Thomas County cat., 1886-08-19

WALKING STICKS
| and Umbrella Heads.
Within a stones throw u tho city
ball. in basement, Is situated firm
which manufactures large number
Of the canes and umbrella handles sold
in this city and New York. The IN
dastry is almost monopolized by Ger
mans. many of whom learned the trade
in their native land. A reporter
talked with the senior member Of the
frm recently, who is . broad-shoul-
dered, good-natured and intelligent
German of fifty years. He said:
IL have been engaged in the manu-
facture of walking sticks and umbrella
heads since was fifteen years of age.
was taught my trade in Germany.
There one is obliged to serve an ap-
premiership. as the trade in all its de-
tails IS difficult one to learn. The
larger part of the wood used in the
walking sticks made in this country
comes from England. The favorite
woods used are English hazel. olive,
webthOrn and sn/kewood. The last
named wood comes from South Amer
ica and is very valuable. The wood is
received in the rough and is polished
here. The polishing is = separate
branch of the trade. Up to a few
months ago this was the popular walk
ing stick with fashionable young men
and dudes.''
At this point the cane man exhibited
an enormous buckhOrn-handledc cane,
the stick OF which was two inches in
diameter. The head of the cane was
of buckhorn and not quite foot in
length. 10 make the cane more at
tractive and saleable nickle band was
placed at the base of the handle. These
sticks can be bought for one dollar
each.
These large sticks or miniature
trees. as they are sometimes called"
continued the cane manufacturer, .'are
slowly going out of fashion. They will
be succeeded by ynatural-hsndled sticks.
of which there are many qualities OF
the woods from which natural-handled
sticks are made can be mentioned Flor
ida oak, dogwood, thorn, English
hazel. lockwood, apple, mulberry.
diamond willow. orange, yahya, red
gum. cedar. chestnut hickory, pear
and lignuinvite. There are many
woods from which canes can be manu-
factured, but those mentioned above
are the principal in use. Fashions
change in csnes as often as in hats.
Some months ago the popular cane had
silver-topped hands, but this kind of
cane is not now fashionable. When
the silver-topped cane was all the rage
great fraud was perpetrated by nn-
scrupulouS dealers, who sold filled
canes as solid ones. Silver-topped
canes bring as high as ten dol
lars. Many of these canes
were sold last winter which
did not contain two dollars worth of
silver. The same fraud was practiced
in the gold-headed canes, which were
sold at ten dollars and eighteen dollars.
This class of canes in many instances
were heavily plated and will wear less
than year. But few of the common
canes which sell for ten or fifteen cents
are now manufactured. The popular
taste is for expensive walking sticks.
Formerly it made very little difference
to Il man what quality of cane he car
ried, but now handsome walking sticks
are considered an important part of
gcntleman's wardrobe"
''Of what kind of wood are the better
class of canes made?"
Ebony and rosewood are the stock
woods. Aged and wealthy men prefer
the woods named because of their
strength and durability. Nothing is
more handsome than highly polished
ebony stick with gold head. Many
men have every day and Sunday sticks.
The latter are, of course, of dressy
woods. Canes are also made of hard
rubber and the backbone of sharks.
Umbrella heads are made from natural
woods, silver or gold and carved
wood"
The origin of the walking stick is un-
known. Canes during Biblical times
were called stats ard rods and were
used mainly by aged people. Before
the walking stick came into vogue in
England the nobility carried short canes
to which were attached whips. 1t was
considered weakness for a man to be |
seen with a walking stick.-Brooklys
Eagle.