288 BANDANNA 



From 12 to 14 pieces of cloth, previously dyed Turkey rod, are stretched over each 

 other as parallel as possible, by a particular machine. These parallel layers are then 

 rolled round a wooden cylinder, called by the -workmen a drum. This cylinder is now 

 placed in its proper situation at the back of the press. A portion of the 14 layers 

 of cloth, equal to the area of the plates, is next drawn through between them by hooks 

 attached to the two corners of the webs. On opening the valve connected with the 

 eight-inch driving cylinder, the water enters the cylinder of the press, and instantly , 

 lifts its lower block so as to apply the under plate with its cloth close to the upper one. ' 

 This valve is then shut and the other is opened. The pressure of five tons in the one- 

 inch prime cylinder is now brought to bear on the piston of the press, which is eight 

 inches in diameter. The effective force here will therefore be 6 tons x 8 Z = 320 tona, 

 the areas of cylinders being to each other as the squares of their respective diameters. 

 The cloth is thus condensed between the leaden pattern-plates with a pressure of 

 320 tons in a couple of seconds. 



The next step is to admit the bleaching or discharging liquor (aqueous chlorine, 

 obtained by adding sulphuric acid to solution of chloride of lime) to the cloth. 

 This liquor is contained in a large cistern in an adjoining house, from which it is run 

 at pleasure into small lead cisterns, H, attached to the. presses, which cisterns have 

 graduated index-tubes for regulating the quantity of liquor according to the pattern 

 of discharge. The stopcocks on the pipes and cisterns containing this liquor are all 

 made of glass. 



From the measure-cistern, H, the liquor is allowed to flow into the hollows in the 

 upper lead plate, whence it descends on the cloth, and percolates through it, extracting 

 in its passage the Turkey-red dye. The liquor is finally conveyed into the waste 

 pipe from a groove in the under block. As soon as the chlorine liquor has passed 

 through, water is admitted in a similar manner to wash away the chlorine, otherwise 

 upon relaxing the pressure, the outline of the figure discharged would become ragged. 

 The passage of the discharge liquor, as well as of the water through the cloth, is 

 occasionally aided by a pneumatic apparatus, or blowing machine, consisting of a 

 large gasometer from which the air, subjected to a moderate pressure, may be allowed 

 to issue and act, in the direction of the liquid, upon the folds of the cloth. By an 

 occasional twist of the air-stopcock, the workmen also can ensure the equal distribu- 

 tion of the discharging liquor over the whole excavations in the upper plate. When 

 the demand for goods is very brisk, the air apparatus is much employed, as it enables 

 the workman to double his product. 



The time requisite for completing the discharging process in the first press is suffi- 

 cient to enable the other three workmen to put the remaining fifteen presses in play. 

 The discharger proceeds now from press to press, admits the liquor, the air, and the 

 water ; and is followed at a proper interval by the assistants, who relax the press, move 

 forwards another square of the cloth, and then restore the pressure. Whenever the 

 sixteenth press has been liquored, &c., it is time to open the first press. In this routine 

 about ten minutes are employed, that is, 224 handkerchiefs (16 x 14) are discharged 

 every ten minutes. The whole cloth is drawn successively forward, to be successively 

 treated according to the above method. 



When the cloth is removed from the press it is passed between the two rollers in 

 front, from which it falls into a trough of water placed below. It is finally carried 

 off to the washing and bleaching department, where the lustre of both the white and 

 the red is considerably brightened. 



By the above arrangement of presses, 1,600 pieces, consisting of 12 yards each = 

 19,200 yards, are converted into bandannas in the space of ten hours, by the labour 

 of four workmen. 



The patterns, or plates, which are put into the presses to determine the white 

 figures on the cloth, are made of lead in the following way : A trellis frame of cast 

 iron, one inch thick, with turned-up edges, forming a trough rather larger than tho 

 intended lead-pattern, is used as the solid groundwork. Into this trough a lead plate, 

 about one half-inch thick, is firmly fixed by screw-nails passing up from below. To 

 the edges of this lead plate the borders of the piece of sheet lead are soldered, which 

 covers the whole outer surface of tho iron frame. Thus a strong trough is formed, 

 one inch deep. The upright border gives at once great strength to tho plate and 

 serves to confine the liquor. A thin sheet of lead is now laid on tho thick lead plate, 

 in the manner of a veneer on toilette tables, and is soldered to it round the edges. 

 Both sheets must be made very smooth beforehand, by hammering them on a smooth 

 stone table, and then finishing with a plane ; the surface of the thin sheet (now 

 attached) is to be covered with drawing-paper, pasted on, and upon this the pattern is 

 drawn. It is now ready for the cutter. The first thing which he does is to fix down 

 with brass pins all the parts of tho pattern which are to be left solid. Ho now pro- 

 ceeds with tho little tools generally used by block-cutters, which are fitted to the 



