788 



SILK MANUFACTURE 



of which latter are for spinning, and 39,464 for twisting. In these mills 600 men 

 and 1,200 -women and children are employed. The production there, including 

 that of the smaller throwing mills, which give occupation to 500 workmen, amounts 

 to 220,400 Vienna Ibs. of thrown silk, for which 231,400 Vienna Ibs. of raw silk have 

 to be worked up. 



The mechanism of the silk filature, as improved in France, is very ingenious. 

 Figs. 1765 and 1766 exhibit it in plan and longitudinal view, a is an oblong copper 

 basin containing -water heated by a stove or by steam. It is usually divided by 

 transverse partitions into several compartments, containing 20 cocoons, of which 

 there are five in one group, as shown in the figure, b, b, are wires with hooks or 



1765 



? 



eylets at their ends, through which the filaments run, apart, and are kept from 

 ravelling, c, c, the points where the filaments cross and rub each other, on purpose 

 to clean their surfaces, d is a spiral groove, working upon a pin-point, to give the 

 traverse motion alternately to right and left, whereby the thread is spread evenly 

 over the surface of the reel e. f, f, are the pulleys, which by means of cords transmit 

 the rotatory movement of the cylinder d to the reel e. g is a friction lever or tumbler, 

 for lightening or slackening the endless cord, in the act of starting or stopping the 

 winding operation. Every apartment of a large filature contains usually a series of 

 such reels as the above, all driven by one prime mover ; each of which, however, 

 may, by means of the tumbler-lever, be stopped at pleasure. The reeler is careful 

 to remove any slight adhesions by the application of a brush in the progress of her 

 work. 



The expense of reeling the excellent Cevennes silk is only 3 francs and 50 centimes 

 per Alais pound ; from 4 to 5 cocoons going to one thread. That pound is 92 hun- 

 dredths of our avoirdupois pound. In Italy, the cost of reeling silk is much higher, 

 being 7 Italian livres per pound, when 3 to 4 cocoons go to the formation of one 

 thread ; and 6 livres when there are from 4 to 5 cocoons. The first of these raw 

 silks will have a litre of 20 to 24 deniers ; the last, of 24 to 28. If 5 to 6 cocoons go 

 to one thread, the titre will be from 26 to 32 deniers, according to the quality of the 

 cocoons. The Italian livre is worth 7%d. English. The woman employed at the 

 kettle receives one livre and five sous per day ; and the girl who turns the reel gets 

 thirteen sous a day ; both receiving board and lodging in addition. In June, July, 

 and August, they work 16 hours a day, and then they wind a rubo or ten pounds 

 weight of cocoons, which yield from l-5th to l-6th of silk, when the quality is good. 

 The whole expenses amount to from 6 or 7 livres upon every ten pounds of cocoons ; 

 which is about 2s. Bd. per English pound of raw silk. 



The raw silk, as imported into this country in hanks from the filatures, requires 

 to be regularly wound upon bobbins, doubled, twisted, and reeled in our silk-mills. 

 These processes are called throwing silk, and their proprietors are called silk throwsters ; 

 terms probably derived from the appearance of swinging or tossing which the silk- 

 threads exhibit during their rapid movements among the machinery of the mills. 



It was in Manchester that throwing-mills received the greatest improvement upon 

 the ancient Italian plan, which had been originally introduced into this country by 

 Sir Thomas Lombe, and erected at Derby. That improvement is chiefly due to the 

 eminent factory engineers, Messrs. Fairbairn and Lillie, who transferred to silk the 

 elegant mechanism of the throstle, so well known in the cotton trade. Still, throughout 



