The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-22

ventions, and everything that will save
a cent is bought without regard to
cost. j went through the big mill at
Spartanburg today. The plant cost
about 100000, and it covers several
acres of ground. 1t has three stories,
and every bit of it huns with ma
chinery. Much of the cotton is brought
directly from the gin to the mill, and
III this case there is no freight to pay.
Other cotton is shipped in from the
plantations near by, and today great
part of the cotton used in the factories
of this company has to be imported.
Let us follow one of the cotton bales
through the factory and see 1t turned
from lint into cloth. The bale is first
broken Open and the cotton is thrown
upon an endless chain or belt, which
carries it up through the mill, breaks
it up and picks it to pieces. 1t is pass
ed through machines which take out
the dirt run through great rollers,
which separate the little strands of the
lint put them together again and final
ly leave them joined almost into yarn.
The cotton finally comes from these
machines in continuous web, which
looks like cotton batting. Handle it
now and you will find that it is much
finer and winter than when it was in
the bale. 1t next goes to the cardlng
machine, where it is run through
wheels, or cylinders, covered with wire
teeth. These teeth are SO fine that
there are thousands of them on
square foot of surface. They brush
and comb the cotton as it goes through
them, and it comes out finally in the
shape of a seemingly endless strand. or
rope, of soft yarn. This rope at the
beginning is bigger around than
mans thumb. 1t is almost an inch in
thickness, but 1t is as soft as down.
1t passes from these machines on
through other twisting machines, being
gradually twisted finer and growing
smaller and smaller, until 1t at last
is Of about the size of fishing line
Feel it now. 1t is still soft. Another
strand of the same size. which has
been reduced from another rope. is uni
ted with it, and the two are twisted
| and retwisted by machinery until they
are of the size Of the finest cotton
thread.
The rope of an inch in thickness is
now so small that it would thread q
needle. The fibers have been doubled
several hundred times. and they are
now down to the strength and size
needed for the making Of cloth. AS
they come from the machine they are
rolled upon spindles or long spools
and are ready for the weaving room
Another set of threads are wound upon
rollers of the width Of the cloth. These
arc to make the long threads Of the
cloth. The Spindles are to move In and
out between the long threads and make
the short threads which go across the
piece of cloth. In the weaving room
there are thousands on thousands Of
these spindles flying to and fro, back
and forth, through the cloth. Each
loom is attended by girl or man, and
a great factory-like din fills the room
Thread by thread the great rolls OF
cloth are turned out, but the splndles
work so fast that thousands of yards
are woven every day, and the shuttle
flies from one side of the room to the
other about $50 times every minute
The cloth has to be cleaned and
smoothed up after it is finished. 1t Is
then packed up in bales, much like cot
ton bales, and is shipped to South
Africa, and even to Europe.
SHIPPING COTTON.
1t is important in preparing cotton
for the foreign market that it be put
in certain kinds of packages. Some Of
that which goes to South America has
to be shipped SO that 1t can be carried
over the mountains on the backs OF
mules, and the factories find that each
country has its own special kinds of
cloth and special bundles. We study
the foreign markets less than any
other nation, and / am told that our
raw cotton goes to Europe in worse
shape than that of any other country.
The covering of the bales is so coarse
that the cotton often comes in full Of
dust, and a percentage has often to be
deducted for loss The Indian cotton
is shipped in well-packed bales, and
Egypt sends it's product out in beautl-
full shape. Our consul at Trieste lately
sent to the state department pictures
Of the different cotton bales as they
come to the markets of Germany.
These pictures show that the Ameri-
can cotton is the worst packed of all.
COTONSEED OIL.
There are cottonseed oil mills now to
be found in all parts of the South.
There Is one here at Spartanburg run
in connection with a large cotton gin.
Until few years ago the cottonseed
went to waste. 1t was burned up or
thrown away as useless. Now 1t Is one
Of the most valuable products Of the
country, and it is estimated that the
product is worth more than $100,000000
year. Much of it is used in making
oil. The seeds are ground up and the
oil squeezed out of them. After this it
is refined, and Is used for all sorts of
manufactures. Some Of it goes into
soap. A large amount is used In max
ing oleomargarine and different kinds
of patent buffers, and large part of
the salad oil which is sold under the
name Of olive Oil is in reality made of
cotton seeds. Experts testified before
the tariff commission in 1851 that 80
per cent of the Oil sold in the United
States was really cotton seed oil,and the
use of such Oil for salads and cooking
Is increasing every day. 1t is said to
be better than lard for cooking, and,
when properly made, it is hard to dis
tinguish it from the best olive oil. The
oil mills are often run by companies
with a large capital, and there is al
ready am told, cottonseed Oil trust.
AT first the oil was shipped in barrels,
but now there are tank cars whcih
carry it from one part of the country
to another, and not a bit of it is allowed
to go to waste.
The refined cotton seed oil is worth
from rs to % cents a gallon, while the
crude oil is worth only about 20 cents.
l am told that the people who use this
! oil like 1t fully as well as the olive oil.
and that the laborers who are employed
i'll the oil mills grow fat upon it. They
| no longer bring meat with them for
! their dinners, but put their dry bread
under the oil press, where the sweet,
| warm, fresh oil is trucking out, and
eat it with a relish. Cotton seed oil
| costs only about half as much as olive
oil, and it is cheaper than lard or bacon.
| After the oil is pressed out of the seeds
| the ground refuse, or cottonseed meal,
is pressed into cakes, to be used for
| feeding stock, and the hulls Of the seed
! are of value for manure. Today the
| South is getting more out of it's cotton
| crop than ever before. Inventors are
| now working on machines which will
! take the cotton stalks and grind them
UP into f1bers to be used in the making
| of coarse CLOTH and the day will soon
come when every atom of a cotton
| plant, from the bark to the seed, will
| be turned into money