Of the more recent inventions the most in teresting is perhaps that of James Dunlap of Philadelphia, who patented a process of print ing tapestry carpeting in the cloth, a marked improvement over all other previous methods because of the fact that the coloring matter was pressed down into the roots of the pile and extended entirely through the fabric.
The employment of power looms for making rugs is comparatively modern. The importa tion of Oriental hand-made rugs led to imita tions being woven, and so successful was this branch of the industry that a large proportion of dwellings is now supplied with one-piece rugs in place of carpeting made in breadths.
Ingrain was the first machine-made carpet to be widely introduced. It was first manufac tured as a two-ply cloth, with two colors of yarn, the pattern on one side appearing in reverse colors on the other side. Later a three ply was made. with concealed cotton string warp. No pile is used with either two- or three-ply. Ingrain has also been known as Kidderminster or Scotch, from the place of its origin.
Brussels, like most carpets, is made with a pile. This is a thick, hair-like surface given to a fabric, so that the weaving is covered. A cut pile leaves short, protruding ends, as in plush; an uncut pile leaves protruding loops. In Brussels the pile is uncut, being looped tight, these loops forming the pattern. The body fabric may be woven of linen, cotton or jute; dyed worsted is used for the pile.
Wilton carpets or rugs, sometimes known as imperial Brussels, and also velvet, are made similarly to Brussels, except that the pile is cut automatically in the loom during the process of weaving.
Axminster carpet, sometimes termed chenille Axminster, has a fluffy thick pile, with a linen or hemp warp and chenille filling. This chenille cord may be of worsted or other material, but its distinguishing characteristic is that it has four or more soft threads.
Tapestry carpet resembles Brussels, being really an imitation, more loosely woven, and having the warp-yarn forming the pile colored, or printed in the warp. Upon tapestry are built various tufted fabrics as moquette. Per sian or Smyrna rugs have usually a linen or hempen warp and filling, and a pile or tufts of colored wool twisted about the warp. The
Turkish rug is very similar, but the manner of attaching the tufts is different.
Rag carpet is a separate industry, carried on by a considerable number of very small concerns, mainly by some lone weaver, who has a suitable loom, and makes a living by weaving up the rags saved by economical housewives of the neighborhood. There are no statistics of the rag carpet industry.
In 1849 there were 116 establishments mak ing carpets and rugs in the United States. They employed over 6,000 hands, and their product in that year was worth $5,400,000. In 1914 there were only 97 factories, but the volume of business had increased many times, and some of the factories, as in Philadelphia and Yonkers, are very large. The wage earners numbered 31,309, besides 1,720 salaried men. Nearly half the employees were women and children, and their average earnings were under $10 weekly. The salaried men averaged $33 weekly. The capital invested was $85,153,000, and the annual product was valued at $69, 128,185, of which $25,847,962 was the value added by manufacture. The industry ex perienced its greatest growth during the dec ades from 1880 to 1890, and from 1900 to 1910, showing 50 per cent gain in each 10-year period specified. Pennsylvania was the leading State in the industry almost from its inception, but New York State was in the lead in 1914. kach of these States produces about one-third of the carpets and rugs manufactured in the country. Massachusetts was third with 16 per cent, and no other State made much showing. There are now about 12,000 carpet and rug looms in operation, and the annual yardage manufac tured is close to 100,000,000.
Axminster and moquette carpets and rugs ranked first in respect to quantity produced in 1914, and also in respect to value. The output reported for that year was 15,742,835 square yards, valued at $18,578,693.
Tapestry Brussels carpets and rugs had the second largest output in respect to quantity, 13,614,354 square yards being produced, the decrease since 1909 being 20.3 per cent. In respect to value, however, this class of products occupied fourth place, being led by Axminster-moquette, tapestry velvet and Wil ton.