The Portland daily press., 1888-03-12
HEAD-C
How the Felt Hat Is Evolved From
Chaos.

Chaos.
An Interesting Series of Processes
Described.
Positively no admittance without per
NIT from the Office. Persons entering with
out such permit will be ordered out" Such
was the notice over the entrance to the big
brick building at which the reporter stood
looking. AT the back Of the building rose 9
huge brick chimney from which there issued
dense clouds Of black smoke. The noise Of
machinery could be heard from the outside
but there was nothing to indicate what kind
of manufacturing was going on inside.
Il guess I'll go in there" said the reporter
and, suiting his action to his words, he step
ped across the street and entered.
20, yes; it'll be all right; you're news
paper man; )" said one of the proprietors, al
he glanced at the card handed him. "Well
we make hats here; not straw hats, but fell
hats, and may be you would like to see how
it's DONE" An answer in the affirmative be
ing given, man was summoned for guide
through short passageway and then up two
long flights of stairs. "This," said the
guide, on arriving at the top of the second
flight of stairs, sis the wool stock room
Those long sacks contain wool, Of which the
better quality of hats are made. Hats of an
inferior quality are made by mixing with the
wool.quan:ities of shoddy, that black, ,woolly
81, Cd 81 fbf fuI,f A, thor, laI
the way to an adjoining room, which con-
tanned machine which looked, externally,
not unlike those used for threshing grain.
This Is the burning machine, so called be-
cause it removes from the wool all burrs and
similar foreign matter which may have lodg-
ed init. This, then. is where the process Of
making felt hat begins"
Passing down to the next story, the second
step in the process was witnessed. in what is
called the carding room. This room con-
tains number of long machines of a multi
plicity Of parts and intricate movements.
Quantities of wool are put into the mouth Of
the machine. which feeds itself. Here it is
carded, and comes out at the other end of the
machine in a thin belt, about sixteen inches
wide, which is wound around what is called
a cone. This cone is made of wood, and
consists, properly speaking, Of two cones
placed base to base. The cones are rounded
at the apexes, and their diameters
will measure some sixteen inches.
When the cone has been covered
with the wool to the thickness of about half
an iIch, bell is rung and the operator with
pair of common sheep shears cuts the wolly
covering where the bases of the cone come
together and removes 1t in two pieces. Thus
are produced two hats in their primitive
state. The machine is gauged to make hats
of certain weight" said the guide, "and
when a sufficient amount of wool is wound
upon the cone the bell rings to notify the
operator. Ladies' summer hats are made to
weigh about q ounces, while mems hats run
from 81 to Al ounces. Each hat is weighed as
a sufficient quantity of the light wool is cut
off, so that every hat in the same grade has a
common weight. One machine will make
about forty dozen Of these hats in day.
''This room," said he, advancing TO the
next apartment on the same floor, SIS the
hardening room, so called because OF the
hardening process which the softlwoolly hats
undergo. A wet cloth is placed upon bench
through which steam arises from chest un-
derneath. A moist cloth Is then placed inside
the hat, which is laid on tue bench and COW
cred with another moist cloth. A board COW
flat-iron is then shut down firmly upon the
hat and made to move rapidly back and for
ward by steam power. After this process
has been completed the hat looks very much
like one made of piece of home manufac-
tured blanket"
Descending another flight of stairs. the
guide led the way through dark passage to
the fulling room. Here, then. was made the
fourth step in the manufacture of the hat.
Such noise was made by the machinery that
one had to shout to make himself heard in
conversation.
Several dozen hats are put into these
strong wooden tanks which contain soft
SOAP" said the guide, "and are pounded by
these hammers for two hours" The ham,
mers referred to were huge wooden ones,
moved by. steam power to strike heavy
blows. There were two at each tank and
they struck alternately. BY this process
the hats are hardened so that they will stand
the heavier blows of the wooden hammers
in the next tanks to which they are removed.
The second pounding process is carried on
for from 20 to 20 hours.
There, this is the wash and dye room.
After leaving the fulling room the hats are
taken in here, the soap thoroughly washed
out and then dyed, after which they are
again washed" The room was filled with
steam and here and there were huge tanks
filled with liquid dye and water"
Formerly" said the reporters attendant
as they passed through the apartment to q
large cylindrical revolving machine, "all
fancy colored hats were dyed In the stock
and the black hats were dyed In body after
leaving the fulling room, but here Is ma
chine that dyes them in body any color. The
hats are placed in that tank and made to
pass through the dye as the tank revolves."
"After being dyed they are placed while
wet with steam, on what is called tip
stretching machine which is worked with a
treadle After the tips have been stretched
the hats are blocked and then run through a
brim stretching machine, which consists Of
four iron rollers placed two above the 9TH
ers. This machine rudely shapes the
brim."
vet TO- Come ws wts tas nst ana snt m hff snSM %sSs
you another process that has to be
gone through with. After the hats
have passed through the wash and dye
room and become dry they are taken in here
to be dealt with" said the guide opening the
Look out for the machinery and mind you
don't get caught in the belts. The machin-
cry here is used to remove the rough exterior
of the hats and give them finished appear
ance. The wheel against which they are
pressed is covered with very. fine sand
paper which does the work admirably and
so quickly that the hats are as warm when
taken away as if they had been placed under
a tailor's goose" "What have YOU got in
that box, asked the reporter, who was anx-
i0uS to know what caused the clatter inside,
81 should think from the noise that it was
full of big June bugs which were humping
their heads against the sides to escape"
"Well, it does sound something like that.
You see this last process necessitates anoth-
er. There, you can see what's in the box. +"
said the guide as he opened small door
which admitted of a view of the interior.
Scores of hats were seen flying through the
box and as they passed downward they tap
ped against the sides making the noise which
had attracted the reporters attention. II
should think enough hats passed through
that box In five minutes to cover the Uranium
Of the entire populace," exclaimed the re-
porter.
"You see when the hats were sandpapered
they were covered with DUST" said the at
tendant, ''and they are put in this machine
to be busted. After they are busted they
are taken to the stiffening room where a
fluid is put upon the brims with
a brush to make them stiff. Then they are
put on racks in the drying room which is
kept at a temperature of 120 degrees, after
which they are removed and slowed away in
the stock room. All Is now done but the
finishing, and this is process by itself The
hats are made in any style and trimmed to
suit the orders of our agents. The crown is
given peculiar shape, the brim made broad
or narrow while this or that kind of a band
We never finish hat until it is ordered.
You see the finishing room Is full of
machinery which performs these different
operation"
machinery"