The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-02-25
l&tMIE.

This fiber has been the financial
grave of very large number Of people
and there are those here who, VIII II
the name of Ramie is mentioned,
throw up their hands and lament their
lost thousands. But, like all industries,
the manufacture of Ramie has re-
quired its pioneers, who have been sac
Tifced to the memorable fates. Sugar,
coffee, fruit culture, all show their
victims. The London Spectator" asks
allow many bankruptcies does it take
to establish new industry| 1t is
really pertinent question, and shows
how much has to be done before sue
cess is achieved
The Indian Government had a stand.
ing order of $4,000 for any one WHO
would produce a machine that would
properly decorticate the Ramie fiber
This has never yet been claimed. ont
here C. C. Coleman invented machine
which was to do everything needed.
but, if memory serves correctly, that
machine is rusting somewhere on the
old volcano road, about ten mics from
Hilo. Rusting-it must be all 2usted
out by this time and be nothing but 4
pinch of dust.
But the heart of the Ramic planter
need not yet despond. There is once
again another Richmond in the field.
A chemist, Mr.. Gamess, states that he
has solved the problem, and shows
that he has, by turning out two tons
of fiber per week. \ company has been
formed and patents taken out in
number of countries. Seeing we can
get four crops of ramie a year here,
it would be well to get hold of the
rAtent for these islands.
Two things have initiated against
the Ramie fiber. First fermentation of
gum before the ribbons of fiber are de-
Hvered to the manufactures. This rots
the fiber and makes it unfit for use in
the looms. Then it has been very diff
fcult to find chemical which is weak
enough to convert the ribbons into
''filasse," or pure fibre suitable for
working.
The first trouble is met by sleeping
the ribbons in a solution of soda. This
is what the cultivator has to do iii
order to send his goods in proper
shape to market What Mr. Gamess
has done does away with the second
part of the difficulty. He sleeps the
ribbons in "A slight infusion of nitric
acid, to soften the gum. After twelve
hours they go into bath of alkaline
solution. They are then boiled in a
tank of water impregnated with Tin
cate of soda and the result is pure
fiber. The gum and the epidermis of
the bark have completely disappeared
The process is certainly simple
enough, and if it does all that it claims
it will add another valuable industry
10 these Islands. OF course the ele-
ment of cheapness in manufacture IS
the main thing. Chinese cheap labor
has enabled the people of that nation
to manufacture the product of the
Ramie for years past, but the Euro
pean and American has been debarred
from it on account of the cost. 1t is
claimed that the Rane fiber. treated
according to the process mentioned
above, can lie turned out at Il cost of
six cents a pound and good profit
made on it. Flax, in the same stage
of preparation, costs anywhere from
sixteen cents to twenty-five cents ii
pound. The fiber is very light and
can be made into almost countless
fabrics, such as damask, linen, silk and
plush. The sails of the Defender
yacht were made out of rame fiber,
but it then cost small fortune to
get it.
Should the new process of manufac-
turing ramie prove the success claimed
it will prove real boon to these
Islands, and acres of land now
lying idle will at once go into cultiva-
ton. Unlike coffee, ramie is distinct
ly a poor mans crop. He has not to
wait for four or five years before he
gets his returns.