Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-22
Experiments Carried On by
Department of Agriculture.
A NEW FRENCH PROCESS
NATIVE WOMEN USED TO OPER-
ATE THE SPINDLES
Successful Trials Made Under Direction
of Dr.. Howard Of Division
of Entomology.

The Department of Agriculture has re-
ceived one of the newest French silk-reeling
machines and 1t Ia now in operation at the
department building. In the new method
cOcoons are being treated according to a
method almost entirely new in the United
States. and beautiful hanks of silk. Of
golden yellow color, are being turned out
at the rate of twelve per day. Two expert
women operators Madame Tourtel and her
daughter Euginie. have been employed from
an establishment near Lyons, France, and
are now working steadily at the machines
In the museum building. on the department
grounds, near 18th and streets south
west. where the public can watch them.
Secretary Wilson exhibited yesterday the
first hank of new silk reeled from the
machine. There are three of these ms
chimes. though only one of them has been
put in operation. the intention being to
send one of the two remaining machines
to Tuskegee and the other to some other
place where sufficient interest may ne
shown to learn how to operate it. COcoons
have been purchased from various parts or
the country.
1t is Secretary Wilson's desire to have
the people of the south and especially col
ored persons. learn the business because
of the comparative cheapness OF that labor.
Arrangements already have been made to
have some girls come to Washington to
learn the machines. and they are expected
daily. Secretary Wilson says that the de-
partment is prepared to do everything pos
eible to encourage the industry and that
elk-worm eggs as well as young mulberry
trees will be supplied to persons desiring
to engage in the business. The department
at present is buying cocoons whenever
offered, but Keeling centers will be estab-
lished fast possible, and each of these
will be cocoon market
Operation of Machines.
The silk produced is of very fine quai-
Ay.
The machine now in operation is a dou-
Die one and of exceedingly interesting me-
ehanism. 1t purchased with several
others from the firm of T. BERTRAND & Co.
of Fills. France. The cocoons are first
placed in a well of boiling water, into
which fits large brush wheel This wheel
Tevolves automatically. and removes from
the cocoons the loose, irregular ends of the
threads, which are unfit for manufacturing
thto the best grades of silk. The cOcoons
ere then placed into basin of hot water
before which the operators stand. Here
Shey are separated. and the single threads,
Gom four or five of them, are twisted to-
EEther and run through button, six OF
Which are fixed above each basin These
tEisted threads pass through two glass
Evolving guides, which are arranged 50
q to make the silk run through twist,
S1d wiring itself dry.
1t now passes over the heads of the OPP
orators, the combination of the several
threads making 1t strong enough to sus
tain itself By a swinging guide. which
runs the whole length of the double
chine. the threads are fed on to revolving
reels in a hexagonal form. Here it re-
senbles beautiful yellow-silk ribbon. about
two inches wide. The zigzag motion of
the guide gives fine surface to the bands
and renders the unwinding of the silk
easier '--" -- 7i'''E--
There are two reeling wheels for every
basin, making eight in all. When they arr
full they are removed and the silk bands
are loosened and twisted into a hank, thus
finishing this part of the silk manufactur
ing process
The People Employed.
The whole machine completely fills an
ordinary sized room and is operated by an
electric motor There are four basins,
through which boiling water can be run, by
means of feeding pipe and perforated bot
tom, THE French operators are wonderfully
def. handling the tiny siken threads as
easily as If they were large cords. The
ever-moving network in front and overhead
confounds the observer on first sight.
The man in charge of the machine is Mr..
William A. keleher, who, together with his
brother. I. A. keleher, has been studying
the silkwOrm, in connection with the de-
partment. for many years Both brothers
are thoroughly acquainted with every fea-
ture of the work.
Mr.. T. -. keleher devotes most of his time
10 raising the worms, and has perfected
a method ii his own for killing the crysalis
before unwinding the thread. His brother
set up the present machine, unaided, and
is an expert in the Keeling process. The
entire silk experiment is under the direction
of MIR Howard of the division of entomolo-
gy-
AS yet the two French women can speak
very little English They arrived in this
country with the machines about the
LIST of June.
as an aid during the weaving season of
the worms.
Silk Investigations.
Between 1886 and 1891 Mr. Phillip Walk
er. who had charge of silk Investigations
and experiments for the department. at
tempted to introduce the silk Keeling ma
chimes. with Improvement of his own
1t is said that ne would have been very
successful had not Congress failed to APP
proprate enough money to carry the expri-
ment to an end. Mr.. Walker at present
has a law office near 10Th and G. streets
northwest in this city.
The department is now using a cocoon
which is cross between the pure white
and the pure yellow. Later. ii is hoped
the other varieties will be used
Besides the finer grades of silk made
from the silk on the reels. courseer grade.
and a kind of satin, is manufa ctured from
the rough threads removed from the out
side of the cocoons so that there Is no
waste except the crysalis.
Propagating Silk Worms
The method of propagating the worms is
very interesting. Thus far the Agricultu-
raj Department has imported all of it's eggs
from the theological Institute in Italy
The eggs are guaranteed to be absolutely
free from disease having been tested and
purified by the Pasteur method.
Mr.. T. A keleher has raised cocoons for
many years. He tells of the life of the
worm as follows:
The eggs are kept in cool dark place
all winter. Ha:chngs usually occur an
nuaiy in the spring.
Simple contact with the air causes the
newborn inestc Immediately to acquire a