The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-12-14
Where the Old Hats Go.
New York World.


Fall is time particularly dear to
the hearts of hat manufacturers and
retail hat dealers. The straw hats
must 90 and the brown Derby take
its place; but the life of the brown
Derby is short and fleeting. This the
hatterS knew well, and so fall is a
Derby must follow the brown one
Immediately, and hence during the
fall hats are sold in great numbers.
But where do the white straws and
brown Derbies and, in fact, all old
style and WORKOUT hats go? No in
ventive mind has as yet been able to
bleach and make an old straw hat
new, but the case is different with
brown Derbies. They do not go out
with the autumn. A few may be lost
forever, some find their way to gar
retS and Out-of-the-way places, but
the majority receive better treatment,
and rest in bandboXeS, where they
remain during the winter months.
When the old bat rejuvenater, spring,
comes around. they are cleaned and
dyed deeper brown and the fall Der
by appears again, newly labeled, as
the --latest spring style" of hat.
There is a store in Park Row where
great trade is done in hats of all
kinds, and there a World reporter
went for information. TheproprietOr
of the store was aske1.
allow many hats are altogether dis
carded every year in New York city y
"None, said the storekeeper. You
may cast away your hat, but have you
any evidence that you do not buy it
again next winter or spring? The
style is gone, the color is gone, but
still you may pay twice for one hat.
To show you how hats travel around
will give you an instance. An
old hat was lett here by Mr.. Seward
years ago to be cleaned. 1t was
never called for. Two days ago
1 gave it to old John, who
sells the World out here by the door.
He doesn't know it, but he is wearing
an imported French silk hat. Silk
hats and Derby hats are worth, if little
worn about ten cents. They are bought
mostly by man in Bayard street, and
sold to Bowery customers for 81 and 81
apiece. He washes hat in some way,
and then gives it, by means of chemi-
Gals, luStre, and after ironing it, you
see what a nObby hat that old tile
would be; but if the hat be very good
he sells it to a much better class of
the trade on Third avenue. All our
old hats do not go to this man." con-
tinued the halter. Last week l sent
a couple of hundred dozen to a firm
in New Orleans, and then the country
firms buy them also to a great extent.
Down south the cOlOred people will
buy any kind of a hat that has a
brim."
What becomes of the hats when
the colOred people have worn them for
a while?" asked the reporter. The
hat dealer looked at the reporter in
surprise. "Can it be possible" said
he, THAT you live in New York and
yet are in doubt us to whether a hat
ever comes out of Thompson street
Since you don't know, I'll tell you that
after a colOred person gets through
with a hat, the hat is through with
this world of ours. Now let me tell
you something about old-style hats,
continued the halter. WeSend them
all on to Chicago. The young men OF
that city will buy whatever a dealer
tells them is the latest style
in Fifth Avenue in this city. They
are generally one season behind New
Workers, but what's the difference in
the long run? Here is an Old-Style
high silk hat; the brim is narrow, the
sides high and somewhat bent. 1t be
longed to man with a small head. A
new crown will be put on that hat, so
that the wear on the side will not
show, and then a lady's riding hat will
be the result. Milwaukee and Cincin
natl are great places for old-style New
York hats"
"HOw many new hats are sold in
New York every year?" asked the re-
porter.
About 10000, or say half a mil
lion. Then, as you now understand,
of this half million of hats some wan
der around New York, others go
south and others west. / have been
in the hat trade quite while and
have cleared over $4,000 in the bust
ness, so you see it's remunerative."
At the Bayard street store the pro-
prietor said he was hat manufac-
turer, not a resuscitator of hats.
While he was making this statement
an old hat collector walked in and,
depositing load of old and decrepid
looking articles on the floor, said:
There's the last Jerry for ter day,
and a better collection of old ats i
don't know as ever made"