7 - The industry: technical progress and structural change

Summary

Introduction: innovations in reeling

The modern reeling industry began in 1805, when the Frenchman Gensoul patented the first steam-reeling machine. The steam was used not as a source of power but as a way of heating the water in the basins. In a way, Gensoul's machine extended the principle of centralized heating, which had been applied to fire-heated basins since the eighteenth century. However, the use of steam substantially enhanced the efficiency of the machinery. A boiler could heat much more hot water than any fire, saving up to two thirds of the fuel. Besides the silk was better because the soot of the fire no longer dirtied the humid yarn and the temperature of the water in the basin was kept steady (any sudden changes in the temperature could cause the thread to wind irregularly). The first boilers, which were made in copper, had, however, one very serious drawback. They did not heat the water enough. Thus a part of the natural yarn was wasted and the silk output per unit of cocoons was substantially lower than that of the fire-reeling. The problem was solved in the 1830s by building more resistant boilers, in iron this time. This innovation made steam-reeling totally viable, thereby creating a new technological paradigm. In the next 120–odd years it was to be developed thanks to a stream of innovations which affected all the phases of reeling. The most important innovations were as follows.