New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-23
WHERE BIG LOOMS PLY
. WHITE VILLAGE" IN THE
SUBURBS OF NORWICH.
INTRICATE PROCESSES BY WHICH FINE
COTTON FABRICS ARE MAN "a
UFACTURED. y


The trim little hamlet suburban 70 the thrfvfns
New England city OF Norwich Conn. in which
is located one OF the largest cotton mills in rhs
United States. is known throughout Connecticnf
as The White Village" The name comes not
from the fact that twenty million yards OF spot
less cotton goods are milled there each year, but
rather from the neat white houses in which the
workmen live These dwellings are built in orderly
along wide, shaded streets. and white paint
covers everything even 70 the picket fences Ths
village is a mile Two up the Shetucket River
from Norwich. and its official is Taftville.
A long OF high. dignifed brick buildings
shelter the POnemah Mills which have been run
ming for more than l. rty years They do not
look Ike ordinary factory buildings. There are
stately towers here and there 10 relieve the monot-
ouy and there Tuning smokestacks, FOR
the mills are operated by water power. The arapis
grounds surrounding the factory are parked Thers
Is mill n the country which makes finer linens
and lawns. The owners were among the arst
Northern mill 70 realize that under the
organization OF industry in the South the coarser
cotton fabrics must eventually come 70 De pro-
dUced az factories alongside the cotton fields. and.
in consequence. have been giving their attention
fine fabrics. All winter long the spindles and
looms have been working steadily on the yards OF
light STUFF which an army OF American needle
women viii make into thousands OF coulforra5s
summer dresses Tor maid and matr0u and they
still az IL few days ago when Tribune re-
porter was shown through the mill by the energetic
superintendent John ECCIes.
The raw cotton comes 10 Pouemah IN great
ironbound, jute covered bales. Just as II was
pressed in the cotton fields of the South OF far
OF Egypt The Sea Island or Southern cotton
bales weigh 50 pounds. and 500 OF them are
handled every year by the worknen who tnhabit
The White Village" The Egyptian bales are t1st
twice large. The bales are received by the car
load and dumped into a big dreprooI storage
warehouse. whence they are taken the mixing
room needed Every knows that good
bread cannot be made unless the dough Is thor
hT Lr~ra1 TaT ~
the yarn would De uniform. Tor there is con
siderable variation OF quality between bales. The
cotton mixing. or kneading. IS done BY hand, the
use Of machine called the bale breaker nevec
having been adopted. Thirty forty bales are
broken open and their contents dumped into large
bin Then come twenty or more sturdy men and
boys. who toss and tumble the cotton about until
every bale has lost its identity.
When thoroughly mixed the raw cotton Is ready
for the opener II is taken from a feeding
table by pair Of gr0oved rollers from which il is
pulled by a "bearer," rapidly revolving cylinder
bearing at intervals number or rows OF project.
ing teeth The matted 1Ocks are separated by this
means and the fibre Iooseued I'd and made flexible
A strong blast OF air is made play through tbs
newly opened cotton, blowing cut OF the dust
and dirt and forcing the good cotton into ths
picker Passing under heavy rollers IL is formed
into laps or rolls each containing about the same
amount OF cotton Almost the same process is re-
peated the machine. except that the cotton
is fed four laps in order TO give uniformity
-
cotton ready for cardlng-
The cardins room is filed with intricate machines
which practically run themselves. a man here and
there 70 watch over and keep them supplied with
cotton being all the human help required. When
the first cardng machine was adapted 70 the use
OF cotton mills in 1850. by James Hargreaves. tina
English spinners in fear OF losing their means OF
subsistence destroyed every machine within reach
The top Hat card machine in could not
be greatly improved The cotton is taken up BY
an endless travelling lattice. carried under rollers.
also covered with sort OF wire cloth. which move
IN opposite directions those OF the large cylinder
and different veIocities. In another part OF the
"carder'' il is combed and brushed remove the
dirt which escaped the 'pickers-" II comes out
a light snowy fleece. and is formed into loose
web by being drawn through a tunnel. after which
il is coiIed in tall
Not after all this treatment IS the cotton
ready for spinning. There are three sets OF draw
ing frames through which IS pass and then
IN turn come the 'subbing." intermediate and
rowing frames The drawing frame process
cures uniformity in weight. without which fms
weaving would be impossible. Several OF
coiIed fibre drawn into one. while a fine tooth
comb takes out all short. faulty fibre
Don't you slight the drawing frames said ne
old Scotchmau who had charge or the room % It's
a most important process It's Just ike the making
Of the character OF man-any serious fault in the
beginning is bound 10 show. r. bad cotton gets
through these frames the fault can never be rene
died.
The "sIubbing' frame draws out the cotton by
means OF rollers. twists it, TO prevent stretching
pulling out in the later operations. by OF the
OF spirdleS, and winds the ends upon bobbins IN
successive layers. IN the intermediate feeder the
cotton is pulled out by series OF rollers running
different speeds. The rowing frame is the last
before the operation OF spinning. and its work
differs only slightly from that OF those which I'M
mediately precede il.
The endless music Of the spinning room comes to
the visitor as he climbs the stairs from the hoor
below. II Is soft and humming music, like the
combined buzzng OF a hundred swarms OF bees. Il
IS the music that which came from OIdJiIns
spinning wheels IN colonial days only its volume
is increased many fold II from the spinning
frames. which arranged long lanes and
which hold $500 spindles Each Of these spindles
Is making more than five thousand revolutions a
minute WHEN the mill is running az fun speed No
wonder there is music,
The spinning frames have two sets OF drawing
rollers. one on each side. between which rowing
bObbins placed In front OF each set OF rollers
the spindles placed such distances aSart from
each other as the size OF yarn 10 be spun demands
NE revolutions OF the spindes put the necessary
strengthening twist into the yarn and the bobbfrs
wind automatically. Scattered here and there along
IN the lanes between the thread making machines