It was in 1876 that the Hellwig Silk Dyeing Company was founded, with Fred. Erler and Albert Hellwig forming a partnership as Erler & Hellwig, for the dyeing of silk, at Eutaw and Race Streets, Philadelphia.

    Albert Hellwig, born 1849 in Germany, was early apprenticed to the silk dyeing industry in his native country, emigrated to America in 1869, locating in Philadelphia, where later he established himself with Mr. Erler. The latter, a native of Switzerland, had learned his trade in Basel and before entering the partnership was foreman in the Silk Dyeing Department of the Quaker City Dye Works.

    Upon the death of Mr. Erler in 1882, August Spiers was admitted to partnership under the firm name of Hellwig & Spiers.

   In 1884 August Schaeffer, an experienced silk dyer from Basel, Switzerland, became as­sociated with Mr. Hellwig under the firm name of Albert Hellwig & Co.

   The potential growth of the Company had now prompted the removal to larger quarters at Ninth and Buttonwood Streets, where the main office is still located.

   With the retirement of Mr. August Schaeffer in 1903, the firm was incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania as The Hellwig Silk Dyeing Company, with Albert Hellwig as President, Wm. J. Gutekunst as Treasurer, and Philip Henry Hellwig, son of Albert Hellwig, as Secretary.

   In 1905 Jacob Knup, who had been with The Weidmann Silk Dyeing Co., of Paterson, N. J., for seventeen years, bought an interest and took up the management of the Company.

   Mr. Knup is a native of Switzerland. After receiving a thorough and practical training in his father's dyehouse, he took up the study of chemistry at the Technicum, Winterthur, Swit­zerland, graduating with honors. To further his knowledge and experience in the dyeing of silk, he associated himself with Bodmer in Zurich, where he assisted Prof. Hans Wolf of the Technicum, Winterthur, in the exploitation of the new process, patented by Prof. Wolf, for weighting silk with Tetrachloride of Tin in combination with Tungstate of Soda. After many successful trials, he was engaged by Prof. Wolf in the Fall of 1887 to introduce his weight­ing process in America, being connected with the firm of George Marlot of Paterson, N. J.   

  Severing his connection with the firm of George Marlot after a short stay, Mr. Knup was engaged by The Weidmann Silk Dyeing Co., who at that time became interested in tin weighting of silk, to direct that department. Here he also in­troduced the manufacture of Tetrachloride of Tin for the weighting process. Having charge of these departments for over ten years, he later took over the management of the Black Depart­ment until 1903.

   For a short period he assumed the manage­ment of The Standard Silk Dyeing Co., and in 1905 started his career with The Hellwig Silk Dyeing Co. In 1907, Albert Hellwig sold the controlling- interest of the Company to Jacob Knup, retaining however a financial in­terest and directorship in the Company.

   Wm. J. Gutekunst came to Hellwig & Co. in 1883 as a young man. He served his apprentice­ship as a dyer, but after a few years manifested a desire to solicit the trade. With the extension of the dyehouse, the service to be rendered and contact with the trade became more important. Mr. Gutekunst's ability in this direction, com­bined with his pleasant personality, through which he made a great number of friends in the silk trade, contributed largely to the success of the firm.

   In 1910, Henry Hellwig, son of the founder, retired and was succeeded some years later by Jacob Knup, Jr., as Secretary.  Mr. Knup, Jr., like his father, is also a graduate of Technicum, Winterthur) in chemistry and dyeing.

   These officers have directed the affairs of The Hell wig Silk Dyeing Co. and under their management, the firm has developed a reputation in weighted skein dyeing and all branches of dyeing silk in skeins.

   As the business increased, the location of the dye house in the center of the city precluded larger extensions on account of property cost and uncertain water supply. To augment their plant, a ten-acre plot of ground was purchased in Wissinoming, a suburb of Philadelphia, on the Delaware River. In 1914 the Wissinoming Branch was erected, having a Pennsylvania R. R, siding and a splendid water supply from the Delaware River (with a special filtration plant in conjunction), assuring a full volume of water of unexcelled quality for dyeing purposes. To promote greater efficiency in the-new plant; every detail was considered so that goods should continually move forward in the course of completion.

   Realizing, however, that efficiency with ca­pacity is but a secondary consideration, and that quality is withal the prime motive in the silk industry, the management sought the advice of leading engineers in procuring the best type of machinery that would improve the quality of their output, and to discard the old hand method of uncertain results.  

   When the firm started in 1876, floss and spun silks were dyed for the upholstery and millinery trade with aniline dyestuffs for colors; while red iron, gambier and logwood were used for blacks. No fastness to light was required at that time, while for the same articles-curtains and furniture covers-the trade now requires absolute fastness to light and washing, using mostly mercerized cotton instead of spun silk, and artificial silk for filling. Both of these fibers are now dyed with vat colors and guaranteed for fastness to light and washing. The same general conditions also prevailed for the trim­ming mills who used large quantities of tussah for chenille and straw imitations. Light shades and fairly good whites were obtained in the olden days by bleaching with peroxide of hydrogen; special machines were used for stretching to increase the luster.

   In many and varied channels did the silk industry aid the development of other trade bodies, as is evidenced by the fact that the Sauquoit Silk Manufacturing Co., having re­ceived quantity orders in the 80's for floss silk in a bright green shade for covering electric wires, availed themselves of the Hellwig & Co. dyeing in this particular line. Likewise of the organ and tram for their broad silk department.

   It was with the expansion of the Philadelphia broad silk and ribbon mills, Hellwig & Co., like the dyehouses in Paterson, did considerable tannin weighted organzine and souples. The latter was weighted up to twenty-six ounces by the process combining tannin materials and tartar emetic, also glue.  One of the most interesting developments in the American silk industry was the determina­tion of the John B. Stetson Co. to manufacture

   Foreign made velvets were now being imported in greater quantities. This market also offered a splendid opportunity for the American manu­facturers. However, the dyeing of silk in skein was an important part in the success of this undertaking, and it was only with considerable laboratory research work that this company was able to procure .the necessary quality which would enable the velvet manufacturer to obtain the brilliancy and softness of foreign made goods.

   With the introduction of artificial silk about 1898, the millinery mills of Philadelphia applied it to the manufacture of novelties. The Char­donnet process (now termed Tubize) was intro­duced first; then Cupra-Ammonia; later Visco, and recently Celanese. Hellwig & Co., sensing the progress of the times, immediately planned a department for the dyeing of this new product, installing the latest type of machines, and com­bined with the many years of experience, have, developed a department of considerable magni­tude for the dyeing of Rayon.

   The development of Rayon in the past decade has been marvelous; and with it the dyeing industry has kept closely apace in making it available for numerous additional uses in being fast to light and washing.

   A continual progression of new ideas was now taking hold in the silk industry. It was in 1900 that The Hellwig Silk Dyeing Co. installed the Weighting or Tinning Department to better serve the broad silk and ribbon industry.

   Therein, however, lies a much mooted ques­tion. Silk properly weighted undoubtedly makes a better appearing hose than pure dye, the silk having superior luster and "hand"; and a most excellent wearing quality. Whereas, should silk be over-weighted, it will impair the wearing quality by reason of the contact of chemical prop­erties in weighting and foot perspiration. There was a gradual demand by the trade for over­ weighting of silk, which naturally did not improve the wearing quality and with time caused a reversal to pure dyed tram.

   Weighting in itself is an art, inasmuch as it requires special qualities for weighted silk to slide through the needles in the knitting ma­chines for a regular, smooth webbing. Fastness of.color is also necessary. Further, the process of dyeing becomes more difficult. These factors were readily overcome when The Hellwig Silk

Dyeing Co. procured the services of Mr. Jacob Knup in 1905 - now President of the Company -  who, as a pioneer in this branch, with his knowl­edge of chemistry was able to cope with the demand so successfully as to require the addi­tion of the Wissinoming Branch.

   Under the varying conditions of today-may it be the economic or multiple of colors in fash­ion-dip-dyed hose seems to serve the more popular favor. To meet this demand the firm has installed the latest type of machinery. 

   To presage the future, would merely mean to conjure with the rapid strides of the silk industry. However, it has been a long stride from 1876, when floss and spun silks dyed in skein were the dominant parts of the dyeing industry, to 1926 when piece goods, dyed and weighted, are done in immense yardage.

   Statistics cannot possibly give what a potent factor the silk industry has become in America. Years gone by Europe supplied the greater ma­jority of silk goods, whereas in the last fifty years America has gone to the forefront, not only in the manufacture of silk goods, but in the crea­tion and development of new ideas and uses.