Evening star., 1918-07-14

acres of floor space, and the whole OF
this is filled with machinery of the
most intricate nature. It is run by
electricity and the most Of it goes at
dynamic speed.
I DESPAIR of giving you accurate
which the dbers go on their way from
the bale to the shirt. AS the cotton
comes from the plantation 1t is Of
different varieties, Some Of it has
fibers longer than others, and the
bales have to be opened and the diff
gether. so that the product will be OF
the uniform quality which the gov
ernment requires.
The cotton has to be torn loose by
machines. which pull it apart It is
beaten up by other machines, and the
dust. leaves. sticks and dirt are
blown out. 1t is then run over great
cylinders or rollers, called openers.
and so treated that when 1t leaves
them there is not stick, leaf or gain
Of sand in 1t. The lint Is now as soft
as swans down and winter than when
it was picked in the field.
The hbers. however, are all mixed
together. They are turned this way
and that and they cross and re-cross
one another. They must all be laid
the same way before they can be
spun into thread. This work is done
ny Tie C<SIuIuB udCnlu6S uuRe
covered with little wire teeth, which
brush and comb the fibers as they
pass through, much as we comb our
hair. The teeth are so fine that there
are more than a hundred on a space
as big around as cent. The cotton
goes into the carders in wide fleecy
sheet. The teeth straighten the f1bers
and roll them over and over SO that
when they some out they are almost
all laid the same way, and they are In
the shape of a thick rope of soft
cotton yarn. This rope is known as q
broom handle, and It seems thick
enough to make a dozen of the fine
threads used for weaving. 1t fs not
thick enough to make one. The slivers
next go through drawing machines,
where a number of them are COM
bined and come out as one which is
more uniform in thickness than those
which go in and where the fibers are
still more nearly parallel. This is
called drawing. The ropes then pass
through the slubbing machine. in
which the slivers are still further
drawn out, and are wound upon bob
bins. They are now ready for the
theads for both the warp and woof
are spun. The threads are now as
fine as those of spool cotton. They
are of uniform thickness and are
READY 1or weaving.
+
The term weaving, covers the pRoc~
esses of putting the threads to-
gether as you find them in the cloth
of the shirt The cloth is formed by
two sets of thread. Those which run
lengthwise are known as the warp,
and the others. which cross the long
thread at right angles, going over
and under them from side to side, are
the woof. To At the threads for these
processes they have to be spoiled.
They are wound from the spindles on
bobbins, and from them the warp
threads pass through machines which
wind them evenly upon a long cylin-
der the width of the cloth. The woof
threads are wound upon little bob
bins. which are put into shuttles and
thrown by machinery through the
warp thread. They go SO fast you
can hardly see them, making a speed
of $50 or more times to the minute.
At the end you have the cloth used
in the, shirt.
There are many, other processes in
addition to these have described.
and there are other machines Of won-
derfu1 efficiency for carrying them
out Much of the spinning and
weaving is performed by automatic
machines, and the complexity and
magnitude of the operation can be
appreciated only by going through
the mill while the work Ia in progress.
Some of the rooms I have visited COW
er more than an acre. There are
through one five-story building which
had seven acres of wonderful ma
chimes of one kind or another, and
during my trip I saw 4.00e looms
making cotton and worsted for
clothes for the Army.
The same processes may be seen
going on at hundreds of other great
factories in different parts of New
England and throughout the south,
employing hundreds of thousands Of
the most skilled workmen and work.
women of Uncle Sans great indus
trial army. The soldiers of the SPIN
ming and weaving divisions mix
patriotism with their work, and all
scriber to the Red Cross and the lib
erty loan- I saw the American flag
in many Of the rooms of this factory,
and was told that the employees had
gone over the top in their subscrip-
tions to war charities, thrift stamps
and liberty bonds.
War Garden Parties.