The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-03

plenty of space for this mill and the
work is facilitated on this account
The dimensions of the Topeka WoOlen
mill building are as follows: Main room
60X120, two stories. Wing 4Ox6O, two
stories, engine room and picker 30x35
two stories.
The mill is in running order and cloth
is being made. A large shipment Of
wool was received from St. Louis last
week and it is being utilized. There
. is enough on hand to keep the sp1ndleS
moving several weeks. The various
processes through which it passes in
being changed from crhde wool to fine
cloth are most interesting. The wool
is first taken into the washing and col
Oring room which is in the north wing
of the building. Here it is cleaned
According to the desired color it is
placed in dyeing watts where it receives
its color. After drying the wool is Ia
ken to the picking room where it is
buried and mixed. 1t then passes
through the cards and is prepared for
spinning
1t is then placed on the mules and
spun into yarn From there it passes
through the spoilers, warper, and is
woven into cloth. After this it is ia
ken to the finishing room where the
cloth is ful1ed, secured and tentered.
1t is then sheared and pressed. This
is in brief the operation for changing
the crude wool into fine cloth. All the
machinery in the new plant is of the
latest and most improved pattern.
The burr and mixing pickerS are COM
plicated pieces of machinery and they
do their work even better than it could
be done by hand, and a hundred times
quicker The cards are also wonders
of modern mechanism Probably the
most complicated machines in the mill
are the two mules" These machines
are each about forty feet in length. 1t
requires but one man to operate a ma
chine. On this there are 300 spindles
on which the yarn is wound with great
speed. The list of machinery in the
mil is as follows: Burr and mixing
pickers, two sets of cards (Six ma
chines) ten broad looms and two mules.
each 300 spindles. All the machinery
and necessary furniture for finishing
the cloth.
The engine room is in a wing on the
northwestern side of the main building.
1t is a 65 horse power engine, furnishes
power for the plant from large boilers.
An incandescent light dynamo of $50
lights capacity Will furnish light for
the mill. The building is heated by
steam.
on the second story of the mill a
trousers factory will be opened. Wool
en- cloth manufactured in the mill will
be made into trousers. The daily out
put of the mill viii be 800 yards of
double width cloth. This will consume
about 500 pounds of wool a day, and
the trousers factory win have capac-
ity of 20 dozen pairs day.
In the summer and fall the following
varieties of WoOlen goods will be man
ufactured: Blankets, skirts, fannels.
Jeans and yarns. During the winter
months the trousers factory Will be
opened and the output of the mill will
be trousers cloth. The mill viii employ
IS people, both men and women. This
is skilled labor At present a smaller
force is at work until the work is in
better form. Mr. AfcAfee, the manager
of the company, says that only wooden
goods will be manufactured at the mill
and the best cloth to be purchased will
be turned out.
At present the burr and mixing pick
ers are in operation as are also part of
the carding machines. One mule with
300 spindles is being run, and two broad
looms This gives the capacity as now
running of IS yards of double width
cloth a day. The force viii be increased
In a few days and the mill will be in
full operation with rs employees in a
short time.