CANVASS AND CORDAGE IN THE U. S. 93 



After rotting and drying, hemp is combed, beaten, or dressed, &c., 

 by machinery or by hand, like flax. It is then spun into threads, 

 which are made into twine or ropes, or wove into canvass and cloth 

 of various kinds. A good cloth is made of it for towels, table-cloths, 

 &c. The cloth is very durable for outside garments for laboring per- 

 sons ; and for finer cloth, it possesses advantages in strength and warmth 

 over flax. Its color also improves by wearing, while that of linen de- 

 teriorates. 



Canvass is of 2 kinds, the threads ^In one are worked into squares 

 and wrought into tapestry with the needle, and the other is a coarse 

 stout cloth for the sails of vessels. Much of this is also used 

 by painters, for the ticks of beds, for cotton bagging, etc. These 

 cloths, as imported are called Russia duck, Russia towelling, hempen 

 Russia, etc. Indeed the importance of hemp for these purposes ren- 

 ders it scarcely less valuable than cotton. 



Hemp and cordage in the U. S. is now regarded as of the utmost 

 importance. The great use now made of hemp in this country for 

 cotton bagging, sail cloth and ropes renders it an object of the great- 

 est value, especially to our increasing navy. The duty on imported 

 canvass and cordage, however, will hardly make it an object to culti- 

 vate hemp and manufacture it here into cordage to the extent it merits ; 

 the serfs of Russia working for 15 cts. per day, will successfully 

 compete with our countrymen. The value of imported sail duck in 

 1840 was $615,723; of cotton bagging $310,211; of cordage $102,- 

 938, and of twine, thread, etc., $141,973 total $1,170,845. The 

 hemp and flax raised in the U. S. in 1842 was 158,569f tons. 

 Some years our importations have been to the amount of $10,000,000. 



Canvass for our ships is much obtained and fitted to vessels in 

 foreign ports, thus avoiding the duty upon it. One seventh of the 

 marine of this city, it is estimated, is supplied in this way ; cordages, 

 chains and anchors have also been thus obtained. There are but two 

 manufactories of flax duck in this country. 100 bolts of canvass are 

 required for a suit of sails for a ship of 1000 tons, the cost of which 

 here is $16 per bolt and in a foreign port about $11 ; likewise about 

 1700 Ibs. of bolt rope at 7j cts. per lb., with 100 Ibs. of bolt twine. 

 Our annual consumption of Russia duck is estimated at 40,000 pieces, 

 heavy; 30,000 do. ravens, and 10,000 do. of light. If cotton duck 

 were substituted for this, 2,700,000 Ibs. or 6,750 bales of 400 

 Ibs. ench would be consumed. 



Cordage is also an important article in this country. The use of 

 cotton is now much substituted for fishing lines, etc., and cotton duck 

 is now manufactured to considerable extent. 15,000 barrels of tar is 

 annually used in making cordage in the U. S. of which 10,000, tons 

 are made at the west. About 1,000 tons of cordage are annually im- 

 ported. There are in the U. S. 388 rope walks, employing 4,464 men 



