Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-10-31
Weaving Elastic Goods.

The Glendale rubber works at EaS
Hampton Conn.,, are the largest of tn
kind in the country. There we wer
shown the crude rubber and its variou
transformations through to the finished
elastic-suspender or webbing. Ii
South America the crude rubber i
caught from the tree on stick shaped
/ like common lath, and the Jumps, a.
sOllditied, vary in size, but are nearly al
the same shape, nearly round, avera
ging about one foot in diameter, thiI
on the edge, and from two to six inche:
! thick In the centre. These pieces art
cut In halves through the centre to re-
move the stick, then placed in tank
of luke-warm water. After being sOf
tened they are taken and fed between a
pair of powerful corrugated rollers.
After leaving these, the junk of rubber
has changed from hard, solid disk to
fiat, any shaped piece, closely resemb-
ling hOneyeOmb tripe. suggested to
, our guide that it would be good SUBJ
stitute for the latter, for some practi-
cal joker 1t is then taken to other
rollers set at varying distances till the
finishing machine is reached and for
some uses the substance is reduced to
the thicknes of paper and about a yard
III width ana is Iun on rolls to be sold
by the foot or yard, similar to cloth.
Sulphur and pumice stone are largely
used to prevent its sticking together.
For threads used in elastic and web
bing, large drums are wound with the
sheets. These drums slowly revOlve
against a circular knife, fed to cut the
threads line OF coarse. as required. The
feed is so arranged that the threads are
many feet in length; how many, your
readers can tigure,-the drum being,
say feet in diameter and three feet in
length. The threads are taken TO the
looms and arranged according to
whatever article is required, from the
single cori elastic to the wide cloth
known as shoe web.
The weaving of elastic braid and sus-
penderS Is marvel of inventive genius.
The looms, with the variety of colors
In silk and cotton threads suspended at
various angles and woven into these
fabrics, is an attractive sight. 1t is i'll
the manufacture of suspenderS that the
first drawn by hand, then the patterns
are punched i'll sheet cardboard. These
are sewn together and placed over the
looms, and these patterns are exactly
reproduced IN the woven strips, which
are wound on reels, ready for the cut
ters. Some of these patterns are beau
tIful- If the ladies were obliged to
wear suspenderS, they probably would
Invent some fashion to wear them out
side as an ornament. The latest design
Is called the bicycle pattern, and is
made III all cOlors of silk, a bicycle and
rider being woven In each SuSpender
SO as to come just below the wearer'S
shoulder in front.
Great care is taken to keep these pat
terms from being stolen, and Positive
ly No Admittance" Is conspicuous
notice on the door when the Jacquard
looms are running. 1t was only
through the positive assurance of our
guide, Mr.. William Mayer, that we
were passably honest, and in no way
likely to engage in the business, that |
the superintendent ordered the small |
boy to admit us.
The cutting, stitching, and packing |
Is done in a separate building. The |
sewing machines are run by machi-
merry. All the stitching and binding is |
done by the piece. Tie tips are woven |
so that at just the required length the |
buttOnhole is formed by the loom.
Several amusing instances of the va
rlOus means adopted by some of the
girls to increase their figures on the
payroll were related to us by the su-
One girl was mistrus-
led, and watch was kept. For sever
Al days nothing could be found out.
Finally the card which she returned
was found so large that the lady who |
receives the work was inquired of; she
lenied having put that amount of
work on the card, and the girl was dis
charged. In her drawer was found
Ong copy on which she had practiced
ill she could exactly initiate the lady'S
signature.
The town has many beautiful streets.
The removing of the front fences is
becoming quite popular. The Wiliiston
College and Free Library are, as their
names denote, mainly tue gift of sin
sle individual. The library building
contains a reading-room and library,
md one wing is devoted to curiositieS
md relics. The reading-room did not
eem to be as well patrOnized as one
would think-a single occupant having
t all to himself. The college buildings
Ire well proportiOned. A tall and
Unique tower ON one of them is prom
nent object miles away. There are
bout l5O students present at this term.
Their background is close to the build
ngs, the nearest one having wire
Greens over the windows, apparently
o protect them from foul balls. They
'lay base ball in the spring and foot
'all in the fall. y practice game of
he latter was being played according
o the Rug by rules-the first ever
Sltnessed-and the shouts OF the Op-
'oSing captains, of Down himl"
Throw HIM dOwnl'' ''Tear his shirt
If, if you can't down him without
ed me to think that base ball, by COM
arison, instead of being called dam
ercus, should be claSsed among HARM
ess sports.