CARPETS. 



95 



for moquette carpets, invented and patented by 

 Halcyon Skinner, of the Alexander Smith & 

 Sons Carpet Company, at Yonkers, N. Y. A 

 loom capable of such results as the Skinner loom 

 produces, emphasizes strongly our singular suc- 

 cess in first furnishing power-looms to makers 

 of fine carpets in other lands. 



New Fabrics. Since the Centennial Exhibi- 

 tion three important additions bave been made 

 to our carpets. These are the moquette, che- 

 nille-Axminster, and Smyrna fabrics. 



Moquette is made by -power, the two latter 

 by hand, only. Moquette ranks among the 

 best and most luxurious of pile-fabrics, being 

 singularly receptive to colors, and capable of 

 the most subtile and pleasing color treatment. 

 Upon its introduction, the mystery and gla- 

 mour which had long attached to the finer car- 

 pets manufactured abroad quite vanished. 



Chenille-Axminster, long known in England, 

 is made in Philadelphia, but only on the most 

 limited scale. It ranks second to none in many 

 elegant essentials, but can not take its proper 

 rank until made by power. A loom for this 

 purpose has recently been perfected by an 

 English firm. 



Smyrna, a very thick, reversible chenille fab- 

 ric, resembling in texture certain Turkish car- 

 petings shown at the Centennial Exhibition, 



was easily reproduced here, and has rapidly 

 found favor with American dealers and con- 

 sumers. It is made almost wholly in Philadel- 

 phia, and, though made in lengths for sale by 

 the yard, it is most used in rugs. The Gov- 

 ernment departments at Washington have 

 adopted this new and useful covering. 



Statistics. Carpet- weaving in America has so 

 advanced within the past few years as to ren- 

 der the exhibit of the census of 1880 wholly 

 insufficient as a basis upon which to estimate 

 the present magnitude of the industry. Dur- 

 ing the past four years, in Philadelphia alone, 

 numerous extensive carpet-factories, many of 

 them of imposing proportions, have been 

 erected and put in motion, while in New Eng- 

 land the Lowell, Hartford, Bigelow, Roxbury, 

 and Worcester companies, the Sanford Mills at 

 Amsterdam, N". Y., and the Alexander Smith & 

 Sons Carpet Company, at Yonkers, have each 

 added very materially to their structures and 

 manufacturing facilities. Vastly more of capi- 

 tal and labor are now employed in varieties of 

 fabric, richness and excellence of texture, and 

 consequent increased value of annual product, 

 than at any period of our history. With this 

 caution, we append for comparison the cen- 

 sus statistics of the United States relating to 

 carpets for 1870 and 1880 : 



CAEPET MANUFACTURES (OTHER THAN RAG) OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Imports. Government statistics for twelve 

 .years past show a steady decrease in the im- 

 ports of carpets. The following table is from 

 official sources : 



IMPORTATION OF CARPETb INTO THE UNITED STATES, 

 1872 TO 1883 INCLUSIVE. 



The increase in the import values of 1880, 

 1881, 1882, and 1883 is attributable mainly to 

 the sudden demand (begun about 1880) for 

 Oriental rugs and carpet " squares," the " an- 



tiques " of which have been eagerly sought for 

 and at prices generally greatly in excess of 

 their intrinsic worth. Present imports are 

 largely composed of these Eastern rugs, the 

 makers of which are striving very particularly 

 to retain America as a permanent market. 



Exports. Excepting desultory shipments to 

 Mexico and South America, the exports of 

 carpets from the United States are as yet 

 small. The two countries named increase 

 their demand each year. In South America 

 our floor oil-cloths are highly esteemed, and 

 the trade with Philadelphia is growing. 



Tariff. The United States tariff act of 1882 

 reduced considerably the duties formerly im- 

 posed on foreign carpets, and has resulted in 

 the formation of a national association of man- 

 ufacturers, whose object is to deter further 

 legislation of the kind and to look generally 

 to the conservation of the industry. Since the 

 passage of the act referred to, certain English 

 carpets, which had wholly disappeared from 



