The cotton sheeting came from England, Ireland and India, raw and untreated and in one continuous length. There were various widths: 70”, 80” and 90”. After an initial wash at our Parent Company at Huntingtower, Stormontfield started the process of bleaching, dying, cutting and stitching into sheets according to the size the customers required. Stormontfield did mostly white sheeting which was in demand by hospitals and hotels, for example. Occasionally they did coloured sheeting for Huntingtower, who also had a dying plant. After boiling, the cloth went through various stages, bleaching and rinsing till the shade of white was reached. ‘I never knew there could be so many different shades of white’. The dying was done in cast iron vats which pressurised steam (at 5-10 lb psi), the biggest cast iron vat was approximately 9’ in diameter and 9’ in depth, with a hinged lit held down with 20 ‘G’ clamps. When in operation, the lid had a steam pressure gauge, also a safety valve. ‘One day this malfunctioned, the result being a huge build-up of pressure inside the vat which blew the lid off, and with it yards and yards of scalding wet cloth up to the ceiling, and draped over the rafters. Fortunately, this happened in the lunch hour with no staff present, otherwise it could have had serious consequences’. After boiling, the cloth went through various stages, including bleaching and rinsing, before passing though the finishing department where it was starched and shaded to the correct white, it then went through a set of drying cans which consisted of 20 copper cylinders 18” diameter and 10’ long steam filled, and electric motor chain driven. From there it went to the machine which made the correct width; 70”, 80” and 90” widths, then upstairs, where it was parcelled up and delivered to the customer. The electrical power to the mill came from our own water driven turbine (500 volt direct current). The water came from the lade which had a number of sluice gates which kept the water clean and free flowing to keep the turbine going and supply enough water for the mill. Mr Brown, Bridge of Earn |