Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-12-03
REAL SMYRNA CARPETS.
The Towns They Are Made In and How
They Arc We zen and Dyed.

REAL SMYRNA CAHPGI -.
The Towns They Are Made In and How
They Arc We zen and Dyed.
One of the most important manufaet-
ures of Asia Minor as it is also one con-
corning which little is known by the
general public, is the manufacture of
those carpets which have acquired
worldwide reputation under the desig-
nation of Turkey carpets" They are
principally made in the towns OF Oushak,
Ghiordes, Kou!a, Demirgi, Melas, Ladik,
Pergamos and Sparta, and are exported
for the most part to England and Amer
lea. Oushak, the seat of the trade, is
pleasantly situated in the midst of
fertile plain. 1t Is a town of some 20,-
900 inha bitants,~ most of whom are d.
rectly or indirectly occupied in carpet
making, the actual number of looms at
work being 500. Koula and Ghiordes
have a population of about Is, 900. DEM
irgi has become a carpet-weaving town
within the last six or eight years owing
to an accident.
Years back the town wasdestroyed by
fire, and the inhabitants, too poor to re-
construct their habitations, emigrated
to Ghiordes, where they learned the art
of carpet-making. AS soon as they had
gained some money they returned and
rebuilt their native town, setting up
looms of their own. Their carpets were
not success at first but they managed
to improve them. and now they rank
superior, both in texture and color, to
the Ghiordes. Ladik, Pergamos and
Melas are reproducing centers. At
Sparta the industry has just been intro
duced The manner OF weaving the car
pets is primitive enough. The wool,
(which is obtained from the fat-tailed
sheep reared by the Turks on the
highlands. is washed by the men in the
neighboring streams and then spun on
the wheel by the old women of the
town; it is then sent to the Boya Hane
to be dyed, after which 1t is sold to the
manufacturer Three okes of spun yarn
are required for a square pic of carpet
The looms consist Of two thick poles
fixed firmly in the ground at some PICS
distance from each other, to others are
joined. one above and the other below,
and to these the warp or chain of the
carpet Is attached.
At the foot of this loom the weavers
sit cross-legged, sometimes as many as
ten in row, each working at two-foot
width of carpet. The yarn is taken
from bobbins suspended above their
heads and tied to the warp; it is then
cut with sharp knife and the pile and
wool driven together by means of
comb. A carpet can be made of any
length, but its width depends on the
size OF the loom. If the loom extends
to ten pies In width the carpet can be
one two or ten pics wide. The largest
loom in Oushak is at present twelve
pies wide, so that If a carpet of great
er width Is req uired new loom must be
made, although this, as one may Judge
from the structure, is not difficult Not
Withstand ,ng that this IS, as have said,
primitive mode of proceeding, it is not
without its advantages, for, ipasmuch as
the texture must perforce be loosen than
the machine-made carpets, the colors
can blend more easily, and the rug be-
comes softer and more plant to the
tread.
The carpet wee1ers are all women;
they are daily cha peroned to the looms
by an old woman, who sees that they
work diligently. The average amount
of work one person can do in a day is
about pic. for which the wages paid is
from four to five piastres. Although
the cold in winter is intense and the
workers suffer considerably, they will
not accept the humanitarian efforts
made to procure them some comfort
Mr. d'Andria, one of the largest carpet
merchants m this town, offered to build
for them a large factory. with glass
windows wherein they could work COM
fortably though it b ew tempest with
out Whether from fear of be ng seen
or for some equally valid reason, they
refused this kind offer, and continued
to work in wretched novels barely fit
for pigsties, warming their frozen
fingers over the smoldering contents of
a brazier. During the reign of Abdul
Aziz bright colors were in vogue. and
the manufacturers had recourse to the
mineral dyes; now, however, the fashion
has gone out and they have reverted to
vegetable pigments-volonea for white
and brown, yellow berries for green and
yellow, madden roots and cochineal for
reds and indigo for blue These carr
pets come to Smyrna principally by two
routes; the first from Oushak to Alasheir
the terminal station of the Cassaba rail-
way, distance from Oushak of twenty
four hours by camel, and the other from
Oushak to Chivril, the last station on
the Sutledj branch of the Aldin line,
which is distant from Oushak only six
hours. Smyrna Cor. Levant Herald.
EMPEROR WILLIAM.
How He Announced Himself at the House