So great has been the demand for army woolen goods, such as cloth, flannel and blankets, that all the woolen mills in the country have been stimulated to prodigious efforts in order to supply the demand made upon them. Most of the factories have been engaged on army contract work, and it is stated that all the corporations have made handsome profits. One peculiar effect of the war has been a great rise in the price of coarser qualities of wool, while the finer sorts have been lowered. The army regulations specify that common army cloth shall be made of long, coarse staple, hence the great demand for this class of wool has raised it to a very high figure. Thus the coarse Beckwell wool which used to sell at from twenty-five to thirty-five cents per pound has advanced to thirty-eight and forty-five cents. The consumption of wool for army purposes during the past six months has amounted to no less than 15,200,000 pounds. This allows for an overcoat, blanket, coat and pants, unitedly weighing sixteen pounds for 950,000 suits. – Scientific American.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, February 20, 1862, p. 2
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