Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-26

! wonderfulVeavingn near MOSCOW. 0Su eisN
Italians are rapidly regaininS the piaes
they held In the middle ages as one o.
the chief slk-manufacturins peoples ~
the world. 1t used to be that the mos
Of the raw silk brought from Cntna Gang
to Marseilles; large part of: it now goeS
to Genoa on the North German btosS
Asiatic lines. and the output OF ltaiaA
silk goods steadily grows
AMERICAN SILK INVASION.
The United States, however Is ruln1n4
the trade Of Lyons more than any OF tht
European countries. Before our civii VIZ
we usually contributed about Sso.u0ooo - es
the Lyons silk weavers. Now we MAKE y
per cent. Of the silk we consume ard nov.
lyirbstansinr our enormous increase id
wealth and population, our Lyons 2'll,
chases do not amount to more tEaH
$40 coo olo q year. The French wciterS
claim that the falling Of in their trade
is due to our protective tariff. which mas
built up the silk industry OF Pateerso"
and other American cities. In these places
the silk is made IN large NILS, ana ala
cost is so reduced that 1>fas.lean ss.
-,ercial travellers are now selling A:nsri-
can s,1ks in Europe We already weave
two thirds as much silk as France, and
our six exports may yet become one v.
the features of the American cornmeEs'aa
invasion OF Europe. I am told thae :.
number of the French factors nave q.
ready removed their plants to the oni.eu
States and that others are remoosu'"s
their mills on the American plan.
IN THE BIG LYONS MILL.
visited this afternoon the biggest SUN
mill of this country. It has 4zo ioosat
and two or three times as many eur
ployees The hands are bare-armed' pare
headed girls, well-dresse', and IN many
cases good looking Insr are the dsush'
ters of the men who work on tne houSe
looms and are tho descendants OF MANI
generations of silk weaeers. The min
is somewhat like great cotton FACTORY.
save that more bright colors are used. IN
the Keeling room the threads are OF an
the hues of the rainbow. ana the tnou
sands of spools make maze OF orl!iahs
tints ard shades. The factory IS Wen
lighted and 1t Is equipped with all ths
modern converiences OF our factories.
The wages are very low and there IS no
trouble in getting employees
MAKING VELVET
was interested In the velvet WORKS.
The finer of such goods are made by mouse
Industry, although power looms are gem
orally used. The weavers nave touna
they can not make wages by using theie
old hand looms and they have had them
rernodeled so that they can now earn IS
cents and upwards per day. Much or tho
velvet woven in Lyons is brocade. anu
that in most beautiful pattern. SILK ana
velvet curtains arc made. some or WHICH
cost as much as $500 q pair. saw VelVets
to-day which sell for SO yard, and was
shown curtains which require n'pnLhs TO
weave The finest of the velVets ara
made in these little rooms.
VELVET FOR THE VANDERBILTS.
visited one factory which made 5000
yards of red velvet. to be worn at the
coronation OF King Edward, and another
where I was shown specimens OF furniture
covering made for one of the Nanderoilf
families at cost OF 81 yard, 1nlnk
of paying ST yard for chair seat.s
And this is what the stuff costs in France
The price will be doubled by the time it
gets into one Of the Vanderbilt palaces
and is fitted on It's luxurious sofas. Every
time one sits down upor it he or she Will
cover yard of it. It would make me un'
comfortable to sit down on $la at ono
time.
The very best of the French silks seldom
set 20 the United states. as our duties
make them almost prohibitory- velvets
which will sell for 81 a yard in Lyons
would cost $40 a yard IN New York, and
silk brocades at S. a yard would be dou-
bled in price after they had passed
through our cuStonl-house and paid ths
charges of the middlemen.
HOW THEY SELL SILK.
I have gone through some OF the larS-
est of the Lyons silk stores. They are te
be found in buildings not unlike the fac
tories You enter an unpretentious stair
way and on the second or third floor may
find q door with little brass sign mark
ed with the name of the merchant En-
tering you come into large rooms with
long counters running through them.
There is no silk on view. for the goods
are stored away In cases or drawers until
brought out for the customers. Tha
rooms are we'll lighted and parts OF
them are walled with mirrors in order
that the colors may be shown by reflected
as well as by direct light. Some OF the
oldest styles are the most beautiful, arc
these are repeated from age to age, new
designs are continually being invented
and the greatest artists of France are en-.
gagged in designing. The French are not
ed as designers, and they have schools
here which teach designing. Some OF the
factories make pictures in silk both tor
decoration and wall covering. The faces
of the most noted men Of France ara
thus woven as we'll as fancy pictures OF
all sorts.
SILK WEAVING SCHOOLS.
Lyons is doing all It can to foster Its
silk industry. It has Its technical schools
which teach all branches of silk manu-
facturc. Young men come here from all
parts of the world to study how to maka
silk and many work in the mills for that
purpose There IS one scnoof which
charges from 500 to LOO francs a year
as tuition. The 500 francs is the charge
for F'renchmen and the 1.200 francs that
for foreigners. In this school the best OF
modern silk weaving machinery Is used
and a great part OF 1t bears the mark OF
American manufacturers An American
sewine,, machine sews the pattern cards
together, and American methods OF weav-
ing are employed. All kinds of silks, vel
vets, plain and figured goods are made
here under the superintendent OF tho
most skilled workuaer,. the boys doing the
work themselves with the professional
silk men as oVerseers.
I visited the Lyons municipal silk
school. on the Croix Rousse. after going
through the silk factories OF that neigh.
borhood This school is sustained by the
city, and is open only to Lyonnesa
youths. Any Lyons boy who has reached
the age of Is can enter upon the payment
OF s1.73 and learn ali about silk weaving.
designing, and pattern-maklng. The
course of day study Is ten months. and
there is in addition night school, In
which {; course OF three years Is re-
CURED.
HOW LYONS BUILT, UP ITS TRADE
These technical schools OF Lyons show
that the people are trying to regain their
supremacy as the silk weaving centre OF
the world Similar schools should hs
established ut Paterson. and otherwhsref
in cur country. and the silk worm indus