The Brookhaven leader., 1885-10-08
exPsclENTs IN WAR TIME.
How Salt waa obtained Down South
Palmetto Hat Manufacture.

How Salt Wa obtained Down South
Palmetto Hat Manufacture.
l"Agnew' Il Detroi Free Prew.
Perhaps with US who resided in the
portion of the onfederacy sEirting the
gulf OF Ne leo, the first necessity, after
the small supply on hand was exhausted,
was salt This was need soon felt,
and it is unnecessary to add that
pound of it soon became very precious.
Id rine that had done duty until 1t
could be used no longer was boiled
down until every particle of saline mat
ter Was extracted from 1t, ant the salt
thus obtained was again in its turn used
in the same manner. As the supply
became scarcer and scarcer, the neat
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 continent. 20 scarce did 1t
become As the War wore on, that when
a reeve was killed, instead of sailing
down in barrels as at first, 1t became
more economical to cut the flesh INTO
thin strips and dry it in the sun. 1t
must he confessed that beef treated in
this manner is more palatable than most
persons would imagine.
They who lived near the coast Jared
somewhat letter, for Ia ing the boilers
from the various saw mills, they sep4-
rated the shells from the Luos, and
splitting them into equal halves, a
strong head OF wood was fitted into the
ends and thus treated they were PLACED
over furnace and filed with the salt
water from the gulf tf course the
business had its rcverSeS, for sometimef.
the blOckadlng s uauron attracted bg
the smoke, would move up and with
few shells completely demollsh the salt
worGs. The salt kettles, being made Of
old boilers, were too heavy Tor the
enemy TO carry OIL, and as no damage
be Ond knocking out the wooden heads
could Ue in .icted, the salt manufactur
ers would, with indefatigable energy
when tie hostile eet remoN ed to safe
! distance, gether up the debris, make a
few pairs and recomlncn, e Loiling.
The ingenuity OF the people was to
replace the various articles of clothing
aud the di erent domestic luNuries
Old DIR sses AM coats were turned and
made over. remodel and cut down
! The writer rrmGmu uero well what a pang
! of envy was awakened within his bosom
goinI TO a ball one night to lind that
the attentions of the fair ones Were all
beStowei on an acquaintance who made
his advent that evening in a fright,
spck, span new pair OF pantaioons,
made of new ticking, with broad, biue
stripes, cut bias.
Perhaps the easiest problem for US to
solve amid oar various troubles was that
of making hats. Fortunately the sup
ply of palmetto in our southern Swamps
is in a manner speaking ineAhaustlble,
aud from this source We We're soon co IL
PEELED by the course of events to draw
our supply of hats. ue soon learned
to improve upon the hrst rude mode 5
and when the war Was brought to a
close some of the ladies, especially, hA, 1t
ac uired the taste and proficiency The
palmetto hats they made would noi
have reflected dlscredlt uE on fashion
able halter.
The heart of the palmetto is gener-
ally selected as being still he'd to-
! gether, and not Icing sprouted out
and unfolded into the tan-shaped ]eai
so familiar to travellers in the south
! While in this condition the folds lie
one upon another. and are perfectly
/ white and pliable Alter being severed
from the main trunk it is opened out
and hung in the shade to dry. About
week drying su ..ces to prepare il
! for use. 1t is now separated, each
/ fold from the other, and cut into con-
venient length, then divided into little
strips about an eighth of an IN in
width. and these in turn plated or
| braided together into one continuous
/ braid until of sufficient length to make
+ the hat. The hat itself was always
commenced from the center of the
crown by sewing the braid together in
slightly overlapping circles The rim,
! as nishing touch, was generally
[ bound with ,raid.
| eenly felt was the need of ammun-
ton wing to the stringency OF the
lockade it soon became almost mpos-
| sIble to obtain either powdet 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 new use-converted into shot.
/ AS there We're no shot towers the favor
! lie method was to climD the ttllest tree
one could find, melt the lead as we'll as
we could in the top, and let the Ii Iuid
metal drop into tub of cold water be-
meath. The result thus obtained would
scarcely have ava ened envy on the
part of some of our modern shot manu-
facturers, but in the language of an
old moss back who was compelled
to resort to this expedient, 1T beat
nothing ali holler.'