Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-10-02
MERCERIZED COTTON.
JoBBERs IN COTTON SELLING MORE
SILK THAN THE SILK MEN.

All the MsteriaI that silk Shirt Waists are
Made of CONES from Cotton-It is Stead
lily suppIanting Silk-Nine-tenths of the
silk Shirt Waists are Mercerizsd Cotton.
A jobber in cotton goods remarked
TO a New York silk merchant not long
since that he was selling m)re silk
goods than the silk merchs1Ju was.
How is that?" asked the latter, sus-
pecting joke.
.Why, l am selling all of the ma
terial that silk shirt waists are made
Of" replied the jobber, smiling signln-
cantly. Don't you comprehend the
inroads that mercerized cottons are
making into your trade? The process
of mercerizing, or 'silkifying. cotton
cloth has reached such stage or per-
lection in Europe that Germany, swift
erland and even France are sendlng 10
this country enormous quantities OF
cotton goods that few persons can dis
tinguish from silk. Nine-tenths OF
all of the women's silk shirt waists
made here recently have been made OF
mercerized cotton.
The jobber spoke the truth, as the
records of the United States appraiser
office in New York will testify. With
in the past year the importation OF
mercerized cotton has increased to
very large extent In various ways this
class Of goods is steadily supplanting
silk, and it wears even better than
some of the grades of silk that 1t sup
plants, there is a steady growth in the
demand for it. For shirtirgs, certain
grades of Innings, umbrella covers and
upholstery goods the nercerized cot
tons are fast usurping the field tor
merly held by silk alone. 1t is cheaper
than silk and the duty on 1t is about
Is per cent. less. Some of the pieces
of mercerized silk dress goods that
have lately come to this country would
readily be mistaken for genuine silk
1t has the lustre and sheen, and dry
goods men say that the mercerized
goods will last longer than the silk.
Mercerized cotton yarn is declared by
experts in the appraisers office to be
lWSAly live pei ISlAl. oIAOAA6Cl imam bAO
unmercerized yarn.
The color in the warp of these mer-
cerized goods is impaired by an insolu-
BILE and inextractable coloring matter
inherent in the fibre; the physical con-
struction of the fibre is changed by the
action Of caustic soda. Mercerizing
machines have heen put in operation
all over Europe, and the probability
is that these goods will drive out Of
the market entirely some of the cheap
er grades of silks. Although the duties
on merceriZed cottons are considerably
less than the duties on silks goods, it is
the opinion of observant customs Of
ficers that the Government will not
be a loser because of this extraordin-
airy growth in the demand for mercer
ICED goods. There are certain novel
ties which are merceriZed, now COM
ing into market in large quantities,
which would not have been imported
for the success of the mercerizing pro-
cess. The diminution of the silk i'm
portations will not be sufficient, though
it may be considerable, to counterfeit
the increased revenues afforded by the
larger importations of mercerized cot
tons.
The mercerized goods are even in
vading the realm of woolens and or
velvets. Mercerized fabrics in imita-
tion of both woolens and velvets have
made their appearance. Only few
weeks ago unique importation of
dress goods from Germany was made
here. The goods were of cotton but
made in imitation of worsted with rich
silk stripes. On close examination
it was found that the silk stripes,
were also cotton, mercerized. Scarcely
week passes nowadays that some
thing new in the way of mercerized
goods does not come before the public.