The Portland daily press., 1896-05-23
SILK MADE OF WOOL.

The Latest Process in the Manufac-
turing World.
A New and Curious Industry of Which
England Has Great Hopes.
Mr.. Harold Frederic recently re-
ferred to the establishment in Lancashire
OF wholly new manufacture, in which
industrial England was intensely inter-
ested. AS the matter Is one of not less
moment to this country, the article in
which The London Times describes and
explains this curious undertaking Is here
reprinted. The Times says:
There will shortly be started in Ian
cash1re new industry Of character SO
novel that the mention of it may appear
to be suggestive of an absurdity rather
than of sober truth. 1t will DO one for
nothing less than the manufacture of
silk out of wood pulp. Quixotio as the
idea seems 1t has already been estab-
lished that silk, or, rather, artificial silk,
eau be SO made; that it can be used for
the many purposes for which natural silk
Is used. and others besides; that it is
especially suitable for working up with
natural silk, cotton, or wool for dress
material, ribbons, trimmings, church
decorations. vestments, &c.. that the ar
tifcial silk can scarcely be distinguished
from that for which we have hitherto de-
pended on the silkworm, and that it can
be sold at prices very much lower and
still leave q substantial profit.
Dress and other fabrics made from this
wood silk are, indeed, already being sold
extynsively in London as among the lead
ing features of this seasons Paris novel
ties, though the appearance of them is
so close to that of the ordinary silks, and
so little has been said of the new discov-
cry, that neither the ladies who have
bought them nor the shopkeepers who
have sold them have realized the change
that has been brought about in the pro-
CESS of manufacture.
At present the wood-silk comes from
France, large works having been estab-
lis he'd at Besancon under patents grant
ed to Count Hilaire de Chardonnet,
Chevalier Of the Legion of Honor, who
discovered the process and first estab-
| lished in 1898 the fact that it might be
made into a commercial success. Since
then the demand for the new commodity
has far surpassed the existing powers OF
manufacture, and some months ago the
idea was mooted Of adding to the mum 5er
of our own Industries by arranging tu
make the artificial silk in England as
we'll. The project seemed to be especially
desirable in the interests Of Lancashire.
| whose commercial prosperity has been
seriously threatened of late, while it was
pointed out that Lancashire weavers art
mich more skillful than the French il
working up those textile combinations
for which the artificial silk is partiou-
larry, though not exclusively, adapted.
A number of silk and cotton mannfac
turers met to discuss the question, ant
finally sent out to Belancon d deputatior
consisting of some of their own number
an engineer, chemist, and lawyer, tt
investigate the subject thoroughly
This was done, and the outlook wal
found to be so promising that certain
concessions have been secured, and 6
company is now in process of formation,
and, to begin with, @ factory, which will
cost 80, 600 pounds Is to be built neal
Manchester for the manufacture of arti-
fetal silk yarn from wood pulp, for sale
to weavers, who will work it up by
means of their existing machinery. In
asmuch as six weaving firms have al
ready arranged to take the total output
of the factory, even before a single brick
has been laid, and as others are propos-
ing to put down plants of their own to
| be worked on the royalty system, there
is evidently good reason for the expecta-
tion that Lancashire is on the eve OF
some important expansions in her textile
trades.
The prospects are the more satisfactory
because the concessions which have been
secured specially stipulate that Conuinen
tai makers of the ARTIFICIAL silk are not tc
Senu Gnelr yarn W hDSldHu, willie bne
international patent laws will now that
the rights for Great Britain have beer
bought up, secure that henceforth Meth
or the yarn nor the goods manufactured
therefrom shall be imported here. Thus
although the original idea comes from
France, the industry, SO far as this ooun
try is concerned, will be essentially Brit
ish, and will be carried on without feal
of foreign competition on our OWL
shores
At the present time our imports of arti
oles manufactured from silk are so ex
tensive that last year they amounted tt
5, 237, 600, and those of raw and throw
silk to 1883, 600, or total of 1920, COO
but now that industrial ingenuity ha
shown that the silkworm can be sup
planted by any sort Of timber, there ii
Thought to be a good prospect of dis
tributing good deal of the money
among our own workers instead of send
ing 1t abroad.