Connecticut western news., 1888-06-27
MAKING STRAW HATS
An Industry that has Attained
 Immense Proportions.

An Industry that has Attained
 Immense Proportions.
 Crude Foreign Processes and
 Skilful American Methods.
 The manufacture of straw hats, though not peculiarly American, says the New York Commercial Advertiser, has at- taincd immense proportions iu this country. Over in Brooklyn, in mo of the quiet streets between the city hall district aud Broadway, are number of straw hat manufactories, some of which give employment to more than 200 hands, besides lot of the most ingcn- ious and skllfully devised machinery. Most of this machinery is of American invention. With it ten times moro work can be turned out by the skilled operative than by tho old hand process, and yet better wages made at less labor.
 The straw hat of civilization is nearly a century old, and its manufacture was not begun in Brooklyn to any extent until about eleven years ago. The raw material is all imported, and, in fact, reaches the manufacturer here in con- siderably advanced stage of prepar ation. It comes from China, Japan and South ern Europe chiefly. Years ago, when straw goods brought higher price', braids woven with Tuscan straw and that from Bohemia and Switzerland, were exclusively used, but they arc now employed only for the finest grades. The cheaper qualities for the masses, such as the 'tMackinaws," are almost entirely made with the straw braid lm- ported from China. This was found to be less expensive than any other, be- cause the cost of living among the pro- ducers amounts to almost nothing. The Leghorn hat is made entirely in Italy, and only the finishing is done in this country. Chip and Panama hats, although sold under the general de nomination of straws, arc made ir fact from entirely different ma. terial. The chip is SO called because made from the spliuts of the Lombardy poplar, out of which the sap has been dried by burial in the ground for three years---a precaution taken to prevent il from turning rcd which happens wher dried in the air. Tho Panama is made from tho immature leaves of { palm tree indigenous to South America a.
 The district of China whero straw braid is made lies in the region O 1 Canton and many millions of people arc employed in its production. Living principally on fruits, which the soil o that country naturally yields, and witl no in nclination to do more profitable work, it is often the only occupation that all tho mom bers of the family en gage in. The average wages earned are penny a day. When tho specie or grass or wheat used for making tn straw has attained it's full height, ant before it is quite ripe, it is cut down left on the ground and allowed t. bleach in tho gun. This proces being completed, the stalks ar bound in sheaves about foot ia cir conference and then drawn out a wanted. After severiug them at tn joints into strips four or five inches il length, they arc put into a kind of sieve and sorted in equal sizes. Thos at the top being finer, have a greate value than the lower or coarser ones These pieces are iu turn separated aae tied into bundles of convenient sig Those of good color are laid aside fo bleaching, while thoso spotted or dis colored arc dyed and used with tn bloached to mako variogatcd braids The solid colors arc all dyed in Americ to suit tho leading fashion. Tho bleach ing is done by inclosing .hc stalks in
 box with burning birthstone. Tn plating, next in order, is done mostly by women and girls, whilo the straw in damp state, and after the braids ar pressed fit they arc put in rolls of 6( yards, packed in bales and ready for X portation. Encouraged by their gov ernment, the Japanese, with, their char acteristic energy, havo recently begur this industry.
 When tho rolls reach the manufae turer in this country, the braids ar slightly moistcaed and then sewn to gether, beginning at tho crown an working round until the whole is fir ished. On the top floor of the stra' works are tho sulphur rooms whc1 some of tho hats arc bleached. It
 found that nature or science has pro vided nothing so powerful in this rt gard as tho sun, and all the sul phu baths and other processes of bleachin are not comparable with a sun batf Ladies often feel disappointed bccaus their straw hats turn yellow. but this the natural result of sulphur bleache goods. Such Q thing never happen after sun bleaching. When practicabl and tho weather permits this latter pro cess is used at all the works, ard on
 fine day rows of hats may be seen on th roof undergoing whitening by tho opel ations of the suns rays. After bin dipped in French glue they arc place in drying TO om, whore tho temper; ture is about 115 degrees and where th moisture i, extracted by mems of laro