this first
tank and from there II goes between
two rollers which squeeze out Tho
alkali and deliver the wool into til,
second tank containing pure water
heated to Il temperature of 1902. The
wool comes from the second tank pref
w we'll freed from grease and dirt
but very fine goods are made In this
mill, and hence the wool goes into Il
third tank which contains Il weaker
solution of alkali with warm water
and soap. IT then passes through Il
second pair of squeeze rollers into the
fourth tank, through which clean cold
water IL continuously flowing The
wool has been handled through all tn,
tanks by automatic forks and othei
iabof-saving appliances. In this mil
200 pounds OF wool are put through
the tanks, after which the alkali Is nj
lowed to run Off and n fresh lot Is pre-
pared.
ANOTHER PROCESS.
Another method ofscouIiug which i
employed in large establishment
principally for short and heavy wool
like fall California, low pulled, Ne.
may he thus described: The wool is pu
into n tub containing n securing liquit
which il variously prepared, accordin,
TO kind OF wool used, The average
temperature of the water is 1902, but i
sometime made az low ~ 1902
while for very greasy woods it Il
brought up to li0'. Anything abov,
lino Injuries the fibre OF the wool, ant
il Is to be noted that water which i
either very hot or very cold tends Il
ttll Ntlt libItS ttktilttE 'liit nv Nlttiitii
for spinning In this establishment
some fall Texas and Mestiza or Mont
video woods are secured in hot waite
alone, without the use ofother ingredi
ents than are furnished by the wool II
self. For higher bred and more greas,
woods, In addition To to the allxali mad
from carhonnted soda ash, as allude,
TO above, y miscellaneous assortment O
securing materials are made and sol,
under great variety of names.
From the tub the wool Is lifted by
man with hand fork into Il draine
lined with perforated zinc, through
which what liquor was lifted out will
the wool runs back into the tub. Thi
securing liquor IL used over aud owe
again throughout the day, but Is nj
lowed to run oil at night SO that
fresh tuhfull can be made in the morn
ing. From the drainer the wool /
thrown into rlnsiug box lined Will
perforated coppcethrough which clea
cold water Is kept running. Tn
wool must bo only Kept In this box I'm
Gil IL Is clean, ~ Il protracted retention
OF IL in cold water would have tn
effect of ''fullingN or fclting il. Ate
rinsng, the wool Is taken out an,
quickly freed from n portion of its su
perfuous water in Il hydro-extracter--
perforated metallic basket, whicl
makes |, 100 revolutions per minut