Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-16
SILK THREAD MAKING.
An Industry that Is Rapid G aiming
Ground on the Pacific Coast.

The silk industry is one of the most
promising that California possesses,
1t is but two or three years since 1t
was proven by practical demonstra-
ton that 1t could be succt ssfully car
ried on here. There are three factor
les in the state, and they are all proS~
pering. One produces fine piece goods,
another fringe for upholstering and
the third is restricted to the produc-
ton of silk thread. Altogether, they
give employment to about sixty ar
tisans. Thus far the great stumbling
block in the way of complete success
has been the lack of skilled hands 10
reel the fiber from the cCcoons, but
the state school in this city, estab-
lished with the object of training girls
and koys in this labor is making ex-
cellent progress. Meanwhile silk
manufacturing has planted itself on a
firm basis. without waiting for domes
ic production OF the raw material 10
tattain such a development that it
could supply its demand. The most
important silk manufacturing house
on the coast offered, when the present
proprietors began operations, TO take
all the good raw silk that could be
produced in the state. They have
seen themselves forced however, to
rely for nine tenths of their stock thus
far upon the imports from Italy and
Asia. An odd feature of the business
is that much of this raw silk is Import-
ed through San Francisco and goes
to New York, where that portion
needed by the thread mill here is set
apart and shipped back. The cost of
transportation from Japan to New
York is about 8 cents pound, and
from New York to San Francisco
about 5 cents. The advantage OBJ
tanned in price is believed to counter
balence the cost of SO much unnecess~
ary transportation, but an effort is to
be made TO break bulk here so as to
reduce the "laid down" price. II this
can be effected the San Francisco
| manufacturers would have marked
superiority in position over their east
ern rivals. They are already, accor d.
ing to the statement of the leading
manufacturing firm, able to sell as
| 10 W as the latter, and sometimes even
lower. OF the kind, just as fine goods
are made here as anywhere else in the
world, and the Pacific coast jobbers
| Der could do muuh to encourage the
prosperity of this region if, when the
| foreign manufacturer offers no better
bargains, they would give their pre-
| ference to the domestic one. Despite
the fact that many of them do not do
so. thread manufacture has steadily,
| grown and new machines have been
recently added 10 the factory. These
| cost some thousands of dollars, and to
run them a considerable increase oi
help is required. AT present about
fifty girls and boys are employed,
many more of the former than OF the
latter. Their wages average 81 day,
some hands receiving only 80 cents
and others $1,25. A few of them were
experienced in the trade when they
were engaged. but the great majority
have been taught hear AT the begin
Ling, of course, they earn nothing,
but :heir pay, when once they COM
mence to receive it gradually increases
as they grow more skillful, until in
the case of special aptitude, it reaches
| the maximum.
The process OF making silk thread
is exceedingly interesting. The work.
room at the factory is about twice as
| long as it is wide, aud it is full oi
buzzing and whirling machines. On
one side beautiful masses, of raw silk
are seen piled up on a low counter
in corner hundreds of boxes of the
spooled thread, as varied in color as
| Joseph's coat, are ranged in orderly
| fashion upon narrow shelves. The
raw silk arrives in bales and OF from
100 to 140 pounds each, and worth
s4OG to 500, according to its quantity.
| Each bale consists OF bundles called
books" and they in turn consist OF
skeins. There are two hundred OF
more skeins in a bale, and every one
contains about thousand yards Of
cocoon thread. The raw silk has little
gloss, but is a sort dull white. 1t is
first soaked in a preparation oil
water and a special kind OF soap.
About per cent of the animal
gum is thus removed. 1t is then
put in a press and the liquid is squeezed
out of it. After that it Is wound for
the first time on a bobbin, the cocoon
threads being generally run quintuPle.
| The machine can however manage
them in octuple. The thread is now
well started upon It's journey toward
perfection. It passes from bobbin TO
| bobbin and from machine to machine,
in each receiving more strength and a
tighter twist. Atechnical description
of the details of the process would fill
a great deal of space. The sIzas OF the
completed threads are finally classi-
fed by means of weighing machine.
which indicates the most delicate diff
ference not distinguished to the eye.
The threads consist of from As to $50
original fibers. Astre.ehing machine
makes the weight, size, AID Strength
as nearly uniform as possible. After
this the remaining gum, about rs per
cent, Is boiled out. The thread then
goes to the dye house which is situat-
&c In another part of the city. A
i h,ndroh or more 0f shades fints and