The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-07-22
SALEM's TANNERiES.
Beginning Of the Industry now Grip
pIed.by the Strikes.
boston Herald.l

| Tanning is an ancient Salem industry.
| Away back in 1639 Philemon Dickerson was
| granted land "to make tan pits and dress
goat skins and hides" In 1912 "Ould Thomas
| Eaborne is presented for wronging the coun-
try by insufficient tanning" His answer
was accepted, but he was ''admonished, and
only required to pay the witnesses 2pound3"
In 1872 Mr.. Keaser had ''leave to fell twenty
trees for bark" and in 100 the town treas
urer was ordered to provide seals for tanners
and curriers'. The first census Of tanhOuses
was apparantely taken in 1868, when there
were 4 in 1901 there were z in 1921 the num-
Der was Is; 10 years later it had risen to 23;
in 1874 to Al. In 1886 the "a tanneries tanned
68,677 hides, and the value of the leather
tanned and curried was S39S.s97; the capital
invested S299,170. In 1871 the capital in
vested was S4O1 ,66S, and the production, S642,
671. The 'sfather" of the business in Pea
body was Edward Southwick, a Quaker.
1t is supposed that he began business in 1899
and the local histories say that he began by
using half hogsheads for vats, In Salem
trere appears to have been tannery near
the present lower end Of what is now Liberty
street. The business eventually drifted to
the North river region, and now the old
wooden shop and the tail chimneys line 1t
from the mouth to Peabody and away up in to
that town.
Years ago the tanning was done in tanyards
not under cover, so that the men were ex-
posed to the weather, however inclement.
Now, rough wooden sheds are erected over
tan vats The time required to make leather
out of raw hides is from four to six months
The hides come to Salem by rail and now
kr,o he fo1xn fhar 70 hn UAr n
the tannery Some hides from China. which
a correspondent saw in one shop, were done
up in bundles of 1z0, each weighing about IL
pounds. The hides measure IA or Is feet,
coTefs %Rs am am s2sa STana G Il Is fes hse
They were dried and pressed into bundles
and bound with ropes before shipment.
These hides are first put into soak OF clear
when they are taken out and put into lime
vats filed with lime water. There they re-
main from six to ten days. They are then
taken out and unhaired and green shaven,
the hairs being scraped off on one side and
any particles of flesh removed from the other
side The next course is to put the hides
into the drenches and then mill them to soften
them. After being thoroughly rinsed in
clean water, they are put into the bark,
that is, put into vat where there Is strong
liquor made from bark, with ground bark
sprinkled between each layer. Sixteen days
here fit them to be brought out and laid away
for 80 days, after which they are split, shaved
and fiattened. To split hide does not mean
to split it from one side to the other, but to
take off small piece weighing from one to
two pounds about in the centre. This split
is eventually curried like other leather. and
is used largely for backs Of shoes, Splitting
is done by machinery, and is a very danger
Gus business Every few weeks the press
records mashed hand or broken arm from
the use of this machine. After splitting. the
hide goes through the bark liquor once more
remaining this time but few minutes, when
it is again laid away for 80 days, at the end
of which time it is put into the tan vat and
remains 10 or II days. This is the end OF the
tanning process, and when the hides come
out of the bark liquor this time they go into
the currying shop. Currying is an entirely
distinct business from tanning, and few men
who learn one part of the business, ever know
anything about the other. The manufact-
urers mostly run only one business, although
now and then man tans and finishes leather
both, In the large majority OF cases, one
firm takes the hides into its yard and tans
them. and another firm takes them and cur
ries them into leather. Not all tanners own
the hides which they put into leather. Very
frequently they do the work for other par
ties, and that is the ''box" which some are in
in this section today. They have hides be-
longing TO outside parties in process of manu-
facture, and must complete the work or break o
the contract and possibly suffer loss, Tan
ming leather is a very dirty and unsav0ry
business, but probably not unhealthy, and
those who have worked at it long time say
they are not troubled by the smells. But
this seems almost incredible to one who goes
among the vats and beam houses for the first
time and shifts the odors from the old hides,
ana a1Ia A the general Waste ana uecay.