Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-25

the place they held In the middle ages as
one Of the chief manufacturing peoples
of the world. 1t used to be that the most OF
the raw silk brought from China came to
Genoa on the North German Lloyd Asiatic
lines. and the output OF Italian SILK goods
steadily grows.
American Silk Invasion.
The United States, however, is injurins
the trade Of Lyons more than any of the
European countries. Before our civil war
we annually contributed about $50. 100000 to
the Lyons silk weavers. Now We make 80
per cent Of the silk we consume, and, not
withstanding our enormous increase In
wealth and population. our Lyons purchases
do not amount to more than 100000
year The French writers claim that the
falling off In their trade Is due to our pro-
tective tariff. which has built up the silk
industry of Paterson and other American
cities. In these places the silk Is made IN
large mills and the cost Is so reduced that
American commercial travellers are now
selling American silks in Europe. We al
ready weave two-thirds much silk as
France and our silk exports may yet be-
come one Of the features of the American
commercial invasion of Europe l am told
that a number of the French factors have
already removed their plants 20 the Untted
States, and that others are remodeling their
In Big Lyons Mill.
visited this afternoon the biggest silk mill
of this country It has 400 looms and two
or three times that many employees The
hands are bare-armed bare-headed girls,
well dressed and in many cases good
looking They are the daughters of the
men who work on the house looms and are
the descendants OF many generations Of
silk weavers. The mill Is somewhat like
great cotton factory, save that more bright
colors are used In the Keeling room the
threads are Of all the hues Of the rainbow.
and the thousands Of spools make maze
of brilliant tints and shades. The factory
Is well lighted and 1t Is equipped with all
the modern conveniences 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 house in
dustry. although power looms are general
ly used. The weavers have found they can
not make wages by using their old hand
looms and they have had them remodeled
50 that thew can now earn IS cents and up
wards per day. Much of the velvet woven
in LYONS fs brocade. and that in most beau
tiful patterns. Silk and velvet curtains are
made. some Of which cost as much as $500
a pair. saw velvets today which sell for
SO a yard. and was shown curtains which
require four months to weave. The finest
of the velvets are made In these little
rooms.
The velvet is woven about wires, the
threads being cut through to the wires with
a knife and the wires taken out. The vel
vet has to be made thread by thread. each
line being cut separately, so that a slip Of
the knife would ruin the cloth.
Velvet for the vanderbilts.
visited one factory which made 5000
yards Of red velvet to be worn at the coro-
nation Of King Edward. and another where
was shown specimens Of furniture cover
,ngs made for one Of the Vanderbilt fam
lilies at cost Of S21 a yard. Think Of
paying s21 for chair seat! And this II
what the stun costs In France. The price
will be doubled by the time It gets Into one
OF the Vanderbilt palaces and Is fitted on
to its luxurious sofas. Every time one sits
down upon II he or she will cover yard Of
It. 1t would make me uncomfortable to sit
down on $40 at one time.
The very best Of the French silks seldom
get to the United States, as our duties make
them almost prohibitory. velvets which
will sell for a a yard In Lyons would cost
at IS a yard would be doubled In price
after they had passed through our custom
house and paid the charges Of the middle
men.
How They Sell SIX In Lyons.
I have gone through some Of the largest
Of the Lyons silk stores. They are to be
found in buildings not unlike the factories
You enter an unpretentious stairway and
with q little brass sign marked with the