The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-10-11
COTTON RAGGING.
Convincing Proof That Cotton Bag
ging Wlthstands Fire While
the Jute Ignites.

tn9 JuCe lgDlteS.
The new Lane mills cotton baeginp,
which is proving such a stun bling block
to the "Jute Begging Trust" and will
finally cause the demoraliz Ition of that
Infamous combine, was subjected to
another severe test in connection with the
jute bagging, and the cotton article, as
usual, was awarded the victor. 1t had
proved its superiority to the jute article
in the press and handling, and yesterday
the "fre test" was made, and the cotton
bagging left its contestants 50 far in the
rear that there can no longer be any
doubts as to the relative merits of the two.
The test was made at the Commercial
Cotton Press, and the object was to de-
eide in practical way the infammability
of the new cotton covering as compared
with jute. To do this three bales covered
with the new cotton bagging and three
covered with jute were taken, the three
covered with new bagging being put up
in presence of the visitors. Then three
of the newest and best covered bales put
up in jute were selec ed from the stored
cotton, every hole ia the iute being
patched. One bale of each lot was care
fully compressed, the others being left as
put up. First one uncom pressed bale in
jute was laid upon a compressed bale in
the cotton bagging, and then a com
pressed bale in cotton bagging was laid
upon a compressed bale in iute. This
was done at the instance of the insurance
men, who thought the severest
test would once and for all
prove the superiority of the. two
materials. Then match was applied to
the com pressed bale in cotton bagging,
but its smooth surface offered nothing
for the flame to seize upon, and beyond
the burning OF the loose end of the Irvine
with which the wrapper had been sewed it
received no injury. The match being ap-
piled to the jute-covered bale, the flame
caught and spread with alarming rapidity.
While the whole cloth did not ignite at
once, the fire swept over the surface with
remarkable activity, while in many spots
the fire ate its way into the body of the
bagging within thirty seconds from the
time it was lgnited, and in very short
time both the bales in jute we're burning
rapidly while the bale in cotton bagging
sandwiched between them was only
scorched in a few places, and then not
until the jute covered bales were burning
so freely that the hose had to be turned
on them.
Though the test proved the superiority
of the cotton bagging, the managers had
still more severe one in store. The
bale covered with the cotton bagging,
which had resisted the fire from the two
bales of the jute covered cotton, had a
bucket of burning cinder5 poured upon it.
While they burned holes in the new bag
ging here and there, when the cinders
were brushed off the fire showed no dispo-
sition to spread, the GALS merely burning
through the covering and charming the
cotton, leaving the space between the
holes intact. This proved conclusively
that it would take fire long time to gain
Roadway in a cargo of cotton put up in the
new bagging.
The test was witnessed by Messrs.
Douglas West, Clarence Low and Peter F.
Pescud, representing the Underwriters
associations; Mr.. Marshall j. Smith and
Mr.. Vim. M. Railey, representing the Ma
rine underwriters; Messrs. E. II. Farrar,
Morris Stern, Gudmann q Kahn, of the
Crescent Cotton pickery, and others.
Everyone was fully satisfied with the test,
and even the more sanguine admirers of
the new bagging were agreeabiy sur
prised. In unqualified terms Mr.. P. F.
Pescud expressed his preference for the
new bagging. He said the experiment
was thoroughly successful one in every
respect. "Jute," he continued, "and jute
factories are placed in the prohibited list
of risks by nearly every company, if not
every company doing business in America,
and yet, strange as it may appear, these
same companies have been in the habit
of allowing planters to wrap such an in
flammable substance as cotton IN this
most infammable of all wrappers.
The farmers of Travis county should
give the cotton bagging trial.