West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-11-04
RATTAN AND ITS USES.
A MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF
WHICH LITTLE IS KNOWN.

An Air OF Secrecy About the Factory.
! A Reporter breaks tho Ice and Learns
| whalsbonc.
Among the smaller least known and
! most profitable OF local industries IN the
! preparation OF rattan for the various
uses TO which IL IS applied There is but
| ono rattan manufacturers in this city, aud
that is located in the Eastern district
! There are said 60 bc only five other os.
! adjustments in the country, the one in
the Eastern district being tho third larg-
est, reporter desiring To learn some
thing of the rattan industry went To this
! factory, and soon found there was an mir
! of secrecy about it. lie was met at the
door by pleasant gentleman, who OBJ
serving the reporter closely watching the
! splitting of the rattan into threads as fine
almost aa whipcord, by being run through
curious looking machine asked him IL
ho had any special business with the cstab-
| lishment.
The reporter explained why he called,
| and then his attention was attracted to u
machine, through n hole, in which rattan
| following rattan, each not less than
twenty feet in length and about quar-
| ter of an inch I'm diameter, were thrown
in and split and quartercd md thrown
out upon n receiving belt for the hand of
the chair maker, or for baskets or other
| classes OF ware
II notice that there is thrown ont ON
the left OF Tint splitting machine very
| fine ilbrous threads of rattan. They nrc
so thin | should say they were valuccss
for even the finest work.
Much Of it, the foreman answered
helps to get up stenm but those flbcrs
! nearly rs fine Hs your hair 10y dcft hands
are used In making what | call miracles
! OF art. lOu would bc surprised ut the
range of uscs tO which rattan is applied,
md the demand for IL is yearly growing
! larger. I'll show you u piece of rattan
! dressed for hat Innings. Formerly whale
! bone was used, costing, when dressed,
not less than 81 the pound: but this fine
rattan cord, quito ns good for the pur-
| pose, ns tough ana IA elastic, can be
prepared at much lower figure, proba
bly, for about 81 n porhll That is quite
n saving to the hat manufactures, par
ticularly II lac is largely in the business ~
From what pnrt OF Asia Il; yuu Icad-
| ingly import the CnncY'
| our rattan comes to us usually direct
| from ports i'm BOrnCo, Sumntrn. the
| Cclcbes and the MoluCcns, and from the
Mnlayan peninsula. The rattan Of Bor-
neo md of Sumatra are considered the
best for the purposes TO which we devote
| the cane. We do not import many tons
OF the thicker growth, which often has
| girth OF six inches. What we seek IL the
finer grades, such rs arc worked up into
| chairs, bcdsteads, carriage bodies bnal,-
cts, picture frames, brushes, bruoms,
| swccpers for streets and so on The
oldor or coarscr growth, say of half an
inch or 80 in diameter, arc made into
walking canes, whip handles and other
useful things Good fishing rods are also
| manufactured from it. In this and for
many other things 81 is preferable to
the bamboo, another, rs you arc aware,
of East Indian growth" D."
| 81 noticed" continued the reporter.
| hndlnB the foreman I'm a communicative
mood and no longer distrustful, "thnt
| you may make brooms of the rattan
strong, coarse Oncs-for stables and
| yards, presumeT
Yes, there is II great demand for
| Them" he continued. '"Thnt Young mnn
over there is stcntcd His task rs TO
make six and n half dozen each day. lie
Ancomplishes his. work I'm about nine
hours for which he Is paid So"
do you manufacture chairs baskets
and 80 onip
NO, we take them in exchange for
| Irepnred rattan. The firm I'm New York
finds no difficulty i'm dispOsng OF them to
| JoDD'ia Nlu ucNltIS IN furniture. There
| * n large business transacted in TINT Nynv.
| There is quite n colony Of workers in
| willow and rnttan goods I'm the Sixteenth
and Fifteenth wards, and they regard
buch exchanges rs nm accommodation "
| Then, beyond making these broons
| Tor yards and stables, you manufacture
| but little TINT cnn be put Immediately
! on the maTketin
ut Is not necessary that we should"
was the answer. "Our leading business
| Is TO prepare rnttnn for the different
| tradcs that find use for IT, or the pre-
! pared canes we always keep marketable
stock on hand. For example we hnve
! rattan enough for hnttcrs use nt this
! moment to supply that trade matcrinl
! FOR million hats. The rattnn trade ia
| in what might bo called its youth with us.
| IL is growing rapidly Rattan Is being
usod largely where whnlcbonc was nj one
ume Thought ncedful. An article that IS
| as durable and NJ Clnstic rs whnlebOnc
and that can De purchased at onc-third or
Onc-half less than the price Of the bone.
Is not going 10 lie unused, you may rest
assured. There S. plenty Of rattan. and
| with the machinery we have, much of 40
| Oi recent invention, wc can prepare nud
I dress 10 at an almost nominal cost. IL
! can Dc used In so many ways in the lines
| Oi utility and art that 90 hns become n
u''f0Hlty' Iih unNlDlufy lg wonderful.
| Like stout string, 80 can be bent md
twisted and tied i'm knots and after
ward strnightcncd without brcnkinV or
| weakening its fiber Why, sir, 10 could
be introduced os nm element I'm rope
making-yOu see, 10 often grows 10 n
] height Of 100 feet, and it3 strength would
I at least De three times THAT of hcmu of
/ the snmo bulk and many times ita wciVht.
! This almost thread like piece. which is
/ similar 10 that used by hattcra, will lit
| twice the weight string Of its size made
| Of hemp could do, and yet 30 isas Ight
| as % piece OF tissue papcr or as n feather 50
Tho reporter was not permitted 90 in-
| spcct the machinery Brooklyn Union
Easy Selling Subscription Books.
Friends Of miuc who arc I'm Oh. bref.
| ness tell me that nothing has sp dnmrvod
| The hook nnmNn-.-un L-u-Lr.-- - 49, -.