The morning call., 1893-05-31
SILK FROM WOOD PULP.
A Novel Substitute for the Silk
worms Product.
Boston Daily Advertiser.

Boston Daily ADVERTISER
The fact that the United States has not
achieved a striking success in the attempts
which have been made 10 introduce silk
worm culture in this country is practically
admitted to-day. A few scattered efforts
have shown some indications of success.
but for the most part the silkworm finds
fault with his food or the climate. Per-
haps because of the apparent impOssi-
billy of producing largo supply of raw
silk the American manufactures of that
article have not fairly equaled those of
France, except within lew very recent
years. To-day it can be said, however,
that Maine produces as line an article of
"broad" silk goods as any French manu-
featuring center can show, if impartial
judges are to be believed. The American
ribbons also are practically as good as
those imported from France. The Ameri-
can and French manufacturers buy much
of their raw silk in the same market. and
the Americans are using as good machin-
cry and as skilled labor as their French
competitors employ.
1t is therefore worthy of note at this.
the best period of American silk m9nufac-
ture so far. that method of making SILK
threads from wood pulp is being brought
to practical stage. The method made its
first public appearance at the Paris EXPO
sltlOn of 1889, where it at once attracted
attention. At that time, however, it was
imperfect. If not absolutely dangerous
Since that date the improvements in the
original method have been noticeable
ana the revised process is now employed
| at Besancon, where the silk is being manu-
featured. The material employed is moth
ing more than the wood pulp" which is
already used so largely in paper-making
After being crushed the pulp is dried
IN an oven and afterward immersed
/ IN nitro sulphuric acid mixture.
The pulp Is then thoroughly washed in
water, and IS finally dried in alcohol. The
resultant product is put into a mixture of
practically pure alcohol and ether until a
''collodiOn" is formed, not notceably diff
/ ferent from that used for Photographic
films. After the collodion is prepared it is
forced through filter and is then poured
into long tube, in the side of which are
hundreds of spig0ts with very minute
outlet. The colndion issues from the
spigots in thin, sticky threads, which are
afterward washed by ammonia and water.
This washing takes the soluble ether and
alcohol from the collodion, which immedi-
ately grows harder and tough and In about
every resuect as brilliant and as strong as
silk thread. The resultant threads are
! spun together in strands OF six, and are
then ready for weaving.
When the Chardonnet process was first
exhibited one very strong objection to the
/ l6AtII6S woven lTOM the new SILK lay Ia
! the great Infammability of such a texture.
! The original cOmbustibility was at the
! rate of TWO centlmeters second, and il
| was claimed with much justice that goods
! of such nature could not be, and ought
! not to be. used for purposes Of dress. The
! addition of ammonia TO the water bath in
which the collodion thread was washed
/ served to do away with the objection
| Still again il was found that the pressure
| on the colodiOn tube was not equal
throughout, some of the threads swapping
! off before they were put into the final
/ bath. 1t is announced that this fault has
| been corrected under the revised process
and, if the announcement is authentic the
new method of producing silk without silk
worms Will attract the notice of American
manufacturers.
The Importance of this invention If it
can be shown to be all that is claimed,
may be inferred from the progress which
has heen made N the paper trade SINCE
the advent OF the wood pulp processes.
The growth of the paper-making industry
is we'll realized in this section, where its
rapid adVan &c was so noticeable. With
the skill which the American manufac-
turers have already shown in the silk in
dustry, the advent of wood-pulp process
may result in similar triumph Cor Ameri-
can industries. II, as is to be expected
/ the results of the Chardonnet process are
/ to be on exhibition at Chicago, they will be
closely scrutAiZed by American manu-.
! fa1turerS generally.