“The President. Gentlemen, you have heard the paper prepared by Mr. CROMPTON. We should be glad to hear from any member present on the subject or any kindred subject, or are there any questions to be asked that may be answered by those who are familiar with the loom?
Mr. Eben S. Draper. I would like to ask the largest number of looms of this description made by the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works and in any mill at the present time?
The President. You hear the question asked by Mr. DRAPER. Can you answer it, Mr. WOODBURY?
The Secretary. No, I cannot.
Mr. Eben S. Draper. I sec Mr. Ware is here.
The President. Would Mr. Ware kindly give us some points; I mean the number simply?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. Excuse me, Mr. President, I didn’t hear the interrogatory.
Mr. Eben S. Draper. I asked, Mr. President, for information as to the largest number of looms of this character that were now running in any one mill. There is no number stated in the paper by Mr. CROMPTON.
Mr. Justin A. Ware. Fourteen.
Mr. Eben S. Draper. And what mill is that?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. That is in the Granby Cotton Mills, Columbia, South Carolina.
Mr. Eben S. DRAPER. Are they running fourteen looms to a weaver there now?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. That has been done, thirteen and fourteen; when one loom was disabled by accident, then the weaver ran thirteen instead of the fourteen.
Mr. Eben S. Draper. How many weavers are running thirteen looms now?
Mr. JUSTIN A. Ware. I understand one weaver.
Mr. Eben S. Draper. Now?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. Yes.
Mr. Eben S. Draper. I was there, Mr. President, two or three weeks ago, and that is why I asked this question. I found that at the particular time I was there there were two weavers running the fourteen looms. I understand that what Mr. Ware says is absolutely correct, that they did run thirteen or fourteen for some time, but that afterwards for some reason, of course what I don’t know, two weavers had been put on to the fourteen looms. I was asking for information. My reason for asking this question, Mr. President, was simply to get further information if possible in regard to this statement, the very important one in this whole paper, that with the shuttle changing mechanism a weaver will be able to run fourteen looms. If that is demonstrated of course it is a very important consideration; and that was my reason for asking this question, to find out how extensively up to the present time that had been accomplished; that was all.
Mr. Justin A. Ware. I would state that, as the paper intimates, any manufacturer can see at Worcester, in a small weave room that has been established, one weaver attending fourteen looms constantly on regular print cloth, but in this case in the South one loom was disabled and then the weaver attended thirteen. If two weavers have been put on the thirteen since, I am not aware of it.
Mr. William Evans. I would like to ask at what speed they run those fourteen looms?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. We run them at various speeds, at from 175 to 185.
The President. That is on print cloth?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. On some samples we have run as high as 200. Allow me to add further, in answer to Mr. DRAPER’S inquiry as to how many looms we have sent out, that we have not attempted to treat the matter in a large way as yet, but have sample looms and sets of looms in operation in different mills in different parts of the country, on different grades of work, some on print cloth and some on coarse grades of work. We work it into various lines to see how this automatic shuttle shifting mechanism will apply to different grades of work, and it promises remarkably well. Members will please understand that these looms operate without warp stop motions.
The President. Are there any questions to be asked of Mr. Ware, any points brought out in the paper or anything else in connection with this style of loom?
Mr. John E. Prest. Will Mr. Ware please tell us the kind of goods those looms in the South are making, and also the production for the loom?
Mr. Justin A. Ware. I have not got the figures with me just at present. It isn’t a fine grade of goods at all. What we are making at the weave room, at the works, is ordinary print cloth, Fall River style.
Mr. JOHN E. Prest. What is the speed?
Mr. JUSTIN A. Ware. One hundred and sixty-five or 175; a few looms we push as high as 200.
Mr. John E. Prest. What is the production, the percentage?
Mr. JUSTIN A. Ware. I have not any figures.
Mr. John E. Prest. Of those at Worcester?
Mr. JUSTIN A. Ware. This weave room we have fitted up to show our manufacturers, we have not kept any correct tallies of production, etc.; but the weave room is there, and open to the inspection of any manufacturer who may please to call upon us. But the fine figures of production have not been reduced yet. I would say that the loom has caused so much attention among manufacturers that we are overwhelmed with applications to apply it, entirely beyond our capacity to meet them, in all the different grades. There is a great deal of interest excited in this matter on account of its simplicity, and there are so many different styles and kinds of looms to which they wish it applied; I should judge we had been applied to to attach it to all the different makes of looms since the flood, from the old timers clear up to the modern loom, and of course we are completely overpowered with the different styles and changes and sizes of shuttles and different kinds of looms; so that we are struggling as fast as possible to adapt it to the different styles. But they are so many in number, and so many different forms and devices that we find we cannot cover it as rapidly as we would like. But we wish, in the end, to make this motion applicable to every grade and style of loom that is made in the country. That is what we are aiming to do. It is not only new looms that we strive to sell, but we are going to have this attachment made to apply to all, so that the cotton manufacturers can put the attachment on to their present looms and not have to shift looms.
The President. This is certainly a very interesting subject. I do not wish to pass from it to other papers if there are any gentlemen who desire any more information on the matter.
Mr. JOHN E. Prest. Mr. President, I understand in the Fall River mills the weavers are running twelve looms, and Mr. WARE says they are running fourteen. Now what amount of saving is he going to make in this? That is what we are anxious to know at the present time. There is the cost of changing those looms, to adopt this change and put them on to the old looms. Would you save anything after paying for cost of change?
Mr. Justin.A. Ware. Do I understand the gentleman to say that that is the average, one weaver operating twelve looms on print cloth?
Mr. John E. Prest. No, sir, not that. They have run ten or twelve.
Mr. Justin A. Ware. The average is eight, is it not?
Mr. John E. Prest. Yes.
Mr. Justin A. Ware. About eight, I think.
Mr. JOHN E. Prest. Poor weavers don’t run quite so many, the best run more.
Mr. JUSTIN A. Ware. I thought the average would be eight in Fall River from what I have been able to learn, but I had not known of a case where twelve were running in Fall River by one weaver on the ordinary print cloth loom. There may be a case of that kind, but I have not heard of it.”
Reference Data:
Tranactions, Vols. 63-4, National Association of Cotton Manufacturers and New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association, 1898, pages 193-7
