Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-06-02

obnin this statement 10 correct But this,
large a. il IL, il but one of the many that the
Shaw Bros own and control. The building
| or buildings required are necessarily quite
extensive. First, there is building for dry
ing the leather which il eighty feet square
and eight stories high. Connected with and
running north from this is building which
contains 700 vats; it il 600 feet long and 80
feet vide. The enormous size of the roof OF
this building, with its hundred of Thousands
of shingles to cover it. must be seen IN order
to be fully comprehended. Adjoining this is
the bark mill, leach room and furnace room,
making roof 220 feet. Thus from our start
ing point we have run north with 900 feet OF
roof Now if we go back to our starting point
again, and run east, we will find 225 feet more
roofing in length The last roof covers the
finishing room and the dry hide room
BOILERS, FURNACES AND STEAMERS.
Here We have thirteen steam boilers and
twelve furnaces for burning the waste bark
or tan. The steam il produced from this
waste material. They have their own saw
mill, this furnishes all the lumber used IN
constructing these factory buildings and all
the buildings in this settlement for their own
laborers and others. There are three steam
engines in addition to their water power OF SIX
water wheels. They have steamers on the
lakes for towing their twelve SHOWS for bring
ing the bark to the tannery. They bring IN
one hundred cords day. and by so doing
store up for winter use.
HIDES AND THEIR CONVERSION INTO LEATHER.
The dry South American hides used here to
make leather, are put into these seven hun
dred watts, one hundred and forty hides To
vat and four months from the time 1t goes in,
it comes out finished leather, for making the
bottoms of our boots and shoes. The tan
merry runs day and night the year round.
(Sundays excepted) and turns out one thous-
and sides of finished leather, every work
ing DAY of twenty four hours in the year.
This daily product of finished leather weighs
nine tons OF two thousand pounds each. To
produce this quantity of leather requires,
that forty cords of hemlock bark be ground
up in connection with the fifteen barrels OF
hemlock extract. which is equal to fifteen
cords more. or fifty-fve cords of bark-for
each day of twenty-four hours. The bark
required for tanning the leather must be got
ont one year ahead of the time required for
use They have at the present time, eleven
thousand cords of bark-pealed and yarded
in the woods last year-which they are nov
bringing forward in their SHOWS for this sum-
mer and next winter use. As one item of
expense Of running one tannerv, this bark is
valued at seven dollars a cod They have
one pile of bark up the lake with four thous-
and cords in it.
OTHER TANNERIEs OWNED BY SHAW Bros.
Ihave been somewhat particular in speaking
of this tannery that the reader might more
fully comprehend the magnitude of this bus
mess, when speaking of others. The Shaw
Bros. have six other tanneries. All these
tanneries have the following number of watts
Grand Lake Stream, 700; one at kingman,
$50; Vanceboro. 500; Jackson Brook, 400;
Forest City, 800; Lincoln, 200; Princeton,
100; total, 200. These are all in this State
but they own or control more than these.
Two wears ago they owned or controlled IA
more tanneries in Canada. But as the hem
lock bark grew scarce, they closed up their
works there for good. Six or seven out of
the II are yet in operation. This is not all.
They have six extract works for making
bark extracts, where the bark is too far of to
bring it to the tannery. One set of works
in Number 80, consumes 5000 cords of bark
year; in Houlton. 5000; in Sherman, 5000;
in Woodstock, N. B., 1000; two sets on the
st. John river, 5000 each.
THE VILLAGE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
This is a town of 800 or 400 inhabitants, free
from all taxes except those that are voluntary,
free from all conventionality, having no dog
tax, and no minister tax. The Shaw Bros.
pay the minister and also support a school
When they send for the doctor they have one
come to the sick bed that is pail so much
month or year by voluntary contributions.
the inhabitants clubbing together and making
up the required amount. When they wish to
vote at election time they scatter off to
Princeton and the surrounding towns where
they had not forfeited their right to vote.
This great tannery is lighted with EdisOn's
latest and most approved incandescent elec
tric light. Next month the great inventor of
this light is to make this place a visit, and
should this light prove success in this tan
nerv it will be introduced into all the others
that they are running.
There is quite a large population here from
Denmark and few families from Sweden.
A. WILDER.