Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-07-19
THE ACCORDION PLAT.
Solution of What Has Hitherto Been Coz
aIdnred a EIral-C CIaaa MNnInrN.

sidered a First-Class Mystery.
II has been the good fortune of your
correspondent TO find a solution for
what has hitherto been popularity re-
garded as a hrst-class mystery namely:
the process OF making that manner OF
garment So beautiful To the eye and so
dear to the fashionable feminine heart
the wonderful accordion SKIRT" The
method whereby the so-called accord ON
plait Is made has been kept relgiodsly
= secret ever since the introduction OF
the novelty. You can procure a skirt
30 prepared from any dressmaker,
dry goods shop or sewing machine
place; but the work Is not done on the
premises. Such Of Il as is purchased in
Washington is mostly made up in Balti-
more by a certain Hebrew who VIII not
show his machinery 70 anyone-not
even 10 those who act as his agents and
/ people in his own trade. And yet your
correspondent is in IA position ta tell
just how This machine Is constructed
and the process that is employed
Neither the one nor the other is so very
complicated. after all
To begin with, there is a good sized
iron box without a cover, with parallel
.
one layer Of wires below the other. The
stun to be plated is first wet and then
passed through the wires in and out,
over an upper wire. under lower one,
then over the next upper wire. under
the next lower one and so on,
until as much Of the material IL taken
up as ali the wires will accommodate.
These ups and downs OF the cloth from
the lines Of the plaits and behlrd tho
last OF the plaits is square iron bar
running parallel to the wires. which. be-
ing screwed up with powerful screw,
folds up all the wires eompactly to-
gether like book, pressing the plaits
into the smallest possible compass II
only remains now TO dry the material in
that shape and for this purpose the
iron box is placed in an oven with
perforated top and permitted
TO bake there, the moisture that
evaporates from the stuff going as
steam. When sufficient time has elapsed
TO allow for q thorough drying OF the
cloth, the iron box is taken out OF the
oven, the screw is undone, and the cloth
Is withdrawn. beautifully plated ac-
cordion-fash and ready 10 be made
more produces several hundred yards OF
) accordion-plaiting daily. and inasmuch
I rs the customer pays fifty cents yard
for the work there must he a reasonable
profit in IT. No wonder IL Is thought
worth while 20 keep the method Sc.
. ret
However, Ii is likely that this monop-
oily will be wiped out before long by the
Placing on the market Of very simple
contrivance recently invented, which
any woman can afford TO buy and viii
/ have skill enough TO use. 1t will cosi
less than 81 10 manufacture. will be so {
r for SIS, and " II do 10 perfection no
: only accordion-plait ny, but knife-plait
, ing, the machine consisting of little
' more than two long strips Of brass ad
5 Unstable 10 q table and wooden roller
| Each piait, after beng folded by th,
? machine, is ironed separately with
4 hand-iron, and the stuff comes out al
: ready 10 be put on the belt supposinI
/ that ii is intended for an accordion
: skirt hut, % course, many othel
{ things besides skirts are made nowadayi
a such as capes, cloaks, lamp shades, etc
; II will be cheering news to the ladie
: that the so cents yard rate is no
/ likely to be maintained very long.
= will not he great while before ever,
( woman who makes her own dresses vii
' perform the accordion process as a mat
G Ter OF course upon the material she buys
4 Washington Cor. ST Louis Globe
:. Detnocraf