South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1881-07-15
WOOD WEAVING.

We take the following details con-
| corning very peculiar industry from a
recent number OF Cassell's Mugusine.
One OF the busiest towns of the manu-
featuring district of tue Austrian en-
pre- is Ehrenb erg lying close TO the Sax.
on frontier, and distinguished from 9th
er towns and villages for its curious i'm /.
dustry OF wood weaving sparterie work
as it is called which was introduced
something more than century ago by
carpenter named Anton Menzee. The
threads used Tor weaving are no thicker
than writing paper, and vary in width
from the fifth to the twenty.fif,h part
OF an inch. The aspen is the only tree
whose wool is sufficiently tough and
/ piiable To supply these threads in the
required lengths. This tree was formerly
indigenous TO Bohemia, but has now al
most entirely disappeared, so that the
raw material for the spdrterie works has
10 be brought from Russian Poland. The
wood used for the purpose Of weaving,
, must be free from knots, as tue smaller
] defects or irregularity, such rs ordinary
persons would hardly notice. make the
hbers quite unfit for working. Arrived
IN Elirenberg, the wood is planed and
divided into pieces nearly p inches
wide. When these have been made
perfectly smooth they are divided again
by an instrument resembling a plane,
but furnished with q number of fine
knife blades. which mark the wood at
regular distances, according TO the width
the strips are to be. This process re-
quires the utmost dextcrity & nicely, as
, 1t is absolutely essential that the divider
shall exactly follow the direction OF the
fiber, and for this reason, among others,
it must always be done by hand.
! The Giyider makes missions one-fifth
Of an inch deep; the wood is then care.
! fully planned and comes Off in thin paper.
like strips, some Of them not wider than
4 stout thread. They are gathered up
by women as they fall, and are examin-
cd and the defective pieces rejected
! There il goo1deal Of waste i'm the pro.
cess. The threads or fibers being rea>
| dy, must be tied in couples at one end
before they car he woven. This work is
done by Little children OF 4 years Of age
| and upward, who earn eight cents day.
The weaving IS done chiefly by wome n
and on looms which differ considerably
! from those III ordinary use the fiber be.
/ ing not more than 80 to so inches in
length. The longer fibers from the
/ warp, the shorter The wool, which are
pas ed in and out by means of n little
instrument with an eye like needle. -
Until within few years this concluded
the whole process-the foundations"
as they are called, were complete, and
nothing more was done except that few
hats and caps we're made Of them.
These were oil the simplest description,
and anything but becoming; moreover.
they were glued together, thus making
them unpleasant TO wear in hot or wet
: weather; accordingly they brought but
80 cents or GU cents per dozen and were
worn by the very lowest classes.
Within the last few years. however,
owing partly TO the interest taken by
the Government in the manufacture, a
great change for the better has taken
place. At present Gutenberg sends out
/ not only the raw material, but ready.
made goods-fa fashionable hats Of all
kinds and variety of fancy articles
: skilliuIly concocted out Of the wood "a
! brio ladies' hats Of every description
I and of the latest fashion, such as no one
need be ashamed To wear, are made en-
tircly Of wood and sold at astonishingly
! low prices. Mems hats arc TO be had of
all shapes, from the Panama hat--not a
whit inferior to that bought in Paris -
TO tie common hats exported in large
quantities to China. and the Innings or
foundations OF which give stiffness 10
fez Of the Turkish soldier. The export
trade embraces all Europe, from Spain
to Russia, extends beyond the Cauca
sus TO India and China, and maintains
active relations with North and South
America as well as Australia. The
manufacturers are IN direct communica.
ton with the four quarters OF tho worll.
and their goods are being introduced in
to Africa by French and English traders.
-ScieatJic Amcricon.