The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-10
A WOODEN FACTORY.
1t Will Be Erected at Kirkland
Before July.
ALL NATIVE WOODS TO BE USED.
A Veteran in the Business Begins Con-
struction This Week-Advant-
ages Over the East.

Seattle this summer by man who IS a
veteran in the business. Thomas Z. cyan
son, of Columbia City. Ind. who is at the
Grand hotel, will next week begin the erec-
ton of large wooden mill at Kirkland,
and expects by the beginning OF July to
have it in operation and employing ct
first 100 hands. This number Will be IN
creased as soon as the plant is well under
way and thus the factory will be one OF
the most valuable manufacturing indus
tries ever brought to the coast.
Mr.. Eyanson has run wooden mill at
Columbia City, Ind, for the last twenty-five
years and has done large trade through
the iobbing houses all over Indiana. His
business has increased to such an extent
that he could not make room in his build
ings for more machinery. He therefore
began to look for new location, and has
determined on Kirkland as the most suit
able. He has associated with him num-
Der of Seattle capitalists and thus has
abundant means to establish and extend
the business. The company will start
with paid-up capital of $4,000 with the
privilege of increasing it to $780, 600. Mr..
Eyanson will be assisted by his son, Ed
ward w. Eyanson.
Washington, in Kirkland, where an excel
lent and abundant supply of water can be
obtained. The main building will be one
story high. 72x150 feet. The boiler, stock
and picker rooms will be located in one
story brick building 30x1Oo feet, the dye
house and finishing room will be 40x100
feet and the wareroom probably 40xS0
feet. A distributing warehouse will also
l. ..tl ,,t nl .x,C nobf viii u,
all the latest improvements for carding,
spinning and weaving will be used, the
spinning machine, which is a very recent
invention, working automatically at every
step of the process. The old plant is now
on the way between st. Paul and Seattle
and the new machinery will be shipped in
few days, so that there will be no delay
In completing the mill. The company
will manufacture all grades of flannel,
blankets, cloth, cassimeres and the grades
of knit goods used on the Coast; in fact,
special line will be made for the Coast
trade. The company will at the start use
in manufacturing from 100000 to 100000
pounds of wool and do business of the
value of 100000 to $4,000 year.
In an interview with a Posr-INTELLI-
oENcER reporter last, night Mr.. Eyanson
said:
1 believe we shall be able to manufacture
woolens cheaper here than in the East, and the
site will have many advantages. The soft pure
water OF Lake Washington will DO very valua-
BILE, for 1t will give a superior finish and the
goods will take the dye better than in the East.
The mild climate will also be an advantage, for
WOODEN mill must be kept TO a certain temper
ature. We cannot work in the carding room at
q lower temperature than 65 to 20 degrees, and 1t
should be from 20 to so degrees. Thus the mild
climate will enable us to make saving in fuel.
As regards cost OF production, there will be
saving in many directions which will more than
overbalance the higher cost OF labor Fuel will
be cheap, and is growing cheaper The steam
coal we can get here will be cheaper
at the same price than that we used
in Indiana, and We can get ii at
the same price. We shall also have
abundance of wool. By buying the wool pro-
duced on the Sound. in Eastern Washington
and on the Oregon line and securing it our
selves, we shall save, besides the freight, the
commission to the dealer. both on the Coast
and in the East which we have been paying on
unwashed wool. We shall also save the freight
on the so to 20 per cent of dirt in unwashed
wool In fact, we expect to scour wool for
Eastern manufacturers, for San Francisco has
the only place on the Coast where this work is
now done, so that there ia no limit to the GUAM
dye woods from down the Coast. but the finer
dyes will have TO come from the East. Still,
the extra cost on account of freight will be
small compared with the freight on wool to tho
East
We shall also have our material close at hand
for we shall use the woods of this section OF
nearly all grades. For the finer grades of goods
we shall use the Merino blood There is any guam
tity of good grades in this country and am salts
fed that We can make better, softer and more
slightly goods here than We have been making
at Columbia City, as the wool is short staple
and soft and silky, aud well adapted TO the
making of soft, warm fabrics, either for ladies'
dress goods or mems wear. A great deal of it is
desirable for soft flannel and good blankets. and
we shall pay special attention TO making
blankets OF all grades, from the finest down.
From the country close by us We can get all
the wool we can possibly use. From the islands
we shall secure the coarse grades and from the
country directly adjacent TO the factory tho
better grades. This is what | learn from tho
best information. We also expect to buy some
east OF the Cascades II is rather better than
that grown on tho Sound. but has more
shrinkage, so that the Sound crop will prob
ably bring a higher price | understand
that along the oregon line. on the Colum.
bla river. there is good wool as any
in Washington. There is no market here
now, because there is no inducement 10 sell
make market, and there viii be no difficulty
about getting all the wool We want to come in
this direction.
We shall be ready TO handle this seasons crop.
which will be sheared in May and June, aud
when once We get going, shall extend our works
as the business demands.
AS regards skilled labor we expect to bring
some from our Old factory at Columbia CITY, bn,
weshall educate the people of the country in the
work fast as we can. We can make fairly
good weavers with two 20 four weeks training
and of course the hands continue to improve
with practice.
The process of manufacturing wooden
goods is an interesting one. as it well
illustrates the degree to which the econ
omy of labor is effected by the use of me-
chinery. As the fleece comes from the
sheep il is taken 10 the sorting room and
spread on board. The different qualities
are then taken from it, about five grades
being taken from the medium grade of
fleece. Ii is then taken to the securing
room, where it is run through the scour-
ing machine. In this there is an alksli
bath which dissolves all the grease and
gum Then the fleece goes through the
rinsing machine, whence il comes As white
as snow. 1t is then dried by being placed
on hot or cold air dryers. The driving oc-
cupies from three to FIVE hours, according
10 quality; the finer the wool the longer il
takes 10 dry.
1t next goes to the picker room, where
the picker separates the fibers, and then
il is oiled TO prevent the hber from tearing
in the process of carding. Ii goes
on 20 the carding room, where the
carding machine mixes the tibers so as to
make an even strand for spinning. The
spinning machine twists number OF
these strands together so as 10 make q