15 $ 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
Coraline. 
ularly educated physicians, and previous to 
1874 were engaged iu the practice of their 
its discovery a yd use ix THE manufacture j profession. Tlie effects of badly-fitting cor- 
, , OF C0KsETS - i sets upon the health of women first called 
Aboit three years ago a discovery was | ^ attentiouto thig3ubjectiaud suggested 
to them the invention of a comet especially 
adapted to the wants of their lady patients. 
This met with so great success that they de¬ 
cided to extend the blessing of properly 
made which has nearly revolutionized the 
manufacture of corsets in this country. 
This discovery consists in the treatment of 
a fibre known as Istle, by which it acquires 
an elasticity, toughness and durability su¬ 
perior to the finest whalebone. The Istle 
is manufactured from a plant which grows 
upon the plains of Mexico, and resembles 
in appearance the American Aloe or Cen¬ 
tury-plant, except that the leaves are longer 
and more slender. The leaves of this plant 
are gathered by natives; and in a very 
crude and primitive manner, the soft pulp 
is scraped away, leaving clusters of tough 
wiry fibres about the size and consistency 
of bristles, and from one to three feet in 
fitting corsets to the entire community: 
and, giving up a large and lucrative prac¬ 
tice, they entered the untried fields of the 
manufacturer and merchant. 
A day cannot be more pleasantly spent 
than in visiting their immense factory at 
Bridgeport. This is under the general su¬ 
pervision of Dr. I. De Yer Werner, who is 
very ably assisted by the genial superin¬ 
tendent. Mr. H. F. Greenmail. One is first 
impressed by the intelligent appearance of 
business enterprises. The main salesrooms 
are m New York City, under the immediate 
charge of Dr. Lucien C. Warner, who al 
tends to the sale of the goods, the purchase 
of the materials, and to the general finan 
cial management. In this work he has tb 
assistance of his life-long friend aud codec* 
classmate. Mr. J. J. Wilson, aud a larg. 
corps of salesmen, book-keepers and clerks- 
Tliree years ago, a branch house was opene* 
in Chicago, under the able management o 
Mr. J. A. Miner, and from there the ver 
largo Western trade is supplied. There f 
scarcely a town in the entire country, from 
Maine to California, where their goods an 
not sold, and where the name of Warner": 
Corsets is not a household word. 
, ,, _, . . , . , , . the employees, most of them women, ueatlv 
length. These are dried aud packed in „„ , , , , „ ,, , • 
, , , and tastefully dressed, many of them hav- 
bales and shipped to New York, where mg left positions as teachers in New Eng- 
theyare then further prepared by combing land school-rooms to find more lucrative 
or "hackling," until every imper¬ 
fect fibre is removed. These fibres 
are fed into an ingenious winding 
machine, which wraps them with 
thread and binds them into a con- 
tinuouscord. This cord, or “Cora¬ 
line,” as it is now called, is then 
wound upon large reels and is 
ready for use. 
The most important feature in 
this interesting invention remains 
yet to be mentioned. The Coraline 
possesses, in its natural state, con¬ 
siderablestiffness, but only a mod¬ 
erate degree of elasticity. In the 
course of the investigations, a 
mode of treating this material was 
discovered which increases its elas¬ 
ticity more than four-fold. There 
is not more difference between soft 
GATHERING ISTLE, OB THE CORALINE PLANT, 
rubber and vulcanized, or between the plia- 1 employment in this factory'. The whole 
groat success auenainp 
their business is that Warner Bros, haveal 
ways sold their goods at a reasonable profit 
Although t heir corsets are protected by ovet 
thirty different patents, they have not mark 
this an excuse for charging exorbitant prices 
but have chosen the wiser and more libeii 
course of using their patents to protect tU 
public against worthless and deceptive imi 
tations of their goods. This firm was tlx 
first to make popular a corset with a fuL 
bust in f out, and so do away with injurious 
padding. Three years ago Dr. I. Ik 
Ver Warner invented, and the firm 
introduced Dr. Warner’s Flexible 
Hip Corset, in which the bone 
over the hip run, like the ribs, hori¬ 
zontally around the body. Thi- 
makes a corset which is easy an! 
comfortable, and prevents thi 
bones over the hips from breaking. 
The latest and greatest inven¬ 
tion of Warner Bros, was tie 
Coraline, which was introducel 
two years ago, in the spring of IS:! 
Coraline is now employed as tU 
stiffening material, not only in 
the special corset known as the 
Coraline Corset, but also as the 
Health, Flexible Hip, Nursing, 
Abdominal, and other populai 
styles. It seems likely in a little 
while to entirely supersede lion 
and whalebone in the manufacture 
of corsets, as it is superior t< 
these in every way. It is far more 
durable; it is not affected by cold. 
ble iron and tempered steel, than between factory is a model of neatness and order; 
Coraline in its natural state and the same 
the corsets are never washed, hence clean- 
• - , ill ., . . , . , , , liness is the first lesson to be learned in 
material after it has been subjected to the*; corset-making, and floors and tables are 
tempering process. The elasticity in not ; kept as scrupulously clean as the most ex¬ 
given to it by the addition of any new ma ! acting housewife could desire, 
terials, but by effecting a change in the ele- i The character of the help employed ex- 
ments which already exist in the natural plains in a large measure the quality of the 
heat, or moisture; it is sufficiently firm anc 
elastic to prevent the corset from wrinklin' 
—which is all that is required—while it t 
also so flexible that it allows freedom in tlw 
movements of the body, and adds greatly t< 
he health and comfort of the wearer. 
fibres. 
The discovery and development of this 
remarkable invention is due wholly to the 
enterprising firm of Warner Bros., whose 
corset factory is located at Bridgeport, Con 
necticut. They have here the largest corset 
factory in the world, covering about two 
acres of floor space, with a frontage on three 
streets of five hundred and thirty-six feet, 
employing twelve hundred hands, and turn¬ 
ing out six thousand corsets daily. The 
success of this firm is one of the marvels of 
business enterprise in this country. The two 
brothers who constitute the firm, I. De Ver 
Warner and Lucien C. Warner, are both reg- 
work produced at this factory. It has al¬ 
ways been the aim of Warner Brothers to 
make only perfect work, so that every one 
of their corsets should be a permanent ad¬ 
vertisement for the firm. “ Many a firm,” 
says Dr. I. D. Warner, “ has spoiled what 
might have continued a prosperous busi¬ 
ness by cheapening their goods after having 
acquired a reputation for them. We are as 
careful in securing the very best material 
to-day as when we began manufacturing. 
Every corset goes through the hands and 
under the eyes of four different inspectors 
before it goes into the packing--room, and 
any purchaser of our corsets will confer a 
favor by returning one which is discovered 
to be defective.” 
The factoiy of Warner Bros., at Bridge¬ 
port, is but one department of their vast 
A few years ago it was thought that oulj 
common goods could be made in this coun 
try, and that all fine corsets must be ini 
ported To-day the better grade qf good; 
made by Warner Bros, excels in qualitj 
and workmanship the finest imported cor¬ 
sets. But it is principally for the improve¬ 
ments in shape and construction which 
they have introduced that the connection 
of Warner Bros, with the manufacture oi 
corsets is remarkable. They have demon¬ 
strated that “ tight-lacing ” is not essential 
to grace or beauty of form; and while im¬ 
practical dress reformers have been preach¬ 
ing reforms which no one would adopt, 
Warner Bros., by introducing properly- 
fitting corsets, have given practical aid to 
the health and comfort of several million 
ladies. This is some compensation, at least, 
to the stronger sex, when reflecting that in 
the United States about ten million dollar* 
are paid annually for corsets. 
