Thomas County cat., 1886-11-25

seam she was sewing. III you Will OK
anime kid glove. this insertion of the
slit or gusset between the fingers will
be understood. Down then she went
with the seam to the inside of the little
finger; and so on up and down fingers.
until she reached the top of the fore
finger, where she turned and went
back to complete the outer seams of
the gussets till the top of the little fin
ger was again reached. The sewing of
the thumb piece and thumb gusset was
an after process.
"Now she has done her part of the
glove" remarked the forewoman,
"How many pairs does she sew in a
day?"
II think she and all the smart girls
can sew six or seven dozen pairs a
day. The stitching on the back of the
glove is made by another machine"
The next group of sewers made a
different seam in the gloves-a fiat
seam. 1t was stitched by another kind
of machine; and there were still other
kinds, all for fine gloves for gentle
men and ladies' wear. The finishing
at the top, whether of binding. pink
ing or with gauniiets, was all done by
separate wOrkwomen, as well rs the
putting on of buttons and fastenings.
Thus a completed glove has passed
sons before it is folded and packed for
sale.
''How many kinds of gloves do you
make?"
"Oh, so many" said the cutter.
''There are heavy gloves for warmth,
| both gentlemen's and ladies'-coarse,
thick affairs they are; there are the
driving gloves. the gauntieted gloves,
now SO popular. and the visiting
gloves. Then there are leather nit
tens, lined with the wooden and topped
with the fur, and the castor glove and
| all the undress ed leather gloves of both
yellow and black. All, there are many
Sloves!'
d" How much does the ordinary
| glove-makcr earn per week?''
:" From so to Sl5. Some earn $50;
but usually they get $40 in the month.
and the demand for the labor is
greater than the supply. Little girls
that do nothing but tie the ends of the
threads on the coarser kinds of gloves
can earn Sl5 per month. All. it's the
good business. 1t is not the heavy
kind. 1t makes no back to ache"
| Later learned the process of pre-.
pairing the skins. The domestic, that
| is, the American skins OF different
kinds. and the imported, both lin the
raw" are placed in Il casA, seventy
five or eighty at time, to receive a
! al i.l- ..,. hn1
| placed in an alum bath, in which they
remain twelve hours. Then they are
stretched By a thin. round-faced iron,
to remove wrinkles. and then are
fastened to frame to dry, either in
the sun or by steam. They are next
sorted for coloring. the best being re-
served for the III ghter shades. Again
they are washed and put in an egg
bath, the yelk alone being used. After
the egg bath, the skins, being now a
pure white. are laid flesh side down
on zinc or lead tables, and brushed
over with liquid dyes, composed of
wood. citron, redwood. lignum vit;e,
Brazil bark, etc., according TO the
colors desired.
is this the final process?" asked.
''Oh, no." said the proprietor of the
mill. 1.-The color must be set, and for
this purpose a mordant of some kind
is used-that is, the skins must be
brushed with a preparation of alum,
copperas and blue yitriol, again dried.
then dampened and rolled up in sepa-
rate parcels, flesh side out, and packed
in barrels to season; that is to render
every part alike, and equally soft and
pliable. After the seasoning they are
shaved: that is, Il sharp knife is passed
over the flesh side, and every little
bunch or super fluous particle is re-
moved. making the surface smooth and
soft. The last process is to polish the
grain side of the skin with pad made
of flannel. making it still softer and
more pliable and ready for manufact-
ure. The finest white skins are re-
served for white gloves. and are rubbed
and rerubbed with the flannel pad"
What a slow process!'
''Ies. and one requiring great care.
Deer skins are the most difficult 10 pre-
pare and the tanning is somewhat, bnt
not essentially different, save in the
smoking to which they are subjected.
They are placed in Il smoke-house to
dry, the smoke also darkening them.
Oh, there's work in it, plenty of work,
hard, careful, pottering work. but it's
a good business and an enduring one. y
The question of economy in gloves
would seem to be difficult one. with
the ladies especially. There is. it ap-
pears. pn substitute for kid glove
either in wear or in appearance; thread
and silk gloves are delusion and a
snare. The dogskin glove outwears
two or three Lids, but it costs more, to
begin with; it looks we'll. but can only
be worn in the street. The cheap kid
glove hardly has enough endurance for
street glove. though a cheap, many
buttOncd giant de suede, if one is so
fortunate as to find make that fits.
can be very well worn for occasions of
half dress. rs, for instance. a dinner or
reception, where the hands are not
much used. or the gloves removed early
in the evening. One can find such
gloves for from sixty to eighty cents a
PAIR. and they will serve many such
occasions. At dancing party. how
ever. they are exhausted in an evening.
Perhaps it may not be considered out
Of place to advert here to remark of
u l.