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PRESENTED TO THE 
 SCHOOLS OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 by 
 
 HARDWICK & MAGEE CO. 
 
 0. Of D. 
 FEB 28 1918 
 
 \%'^ 
 
 Copyright, :QJ.7, by the 
 
 Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce 
 
±ne Rug and Carpet Industry 
 of Pniladelpliia 
 
 By PHILIP A. HALL 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, the "World's (Greatest Workshop," has no line of 
 endeavor in which she can exhihit more pride than that of the Rug 
 
 and Carpet industry. It may be said to be one of her ancient 
 industries, dating back to shortly after the Revolution in a real manu- 
 facturing way, although the goodnian or the housewife among the 
 colonists, wove the carpet which adorned the tloors of the principal rooms 
 of the home. The real wealthy could afford an imported carpet. 
 
 Rag and Ingrain carpets were the first woven, the latter, although 
 ^f Scotch origin, being known as Kidderminster from the place in which 
 they were originally made in 1735 in England. 
 
 W'illiam Peter Sprague in 1791, in his shoj) on North Second Street, 
 Philadelphia, was the first to manufacture these goods in America, on a 
 considerable scale. 
 
 The most imjwrtant manufacturer of the early ])eriod was Isaac 
 Macauley. who o]:)erated continuously from 1810 to 18.^. He was also 
 credited with having made the first P)russels car])et in America. Since 
 that time there have been many illustrious car])et manufactiu'ers in 
 Philadelphia and the names of Bromley ; McCallum ; Ivins, Dietz & 
 Magee ; Hogg & Metzger ; Dobson ; Dornan ; Horner ; Kitchenman&Neall ; 
 Gay and Crow, revive old memories and some of these factories are still 
 active after many years of successful operation. 
 
 The art having been lirought from the ^^lother Country has remained 
 to this day a distinctive craft, owned and operated by those of English, 
 Irish and Scotch ancestry or birth, and as if by clannish common consent, 
 nearly all the mamifacturers located their estal)lishments in the Kensing- 
 ton district. 
 
 For three-qtiarters of a centmw Philadelphia was famous for her 
 production of Ingrain and Venetian hall and stair carpets and other 
 grades as they were introduced or invented. The tremendous growth, 
 however, did not begin until after the Civil War, and about 1870 
 there were two hundred aiid fifteen factories, large and small, tiu-ning 
 out in great quantities the article which transforms a house into a 
 home. Shortly afterward power looms began to rapidly replace the old 
 hand looms and gave a w^onderful impetus to the trade. Great plants had 
 their beginnings and the hand looms were left in the smaller shops to 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 original Uriental v^'ay 
 
 gradually die out, which they did in the early 
 nineties. 
 
 Brussels and Tapestry carpets and Smyrna 
 rugs were the next in importance, showing a rapid 
 advance from 1880. Axminster, Velvet and Wil- 
 ton also started at this time and with many new 
 weaves which had hut a brief existence, were made 
 in steadily increasing (piantities until even now the 
 zenith has not been reached in this wonderful 
 l)ranch of textiles. 
 
 l)Ut this has not been done without a feeling 
 of sadness for the passing of the genus Ingrain, so 
 long the glory and a source of prosperity of the 
 (Juaker Citv. Its death-knell was sounded by the 
 increase in jjopularity of the other grades, because 
 of their greater l)eauty. durability and improved 
 
 mechanical production, 
 coupled with the advance 
 in designing and coloring 
 and the advent of rugs as 
 distinguished from 
 carj^ets. From its height 
 of poijularity about 1895 
 there was a steady de- 
 crease, and many hundred 
 looms have gone to the 
 junk pile or been changed 
 to make light summer- 
 
 [^as^= ' — - ^^L^-"^^ wear rugs, so that at jores- 
 
 " ^= ent very few Ingrains are 
 
 As our forefathers labored mirlp 
 
 Reasons of housework, decorative value and 
 the laving of hardwood floors gradually demanded 
 a change from the old order of things. The carpet 
 \\'hich covered the floor completely, was tacked 
 down, and onlv taken u]). cleaned and relaid with 
 great trouble at housecleaning times. Manv small 
 rugs for scattering around the floor and some large 
 ones in one piece, mostly Ingrain Art Squares and 
 later Smyrna rugs, had been made, but it remained 
 for our own Philadelphia house of Hardwick & 
 Magee Company, in 1893, to successfully make a 
 novelty which was destined to practically revolu- 
 tionize rug methods. By properly designing the 
 pattern and weaving in rolls which v.'ere cut into 
 The modern way Strips, a perfect rug in any size could be made by 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 sewing togetlier the various strips, mostly 27 inches wide. It is interest- 
 ing to know that the 27 inch standard of width conies from the Flemish 
 ell which was that measure. The fabric in which this sewed rug was 
 originally made was the Wilton, the diamond among domestic grades of 
 floor covering, but in a special quality much lower in price than those 
 previously produced which could only be purchased by the wealthy. 
 
 The idea made a tremendous impression, and was immediately 
 adopted by all manufacturers in this country and abroad. Nearly every 
 grade of goods was made in this way, although Velvet, Tapestry and 
 Axminster rugs are now produced largely in one piece up to fifteen 
 feet wide, and in special cases wider. There are exceedingly few wide 
 Wilton looms in the United States, owing to the great cost, slow produc- 
 tion, size and weight of the loom and the space required. There is no 
 doubt, however, these will come in time, btit for the present, 27 inch 
 36 inch and 54 inch looms produce practically the entire output. 
 
 It must not be thought that there are not many carpets made, for 
 vast quantities are tised in Chtnxhes, Hotels, Cltibs, Trains, Theaters and 
 other public institutions, where their utility is uncpiestioned. 
 
 Size and Present Importance 
 
 Philadelphia has continued to uphold its supremacy in the rug and 
 carpet manufacturing industry established so many years ago, but the 
 conditions have materially changed. At the crest of the great Ingrain 
 wave there were in this city 3,300 looms with a cajmcity of 45,000,000 
 yards annually, more than that of the other carpet factories of the coun- 
 try combined. With the decadence of the Ingrain output, manufacturers 
 were forced to make other grades or shut up shop. Some did the latter, 
 and the change made by the largest operators enabled others to continue 
 making Ingrain fabrics. 
 
 Body Brtissels assumed great importance for a numl)er of years, but 
 the inevitable tendency was toward the regal Wilton. In recent years 
 many of the older establishments and several newcomers in the field have 
 made this fabric in great quantities, in addition to the cheaper Tapestry, 
 Velvet and Axminster. 
 
 The number of looms is mtich reduced from the Ingrain days and 
 the production of other grades slower, but prices are higher, consequently 
 the actual value is not greatly dififerent, except as it is afl^ected by 
 industrial conditions. The depression beginning November 1907 caused a 
 material decrease in all floor covering production. 
 
 Figures are dry, and when they run into millions, appalling ; but a 
 few statistics are necessary to show the immensity and prominence of 
 this wonderful indtistrv locally. 
 
 U. S. Census for year 'l850, value $1,137,000; 1860, $2,601,000; 
 1870. $9,625,000 ; 1880, $14,263,000 ; 1890. $21,504,000 ; 1900, $21,986,000 ; 
 1905, $25,233,000: 1910. $22,629,000; 1914. $20,587,000. 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 
 Some^vhat further advanced 
 
 Source of Materials Used in Manufacturing 
 
 A call for help to the nations of the 
 earth is necessary when it conies to 
 assembling the materials used in mak- 
 ing a roll of carpet or a rug — wool 
 from China, Russia, Scotland, the 
 Mediterranean States, Asia Minor and 
 the Argentine ; linen stock from Italy, 
 Belgium, Russia, Great Britain ; jute 
 from India. The Southern States in our 
 own country accommodatingly produce 
 cotton, and that is a very important 
 factor. These are the principal materials, 
 in the material sense, but the dyes must 
 not be overlooked. About 95 per cent, 
 of the dyes used in the best carpets have 
 come from Germany. 
 
 The sheep of the United States fur- 
 nish a very fine, soft wool used for cloth- 
 ing, undergarments and all kinds of 
 woolen goods, but carpets require strong, 
 tough, wear-resisting yarns made from 
 the wool grown on the sheep of wild, 
 mountainous and cold countries. 
 
 Yarns are not generally made from 
 wool in its pure, native stock, but a 
 judicious mixture with other wools 
 brings the best results. The great basis 
 is China wool mixed with Scotch, Rus- 
 sian, South American or Georgian. 
 Worsted yarns used in the highest grades 
 of carpets and rugs are made by combing 
 and recombing the wool until the fibres 
 are lengthened to the proper size. Italian hemp forms the bulk of the 
 linen required, but flax makes a finer linen which is also liberally used. 
 
 Jute is placed in the backs of the cheapest and some of the medium 
 grades of floor coverings. It is grown in India, but both the linen and 
 jute used in carpets are now spun in this country. 
 
 Process or Manufacturing 
 
 The invention in 1801 of the "Jacquard" by the Frenchman of that 
 name, marked a distinct epoch in textile manufacturing in goods requiring 
 a pattern, as by this j)rocess the design can be produced in the cloth 
 with absolute accuracy. Later when used in carpet making, particularly 
 
 The spools unwind into forms 
 of beauty 
 
 These " cops arrest your attention. 
 Linen, cotton or jute. Placed 
 inside the shuttle 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 by power, the matching of the figure when sewed was perfect, a restUt not 
 always previously obtained. 
 
 The Jacqttard is at the top of the loom, and consists of a great 
 tuunber of cords and an arrangement of wires similar to a typewriter. 
 The cords extend to the place of weaving where the yarns run through 
 little eyelets on the cords. A set of cards punched with holes to repre- 
 sent the design, the holes corresponding to the little checks on the design 
 paper, revolves on a cylinder, and each card presses in turn on another 
 cylinder covered with needles. The needles slide through where there 
 are holes in the card, and control certain threads which bring up the 
 yarn required to form the pattern. The principle is similar to the manner 
 in which the music is produced in a player-piano. Tlie Ingrain, Brussels 
 and Wilton are Jaccpiard fabrics. 
 
 BODY BRUSSELS and WILTON 
 
 It is easy to trace the names of carpet and rug fabrics. Both Brussels 
 and Wilton are named from their places of origin or adaptation — Brussels 
 in Belgium and Wilton in England. Brussels was not originally a carpet 
 
 Body Brussels. Clear and precise. Sho^vs its ribs plainly 
 
 but a wall tapestry with a ribbed surface and the carpet was first made 
 in England between 1740 and 1750. The Wilton efifect was also made in 
 Flanders and France before its manufacture in England in the middle 
 of the eighteenth century. 
 
 Wilton. "Durable as Iron."" Clean-cut, soft and luxurious 
 
 The looped surface of the Brussels is made by weaving the worsted 
 over a round wire of which there are several ready, and each is with- 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 ^r© 
 
 A knife-tipped wire. Has a very cutting way 
 
 drawn In- an arm and replaced forward waiting to be used again. In 
 weaving Wilton the w'ire contains a sharp knife edge, which when with- 
 drawn, cuts the loop, making the pile or plush surface. This is the only 
 essential difference in the two fabrics. These carpets are made from 
 colored yarns wound on hundreds of spools which are placed upon frames, 
 not over six, at the back of the loom, one color only on a frame, except 
 under certain conditions where several may be used on a frame, called 
 "id^nting." The yarns are kept in tension by weights. The trap-board in 
 the Jacquard raises the colors needed to go over one wire. The chain 
 running lengthwise and the cross-shot sent side wise by the shuttle, across 
 the back, are then placed in position and the reed completes the oper- 
 ation by pounding them all together. This is repeated until the end of 
 the roll. The reed also serves the jnu-jiose of guiding the hundreds of 
 threads of yarn which pass between its close partitions. A good idea of 
 
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 "The busy 
 
 shuttle 
 
 comes and 
 
 
 goes— 
 
 
 Setting the records to music. A Wilton loom in action 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 the reed may be had 
 by placing against 
 each other the teeth 
 of two combs. 
 
 In r n g making 
 the cards are so ar- 
 ranged that in a strip 
 the end 1) order is 
 woven tirst, then the 
 center of the rng, then 
 the other end border. 
 The side borders are 
 woven with other sets 
 of cards. The srreat 
 
 The Records. Preparing* 
 to "{ace the music" 
 
 The Wilt o n is 
 made heavier t h a n 
 the Brussels and is 
 the b e s t domestic 
 fabric for dura1)ility. 
 The reason that a 
 \\'ilton looks so nnich 
 darker and richer than 
 a Rrussels. althousih 
 
 The "Assembly Room — 
 
 where all parts " get 
 
 together 
 
 mechanical feature of 
 these two grades is that 
 where one color is on 
 the surface, all the 
 other colors are under 
 it in the back thus giv- 
 ing the fal)ric "body" 
 or thickness and wear- 
 ing quality, therefore 
 the name "Body" Brus- 
 sels. 
 
 Automatic Barbers. Getting 
 a hair cut 
 
 Feminine Spies. Looking 
 for the enemy 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 made of the same 
 yarn, is that the cut 
 ])ile absorbs more 
 Hght. A room with 
 a high ceihng is better 
 adapted to a \)'\\e 
 fabric than one with 
 a low ceihng. 
 
 There are some 
 ilouble Wihons made; 
 that is, the face or pile 
 IS woven thick be- 
 tween two backs, one 
 on top and one on the 
 Ijottom and then the 
 ])ile cut. making two 
 
 Mammoth steamer 
 
 Raising tfie fallen 
 
 complete rugs. This is attended with great danger of uneven cutting 
 thereby si)oiling the rugs, and production of this kind is limited. 
 
 It has recently been discovered by the pioneer Wilton manufac- 
 turers already mentioned, that rugs in any shape could be made by the 
 Jacquard system, and oval, octagonal and other shapes have been suc- 
 cessfully produced. 
 
 TAPESTRY and VELVET 
 
 Tapestry has a resemblance to the ancient wall tapestries in its some- 
 what misty, lack-of-precision elTect and is capable of quite as artistic 
 treatment, for there is no limit to the colors which may be used. Velvet 
 carpet looks something like velvet goods, therefore its appropriate name. 
 
 These grades bear the same relation to each other as the Brussels 
 and Wilton, the Tapestry having the ribbed or looped eiTect of the 
 Brussels while the Velvet has the cut-pile appearance of the Wilton. The 
 method of ])roduction, however, is vastly different. These two are known 
 as printed fabrics and do not require the Jacquard mechanism with the 
 punched cards, but the colors are all printed upon the threads before 
 
 Tapestry. Another member of the rib family 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 l^^ 
 
 Velvet. Somewhat impressionistic, but soft and resilient 
 
 weaving. This process, being very delicate, requires absolute accuracy 
 so that the color when woven is exactly in the right spot to do its part in 
 the design. The yarn is prepared for an entire "print" which is usually 
 
 about fifty rolls of 50 
 or 60 yds. each and the 
 width or "pitch" from 
 180 to 216 threads. 
 
 After placing the 
 yarn ttpon a large cyl- 
 inder called a "drum," 
 each little section of 
 color corresponding to 
 the same section in the 
 design is m a d e by 
 means of dye contained 
 
 in a small vessel which 
 runs upon a track under 
 the dnun. One color at 
 a time is ])rinted. the 
 operator who does the 
 printing passing the 
 portion of the yarn not 
 requiring the particular 
 color, to the next p^rt 
 where is is needed. 
 
 Setting the pattern. Here it is in the elongated form 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 being guided by tbe design. 
 A small wheel revolves 
 in the dye and touches 
 the threads, the color being 
 elongated to allow for 
 weaving over the wire. The 
 next color is then applied 
 in the same way and so on, 
 the resemblance l)eing to the 
 vari-colored zei)hyr with 
 w h i c h all are familiar. 
 This process makes many 
 threads alike, for they only 
 represent one of the 200 or 
 more in the width, all of 
 which must be thus treated. 
 With these steamed and set 
 with great precision the 
 process of weaving is 
 s i m p 1 e, for when the 
 threads are woven the colors will come up exactly as in the design. It will 
 be seen that each thread being printed with all colors, all the yarn is on 
 the surface and none is carried through the back as in the Brussels and 
 Wilton. This method was invented in England about 1832 by Richard 
 Whytock. 
 
 There are many Tapestries and Velvets woven in one solid color 
 and the figure then stamped in by great pressure of rollers on which the 
 design has been cut, each color having a roller, but each roller having cut 
 in it only that portion of the design containing its particular color. After 
 drying on hot cylinders, the face is raised again by steaming. This process 
 was invented in 1891 bv James Dunlap of Philadelphia. 
 
 ■' Making its mark." The cylinder press giving its 
 "stamp of approval 
 
 AXMINSTER 
 
 There are two styles — the ordinary or S])Ool Axminster and Che- 
 nille Axminster. The process is neither the Jacquard like the Wilton 
 and Brussels nor the printing system like the Ta])estry and \'elvet, and, in 
 fact, the methods of i)roducing the two varieties dift"er materially. The 
 name comes from the town of Axminster in England where the goods 
 were first made about the middle of the eighteenth century. 
 
 SPOOL AXMINSTER 
 
 As in the cases of all excei)t the Jaccjuard fabrics, the planning of 
 the colored yarns, in order to form the pattern, is very important, and is 
 done directly from the design rather than through a set of cards. 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 The Axniinster design is before the operator, who arranges one cross- 
 shot with the colors side by side, exactly as they are painted in the one 
 row of small squares across the design. The yarns have previously been 
 dyed in the skein, and the laying out is done on a long frame from which 
 thev are wound on a large spool the width of the fabric. 
 
 Axminster. Better than the picture indicates. It had a "coat of many colors ' 
 
 A great quantity of this one combination is thereby provided for it 
 takes but a small amount in the acttial weaving and is not used again tmtil 
 the repeat of the pattern, when this same spool comes into action. The 
 other cross-shots emljraced 
 in the complete pattern are 
 planned in the same way. 
 
 Each spool is provided '■ 
 with a projecting frame con- ; 
 taining many small tubes j--- 
 
 Planning "Josephs Coat." Axminsters may be highly 
 colored or as few as two colors used 
 
 ( )n tile' Square 
 
 through w h i c h the 
 threads of yarn ])ass. 
 The spools are ])laced 
 in ])ro])er rotation on an 
 endless chain, by which 
 thev are carried to the 
 weaving ])oint on the 
 loom, where the yarns 
 extending fro m the 
 ttibes are grasped by a 
 row of nippers a n d 
 d r a w n between the 
 warps. These are then 
 caught on the lower 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 The endless chain which makes 
 "the hum of industry" 
 
 ends by another series of ine- 
 chaiiical fingers which brings 
 them np under the filler which 
 has been carried across the 
 loom. The yarns are then cut 
 at the tubes by a pair of 
 knives working as automatic 
 shears, leaving the small pieces 
 which form the pile face of 
 the carpet. Each spool is 
 brought into position in turn 
 until the pattern is finished, 
 when the procession of spools 
 comes again. There is no 
 limit to the number of colors 
 which may be vised, but to 
 be made economically a large 
 quantity of goods must be 
 manufactured at a time. The 
 ])rice of this grade is between 
 the Velvet and the Wilton. 
 
 Although there are very 
 few factories in Philadelphia 
 making Axminsters at present, 
 they are ])opular and the pros- 
 pects are that their production 
 will increase largely in the 
 future. 
 
 CHENILLE AXMINSTER 
 
 Here may be said to be the floor fabric de luxe. In a good grade, its 
 thick tufts of yarn, long pile and heavy back make it the rival of the 
 Oriental in appearance and wear, and its cost is greater than the Wilton. 
 It is also called "vScotch" Axminster having been first sitccessfully pro- 
 duced in Scotland, although patented in England in 1839. 
 
 Chenille is a row of tufts called "fitr," botmd on a set of fine 
 warp threads. 
 
 The manner of making Chenille Axminster is to some extent a hand 
 process and requires two looms, one to make the Chenille, the other to 
 make the back, and, as this liack is woven, bind the Chenille to it by strong 
 threads. The Chenille as made on the first loom is like a sheet of thick, 
 flat cloth, with warps close together, running through, in fact just the 
 exact height of the pile apart, for the goods are cut into little strips 
 and bent up on each side of the warps by steaming. The warps then 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 Chenille. One section partly cut between the warps 
 
 form the back of the strip of Chenille which is attached to the solid back, 
 thus making- the completed fabric. 
 
 Chenille. Bent up on the warp, ready to attach to the back 
 
 It has been found impossible to produce the pattern except by 
 human guidance. The weaver, formerly by hand, and later by pressmg 
 a key sends the desired color cross-wise through the myriad warps. 
 There' are as many shuttles containing yarn as there are colors m the 
 desi-n— one color only in a shuttle. One color may be sent through a 
 nuniber of times in succession according to the painting of the design. 
 One large sheet of cloth produces many little strips of Chenille each 
 identical in coloring, for they represent one shot of weft only, exactly as 
 one shot across is shown on the design. After the Chenille is woven on 
 
 the weft loom, it is 
 -«w(gjjpjM!MiwiTMs»i!8»'wiB«waM^^^i^t>- "" _ 'jm tea^iEi. taken to the tur 
 
 cutter. This consists 
 of a steel cylinder 
 with grooves cut in it, 
 the center of the 
 grooves being equally 
 distant apart and 
 equal to the distance 
 between each set of 
 warp threads in the 
 Chenille cloth. The 
 cloth is put over this 
 machine and a set of 
 very sharp high-speed 
 
 A 30-foot Chenille Axminster loom This monster - ^j^^ ^^^^^j^^^ 
 
 mechanism lays its tribute at our teet 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 yarn down the center between the warp threads. A strip is used as it is 
 required in each repeat of the figure. The second shot across is planned 
 in the same manner, then the third and continued until every shot is 
 made that is required to form the pattern. It is readily seen that the 
 whole cloth woven on the warps running down becomes the width when 
 cut into strips. 
 
 After being steamed the strips of Chenille are ])laced in a large 
 shuttle with the succession of cross-shots now properly arranged, and 
 mechanically sent back and forth over the second or Chenille-setting 
 loom. As the loom docs not weave with absolute accuracy, the weaver 
 must guide by hand the setting of the Chenille while being attached to 
 the back. As in the Spool Axminster, colors are practically unlimited 
 but few colors and large quantities reduce the cost of production. 
 
 Chenille Axminster rugs can be made in dififerent shapes with com- 
 parative ease, because of the method of weaving and the assistance given 
 
 by hand. 
 
 SMYRNA 
 
 For a while the Smyrna was about the only grade which could be 
 classed as a rug and the production grew to great proportions, but. like 
 the Ingrain it is not as ])rominent as formerly in the realm of carpetdom. 
 It is an imitation of the Smyrna or Turkish rugs — hence its name. 
 Smyrna is a thick, chenille, double-faced fabric made somewhat in the 
 manner of the Chenille y\xminster except that the small strips remain 
 flat and stick out on both the face and Ijack. making both sides identical. 
 
 INGRAIN 
 
 The Ingrain is a soft, flat fabric the same on botli sides except for 
 the reversal of the colors. It is mostly in two "])ly" ^dthough "three 
 plys" were formerly made in consideraljle (juantities. As the name 
 
 Ingrain. Ichabod — "The glory of my house has departed "" 
 
 indicates, the plys are ingrained into each other. The colored yarns are 
 placed in shuttles which are thrown back and forth across the loom 
 through the warps, the Jacqviard regulating the colors forming the pattern. 
 The warp unites the two plys where there is no figure or where the 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 figure changes. Where there is any amount of one color or combination 
 of colors, the two plys are separate from each other, and in wear these 
 places, called "pockets," give out first, so it is desirable to have a design 
 well knit-up with frequent changes. 
 
 At first only two colors were used and later four colors, but their 
 application was limited until the invention about 1885 by an adopted 
 Philadelphian, Harry Hardwick, of the "mate-thread," popularly known 
 as the "Bromlev weave" l)ecause of his connection with that well known 
 firm. By the new method the same colors could be used in combinations 
 not previously possible. Later Mr. Hardwick also invented the "Agra" 
 weave in which the plys were bound together, avoiding pockets. Ingrain 
 carpet was almost invariably one yard wide. Women were usually the 
 weavers as the work was light and the loom rather simple in construction. 
 
 Methods of Distribution 
 
 Tales are still told in Kensington of how the old time manufacturer 
 who owned one, two or three hand-looms, would bundle a roll when com- 
 pleted on a wagon or push-cart and take it to Second Street, then the 
 carpet Emi)orium of the city, and after considerable dickering, sell it to 
 the dealer, alwavs " 'lossing' money on every roll !" The journeyman 
 weaver was generally "boarded" and "lodged" by the proprietor. The 
 small factories were, in many cases, the foundations for great establish- 
 ments through which the sons or successors of the originators gained 
 considerable wealth. 
 
 In modern times there are four principal ways in which the product 
 is distributed — by direct solicitation of the manufacturer, by selling 
 agencies, through the jobber or middleman, and through the mail order 
 houses. 
 
 \\'e are obliged by force of circumstances to consume our own 
 product in addition to several millions of dollars' worth of European and 
 Oriental rugs and carpets imported each year. The necessity for buying 
 abroad the great bulk of materials used, and the much higher wages 
 paid in the United States — and Philadelphia pays better than elsewhere — 
 make it impossible to compete with Great Britain, Germany and France, 
 consequently there is practically no exportation of floor coverings. The 
 wonderful growth of the L^nited States with its enormous consuming 
 power has been sufficient warrant for the increased number of factories 
 and additional looms, of which Philadelphia has had a great share in 
 recent years. 
 
 There are two seasons in the year. The manufacturer places on 
 sale in the fall of the year, the goods which are shipped to the retailer for 
 his spring business which opens about March of the following year, and 
 the goods shown in the early summer are for the fall season beginning 
 about September. 
 
THE RUG AND CARPET INDUSTRY OF PHILADELPHIA 
 
 Otner Features 
 
 Although, strictly speaking, spinning the yarn from the raw material, 
 scouring, dyeing, spooling and beaming are not parts of the carpet busi- 
 ness, the largest manufacturers include one or more of these processes in 
 their system with great personal satisfaction and confidence in the superi- 
 ority of their products. 
 
 In the finishing of woven goods, steaming, shearing and burling play 
 important parts, particularly as applied to the pile faljrics like Wilton, 
 Axminster and Velvet. The steamer raises the pile which may have 
 been crushed, the shearing machine trims it to a uniform height and the 
 women btirlers remove and repair all the minor imperfections, such as 
 knots, threads, etc. 
 
 While not carpets, at least linoleums and oil cloths are floor coverings, 
 and the product of several large and important establishments may be 
 placed to the credit of the splendid industry to which our attention has 
 been given. 
 
 The Quaker City is justly proud of its indtistries, among which 
 floor covering holds its place near the summit. These in cumtilation 
 justify the adoption of the slogan with which this article l)egins and ends: 
 
 Note : The great war raging in Europe and Asia has not been taken into con- 
 sideration, for the effect lias not been to necessarily change sources of supply, but 
 to temporarily curtail production and sliipment. There is a great stringency in 
 materials of all kinds, but it is assumed that after the war conditions will become 
 normal, each community resuming its former activities. 
 
 A notable exception, however, will probably be found in dye-stuffs, for as 
 "Necessity is the Mother of Invention," the dearth of these materials has com- 
 pelled experimentation on a large scale, and such wonderful progress has been 
 made, that with proper government protection, it may not longer be necessary to 
 depend upon Germany. The raw materials are here, their secrets are being dis- 
 covered, and new plants built or old ones adapted to the making of dye-stuffs, so 
 the prospects are bright that our requirements will be self-supplied in the future. 
 
 For the photographs other than those used in the description of Wilton 
 manufacture, the author acknowledges credit to the following: 
 
 Ferguson Carpet Company. 
 
 "Good Furniture" Magazine. 
 
 McCleary, Wallin and Crouse. 
 
 Overbrook Carpet Company. 
 
 Philadelphia .Xxminster Carpet Company. 
 
The Make-up of the Wilton 
 
 HOWING the various colored yarns 
 carried through the rug. Where 
 one color shows on the surface to form 
 the design the other five are buried in 
 the body of the fabric. dJ»f d* <i^