Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1910 — CLOTHES OF ODD MATERIALS. [ARTICLE]

CLOTHES OF ODD MATERIALS.

Fiber of Filamentous Stone, Iron Cloth and Limestone Wool. The Russians manufacture a fabric from the fibre of a filamentous stone from the Siberian mines, which is said to be of so durable a nature that it is practically indlstructlble, Harpers Weekly says. The material is soft to the touch and pliable in the extreme, and when soiled has only to be placed in a fire to be made absolutely clean. Iron cloth is largely used to-day by tailors everywhere for the purpose of making the collars of coats set properly. This cloth is manufactured from steel wool and has the appearance of having been.woven from horsehair. Wool not the product of sheep is being utilized abroad for the making of men s clothing. This is known as “limestone wool" and is made in an electric furnace. Powdered limestone, mixed with certain chemicals, 4 s thrown into the furnace and after passing through a furious air blast it is tossed out as fluffy white wool. When it comes from the furnace the wool is dyed and made into lengths like cloth. A pair of trousers or a coat made of this material cannot, it is claimed, be burned or damaged by grease, and is as flexible as cloth made of sheep’s wool. An English manufacturer has succeeded in making a fabric from old ropes. He obtained a quantity of old rope and eordage, unraveled it and wove it by a secret process into a kind of rough cloth. The resultant material he dyed a dark brown. A suit of clothes made from this queer stuff was worn by the manufacturer himself, and it is said that he has a large trade in this line in the British colonies. A novelty in dress material for women is spun-glass cloth, which, it is said, can be had in white, green, lilac, pink and yellow shades. The Inventor of this fabric was an Austrian, and his invention Is said to have resulted In the production of a material as bright and flexible as silk. The first lady to wear a gown of this material was of royal rank. It was of a very delicate shade of pale lavender shot with pink, and its peculiar sheen reminded her admirers of the sparkle of diamond dust. Paper clothes wore worn by the Japanese troops, who found them very serviceable and much warmer than those of cloth. Paper dressing gowns, bathrobes %pd similar articles of attire are now being turned out by toe carload in England, France, Germany and other European countries. The paper whereof they are made is of the •'blotting*’ variety, and after being .treated by a new process Is dyed in va-

rlous ■ colors or printed with a pretty floral design. Even gloves are made of paper these days, the principal claim of advantage being that they are susceptible of being cleaned many times.