New-York tribune., 1908-12-13
BUILD ANOTHER MILL.
Return of Prosperity Sho7cn By Er-
z7a11siOn of BeIding Bros. & Co.

DISPATCHES from Belding. Mich. announce that
the new mill Of Bedtng Brothers &, Co, manu-
facturers OF silk products, will be completed and
ready for operation about the first Of the year
This may be set down another indication OF the
approach of the predicted wave Of prosperity
which promises relegste to oblivion the recent
financial depression. The new mill will be devoted
Il. the manufacture Of silk fabrics and will en-
rIov about seven hundred hands, capable OF pro
ducfng fully two million yards annually The
building IS of the most approved construction and
calculated 70 provide the best conditions ob-ainable
for the operatives The latest machinery used IN
silk manufacture will be used IN this connection
1t Is interesting trace the development Of Bed-
ing Brothers & Co from comparatively humble
beginning in 1864 TO its present magnitude.
The foundation Of the firm was really laid in 1850
when the late Hiram H Beding and MS brother,
AIvah y Belding, left their home in Belding.
1-icb n sell silk from house to house Their sup
plv was obtained from another brother, Milo NJ
BeIding then living at the birthplace Of the Beld-
ings Ashfeld, Mass. This business was so profit
able that the BeIding brothers were able to am
bark in the manufacture Of silk at Rockville, Conn.
,1 1856 and the original factory with large addi-
tons now employing some five hundred hands, is
stiH running to its fullest capacity in the manu-
fact1lre of silk thread Of every description In
1872 bv reason Of the increased demand for their
product the Beldings were able to build an addt-
tjonaI mill at Northampton Mass. This mill now
EMPLOYS seven hundred hands in the manufacture
of en- broidery silk and various forms OF silk fab
ricc 4 factory
in 1890 another in Petaluna, Cal, and still an
other in Montreal, Canada The continued demand
required the building Of second factory in Beld-
ing which went into commission about tso years
ago manufacturing fabrics only. and now the third
factory at Belding is about ready TO begin opera
tions
# NAV not be generally known that America is
the greatest producer and consumer OF silk prod
ucts in the world, but It is matter of record that
the mills Of this country work up about eighteen
million pounds of silk annually. about one
third Of the worlds product. OF this amount, 1t is
said Belding Brothers & Co. generally consid-
cred bv the trade be the largest single consumers
To understand what herculean task the little silk
worm has TO perform 10 supply this great demand
for silk il will be interesting 10 observe how
silk IS produced. An ounce of silkworm eggs viii
number about forty thousand When hatched the
worms from an of eggs working about
thirty davs will consume !hree-quarters of ton
Of mulberry leaves, after which they spin their
cocoons and go into the Chrysalis state The
,eisb+ or these forty thousand silk cocoOns varies
From, so 70 2O pounds. and the length Of the thread
in each is about three hundred yards. AS II takes
on cocoon threads TO make thread OF CONNER
cial silk appreciate what very llttIe part
even forty thousand silkworns play in the manu-
Ssct,,rin1 process and what great amount OF
Iahor IS required 20 produce silk threads and fab
It's fran the raw material. The process Is sue
.eesfon OF unwinding. spinning. twisting and re-
winding with numerous vashings, dyengs and
entsbfnrs before the thread can be spoiled and
offered for sale
CURED in the various processes OF silk manufact-
IRE rare operative skin and experience are re
,,,trad E2eldfnE Brothers & Co believe that the
fzrt.r.,, Of their employees is materially increased
,, The contentnlsnt of home life and pleasant
',f,I s,,rroIndinss and have always given these
matters considerable attention. Ii Beldins Mich.