92

BANDANNA.

driving-cylinder and the cylinder of the press, the other between the small driving-cylin-der and the press. The function of the first is simply to lift the under-block of the pressinto contact with the upper-block; that of the second, is to give the requisite compressionto the cloth. A third valve is attached to the press, for the purpose of discharging thewater from its cylinder, when the press is to be relaxed, in order to remove or drawthrough the clotW

From twelve to fourteen pieces of cloth, previously dyed Turkey-red, are stretchedover each other, as parallel as possible, by a particular machine. These parallel layers arethen rolled round a wooden cylinder, called by the workmen, a drum. This cylinder isno w placed in its proper situation at the back of the press. A portion of the fourteen lay-ers of cloth, equal to the area of the plates, is next drawn through between them, by hooksattached to the two corners of the webs. Oif opening the valve connected with the eight-inch driving-cylinder, the water enters the cylinder of the press, and instantly lifts its lowerblock, so as to apply the under plate with its cloth, close to the upper one. This valve isthen shut, and the other is opened. The pressure of five tons in the one inch prime-cylin-der, is now brought to bear on the piston of the press, which is eight inches in diameter.The effective force here will, therefore, be 5 tons X 82=320 tons ; the areas of cylindersbeing to each other, as the squares of their respective diameters. The cloth is thus con-densed between the leaden pattern-plates with a pressure of 320 tons, in a couple ofseconds; —a splendid example of automatic art.

The next step, is to admit the blanching or discharging 'liquor (aqueous chlorine, ob-tained by adding sulphuric acid to solution of chloride of lime) to the cloth. This liquoris contained in a large cistern, in an adjoining house, from which it is run at pleasure intosmall lead cisterns II attached to the presses; which cisterns have graduated index tubes,for regulating the quantity of liquor according to the pattern of discharge. The stopcockson the pipes and cisterns containing this liquor, are all made of glass.

From the measure-cistern II, the liquor is allowed to flow into the hollows in the upperlead-plate, whence it descends oh the cloth, and percolates through it, extracting in its pas-sage the Turkey-red dye. The liquor is finally conveyed into the waste pipe, from a groovein the under block. As soon as the chlorine liquor has passed through, water is admit-ted in a similar manner, to wash away the chlorine ; otherwise, upon relaxing the pres-sure, the outline of the figure discharged would become ragged. The passage of the dis-charge liquor, as well as of the water through the cloth, is occasionally aided by a pneu-matic apparatus, or blowing machine; consisting of a large gasometer, from which airsubjected to a moderate pressure may be allowed to issue, and act in the direction of theliquid upon the fojds of the cloth. By an occasional twist of the air stopcock, the work-man also can ensure the equal distribution of the discharging liquor, over the whole ex-cavations in the upper plate. When the demand for goods is very brisk, the air appara-tus 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. Thedischarger 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 forwardsanother square of the cloth, and then restore the pressure. Whenever the sixteenth presshas been liquored, &c., it is time to open the first press. In this routine, about ten min-utes are employed; that is, 224 handkerchiefs (16-f 14) are discharged every ten minutes.The whole cloth is drawn successively forward, to be successively treated in the abovemethod.

When the cloth escapes from the press, it is passed between the two rollers in front; fromwhich it falls into a trough of water placed below. It is finally carried off to the wash-ing and bleaching department, where the lustre of both the white and the red is con-siderably brightened.

By the above arrangement of presses, 1600 pieces, consisting of 12 yards each=19,200yards, are converted into Bandannas in the space of ten hours, by the labor of ft. urworkmen.

The patterns, or plates, which are put into the presses to determine the white figureson the cloth, are made of lead in the following way. A trellis frame of cast iron, oneinch thick, with turned-up edges, forming a trough rather larger than the intended leadpattern, is used as the soli 1 ground-work. Into this trough, a lead plate about one halfinch thick, is firmly fixed by screw nails passing up from below. To. the edges of this leadplate, the borders of the piece of sheet-lead are soldered, which covers the whole outersurface ol the iron frame. Thus a strong trough is formed, one inch deep. The uprightborder gives at once great strength to the plate, and serves to confine the liquor. A thinsheet of lead is now laid on the thick lead-plate, in the manner of a veneer on toilet-'tables, and is soldered to it round the edges. Both sheets must be made very smoothbeforehand, 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