Omaha daily bee., 1883-07-17
ALLIG ATOR LEATHER.
First Famed as n Curiosity, But
Now Used to Make n Multi.
tude of Articles.

A'N' h'Ah ''llAs
y large variety Of pockct-books, care
cases, hand bags and other articles mad,
of u peculiar notified leather was seen il
Il Chambers street showcase. 4 lonu.
narrow piece of the same kind of leather
hung over them. 1t was rounded ut ON,
end and tapered away to a point at the
other. Two tiippcrs projected from eacl,
side of it.
"The use of alligator skin seems to be
increasing the reporter said to the pro.
prietor of the show case.
"The increase is astonishing" he re-
piled. ''Twelve or fifteen years ago al
ligator leather was tanned as II curiosity.
Few articles were made of it.. About
four years ago, however, the manufacture
of alligator leather began in earnest.
First n few shoes were made of it, and
the manufacturers of such goods saw
there was something in it. 1t is u pc
culiarly beautiful leather. There are no
two skins marked just alike, and it fol-
lows that no two articles made of the
leather can be alike. The natural color
of the leather is attractive, aside from
the beauty of the markings. 1t finishes
soft and flexible. 1t is conceded that
the Americans tan and finish it in a man
ner superior t. the best workmanship of
the old country. Here is a pocket-book;
American alligator skin forms the out
side; American calfskin the lining. ANY
judge of such goods will say that it is by
all odds the handsomest as well as the
best leather of the kind in existence.
Sixty dollars a dozen for such goods,
small as they are, is a low price.
while the beauty of alligator leather
is its chief characteristic, its durability is
of hardly less Importance. These grip
sacks of alligator leather will outwear
their owners, no matter how youthful.
With these two things in its favor, it is
no wonder that the sale of alligator
leather is increasing"
Glow many alligators were slaught-
cred to satisfy the demand last yearl"
''Not less than half a million"
Glow do you get the skins, and where
do they come from?'
''Most of them come from Florida and
the other Gulf States. The alligators are
shot with %liies, and the negroes have al
most a monopoly of the business.
When an alligator crawls out
on the sand for his after
dinner sleep he falls a victim. The negro
gets from fifty cents to one dollor apiece
for alligators. The hunt is carried on so
vigorously that the reptiles are beginning
to grow scarce. Laws will have to be
enacted to protect them during the
breeding season and when young.
"All sizes, from two to eighteen feet in
length, are now killed. The choice skin
is six sect long. There is as much differ
ence between the six-foot skin and the
eighteen-foot skin as there is between a
calf skin and an OK hide. The skins are
packed in lime for two months to remove
the horny scales. The remaining pro-
cess is much like that for any leather. 1t
takes four months to prepare a skin.
There is a tannery for alligator skins in
Brooklyn"
"Has any n developed an imitation
of alligator leatherf"
"The frauds are using imperfect skins.
No lime will soften the horns that have
stood the attrition of red hot sand for
half a century. Those skins do not wear
well between the scales. There are other
imperfections in the skins. The demand
for colored goods help us out, how
ever, as the coloring matter covers a null
titude of imperfection. When you want
an alligator leather article of any kind
choose the uncolored goods, pay a fair
price, and you will get the cheapest as
well as the handsomest and best"