Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-11-18
A woNDERFUL DIsCOvERY.
The Poor SILK Worm 60 be Forced
Out OF Business.

The Poor SILK Worm TO be Forced
Out OF Business.
From the New York Timesl
American silk manufacturers have recent
ly had theix attention called to new discov-
cry, which was represented to them as a
cheap substitute for silk and was destined to
revolutionize the silk industry. 1t was the
invention Of the Count Hilaire de Chardon-
net of Besaneon, France, of a fibre, pre-
pared by chemical process, from cellulose,
and out of which fabrics are declared to
have been woven that resembled pure silk SO
closely that chemical analysis alone would
disclose the difference between them.
The story Of the discovery, as related in
meeting of the French Academy of Sciences
in 1884, the ravages of the silk-worm dis
ease was alluded to by the president, NJ.
Blanchard, and the suggestion was made
that chemistry should attempt the conquest
of the disease. Count Chardonnet is
chemist. He conceived the idea of placing
the silk industry beyond the hazards of
changeable seasons of production by forcing
the silkworm out of business. On May 7th,
1889, he announced the success of his work.
He said that 1t became apparent in the early
stages of his experiments that to produce
thread similar in transparency, texture and
briliancy to the product of the eilkworm it
would be necessary to spin 1t from some Ii
quid solution. Cellulose was chosen as the
starting point, the most convenient prepara-
tion of which was made frem certain parts
of young wood. With this material a pure
octo-nitIo cellulose was made by treatment
with nitric acid and then dissolved in a mix
ture Of thirty eight parts of ether and forty
- oil hall in NAkf Nf X
per cent. Such ISOLATION is called collodion.
The collodion was placed in a retert in
which an air pump kept up pressure of
| several atmospheres. The collodion flows
| off through tubes, at the outer ends of
| which are glass nozzles with hairlike aper-
lures of sizes to suit the desired fneness of
| the thread. These nozzles are surrounded
| byncylinders in which current of cold was
ter is kept In circulation. Az the eellulose
| flows out of the nozzles in fine fibres 1t is
| concealed by the water. A small automatic
machine is employed to lead the fibre off and
wind it. The thickness Of the thread can be
regulated perfectly and the hanks are made
up as in silk. This thread, like all substitute
| tion products composed OF starch or cellu-
lose in which hydrogen is more or less re-
placed by nitryl is termed pyroxylin. 1t is,
| under certain conditions, explosive, and
could not be considered practical substi-
tute for elk under such conditions. It is
| therefore treated with bath OF dilute nitric
acid, which removes the nitric acid from the
fibre and renders the fibre non.explosive and
| not mere inflammAble than silk. 1t can now
be made up into fabrics and dyed like real
silk.
Specimens of the fabric made by the orig
| inal and comparatively crude processes were
exhibited at the Paris Exposition and excl
ted great wonder and admiration. Patents
were obtained by Count Chardonnet In
France. Germany, England, Italy, Holland,
Belgium, Spain, Portugal and the United
States, the latter on September Sd. Manu-
facsurers in all theac ceuntries have been in.
vestigating the new fibre. About a month
ago the agsns Of Count Chardonnst appeared
in Now York with an offer to sell ths Amsri-
can patent for Eve hundred Thousand dollars
| and upon investigation of Secretary Richard
son of the Silk Association of America some
half dozen of the most prominent manufac
turers attended meeting at the association
rooms, at 70 Grand street, to investigate the