Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-12-01


This machine did not quite do the work re.
quired Of Il bot was thought to be so mcri
,orious iha, a special award Of Iisoo was given
the inventor.
riiE HoNoLufu RANfE NAcHSE.
In order to illustrate just what is demanded
Of a successful machine for separating the cx.
terror bark and the gluten from the useful
fibre, the following description Of Mr.. Cole
mans machine, written by HIMSELF is intro.
duccd herr instead Of at the close Of the ~.
ticle:
The machine consists Of a series ~ small
rolls mounted in pairs on q suitable frame work
The first and third pairs of rollers are cDfru.
gated; the rest are smooth After the small
rollers come the slipping rolls, and after them
come the drying rolls The green stalks Of
ramic are fed from a table into the hrst pair Of
corrugated rollers, which break up the woody
stems and have a tendency to slip the bark on
the fibre An endless chain apron or belt de.
liyets the partially broken stems to the second
rollers, which in turn pass them on to the next,
and so on through the machine. Between the
different pairs of rollers arc perforated pipes
for letting wet steam and hot water on to the
ramie fibre as 1t is passing along through the
machine over the rolls are pipes jct,ing hot
water onto the rolls. The object Of the steam
and hot water Is to soften and dissolve the
gummy matter in the fibre, while the rolls
squeeze il out as fast as dissolved. After the
small squeezing rolls come the large slipping
rolls, which rcvolve in tank Of boiling water,
and the fibre is carried down into the tank
under the roll between two belts. These belts
are run over and between a large pair of
calenderng rolls filled with hot dry steam or
hot air, so iha, as the fibre comes up out Of the
bath and is run out between the drying rolls.
il will be dry enough to bale. Chemicals can
be used in the tank Of water IL it is wished to
bleach the fibre. BY making the machine
long and thus exposing the fibre to the con.
tinuous and prolonged action Of the steam,
every particle pf the gluten or gummy matter
can be dissolved and squeezed on, Of the fibre
The woody part and the bulk Of the gluten is
freed from the fibre by the few FIRST pairs Of
rolls and drops down under the machine. The
machine being thus continuous in its course
there need be no rehandling of the fibre TO en-
hance the cost Of cleaning it,"
In letter written to the Advertiser in 1876
Mr. Coleman said;
There have been few efforts made already
in this country to raise ramic, but owing to n
lack Of means for reducing the raw material to
n marketable state, and Of reliable information
concerning it, they have been heretofore
unsuccessful, excepting as they have proved
how well adapted is the soil of these islands
for the production Of the plant; and as 1t is al
ready growing here now, any who wish to en-
gage in its cultivation again, can obtain cut
tings or roots without the difficulty and delay
of importing them from another country.
The obstacles which have hitherto prevented
the success Of this important enterprise are
now, hope, removed, and let me also hope
that the facts which | here present to your
notice. will speak for themselves in manner
so forcbe as to be productive Of results that
will more than repay the government for any
outlay ii may see fit to make, and individuals
for being thereby induced to engage in an
enterprise as promising in its outlook as this
which is before YOU
Doctor Orzanam, a distinguished writer and
scientist, has examined the subject of the ramie
and has shown the great merits OF this plant.
1t appertains more particularly to the species
known as the white nettle of China, or China
grass, of which 1t appears to be the most
remarkable and useful variety.
The following, says Doctor Ozanam, is the
result OF an examination OF this plant with the
micrometer and the microdynamometer. in the
course of which the simple primitive fibre Of
the ramie was compared with that of hemp,
fax, cotton and silk.
This study relates to the microscopic struc-
ture; the length Of the primitive fibre; the
width Of the fibre; the thickness Of the fibre;
its resistance 10 traction; its elasticity of
strength before breaking; its resistance TO tor
sion ttwisting).
The following is statement OF the results
obtained, the magnifying power being SO dia-
meters: First-The fibre of ramie is, so to
speak, Of any length, as it has been traced
throughout length of IS centimeters, on the
field Of the microscope, without any break
being found in it, whether it be constituted of
continuous cellula, or whether the different
cellulas which succeed each other have lost
their points of separation by reason of more
intimate fusion one with the other. Hence the
fibre Of ramie possesses great strength. Second
The fibre Of flax and hemp, which appears
so long, is in fact, very short; these are cellula
fusiform iibres, of about centimeters long, in
juxtaposition at their extremities, and imbricat-
ed one upon the other. The breaks always
occur at the weak points Of their junction.
Third-The fibre of ordinary cotton is not
more than from to 3 centimeters in length
Cotton, which has a long staple, averages from
6 to ? centimeters; hence the weakness which
exists in cotton thread, Notwithstanding the
strength impaired to its united particles by the
twisting process.
The results of the analysis are as follows
Rame. so long, 6-Io mill broad, rico mill thick
Fax... scent. long 3-io mill broad. l-,oo mill thick
Hemp. cent. long, $40 mill. broad, j-Ioo mill thick
Cotton. scent. long 4-Io mill broad, 5Ioo mill thick
Silk -. meter long. s-Io mill broad mill. thick
Measurements obtained by the use of mic
rodynamometer and Professor Alcan's instru.
ments Of arts and trades upon ibres of cent
imeters in length
Sesi.anee 70 Fraction" strteA R'si'fa"ee to te,e.
Ran'ie, a. grains. mills -....,.. $50 turns
Hemp, grams. az mills. no turns
Cotton, grains. miils-...,,.... 6oo turns
Silk, grain. mills. ..-..... 1898 turns
Blu, these several iibres being of different
thicknesses their relative value could only with
difficulty be estimated If they were not all
brought down to a given quantity. Taking
the ramie as the unit, we readily and clearly
arrive at the following relative results:
7Aiekness. Traction. EAalaty Tsgist
||;:: : Es;::::: ! " W: ! y: ! W: w r.
Thus the fibre OF the ramie is longer and
more uniform than all the Others, after that Of
silk. II is stronger offers greater resistance to
traction and to torsion, and is more elastic than
hemp and flax, and even cotton, which is more
flexible in twisting. Ramie in these respects
only yields the palm to silk. fto these quail.
tiles we add those Of the sparkling whiieness
and brilliant luster Of It's fiber, the easy cultiya.
ton Of the plant, its rapid reproduction and
excessive multiplication lit yields three crops
yearly, and as much as 1000 pounds OF fibre to
the acre), there are surely many chances Of
success in store for the ramie plant.
Unfortunately for the success Of ramic in
these islands, Mr.. Coleman had not the money
10 back UP his belief in his Invention. lie