New-York tribune., 1909-09-25
AMERICAN THREAD.
Tee Little Known Story OF IFS Rise
10 the Worlds Leadership.


ihan f'lat q tie manufacture Of thread The
gigantic nature OF this particular industry is
peali1ed by or'y few. Il being characteristic Of
r.vilized humanity 20 knsw least about tho SIM
lie objects familiar in the home life Among
these the modest spool Of cotton thread may
certainly be classed
a. matter q fact. Scotland. thc mother coun-
try Of this form Of thread. has known it for
nttle more than century In considerably less
than tie latter half Of that period the United
States has taken not only from Scotland, but
also from al Great Britain and Ireland, the
majority Of their great mills, and has established
itself as the worlds greatest and best manu-
facturer OF thread Before that had been ac-
complished. however there had been enacted
story Of real life. IN which were the inevitable
elements Of SORROW and triumph.
Something Ike a century and half ago
humble Scotch widow moved with six small
children, into the town OF Paisley 10 seek work
Nov. once upon a time We al knew Of that
rnt.Tp isi1s place. because our mothers or a.
losst or gTaHdmothers. almost reached the
hesgtt - th.ir ambition when they obtained
Paisl'e shauls despite the fat that thy were
oniy limitations of tie shawls 81 raslmore.
lEoWever. two of The widows sons pro~rered
lGded in th,ir work the making Of silk tvine
Us'd iT The preparation Il heddles for the looms.
ghe sik for this purpose came from the German
city - Hamburg. but when Napoleon occupied
il d" caused its stock of silk 10 be burned, and
Parsley se, ingiy faced ruin. But one Of tho
trotiers had tie happy thought 10 substitute
c,ifon warp yarn for silk ana 20 twist il into
thread Success followed, and the weaving in
dGstTy continued. A son Of one of these brothers
F'la lEen thread for domestic sewing purposes
bat in time recommended cotton thread as
=5l0oth.r than the rough and uneven linen. To-
csy in tie United States a single mill annually
turns out seven million dozen GpOols of cotton.
Tie oldtime scotch pioneer when he sold ssein
- cotton, would himself wind il upon a spool.
for which he charged a halfpenny. although this
D. refunded when the empty spool was returned.
u was long thought that the manufacture of
tpool cotton would never be undertaken in this
country, despite the fact that during the ClFli
War tie duty was practically pTohibtory. This
duty ultimately forced the British manuiactur-
srs TO bring their capital and plants to the
United States as otherwise they could NOT COM
pete with those on this side Of the Atlantic. Tie
result is that to-day nineteen-twenteths OF an
the thread consumed here IS made In this coun-
try Even the SUCCESSORS 10 the humble Scotch
men Just named now have plants in the United
States as well as In Russia, Spain, Germany
and Austria
The extent Of the American thread Industry
and as allied interests was shown on March 10
1919 whom the American Thread Company was
,nez,rporated under the laws Of the state OF
Ne,y Jersey its purpose being the manufacture
sf COTTON linen silk, wool and other threaos'
cloths and fabrics, the primary idea beng 10
,,Yite tbe manufacturers of SPOOL crochet Knit
ting rnending and other cottons, Including ia
certain instances. cotton spinning oouDihig,
twisting, dyeing. bleaching polishing ana Spun
making.
In ysn,arv. 1868 the constituent companies
,.eTa ,,iesoIyed and their properties merged with
,bat of tie American Thread Company. Ihese
sobsidiary companies are as follows:
.Tl,e Rargtow Thread Company, Of Providence
tavina, an annual capacity OF three million dozen
sp..,ls of cotton; the Glasgo Yarn Mills Com
,.apv 81 Glasgo, Conn, with a weekly capacity
= at.o,,t thirteen thousand pounds Of combed
,,a-,,. The GIasgo Thread Company, OF Worces-
,er Mass: the Hadley Company, OF Holyoke'
NJ ,be Kerr Thread Company, or Fan River
R,aee i,s capacity being thirty thousand pounds
o,1Iz ~ warns and thread; j. o. King O. Co.
:, - York City; the MerTick Thread COM
,.. 81 4olvoIe Mass, with an annual capacity
:, e,yep million spools Of cotton; the NauohaI
r,l,-,aa company OF Mansfield, Conn inc
49,. f. Kalev Manufacturing Company OF
.s,le,,d \ II its daily capacity beng I"eh'S-
g. l,,,,dred boxes Of finished goods; the =. ).
Va Asorse Company, Of Boston. with an ahhuaI
,.,.aIi,,, of two hundred and fifty thou9aEl
as ~ cotton thread; the Ruddy Ihre"n
-, ~ worcester, Mass; the warren
.r,,,.ad coupany Of Ashland Mass.' liie ~
an, clark Company. Of Westerly *. l. am 'io
uJ.,i,oantie Linen Company or WInIhanl','
fRi