The herald., 1894-04-10
THEY ARE ALL WOOL.
MAJOR DRIFFIL ON NATIONAL
GUARD UNIFORMS.
The Cloth Experts Praise the Cloth
the Militia Inspector Con-
demned-AI Wool aud
Well Dyed.

Well Dyed.
San Francisco Chronicle: Major Drif-
file charges that the uniforms furnish ed
the First brigade, National guard of CAL
iiornia, were OF very poor quality have
been entirely refuted by expert testi-
mony. Further than this it is shown
that the experts who declared the uni
forms to be very good and better than
the requirements we're unsuccessful
competitors with the firm that furnished
the goods. The uniform board of the
National guard held meeting at Gem
eral Dickinson's Office yesterday and re-
ceived the report OF the experts. This
report will be promulgated in the gen.
ersl orders. 1t places Major Drithl in
an unenviable light as it casts an insin-
uation of ignorance and unwarranted
iault fiuding. Major Drifil stated that
the new National guard uniforms were
made of inferior cloth, poorly dyed and
that the men were not properly
fitted. As to the last charge, it is said,
it was probably the fault of the
men. The tailor went to Los An
geles, San Diego and other aces
where thu guardsmen live, after h' wing
appointed certain days for the mef. to be
measured. Barely half of them re-
sponded, go the uniforms for the other
half had to be made as best they could.
As to the charges made against the
cloth, that it WAS weak and that the
dye came off. the uniform board decided
to have three unprejudiced experts ex-
anime and pass upon it. Lippman
Sachs of Sachs Brothers & Co., A. l..
Pringle, superintendent of the Golden
Gate wooden mills. and A. H. Bostick
OF the San Jose woolen mills, were Sc
lected as the experts. Their report
shows that the cloth is very strong, all
wool, and far superior to the uniforms
furnished in 1890. As to the dye COM
ing of, it is q we'll known fact that indi-
20 dye will always rub of to some ex-
tent. Major Dritfil sent up uniform OF
1890 and one of 1884 They are referred
to in the report as exhibit No. l and ex-
hibit No. 2, respectively. The report
handed to the Uniform board WAS as
follows:
SAN FRANoIsco, April 6, 1894.
Brigsdier General @. @. Allen, president Uni
form board.
SIR As per request to the board, We
have this day taken the samples marked
exhibits l and 2, furnished the board by
Major Driffil OF the First brigade, and
proceeded to inspect the same according
to the tests as required by the quarter
masters department of the United
States army. which are the best known
tests of the present time.
First-We cut from the sample OF
blouses furnished to the board by Maj)r |
Dr6il samples OF cloth in each and pro-
ceeded to the quartermsater's depart
ment OF the United States army in this |
city, where all the appliances for testing |
as to strength, color and quality were
freely offered, and we found as follows:
Sample 2 of 1394-Strength, govern
Exhibit 2, national guard blouse OF
1894-Warp, As; filling, 32
Exhibit l. 1890, as sent by Major
Dnffil-Warp, 20; filing, 20.
Blouse BODY lining, government stand
ard; warp, 40; filing. 3S
Exhibit 2, sample National guard OF
1S94-Warp, so; filling, 46.
Exhibit l. Innings OF blouee OF lS9O-
Warp, %; filling, %,
Sleeve lining OF exhibit 2, 1894 were
above government standards and above
those in exhibit l.
Wool-Caustic potash test shows all
wool in both exhibits l and 2. By this
test the CLOTH if wool, is entirely eaten
up. but il it contained cotton that would
remain.
Color-Acid tests chow pure indigo
dye, such as required by the United
States government and by the specifca-
tions of the uniform board, Natiooal
guard of California.
Trousers schackles trousers,
forwarded from the Sgnsl corps, First
brigade. by Major Drfil.
Strength, United States standard,
warp, IS; filling, 50. Sample shows
warp II. filing so, all wool, dye pure
and no shoddy.
These reaults were obtained from a
strict compliance with the methods in
use and as adopted by the United States
government
In regard to the color rubbing. off of
this material we find, and it ia matter
of common information among dealers
in cloths, that in all indigo dyed goods,
without regard to grade or cost, color
win rub off more or less, according to
the age of the flannel or cloth aud to it's
exposure to the air. Dye will rub off
material Just from the mill. In other
words, in new material the color will
always rub off easily, but exposure to
the air and to the rain sets in the color
and then it will not at any time run and
cannot be made to run by any process.
LIPPMAN SACHS,
A. L. PRINeLE.
A. HI. BosuCK.