The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-08
Pennsylvania Tannerles.

uhm W htlc ThllrOAu commenced running
through from Williamsport to Erie In
that State, aud during tho past two or
three years ten ianncries, some Of which
are among the largest In the world, have
been built in the section referred To,
The bark lands here, covering more
than one hundred miles in length BY an
almost corresponding breadth, are of
seemingly sufficient magnitude to answer
lor tanning purposes for many genera.
tions, but The largo establishments erected
bid fair 10 clear II away with rapiiity
such as was witnessed by tanners Of the
last generation In the then great tanning
districts Of Greene, Sullivan and Ulster
counties in the State Of New York.
The purchases OF land IN this section
have mostly been made by New York
parties, at from four to eight dollars an
acre. The yield of heml0ck bark IS an
average OF ten cords TO the acre, and, as
a tanner expressed II, they call a cord
cord up there, with bark in a solid pile.
On the limo Of the railway mentioned
are eleven tanneries, with an aggregate of
seven hundred and eight thousand sides
Of leather tanned yearly. The largest
tannery in this section, or probably the
largest in the world, Is at Wilcox, Pa,
and Is run under the style OF the "Wilcox
Tanning Company" Operations were
commenced here In 1867, q purchase be.
ing made Of nine thousand acres ofland
and the right Of bark on twenty.three
thousand acres more. Alter the build
ings were finished and improvements
made, their cost was found to be two
hundred and forty thousand dollars, and
the land is valued at hundred and
eighty thousand dollars moro, making
sum total OF four hundred and twenty
thousand dollars invested in the enter
prise. In connection with it Is o lumber
mill, where the hemlock lumber is sawed
and prepared for market. There were
19 600 600 feet got out last year. Most OF
this goes East, and sells for an average of
$40 per 1000 feet.
Bark cost at the Wilcox tannery about
50 80 TO 81 a cord. The company own
ovef sixteen miles Of land up and down
the Philadelphia and Erie road, and bark
is ireighted at "a Tor the carload of
twelve tons 70 the tannery. Tho freight
on hides is $3.50 per carload from New
York, and on sole leather $104 per car to
that city.
The buildings Of tho Wilcox tannery
cover nearly eleven acres Of ground.
-Four steam engines furnish the power
required to drive the works. An eighty
and lilty.horse power engine run tho
bark and hide mills, and two, Of thirty
and twenty horse power, are used for the
rollers and machine shops. Six double.
grinder Beecher bark mills arc used which
will grind 90 cords OF bark a day, or more
than $4,000 cords a year. This bark is
then screened through bolt, and coarse
bark returned and ground over, making,
they think, q great improvement, and
giving better bark for teaching than
when put in unscreened. The bark is
then carried along by shutcs to an adjoin.
ing room, where arc twenty-five of Allen
& Warrens twelve.cord teaches, and they
are now putting in "Crowell leach" for
trial Layaway bark Is run over a rail-
way track from the mills to the watts.
The hides arc milled in yankee" or
Salem hide mill, and only one of these is
used. In this they milled last year TO-
446 hides, and milled them over twice.
This year they will work In $4,000 hides,
using only this one mill. ...
Sweet liquors, without acid, are used in
tanning exclusively, and the hides used
comprise every kind Of dry which will
weigh from twenty to thirty pounds, or,
say, mn average Of twenty.three pounds
to the hide. In July and August, they
work in green stock. They sweat all the
hides, both green and dry, but give green
ones little lime alterward. Eighteen
sweat,pits are used, in each Of which they
hang 15Ohides. Two Of these are brick
sweatpits, built for experiment. They
work very well in cold, but are too quick
in hot weather. They sweat from two to
five days.
There are four yards here, but all under
one roof and connected. One of them Ia
S12 by 20 feet; another $50 by 40, and two
wings, SO by "a and 80 by SO feet in size,
the entire yard building beng 62O feet
long by about 60 feet wide. In these Yards
are 575 double (seven by nine feet liquor
yats and Al pools, lines, and soaks. The
hides are handled and colored by reels.
They tan 1870 pounds of leather 10 the
cord oi bark, and have always made that
average
The turret dry house is q prominent
feature of this Lannery. 1t is built some
150 feet from the tan house, is rs feet high,
divided into eight stories, and will hang
900 sides OF leather. II is arranged to
control the draught OF air and heat, and
dries out stock on an average in about six
days time. Under the floor OF this tur-
ct Is an iron tank for oil. II holds 100
barrels, which can be pumped into the
oiling room above A hanging track runs
the full length Of each yard, TO bring
leather to the scrubbcr or Howard wash
ing machine, which is on the first floor Of
the turrGt, and after this operation 1t is
hOlsted by endless chain elevators up in
the turret TO dry. Then by shutes lead.
ing efrom each floor of the turret It Is
thrown into the dampening room and
rolled by five rollers, the pressure being
applied by u patent lever power, whence
II is loaded on cars at the siding in the
yard and ran directly through to New
York.
We are oGlen asked ifthese large sole.
leather tanneries are not liable 10 flood
the market with leather, but It must be
remembered that VIC are now finding an
outlet in Europe for large quantities, and
with the duty OIL hides, which Is looked
for from the next Congress, VIC hope for
the dawning Of brighter days In the tan
ming interest. At any rate, as the late
George Appold used to say, "children
won't be born with shoes on" and the
demand for our leather increases every
year. There arc in Ulster, Greene, Scho.
harie, and Sullivan counties in New York,
and Susquchanna county, Pa, nearly sew
enty tanneries whose bark lease Is about
ont, and located where this material Ia
now unobtainable. These have capaci.
ty for over 100000 sides per annum, and
all, or most all Of them, will close up or
greatly restrict operations during the next