Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-06-09
SILK FROM WOOD.
IT Is HANDSOME AND CHEAr, AND Ir
LOOKS As II THE sILkwoRM WOULD
HAVE TO GET ANOTHER JOB.


| featuring silk from wood Ia due to Count
Hilaire de Chardonnet, who, after many
experiments, found Ia 1898 that he could
make his process commercial success
Large quantities Of wood silk have been
made. sold aud utilized in France, and
now factory Is about being started iu
Lancashire for the purpose OF adding its
production 10 the number of our own
industries.
A factory costing sl50,O00 IL 10 be
built near Manchester. Artificial silk
yarn j. to he made aud sold, and already
! the competition for this new wood sils
| l. so great that IL L. announced that six
firms have already arranged 10 take the
total output OF the factory, even before
single brick has been laid.
The manner In which wood Is convert
ed into silk ~ Besancon Is a remarkable
example of the benefit arising from the
combination OF chemistry AMI engineer
ing. The wood fibre, which may BE- pa
per, cardboard or even waste cotton rags,
i macerated In mixture OF nitric and
sulphuric acids. BY this its character Is
very much altered, sui after the acids
sre washed out by water 1t Is found 10
have become soluble In mixture of
alcohol aud ether, forming thick, gum
nv solution.
This gum is put into cylinders, and is
forced, BY great pressure, into pipes
Leading To the spinning machines. These
pipes are supplied with small taps, each
of which ends In glass tube, with a
fine point at the end, In which Is an
opening so small that no iilamcnt could
pass through IL IL - large as a human
hair. These tubes are known as the
''glAss silk worms and in the factory
AT Besancon there are no less than IL 900
of them in constant work.
When the machinery is In operation
the pressure In the cylinders forces the
gummy liquid along the tubes, and when
the small taps are turned on, through
each OF the glass "silkworms," at the
end of which the pulp appears In the
form of scarcely perceptible globule.
The factory girl touches this with her
thumb and draws out sn almost invisible
iilament, which, as the spirit evaporates,
becomes sufficiently strong 10 be wound
of on To revolving bobbin; then eight
or ten or dozen Of such iilaments, sc-
cording u the thickness of the thread
required, are taken and passed through
guides on To single bobhin.
They adhere together, and are wound
of. constituting thread OF wood-silk,
which before being used has 10 be
chemically treated, so AS 10 remove the
last trsces Of the nitric acid, aud render
the SILK uninilammable, and then the
hanks are passed between revolving roll
ers To give the fibre that wonderfully
high lustre which Is characteristic OF this
new artificial silk. which, as IL takes the
colors Of the dyer most perfectly. and
has an extremely rich appearance, leaves
nothing 10 be desired.
The silk so obtained Is somewhat
analogous In its character 10 other prep
arations which are made of dissolved
woody fibre, such, for example, as gun
cotton or the imitation ivory which Is
now so largely employed for billiard
balls, knife handles, shoe lifters and
similar articles. As far as the textile
strength of the new material is con-
cerned, il appears 10 be somewhat less
strong than that OF the natural silk,
possessing only about four-iifths OF its
tenacity.
Speculation Is already rife as TO the
effect that this new production will have
upon the various textile manufactures of
England. That these effects will be
very great, and will produce revolu-
tion in the conditions Of the silk and
weaving trades, is almost undoubted.
The success of the manufacture is not
problematical the material has already,
as we have said, been largely used In
Paris. aud has been extensively, though
in many cases unconsciously, sold In
London. When this silk comes TO be
produced, which il can be In unlimited
quantities, il will be employed in the
various fabrics which are now wholly or
partially prepared from silkworm silk,
and thus il will be used by a large num-
Der of people to whom the present price
Of silk is neutrality-suspicious. Queen.