Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-06-18
FURNITURE wITHOUT GU
Chairs Made of Beut weed aud Rat
Ian-An Austrian Thinks the Form.
err Is Preferable--Ehe Latter a
Patriotic Timber.
New York Tribune

These chairs are practically indie
structible, said a representative of a
firm which manufactures Brentwood
furniture. as he picked up a chair and
hurled it on the floor with all his
might The chair bounded high in
tbe air but came back into its origi>
nal shape without a sign OF a crack
about It anywhere, I'VE use no
glue, and consequently our work
stands any climate, he added. Our
hrm We're originally lumbermen, but
about forty years ago we went into
this kind OF work, and now our eight
factories turn out from four thousand
to i've thousand chairs day. The
wood used, and il is the only proper
lone, IS the Austrian beech, a beautiful,
straight grained wood, which is really
the standard wood in Austria. The
sticks are tHrned down to tho right
size and taper steamed and bent. the
iron, screws and sockets put in, and
the chair is leady Z bo vanished and
put together II used to take over an
hour to do the steaming. and the
wood was weakened by the process.
Now we do il by patent process in
three minutes. and the grain is act
ually rendered closer and the wood
strengthened by the treatment Then
the screws arc put in while il is soft
and the wood fairly grows around
I them.
! We have specimens where we've
had to dig The screws out. You
couldn't split the stick; it was Just
like paper pulp. The wood never
shows any tendency TO 60 back TO its
original shape, aud il never warps.
All our work is hand polished; there
is no shellac vamish used. BY taking
the chairs apart three dGzen can be
/, packed i'm the space OF a cubic yard
and resorewed together in a few min
> utcs after unpacking. In pnce they
equal the ordinary domestic chair,
: costing $50 dozen. They are fin
: ished in rosewood, ebony, mahogany,
and walnut imitation colors and ia
the natural beech color. Our chairs
were introduced in this country at
the time OF the centennial. They
were first used in saloons and cafes,
:, for which they are especially fitted,
n their indestrucubility coming IN we'll
" in case Of free figkt but they are
IS beginning 90 be used in private
houses Besides chairs, we make
s. bedsteads, hat-racks, cradles, lounges
+. and all sorts OF knickknacks for the
n Austrian market, but it does not pay
II to export them,
s. After leaving the Austrian the
d reporter wandered down into Park
place, and listened to the representa-
: tive of gell-kuown firm OF ratta :
is furniture makers. Rattan furniU A.,
at is an essentially American inst In,
ID ton, said this dealer "OccaNo oalI,
a we send a few of the more costl'
IF chairs TO England, bat tia HON
ne market takes all that we ca supply
it There are two firms enga red In th
as business, one in Wakehe Id an6 tb
he other in Gardiner, Mass. Orr chat,
he cost from Sc to $50 co eli Rattan
he also beginning TO be .sed for scree
ut doors, mating etc. Mr.. Vanderbi
Tx has his Japanese re oln lined with i
to / believe. Rati an grows wild i
ne swamps in the + asst indies, where n
ne white. man e IN live. AT the joint
ISL grow leaYes and sometimes flower
ia III IS cut by he natives at all season
ca of the Ecar and shipped 10 US
x. twelve feet lengths. The smalle
~ size n .0ne-eighth of an inch in dian
e; eter lnd costs 81 q pound. From tn
az II n ms down TO ~ cents a pound K
Oh tina ABOUT one-half an inch in dian
etc r, and then the price goes up TO
ceGb for the largest which nevt
EXCEED s an zach in diameter.
The bark forms the cane that
IN woven in 70 seats, tho pulp furnish,
.ly the skelet, N of the chair. This
ad steamed ano then bent, the cane
an woven about i by hand, and n
&C. chair Is connie, cd by coating {
80 shellac. The BUSH ess OF lmportn
~ rattan is large. The 'rul Which cor
- trols the trade started WIN ~, 90
% capital II is now worth millions
"a es, nave seen good de. VI on ia
! brentwood furniture The cha. rs ar
= the most uncomfortable things We
. created, aEd they are as homely as
ran fence. They can build them in
p only one style The rattan chair is
~ ~ the only thing for patriotic Ameri-
y can to sit in.
!, Iae firms that manufacture furni-
:. lure out OF rattan also use willow for
a the same purpose The process is
- similar IN every respect excepting
u the finishing coat of shellac varnish.
: which is omitted when willow is used
y Inc same material is employed in
:, Madeira for making furniture and
y SnIckknacks, and al one time the
y goods were imported by large firm
y 10 Grand street, but the styles did not
= take as well as those turned out by
y American makers, and they are ONLY
brought 70 this country by ship cap
: tans who wish to fill out their cargo
a with some light bat bulky mer-
: chandise.
simple. Minded Woman.