The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-06

Yne Variety or Uses 10 Which Cork is Put
Psrtueai's Valuable Preduct-Gss Made
from Cork Chsps-Iife-Saving Appliances.
New York Times.I


Those whose knowledge OF cork extends
NO further than the occasional removal OF
sfopperS from bottles containing ink or
some other liquid certainly have no appr'.
citation of the great variety OF uses 10
which this peculiar bark Is applied. The
Urovsfb Of the demand for cork In this
country during the past few years has been
remarkable, and each succeeding year
adds largely TO the number OF different
articles that are manufactured from cork
wood. An enthusiastic dealer In Fulton
street assured Times reporter that cork
was as yet but In It's infancy, and that a
few years hence would see 1t taking rank
among the very first OF useful products.
WJust think Of It," said he, "even to-day
we walk on II and under 1t; we ride on 1t,
float in II, eat of from II, sleep on It. paint
with II, line our houses with 1t, decorate
our yards with It. make gas from II, and
use Il incidentally IN countless ways. Why,
sir, even with all OF these uses OF cork
fairly developed the people Mt large
have not yet become acquainted with
the article" There are perhaps o
dozen dealers and manufacturers OF cork
In the vicinity OF New York city, but the
cork itself, cut into such shapes as are de-
sired, Is supplied to scores Of manufac-
-turers who work it into some marketable
article. A visitor TO cork warehouse will
see piles and packages OF cork blocks OF all
sizes. Let him ask what they are for, and
the dealer will recite list OF purposes for
which they are designed that will astonish
person OF ordinary intelligence. A num-
Der OF machines have been especially in
vented for cork-cutting, and the patents
are regarded as very valuable.
The French are said to be the most
sKILFUL CORK-CUTTERs
in the world, and they produce the best
champagne cOrks that can he obtained
For champagne corks none but the finest
quality OF cork.wOodis used, and frequent
ly the cork Of a wine-bottle actually costs
more than the bottle itself. OF late
years most corks have been made by
machinery, but when they are made
by hand the cork-cutter uses broad,
thin-bladed knife with a very fine edge,
and instead OF drawing the knife over
The cork the skilful workman holds his
knife firmly on the table and draws the
cork over its keen edge. Cork and some
OF its uses were known among the ancients,
rs is shown by the occasional reference to
IL made by the earlier writers. There Is a
tradition that its first use as stopper for
bottles originated among the Egyptians,
who used 1t to close the mouths of their
rude water-vessels. Bottle corks, however,
do not appear to have become common until
glass bottles came into use in the fifteenth
century. The cork life-proserver spoken
of by Plutarch. and small boats made OF
cork bark were in use on the Mediterranean
In the days OF Julius Cesar. The chemical
properties OF cork are peculiar. A chemist
in this city when applied to for information
1.,.,f FOL hat In had ola had
an idea that cork had no chemical proper
ties. He looked over his authorities, how
ever, and ascertained in an old chemistry
that when treated with nitric acid cork was
found to contain proportions Of white
fbrous matter, resin, oXalic acid, and
suberic acid. The latter is an acid not in
practical use. and is comparatively I'M
known among the dealers in chemicals.
Cork has very high percentage Of carbon,
and when treated in the same way that
wood Is burnet to make charcoal, it pro-
duces the pigment known as Spanish
black, which is used to slight extent
among artists to produce certain dark tints.
In Portugal, thousands Of men, women,
and children obtain living from the cork
industry. Cork-woOd is raised in Spain,
France, and in various places along the
Mediterranean sea, but the best and the
largest quantity is obtained in Portugal.
THE CORK-TREE
belongs to the oak species. 1t has acorns
like the oak, but the leaves are smaller.
The wood of the tree is very hard. When
a tree is from twelve to fifteen years
old the first bark is taken off and gen.
orally disposed of AS virgin cork, its
quality not being regarded as desirable
for manufacturing purposes. 1t takes
from seven to ten years for the cork
bark to grow again, each years growth be-
ing plainly marked in the grain OF the
cork. 1t is said that when trees are
properly "barked" they will live for $50
years. The cork is removed in the months
OF July and August, and by experienced
"barkers" it is stripped off the trees with
wonderful rapidity. 1t is usually taken off
in pieces Of from three to four feet in
length and twelve to eighteen inches in
breadth. These pieces are afterward boiled
in water, scraped and pressed under
heavy weights. Then they are thoroughly
dried before fire and put up in bales for
shipment. A bale OF cork will weigh from
$50 to 200 pounds, and the bales that come to
this country are generally bound with bands
of iron without any other covering. Ii is
claimed by some American dealers that cork
can be probably grown in the southern
States, and few modest efforts have been
made in that direction i'm Georgia and
Florida. A New York cork importer said
that he had seen American-grown cork, and
thought il OF very good quality, but he
had never seen any OF it In the New York
market, and had heard of no attempts be-
ing made to introduce it here. England
and Russia use by far the largest quantity
OF cork, the. people of those countries APP
plying il in hundred different ways. both
domestically and scientifically. Cork dishes
are quite common in many Of the European
countries.
A pound Of cork costs from three to fifty
cents, and ii can be obtained in almost any
degree OF thickness up to three inches.
That which is OF the finest and most solid
grain is the most valuable, and it is that
quality which is used in the manufacture of
CHAMPAGNE CoRKs.
AT the factories the cork-wood is put
into steaming apparatus and thoroughly
steamed preparatory TO cutting it. The
moist heat makes IL soft and pliable, and
wheE In that condition can be spli,
into very thin sheets. One manufac.
furer said that he frequently cut
cork Into sheets rs thin as coarse paper.
cnch siieets are used for various mr.
poses--for sweat-bands in hats, for stifTen-
ing IN ccrsets, or for artists to paint pic
iures on. The fact that cork is nom con-
Nuctor makes 1t an excellent material to
use In manufacturing hats and shoes. Cork
helmet hais are quite common now, and
nearly every shoemaker has adopted the
practice OF gsing cork soles for shoes. In
ihe latter case the wearer Of the shoe finds
II cooler and lighter than leather I'm the
sussApier and warmer than heather In the
vmss AS lar back as thirty years ago
Enshsn hatmakers used cork instead