The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-18
The ManufActurs OF Combs.


Y been Of wood, horn, ivory and SHE'LL and in Of
the countries tue ornamental have been
large and ccasy Those manufactured in this town. twon
five years ago. for the South American markets
larger than ladies' bonnets are now. They often
from two TO three feet wide, enccng two thirds OF the
head and from six inches foot high the back the
top being wrought work. and 70 these the Ssansh
American ladies attached their wells One comb consumed
Of the work was done BY band and with Tie saw and the
polishing entirely manual labor the prices were high
from twenty TO fifty dollars.
The 1Ist horn combs manufactured in this country,
were made ct West Newbuy jest after the revolutionary
war. Hess'sn settled there who accustomed 70
hin tre art the rude Workmanship OF tina; day
worthy TO be called srtwes taught to the native pc
business since, and 10 lay is of the largest
comb making towns OF the commonwealth, though most
West Newbury other this engaged this
business; and OF these think tha. Leomnster Is
Sss a nsse are ,Soss ct
or less suffering frcm the competition Of the rubber
factories bow extensively the business is pursued
of this State, we not informed There several fac
tories In Connecticut and other and larger In Pha
dephia The products OF their abors confined to
this country, but thyown INTO the markets Of other
| and distant nations.
81, NsSwhSryE was known as comb town years ago.
much upon the caprice OF fEshonand in Of the Gibbs
! OF the tide the work wss abandoned.
In going the comb factory thought that but
very few Of our readcre could be acquainted with the
variety ano sn.ount OF labor performed from the time
morn enters one IGOR Till 1t goes out comb, several
then a. work % whs ace 2, ne panding they were
and the combs piled up in the finishing ROOM neatly
packed in boxes, andlabeed for any part Of world
Of all szes-sorne longer and some shorter some 6per
for hotels and come for dressing rooms for ladies'
who would grace saloons and parors and for the
chates OF the plantations whose hair is knoed 1T both
ends and rolled up in the middle; and notwithstanding
acme Of them are cold 30 low yet there is comb
that has not passed through from fifteen TO twenty pro-
cesses and many different pars OF hands before Il
ready for the market and 10 only owing TO the rapidly
with which they are Daie that profit realized the
manufacturer Let us look At them in the different stages
OF operation
Down IN Placement is huge pile of horns; where
did they from and what Of then? Oh their history
will never be written? Down from the inter Tor Africa
iosted in canoes, and conveyed by slaves, ne may
have Gomez on the GASES OF the deserts, the upland
prairies where the great cities and the races OF
whom Livingstone and Anderson and 8arth: sls they
may have been grown; and paid for In rum and gun
powder and tobacco three great cvizers that the
Christian merchants eend the coast Of Africa 70 con-
the natives with. More likely however, they were
produced by the immense herds craze the new land
OF south AmericR-on the banks Of tho Amazon, and
sou.h o. that on grapde La Plata o. the Pana aud from
| the big plains where Spa1ards and Portuguese aud
Indians have intermxed till the Ia half white aud
half colored half civilized half savage half Christian and
half pagan. But as the American horns white and
better and this company use tie best of stok the most
Of them from tie Brighton market; but even these
come from wide As!dfrom The Rio Grande 10 Texas TO
the pastures OF the Aroostook the east. and from
dozen different states at least. Six hundred must
die acme where every day OF the week, nearly two
hundred thousand in year. to furnish the ateral
for tha one factory That is number Of cattle of which
few havea ust conception, and they had to march up
In single file and shake of their at the gate way
they would make long line OF beeves.
Close by the side Of tne horn pile hear the hum of
circular SAVE buzz, buzzber teeth not and bare
~ the plates with such velocity 90 they move and there
stand the men TO saw them into the right whea
the round pieces are spt ready for strengthening At
tenDg We see the tips, suited for comb passing
one way where again they sawed IL Of proper szs
TO make knife handles, aud the extreme ends
many, whence they returned 10 US az the
mouthpieces for pipes and eegars. We folow the
comb pieces the mex. floor and sac them softening In
boiling water and OIL and when soft through knives
By which the rough places made smoo.h then placed
between cold irons till they cool and hard and
straight We look into another room, which Is full OF
saws and betting where these rough peoee all 10
DIMENSIONS and by the side OF the circulars stands
native OF the Emerald Iele minus Of three fingers
indicating that TIE saws sometimes slip through bones
well az horns But while Look the piece passed be-
tween other sharp machinery 10 be caravAned they
Call IT, to be smo0thed and reduced to uniform thick
ness we should say and again IL TO hot rons to
remain for hours perhape days When il comes thence
Tor dressing combs 10 quilted or that part be cut
into teeth made thinner than the rest Next the teeth
themselves are cut roughly, in very ingenious manner,
wncn we believe they call twnnng Formerly the inter-
htces Of the teeth cut by thin saw and Of
course the strip Of horn made but one comb tbs frag
menss being lost Now the pieces makes two combs the
sdes Of the strip which lett ruged in the Guipp
PROCESS Furnishing tie two backs and the teeth being
between which formed by fastening the e.rip In car
rage, which s moved forward I'LL iscoues under chise
comps the teeth Of lying Between those OF the other
When the teeth have been the Two combs are pulled
apart erd again replaced aud then 90 cold irons 70
press and sirashen That being dome thew 90 throurh
several other processes 0ae shapes The points Of
the teeto ano her the hides the teeth and third
sInooths inc edges Of the bscken oeng done with ma.
cnhef aud they are polished and packed up
ana sent 10 markets as distant from and from each
ohef as e points whence horns ara received though
'ney snood be collected from the four quarters OF the
globe and the islands Of the seas