, 1885-09-25
sxpsDlsNrs IN war TIME


HNN Nhlf hAA ohinihtu boNh Quill
almef fiat Manufacture.
i"Agnew' In Detroit Free PROSE-
Perhaps with us who resided in tho
portion of the Confederacy skirting the
gulf of Mexico, the first necessity, after
the small supply on hand was exhausted,
was salt. This was a need soon felt,
and il Is unnecessary to add that a
pound Of 1t soon became very precious.
I'D brine that had done duty until it
could be- used no longer was boiled
down until every particle of saline mat
ter was extracted from il, and the salt
thus obtained was again in its turn used
IN the same manner. As the supply
became scarcer and scarcer, the next
method, or rather recourse, was to dig
up the smoke-houses and to filter water
through the earth thus obtained, this in
turn being subjected to the usual pro
cess of boiling in order to obtain the
precious condiment SO scarce did II
become as the war wore on, that when
a bceve was Killed, instead of sailing
down in barrels as at first. 1t became
more economical 10 cut the flesh into
thin strips and dry it in the sun. IL
must be confessed that beef treated in
this II is more palatable than most
persons would imagine.
They who lived near the coast Jared
somewhat better, for taking the boilers
from the various Jaw mills, they sepa-
rated the shells from the fiues, and
splitting them into equal halves, n
strong head of wood was fitted into the
ends and thus treated they were placed
over n furnace and filled with the salt
water from the gulf. OF course the
business had its reyerses, for sometimes
the blockading squadron attracted by
the smoke, would up and with a
few shells completely demolish the salt
works. The salt kettles, being made of
old boilers, were too heavy for the
enemy to carry OIL, and us no damage
beyond knocking out the wooden heads
could be inflicted, the salt manufactur-
ers would, with interchangeable energy
when the hostile feet removed to a safe
distance, gether up the debris, make a
few repairs and recommence boiling.
The ingenuity of the people was to
replace the various articles of clothing
and the different domestic Injuries.
Old dresses and coats were turned and
made over, remodeled and cut down.
The writer remembers well what n pang
OF envy wa awakened within his bosom
going 10 "A ball one night to find that
the attentions of the fair ones were all
bestowed on an acquaintance who made
his advent that evening in a bright,
spick, span new pair Of pantaloons,
made of new ticking, with broad; blue
stripes, cut bias.
Perhaps the easiest problem for us TO
solve amid our various troubles was that
Of making hats. Fortunately the sup
ply of palmetto in Il southern swamps
is in n manner speaking in%exhaustible,
aud from this source we were soop COM
PEELED by the curse of events to draw
Il supply of hats. We soon learned
TO improve upon the first rude models,
and when the war was brought to a
close some of the ladies, especially, had
acquired the taste and proficiency. The
palmetto hats they made would not
have reflected discredit upon n fashion
able halter.
The heart Of the palmetto is genor-
ally selected rs being still held to-
gether, and not being sprouted out
and unfolded into the f%an-shaped leaf
30 fStsp liar 10 travellers in the south.
While in this condition the folds lie
one upon another. and are perfectly
white and pliablo. After being severed
from the main trun it is opened out
and hung in the sh. @ to dry. About
a weeks drying sunces to prepare it
for use. It is now separated, each
fold from the other, and cut into con-
veniont length, then divided into little
strips about an eighth of an inch in
width, and these in turn plated or
braided together into one continuous
braid until Of sufficient length o make
the hat. The hat itself was always
COMMENCED from the center of the
crown 10y sewing the braid together in
slightly overlapping circles. The rim,
as a nishing touch, was generally
bound with q braid.
keenly felt was the need of ammuni.
ton. wing to the stringency of the
blockade il soon became almost impos-
siblc to obtain either powder or lead.
The latter was the first TO give out, and
in order TO supply their need all the
machinery within reach was taken apart
and all the old boxes, Filings, etc, were
put TO a new use-converted into shot.
As there were no shot towers the favor
lite method was to climb tho tallest tree
u could find, melt the lead rs well as
We could in the top, and let the liquid
metal drop INTO n tub Of cold water be-
meath The result thus obtained would
scarcely have awakened envy on the
part Of some of our modern shot manu-
facturcrs, but in the language of an
old moss back who was compelled
to resort to this %expedieut, lit beat
nothing all holler.