The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-04
IN THE JAPANESE SILK MILLS.
Where the Girls Work for I2 1-2 Cents
Day With No Sunday.


Entering the factory the incessant
crash, crash of wooden looms burst upon
our ears Not being a stranger to this
noise and the source from which 1t came,
l was not very much surprised at the
sight which met my eyes. You would
have BEEN In rather a large room tfor
Japan TO the right were some dozen
wooden Jacquard looms. working away
at a great rate. each one moved by true
foot power-that Is, a barefooted little
Japanese musmee. The banto, who had
now advanced bowed low and repeatedly.
as is the Japanese custom. and signified
his willingness TO show us what he could.
This through the interpreter.
The looms naturally come in for orr
attention first. To tell you about the
looms-or try to do SOL must jump here
and there in silk manufacture, and. per-
hapss be not as explicit as I should like
to be. These looms combine the most
primitive and the most advanced ideas in
one. In fact, they are a true child OF tho
Jap. Here we may see the intricate
Jacquard pattern passing through the diff
ferent processes much as we did In ma
chinery hall at the fair. But what a
tremendous difference in The looms. Out
side of the cardboard pattern, everything
utterly changed. The Japanese loom lis
entirely of wood-wheeis, cogs and all.
All the work, you must remember. In
accomplished by one little Monaghan foot
and a pair or brown hands. This little
foot moves the pedal about once q second
or 60 times minute--per hour, $500; total
per diem. 5000. IL l say the foot aver
ages 25.ono strokes a day. would probably
underestimate the true facts OF the case
How many yards do these $500 or 30 coo
strokes make day? Barely FIVE. The
average output OF the looms is Is or IS
feet a day. The average salary is about
% sen 02I. cents United States currency
for day OF 10 hours. There are no Sun
day holidays, for the simple reason that
there Is no Sunday. No wonder, you will
say. that the Japs are soon old.
To go back another step The silk IL
obtained from the silk worm through the
cocoon. The worm Is killed when the CO.
coon Is completed. Next the cocoon Is ul-
rayeled ffor the worm has made it's home
OF one thread many feet long,. Then the
silk goes through mary processes. First.
IL Is boiled. then wound on large spoois
lreeleds. combined with other silk fibers.
perhaps twisted. From the dye-pot II Is
dried. then wound on small spools. refined
and finally put on bobbins ready for spin
ming.
All manufacturers buy their raw silk
on the market. This accounts for fiuctua-
tons OF price In wholesaling and retail
Ing. The raw silk il boiled. dyed and pre-
pared at the central workshops. The dye,
by the way. is a German aniltne one. and
IL warranted TO wash without fading.
The dyeing Is accomplished in a very
primitive manner. as Is the manufacture.
The raw cleansed silk Is simply dipped
by hand In the hot dye. wrang out, dipped
again. then wrung out thoroughly ny
placing bau.boo stick through the skein
and twisting IL tightly. the other end of
the sIein being secured to a rod. The
silk Is then hang outdoors to dry.
The difference between kaiki silk and
bahutai silk 80 often met with In the dry
goods stores, is that In looming the kaski
the silk thread has received it's finish be-
fore being put on the bopbins--that Is.
the cloth comes from the loom finished.
With habutai. after the weaving the
ptece of silk Is boiled and then given its
finish
a great mary OF the iooms-in fact,