El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-04

LlaL now the machine mas ueHAl
adapted 10 almost everything that
can be seWed- Up TO 1885 our govern
ment had issued more than 1000
patents for sewing machines and their
parts.
When the Civil war was over there
were hundreds Of thousands Of sol
diers who went back 10 the business
Of everyday life Their civilian cloth
ing had worn out in the meantime,
and when they give up their uniforms
they had TO have another supply. This
made a big demand for factory made
garments, and the ready made stuff
grew better and better
This demand was increased by the
wants % the pioneers and immigrants.
and the business steadily grew Chicago
became enc Of the chief markets and
there we're many clothing dealers whose
annual sales were upward OF $1,000, 00n
The workmanship improved and new
styles were added until II was difficult
70 tell whether a mans suit was made 10
order or not This has gone on until there
are almost as many varieties Of cut in
mems clothing as in Tomens clothlnE
single factories make many styles. and
one old firm in New York city. which for
merly confined IT'S product TO two styles Of
uvercoats and one style OF sack coat now
mas ls styles Of orercoats and 10 styles
Of seek coat
The public mas been educated TO demand
novelties in readynade garments and now
every manufacture has % watch the
do those Of Paris Much Of the fine work
is done by hand. and it IS difficult to
ten the product from that made by the
best custom taiIors-
Has Become a Great Industry.
Today the making OF mems clothing has
become a great industry. and nine men
and boys out OF every ten wear clothes
made either in factories or shops. More
than quarter OF a billion dollars Is in
vested in the business, and the wages an
nually paid are about SeI,oo0.oo0. The
factories include those making garments
Of every sort such as overcoats. coats.
raincoats and smoking Jackets. and such
as overailE, bathing suits. knee pants and
gymnasium and sporting clothes. There
are also many establishments which make
only parts Of garments, such as shoulder
pads pockets or coat fronts. and some
that make button holes in mems clothing
sent out by other shops Indeed the spe-
cializatioE In some Of the factories has
gone so far that a coat may be made in
New York, 70 20 with a pair OF trousers
made in Philadelphia and waistcoat
from Boston When the several garments
are completed they are shipped TO the
originating firm and there assembled into
a suit
some Made IN svTeatshops.
Some Of the clothes are made in sweat
shops, the wholesale firms letting out TIE
Jobs 70 contractors. who in turn sublet IL
. 70 other contractors until II IS finally done
in little shops OF BY persons who do it at
home Much OF this is done on very low
by foreigners who in all branches Of
manufacture do more work than Ameri-
cans readTnade clothing In New
York much Of the industry is IN the hands
Of Russian Jews and in Chicago Poles
SWedes. Bohemians and Jews make Up
large proportion O. the workers. Many
women are employed, aud in the Polish.
Swedish and Bohemian shops there are far
more womsu than men
The clothes made for the soldiers are
manufactured mostly in factories The
business is different from that Of ordi-
nary ready made clothing The styles are
fixed and the manufa cture has nothing 10
do with the selection OF goods nor the
prices OF raW materials. The cloth is FUR
1isned By the sovernn1er- and shipped
direct from the mills TO the factories
That used for the uniforms comes in great
bolts. 81 inches wide and from 40 TO 50
yards long. and the manufacturer is
charged with every yard and he has 10
deliver OF account for that much Of the
clothing The manufacture measures the
goods when they come IN, and he meas
ures then again after shrinking and
sponEinE- During this necessary process
the cloth may shrink three inches il
width and several inches IN length and
this has 10 be allowed by the government
according TO the actual shrinkage
How Cloth L ShrunE.
In my visit 10 this Philadelphia plant
huge bolts brought from the factories are
shrunien before cutting Each bolt Is
about four and one-half feet in length
and bigger around than a fat man at the
on rollers. and then showed into a great
oven or what might be called a steam
cooker The cloth contracts during this
stean1t1E and within hal1 hour Il can
be taken out with the required shrinzage
effected II IS then dried and ready for
cutting into the pieces OF which the uni
forms are TO be made
Taking the elevator. I followed the
shrunken cloth 20 the great rooms above
where II Is rolled out layer on layer, and
cut into suits for the soldiers The laying
IS done by machinery A bolt Of cloth con-
tanning. perhaps. so yards. Is suspended
horizontally over the table which 8
longer than the length OF the cloth Il
rests upon supports over wheels on the
floor. and as it Unrolls the cloth IS LETT
fiat on the table Then another bolt Is
laid down. and this process continues IN
til there are 50 or 60 or even more, layers
OF cloth, one on top Of the other, running
the ful length OF the table These layers
are smooth and as you look at them they
seem 10 Be substantially one piece OF
cloth. six OF eight inches thick
After the pile Is completed the patterns
are marked ont and the clothes are cut
after much the same plan that woman
uses in cutting out her dress The army
tailor LAYS the thick cardboard patterns on
the top layer. and marks with tailors
chalk the exact outlines This is 80 done
that almost the whole Of the top cloth IS
covered with patterns. great regard 70
Ll1 SAVING OF waste 0elLE Laheu- Inc
marking must be done very carefully, for
the 30 or more layers below. all Of which
are TO be cut at one time
Cloth Cut Ont by Electricity.
This cutting IS especially interesting
No scissors have ever been made which
viii cut more than one thickness Of over
coat cloth At one time, and the long
knives which were formerly moved ID and
down through a slot ir the table had a
capacity Of only a dozen layers or So.
The cutting is now done by electricity.
The instrument used is a little dynamo
connected with which is a knife eight or
ten inches long An electric light globe
fastened to the machine over the knife
cutter moves the machine along through
the goods.
The knife goes Though the 50 layers as
though they we're cheese. and the 50 pat
terms when taken out are exactly alike
The machine sharpens the knife as it goes
and Il is so accurate that Il does equally
well in cutting a crescent which has the
The long line which measures the back Of
a coat With this machine pieces for 50
overcoats can be cut out within a very feT
minutes The waste IS carefully saved.
and it now goes back 70 the government
TO be reWorzed over FOR the wool in H.
which is used for making more cloth.
Tn this same room I saw them cutting
1ut the Innings and trimmings The cut
Goods 60 from the cutters 20 trimmers
VINO match up the fabrics with buttons
and thread. assembling as it were every
thing employed in making the garment
The aterials for each uniform are laid
up -Eathcr and the pieces are sent f.
bundles OF ten garments TO the shops
where rEey are made into uniforms