the alkali in solution and in its most effective
form, viz., as caustic alkali, to each portion of fiber in such quantity
as to produce the complete result upon that portion.

2. The immediate and sustained action of heat in the most effective form
of steam.

Before the cloth is run into the steamer keir on the wire wagons, it is
saturated with about twice its weight of a dilute solution of caustic
soda (2 deg. to 4 deg. Twaddell = 0.5 to 1% Na_{2}O) at a boiling-temperature,
when in the steamer keir it is exposed to an atmosphere of steam at four
pounds pressure for five hours. This part of the process is entirely new.
The advantage of using caustic soda alone in the one operation, such as I
describe, has been long recognized, but hitherto no one has been able to
effect this improvement. It will be observed that the Mather-Thompson
process does away entirely with the use of lime and soda-ash in at least
two boilings and the accessory souring operation. In the space of the
five hours necessary for the steamer keir process the goods are
thoroughly bottomed and all the motes removed, no matter what be the
texture or weight of the cloth. After the cloth is washed in hot water it
is removed from the steamer keir, then follows a rinse in cold water, and
the goods are ready for the bleaching process.

In passing to the bleaching and whitening process, it may be necessary to
say that thus far the original Thompson process has been entirely
altered. Now we come to that part of the bleaching operation where the
essential feature in Thompson's patent is utilized. The patentee has
apparently thoroughly grasped the fact that carbonic acid has great
affinity for lime and that it liberates, in its gaseous condition, the
hypochlorous acid, which bleaches. The most perfect contact is realized
between the _nascent_ hypochlorous acid resulting from its action and the
fiber constituent in the exposure of the cloth treated with the bleaching
solution to the action of the gas. The order of treatment is as follows:

(1) Saturation with weak chemic (1 deg. Tw.), squeeze,
and passage to gas chamber.
(2) Wash (running).
(3) Soda scald.
(4) Wash.
(5) Repetition of 1, but with weaker chemic (1/2 deg. Tw.).
(6) Wash.
(7) Scouring.

The whole of the above operations are carried out on a continuous plan,
the machinery being the invention of Mr. Mather. The cloth travels along
at the rate of sixty or eighty