Gibb: "Even if one takes issue with my stated opinions or method, I hope one can still agree it's worthwhile to put all this cotton stuff in one place to focus on it and see what we might see!"

Jack: "I'd never heard of this, you mean they had gangs of men compacting the bales with big screw presses, using the same sort of movements as with a capstan?"

Greg: "Suggestion: "Google" "cotton press"- several have ben preserved in the southern U.S. both animal & human powered."

Me: "...there's cotton screwing and then there's screwing cotton and then there's screwing the Cotton Screwmen."

Gibb: "Why is it that when one posts a thread on Mudcat there is some assumption they need everything explained...."

Speaking strickly for myself, I'll go with: Not an assumption.