Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-12-21
A SILK FACTORY
BELLINGHAM MEN WOULD BUILD
ONE AT SEATTLE.
Say That Sound Climate Is More
Favorable Than That of Any
Other Portion of the United
States..One Loom Now Working
Satisfactorily.

Seattle, Dec. 16.-H. Butterworth,
OF Butterworth 4 Smethurst, o! Belling-
ham. is in Seattle for the purpose of
interesting local capitalists in a pro-
posed silk mandatory. Mr.. Butter
worth and his partner propose to estab-
fish such a factory on the sound, and
have already received assurance of sup
port in Bellingham. He thinks, how.
ever, that large plant could be estab-
lished and operated in Seattle, and
that, in short. Seattle is really the
proper place for the factory.
He has spoken to several prominent
men of the city about the matter, and
in short time will begin an active
canvalss to see what amount of money
can he raised for the organization of a
stock company. A plant can be erect.
ed for $1,000, but complete equip.
ment capable of taking the silk from
the raw fiber stage to the finished prod.
uct, would cost in the neighborho0d Of
5000, 900. Such plant would employ
about 1000 or I 200 hands.
Mr.. Butterworth and Mr.. Smethurst
are both practical silk manufacturers.
They have been residents of Bellingham
about three years. At present they
have single loom there, which they
have recently erected for the purpose of
experiment and demonstration. That
loom will bebrought to Seattle some
time within the next few weeks, and
il and it's work will be placed on exhi-
bition here.
Threads Do Not Break.
The single loom has demonstrated
conclusively one very important fact,
which plainly, according to Mr.. But
terworth, indicates that the Puget
Sound region is better adapted to the
manufacture of silk tnah any other por.
ton of the United States.
The damp climate keeps the threads
soft and elastic enough to prevent them
from breaking In the loom. The fiber
is also shrunk by tie moisture in the
atmosphere. In the operation of the
loom at Bellingham not more than
three times in day has the loom been
compelled to stop on account of broken
ends. In New Jersey and New York,
where most of the silk of the country
is manufactured, 100 broken ends a
day ia not an unusual record Each
time thread breaks the loom must be
stopped for from one to three or four
minutes. During this time as much as
three or four inches OF cloth could be
manufactured. In addition to the time
lost there Is the attendant annoyance.
Trouble was expected with the carding
machinery, but none was experienced.
"The adaptibility of the climate to
silk manufacture is one great advantage
haer," said Mr.. Butterworth can
other, which is perhaps even more i'm
portant, is the fact that Seattle is the
nearest point in the United States to
the raw product. The raw silk is un-
loaded on SEATTLE wharves from the
Japanese liners.
"Raw. silk cannot be shipped by
freight. 1t mustt be shipped by ex-
press, and this costs $l4 per 100
pounds from here to New York. After
being manufactured in the East, as
conditions are at present, it is shipped
back to the coast to be sold.
Taking into consideration that we
can get the raw product direct from
the ships and take ii straight to the
factory, thus saving the double express
charges across the continent, and the
advantage to be derived from the eli
matte condition, we can undoubtedly
make and sell goods at profit at a
price considerably lower thar that for
which they are at present sold.
'If one factory is erected here it
would be but beginning. l know
thai. if we can get started and make a
success OF it others would follow. This
Is the logical portion of the United
States for silk MAMMA :ture. and il a