, 1888-06-15

~ So Z" AN 'AS
BIcachcd Hats Turn Yenow-FInishing
Touches.
The manufacture of straw hats. though
not peculiarly American, has attained i'm
mems proportions in this country. Over
in Brooklyn. in some of the quiet streets
between the city hall district and Broad
way. are q lumber of straw hat manu-
factories, some of which give employment
to moro than two hundred hands, besides
a lot of the most ingenious and skllfully
devised machinery. Most of this ma
chinery Is of American invention With
1t ten times more work can be turned out
by the skilled operative than by the old
hand process, and yet better wages made
at less labor.
The straw hat of civilization is nearly q
century old, and its manufacture was not
begun in Brooklyn to any extent until
about eleven years 70. The raw mate
rial is all imported, and. In fact, reaches
tho manufacturer here In @ considerably
advanced stage of preparation 1t comes
from China, Japan and southern Europe
chiefly. Years ego. when straw goods
brought higher prices, braids woven with
Tuscan straw. and that from Bohemia and
Switzerland, were exclusively used, but
they are now employed only for the finest
grades. The cheaper qualities for the
masses. such as the ''Mackinaws." are al
most entirely mnde with the straw braid
imported from him This was found to
be less expensive than any other, because
the cost of living among the producers
amounts to almost nothing.
THE CHIT hat.
The Leghorn hat Is made entirely IN
Italy. and only the finishing is lone in
this country. Chip and Panama hats, al
though sold under the general denomina-
ton of straws. are made In fact from en-
tirely different material. The chip Is 80
called because made from the splints 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 1t from turning red, which hap
pens when dried in the air The Panama
is made from the immature leaves of a
palm tree indigenous to South America.
The district of China where straw braid
is made lies in the region of Canton, and
many millions of people are employed in
its production Living principally on
fruits. which the soil Of that country
naturally yields. and with no. inclination
to do more profitable work. It Is often the
only occupation that all the members of
the family Engage in. The average wages
earned are a penny a day When the
species Of grass or wheat used for making
the straw has attained its full height, and
Defore II IL quite ripe. IL Is cut down, left
on the ground and allowed TO bleach in
the sun This process being completed,
the stalks are bound In sheaves about "A
foot in circumference and then drawn out
as wanted After severing them at the
joints into strips four or five inches in
length, they are put into a kind of n sieve
and sorted in equal sizes. Those at the
top being finer have u greater value han
the lower or coarser ones. These pieces
are In turn separated and tied into bun
dies of convenient size. Those of good
color are laid aside for bleaching, while
those spotted or discolored are dyed and
used with The bleached to make variegu
ted braids The solid colors are all dyed
In America to suit the leading fashion.
Tho bleaching Is dono by inclosing the
stalks In n box with burning birthstone.
The plating. next in order, is done mostly
by women and girls, While the straw Is In
u damp state. and after the braids are
pressed fat they are put In rolls of xty
yards, packed in bales and ready foI ex-
portation Encouraged by their govern.
mcnt the Jalanese, with their character
istic energy. havo recently begun this
industry
WHY HATS TURN YELLOW.
When the rolls reach the manufacturer
in this country the brnids are slightly
moistened and then sown together, begin.
ming at the crown and working round
until the whole is finished. On the top
floor of the straw works are the sulphur
rooms where some Of the hats are bleached.
1t Is found that nature or science has pro
vided nothing 30 powerful In this regard
as the sun, and all the sulphur baths and
other processes of bleaching are not com.
parable with q sun bath. Ladies often
feel disappointed because their straw hats
turn yellow, but this Is the natural result
of sulphur bleached goods. Such q thing
never happens after sun bleaching When
practicable and the weather permits this
latter process Is used at all the works. and
on a fine day rows of hats may be seen on
the roof undergoing whitening by the
operation of the suns rays. After being
dipped in French glue they are placed in
a drying room where tho temperature Is
about 1l5 degs, and where the moisture is
extracted by means of rapidly revolving
fans. driven at high speed This leaves
the hat in q very pliable condition.
Tho blocking process is next In order.
Looking at n numbered tag which has
been previously sewed inside. tho work
man places the hat ON the proper steam
heated sectional expanding metal block
and presses 1t into the required size and
shape. This blocking machine was in
vented at the straw works. The hat is
then placed on solid metal dies corres-
ponding in size to the blocks above men
toned. and subjected to q powerful hy-
draulic pressure. which gives it its proper
form II for men and boys. the sweat
band Is then sewn in, and meanwhile the
lace tip for tho interior of tho crown is
prepared by an ingenious machine which
has an attachment for cutting it the ex-
act shape and size, as well as for sewing.
Putting on the band. the only process re-
quiring handiwork tn the making of these
goods, is the last operation, and the hat
Is finished ready for boxing and ship
ment. New York Commercial Adver-
tiser.
Anigators and the Water Supply.
A Florida nayUsnapar uoya that tho EiIl.