The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1888-12-08
IN A TWINE FACTORY.
Comparatively. Unknown Facts
About a Great Industry.


that there are about eight million dol
lars worth of flax and hemp strings
made in this country every year. not the
big sorts of strings that are dlgnihed by
special titles such as lines, ropes, cable and
hawsers, but just strings that are Jumped
together under the broad name of twincs.
And, besides, there are great quantities
of cotton strings, ana here aud there still
few paper ones, though the latter invent.
ed when cotton was so high priced during
the war, and then quite commop-aie now
seldom seen.
There are eight Irvine factories. three in
.he upper part of this State, two In Massa-
chusctts, two in Newark, and one, the
largest, in New York City. This latter en-
ploys 500 hands, and turns out 1900
pounds per diem of finished twines and shoe
thread, ranging in value from "A cents to
$l.U per pound. In addition to these eight
there are scattered through the East sew
eral small establishments, but there are
none, large or small, in tho West and South
These statistics are perhaps little dry,
but the clammy s0lidjiy OF cold fact seems
necessary to give some idea of how very
big, after ALL is this interest that few per-
sons not directly concerned with it realize
as being OF an especial Importance.
Mr.. Hlnde, the general manager of the
factory, accords some interesting facts con.
corning the industry. He says:
We use only FAX and hemp. We have
experimental with other fbers, principally
ramie, but they did not work well. The
necessary processes Of manufacture seemed
totake all their strength out Of them. Cot
ton string is made in the cotton factories,
not by the Irvine makers. Most Of the fax
that we use Is imported, the finest grades
from Holland and France, and its cost is
from 2A0 to f75 sterling per ton. Flax tow,
which we also use, costs 10 or IL cents per
pound. The import duty on FAX is 10 per
ton for the fine hacked article, go per ion
on the crude, and $40 per ton on tow. Some
max Is supplied in this country, but not a
great deal. The best source of supply that
we have on this continent is from Rens.
seiaer County, in this State, and some
comes also from Canada. Hundreds and
thousands Of tons Of fax straw are burned
up annually by our Western farmers. Thew
grow 1t for the sake Of the seed and will
not take the trouble to save the valuable
noer from the straw. In Canada the On
tario millers pay the farmers 80 per acre
Ior max land, the miller supplying the seed
and gathering the crop, while all the farmer
does is TO plow the land and seed II in.
There both seed and fiber are carefully
saved, and it is much to be regretted that
our agriculturists are not equally thrifty
The heavy duty that is put upon fax, and
the good and ready market It commands.
ought to encourage them To grow it for the.
sake OF the fiber, but does not seem to do
70. know that . prejudice EXISTS in the
minds Of many farmers against fIax. be-
cause they believe that it wears out the
land 80 rapidly, but . contrary opinion il
entertained by many equally wei,-informed
growers. know Of Q farm in Canada that
has been planted in AJAX for twenty years,
ana yields rs much now as ever.
I'VE get good deal Of hemp from Ken.
lucky, and some from Missouri and Illinois.
but are forced to depend mainly upon for.
eign supply. Our native hemp is worth
srD per ton unhackled, or about 10 cents per
pound unhacklcd, while the best from
abroad italian-costs $40 per ton. The
duty Is s2a per ton. Our Kentucky hemp is
Of a strong and long fiber, generally about
~ ieet long, but has a dark, dirty brown
color There is no reason, however why il
should not be produced as fine and white as
inc Italian. 1 remember seeing, in 1910.
some hemp grown by Henry Clay on his
and prepared for the market
Under his supervision, which was equal to
an,' imported. The next best hemp to the
Italian rs the German The Russian ia
coarse and dark. By bleaching and soften
ING lis fbers we arc enabled to make Irvine
from hemp that is SO smooth. strong and
me that 1t is hardly distinguishable from
linen twine, still for the best goods, such as
: harness twinc" or "loom cord - and
nshing lines, we employ only the purest and
bestf fax. For certain grades Of Irvine fiax
and hemp are used together and some az
opf small brightly colored cords, used for
lne ornamental tying up OF packages, are
MADE wholly OF hemp, which takes and re-
Jams bright dyes much better than FAX
10es.n
superintendent Hinde, q big, eood-na.
!ured, and good looking young giant LED the
vav into realm Of clatter, roar rattle and
lust, the first impression at sight OF which
vas that it was an nextricable confusion Of
girls and machinery, that the girls eli ma
heir hair in curl papers, and that thev
we're tine lot Of sturdy armed young ANA,
ous. W T-T
"The max fber,m he said, "is first
'ombcd, or, as 1t 10 technically termed.
scutched.' Then it goes to the spread
'oard, where it Is laid out strai ght, and Of
% uniform thickness as possible, in four
ines, on endless aprons that carry it I'D to
'ackle-like teeth, that old it straight and
teady while II is subjected to the drawing
ction Of rollers moving faster than the
ate OF it, delivery. The soft, ever Nod Of
traight fibers thus formed Is caiiert
sliver.' Twelve OF these are nut into
drawing Frame extended and delivered a.
ne, and this operation is repested three
INES, twelve 'slivers' each time being
rawn into one which is not thicker than
ne Of the twelve had been bsfore drawing.
y this time the Abers are all std.ight end
isDosad with perfect evenness. The
liver il now lightly twisted. and 80 be.
ONES = 'rove,' ready for tho SPINNING
rains. The processes OF spinni6R aud
visiting strands together for the stain.
rent Of any desired degree Of stoutness
re too generally understood to be- worth
etailing. Hemp is worked up IN the same
nv as fax. Tow, which il oniy used for
: = - =. 4.