The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-11
~ eW Wood Pulp Silks.
Beauty, Durability Similarity to

made of natural and artificial silk in
the usual proportion Of six to four was
shown to a Sun reporter last week
along With a lot of other samples OF
artificial silk The brOcade was rubbed
in dust. which was then as easily
brushed off as If the surface cloth,
soft as it was, had been the surface
of a piece of polished metal. 1t is said
that stains may be removed from artt
fetal silk with a wet sponge without
fear of spotting the fabric.
The other forms in which the artificial silk
was exhibited by the expert who had been
testing them were ribbons Of every degree OF
shade and quality. neckte silks, dress silks,
upholstery silks, braid for trimming tailor
made dresses. chenilleS, fine qualities of wool
len goods. into which silk strands had been
introduced to give brilliancy. grenadine, wool
crepons taffetas, broche silks, watered, with
linen gauze centers, watered silks of every
character and finally grenadines made entire
ly of artificial silk. In these fabrics there was
nothing to the view of any one who was not
an expert in silks, to distinguish them from
genuine silk fabrics.
The expert said that unless he had been
told In advance that they were artificial sS-s
he would have had no cause to suspect them.
The artificial constituents in such fabrics, he
said, can be detected only by tests that have
not been applied by judges of silk heretofore
That is the reason, he thought, that the New
York merchants who are selling these wood
pulp silks under the name and at the price
Of cocoon silks were probably doing so
quite in ignorance of the deception they
were practising.
| The only ways in which the presence Of
wood pulp in silk be detected, the ex-
pert said. were by comparing the ravelled
edge of the warp with the ravelled edge Of
the filing by testing the tensile strength Of
the fabric when both wet and dry. and BY
the oder of the smoke of the burning fabric.
If the travelled edge of the warp is fluffy. soft
and fuzzy compared with the travelled edge
of the filling and the travelled edge Of the fill
ing is stiff and wiry, the filling is probably
artificial silk. If the fabric tears more easily
when wet than when dry, it certainly con-
tains some of the wood pulp fiber. Finally.
If in burning the fabric gives off a smell
like burning wood, there is strong reason for
suspecting that it never came from a coc-
coon. The superior gloss Of the artificial
silk is hardly a quality that will lead a
buyer to look upon it with suspicion. If 1t
be true that these are the only tests by
which wood pulp silk can be distinguished
from natural silk it will be seen that the
only possible inferiority Of the artificial prod
uct is in its fragility while wet
The wood pulp grenadines that are sold in
New York are marked to be sold at $2.75 a
yard and are attracting favorable attention
from purchasers. Behind such price there
Is profit for somebody in America or in
France that must be enormous. The price of
raw silk in this country is about So pound
BY the Chardonet process a wood pulp raw
silk can be made here for rs cents pound
that will compare favorably with the 50 grade
Of natural silk. The silk expert showed to
the Sun reporter beautifully figured red
silk tie which, he said, If made Of natural
silk, would properly be sold at retail at so
cents. The tie shown was made of wood
pulp silk and he said could be sold at re-
tail for Is cents. with 100 per cent profit to
the manufacturer and 100 per cent profit to
the storekeeper. besides fair margin for the
jobber There was in his collection a sample
Of all silk and wool silk taffeta that would
bring a fair profit when retailed at 80 cents
a yard It was in every respect the equiva
lent OF natural silk taffetas that are retailed
at IS cents yard. There was also an even
ing brocaded satin that might properly be re-
tailed; at $3.50 yard that, In natural silk,
would be cheap at 81 30.
The Chardpnet fiber is now the subject of
experiment in silk mills at Paterson, n. J.
Manufacturers of dress and necktie silks
there believe that the wood pulp fiber gives
more luster to figured goods than can pos
sbly be obtained with cocoon silk. A COM
gained, Ii Is said, to enter into the manu-
facture Of wood pulp silk in this city, and
$3.50 600 OF the stock has been subscribed.