New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-30

and blankets have a large number Of men at
work on hand looms and power looms at the
present time, and have just purchased spinning
machinery. l shall soon have sixteen hundred
spndles at work All this machinery has peen
bought at an expense OF only $1,000 1t Is worth
$4,000 I bought It at just the right time Inc
Dingey tariff had not yet been passed. and Pres-
dent McKinley's Administration had not yet got
fairly under way The manufactures. therefore,
were doing only small business. and manufact-
urers had doleful view OF the future: so Il was
an opportune time to buy idle machinery. and was
able to get this machinery at a quarter OF us
value We have large orders for blankets. The
State hospitals for the insane have ordered nf,y
thousand. These blankets are 81 per cent wool.
and as you will see. OF good material"
INDUSTRY AT THE HAND LOOMS.
The haud-loom room was a scene of active in
dustry and the noise OF the looms was deafening
"a the wooden frames Of the machines were hurled
backward and forward BY the convcts There
were forty-nine hand looms. These looms are
composed Of a large framework OF wood. and then
q movable frame Of wood. which weaves the WOOL
len cloth. Mr. Mead stated that he employed as
little labor-savlng machinery as possible Moro
men could necessarily be employed upon hand
looms than upon power looms run by machinery.
and therefore, more hand looms than power looms
were employed. He intended shortly 10 increase
the number OF hand looms In the training OF the
conyicts I'm this particular ll0e OF INDUSTRY they
q, first made rugs out of carpet-rags. then crash
and towelling and finally. woollen cloth. The wool
IA mixed on the ground floor OF the building. and
then Is transformed By the various kinds OF ma
chinery found in a woollen mill into woolen cloth
Cloth OF all kinds Of coors and differing In quail
Nv IS made as the orders come In. Thus. red.
blue and a dark green cloth are made for the boys
In the several grades at the Elmra Reforma tory
In the storeroom one also finds ticking. shifting
and towelling Of good quality. all made on the
hand looms By the convicts. In still another room
one discovers a body OF the convlcts at work pre-
narlng the cloth for Use after 1t comes from the
looms Here can be found fulling. a securing,
washing machine. a shearer, a brush and wind
ing machine. in company with steam dryer and
O. steam press.
"Our woollen factory" said Warden Mead. Il:
cur chief Industry. and teach the convicts by II
large number OF occupations. We take the raw
wool as you have seen. dye It, mix It OF machines
put Il through cardng machines, convert II into
small threads for the spinning mules. and then
finally, on either the power looms or the hand
looms convert it into cloth OF course. We had Il
have men from woolen mills come in here and Sc
No the machinery and teach the prisoners how Z
make Use Of the various kinds OF machinery. IN
ness In the month Of January. and they max
good workngmen. ! think they take as much pain
as vorkingmen in outside factories TO do thei
work well. The people TO whom we send the blan
kets and cloth say they are well made There ar
eight power looms. | employ as rev OF THESE ma
chimes as possible in order TO restrict the men =
hand labor | should regard II as very unfortunat
II any law should be passed saying that only
certal number OF convcts might be kept at worl
az any one trade, for that would compel US to pu
more men ~ work on tho power looms. propelled