Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-09-08
LOWELL TEXTILE SCHOOL.
What u u Doing and Tho Means II nas Il
d Win.


elaborate fabrics that engages specia
| attention and interest.
In the school which is the subject q
this article. the Lowell Textile school
Lowell, Mass, there is permanent
collection Of textile machinery equal II
capacity and variety to any collection
that has yet been organized for exposi
| tion purposes and which has the ad
vantage Of being permanent collec
tion for the use Of the students in ths
| school.
The idea of textile school Is not {
| new one, there is one in existence II
Germany, which will in two years cele
| brate Its 5Oth anniversary. while ther'
are many more modern schools In that
and other European countries. There
Is even one in Bombay, India, and an
| other textile school at Toxic, Japan
In America, there are only two textil,
schools, but these are important ones
and it has been the good fortune of thc
Lowell Textile school to be in a posi-
ton to eclipse all other existing schools
in the world in the completeness anc
variety and excellent arrangement OF
it's equipment.
The collection of power looms in
cludes representative machines from
almost all Of the American loom max.
ers, and looms capable CT weaving al
varieties of fabrics. Among others, ar
noticed a group of jacquards and some
handsome carpet looms with plain
looms, dolby looms. leno looms
iappet looms and other mas
terpieces of weaving machin.
making. In the same room is a collec-
tion of machinery showing the various
methods of preparing and dressing
warps. both for cotton, wooden, worsted
and silk fabrics.
The cotton spinning room is very
complete. in this department it is pos
sible to take bale of cotton and con-
vert it into yarn without its leaving
the school for any purpose.
The elegantly polished machinery is
all of modern type and is actuated like
all the other machinery in the school
by electric power.
One of the most attractive rooms is
the wooden room, containing as it does
a complete set Of machines for the pur-
pose of producing yarn from the raw
wool.
The chemistry and dyeing section of
the school is one of the most important.
Several thousand dollars have been
spent this summer in equipping the
room with all the apparatus that eX-
perienced manufacturers on the board
of trustees of the school could recon-
mend. or that experienced instructors
found advisable.
Tba ion, Of a,f tn fol J,rnc ;S
one of the most important subjects
that is to be dealt with in a textile
school, and in the Lowell school ar
rangements have been made for the art
instruction to form part of the regular
course, and ultimately every branch Of
applied art which can in any degree be
considered applicable to textiles, will
be taught here whether applied to the
artistic adornment of the fabric, or in
any subsequent process. such as print
ing, etc.
The arrangement of the school is adj
mirable in every respect, and it's equip
ment includes passenger and freight
elevators, electric lights and power
produced on the premises, humidifiers.
and complete system of fire protec-
| tiOn. and everything that can be con-
sidered at all necessary for the equip
ment of a school ors1mill. =,
The instruction is divided into sew
eral sections, the principal departments
are the day classes for regular stu
dents and the evening classes for the
people employed in the mills In the
day classes which are held both morn.
ing and afternoon. arrangements are
made for the training of students in
any one of four courses.
First, the cotton manufacturing
course; second, the wooden manufac-
turing; third, the designing, and fourth,
the dyeing. These courses overlap II
considerable extent. so that student
in any one branch attains sufficient
knowledge of other branches so far rs
they appertain to his own section, but
the work is specialized as far as pos
sible, so that at the end of the three
years course in the school, the student
will have the knowledge Of a practical
manufacturer in one of the four inn
portant branches.
In the evening school, the work is
much more specialized, as the evening
students have less time to devote to
TIC WOIh tHdu tIlt Ody SluuCHto. L HS
evening students have all the ad-
vantages that the day students have in
manipulating the machinery and TAX
ing the same subjects of study
The school is fortunate in hav-
ing very strong board of administra-
ton. The trustees include mill treas
| urers, agents, and superintendents from
various parts of the Merrimack valley
under the presidency of Agent A. G.
Cumnock, of the Boot cotton mills,
and the capital invested in the mills
they represent amounts to about
$25, ,0O0, ,OOO
The clerk to the trustees is Mr..
James T. Smith, secretary of the board
of trade of Lowell, to whose initiation
and energy the existence of the Lowell
Textile school is largely attributable.
Director c. p. Brooks, who manages
the school, has had 13 years experience
as instructor and examiner of textile
schools and is also a practical manu-
facturer.
The advice and experience of trus-
tees, such as the above, is not only i
benefit to the school in it's equipment,
but it is also advantageous for young
man to be educated under the super
vision of men who have it in their
power to practically recognize ability
and progress in studies, This practical
feature of the school is carried
throughout. Almost all the members