The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-07-16
ARTIFICIAL SILK.
Its Manufacture TO be Extended into
England.

London Nature has the following
item apropos to the impending intro.
duction into England of the manufac-
ture of artificial silk from cellulose by
the process devised by M. de Char
donnet, which is here transcribed
from the Secretary's report to the
Franklin Institute.
Lancashire is on the eve of the
same important expansions of the
textile trades, for, from an interesting
article in the London Times, it ap-
pears that the manufacture of artif-
cial silk from wood pulp will shortly
be added TO her industries.
AT present the wood silk comes
from France, large works having been
established at Mesancon under
patents granted to Court Hilaire de
Chardonnet, who discovered the pro-
cess, and first established in ISo, the
fact that it might be made CONNER
cially successful. The demand for
the new commodity increased SO
considerably that the idea Of introduc-
ing its manufacture into England was
mooted, with the result that a number
Of silk and cotton manufacturers met
to discuss the question, and finally
sent out to Besancon a deputation,
consisting of some of their own num-
Der, an engineer, a chemist and a
lawyer, to investigate the subject
thoroughly. This was done, and the
outlook was found to be so promising
that certain concessions have been
secured and a company is now in
process Of formation and, to begin
with, factory, which will cost $780,
900, is to be built near to Manches-
ter for the manufacture of artificial
silk yarn from wood pulp, for sale to
weavers, who will work it up by
means of their existing machinery.
The way in which wood pulp can
be converted into silk yarn is essen
TALLY as follows The pulp, thorough
ly cleansed, and looking very much
like thick gum, is put into cylinders,
from which it is forced by pneumatic
pressure into pipes passing into the
spinning department. Here the ma
chinery looks like that employed in
Lancashire spinning sheds, except
that one of the pipes referred to runs
along each set of machines. These
pipes are supplied with small taps,
fixed close together, and each tap has
glass tube about the size Of gas
burner at the extreme point of which
is minute aperture, through which
the filaments pass. These glass tubes
are known as "glass silkworms," and
some 1000 of them are in use in
the factory at Besancon. The effect
Of the pneumatic pressure in the
cylinders referred to above is to force
the liquid matter not only along the
iron tubes, but also, when the small
taps are turned on, through each of
the glass silkworms. 1t appears
there as scarcely perceptible
globule. This girl touches with her
thumb, to which it adheres, and she
draws out an almost invisible fila
ment, (which she passes through the
guides and on to the bobbin.
Then, one by one, she takes eight,
ten or I2 other such filaments, ac-
cording to the thickness of the thread
to be made, and passes them through
the same guides and on to the same
bobbin. This done she passes them
together with her thumb and forefin-
ger, at a certain point between the
glass silkworms and the guides. Not
only do they adhere, but thence for
ward the filaments will continue to
meet and adhere at that point, how
ever long the machinery may be kept
running. In this way the whole
frame will soon be set at work, the
threads not breaking until the bobbin
is full, when they break automatically,
while they are all of uniform thick
ness. The new product is said to
take dye much more readily than the
natural silk. The chief difference in
appearance between the natural and
the artificial silk is in the greater
lustre of the latter. The success al
ready secured by the new process in
France is such that the introduction
of the industry into Lancashire is ex-
pected to produce something like
revolution in the conditions of trade
there, not only by bringing into ex-
istence a new occupation, but a lso
| by finding more work for a good