The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-06-21
MAKING STRAW HATS
An Industry that has Attained
Immense Proportions.
Crude Foreign Processes and
Skilful American Methods.

AAo A"nu"Ssu'oo Va oAo" AotS, lhouSA
not peculiarly American, says the New
York Commercial Advertiser, has at
tanned immense proportions in this
country. Over in Brooklyn, in sc me of
the quiet streets between the city hall
district and Broadway, are a number of
straw hat man ufactories, some of which
give employment to more than 200
hands, besides lot Of the most ingen-
ious and skllfully devised machinery.
Most of this machinery is of American
invention. With it 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
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 alton.
1t comes from China, Japan and South
ern Europe chiefly. Years ago, 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 almost
entirely made with the straw braid I'M
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, are made in
fact from entirely different ma
terial. The chip is so 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 it
from turning red which happens when
dried in the air. The Panama is
made from the immature leaves Of
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, aud with
NO inclination to do more profitable
work, it is often the only occupation
that all the members of the family en-
gage in. The average wages earned
are penny day. When tho species
or grass or wheat used for making the
straw has attained its full height and
before it is quite ripe, it is cut down,
left on tho ground and allowed to
bleach in the sun. This process
being completed, the stalks are
bound in sheaves about q foot ia cir
cumference and then drawn out as
wanted. After severing them at tho
joints into strips four or fivo inches in
length, they are put into kind of a
sieve and sorted in equal sizes. Those
at the top being finer. have greater
valuo than the lower or coarser ones.
These pieces are in turn separated and
tied into bundles of convenient size,
Those of good color are laid aside for
bleaching, while those spotted or dis
colored are dyed and used with the
bleached to make varicg ated braids.
The solid colors are all dyed in America
to suit the leading fashion. The bleach
ing is done by inclosing .he stalks in
box with burning birthstone. The
plating, next in order, is done mostly
by women and girls, while the straw is
in damp state, and after the braids are
pressed fat they are put in rolls Of 80
yards, packed in bales and ready for ex-
portation. Encouraged by their gov
ernment, the japanese, with their char
acteristic energy, have recently begun
this industry.
When the rolls reach the manufac-
turer in thi, country, the braids are
slightly moistened and then sewn to-
gethcr, beginning at tho crown and
working round until the whole is fin
ishcd. On the top floor of the straw
works are the sulphur rooms, where
some of the hats arc bleached. 1t is
found that nature or science has pro-
vided nothing SO powerful in this re-
gard as tn, sun, and all the sulphur
baths and other processes of bleaching
are not comparable with a sun bath.
Ladies often feel disappointed because
their straw hats turn yellow, bat this is
the natural result of sulphur -bleached
goods. Such thing never happens
after sun bleaching. When practicable
and the weather permits this latter pro-
cess is used at all the works. and on a
fine day rows of hats may be seen on the
roof undergoing whitening by the oper-
ations of the suns rays. After ing
dipped in French gluo they arc placed
in drying room, where the tempera-
ture is about 115 degrees and where the
moisture is extracted by means of large
rapidly revolving fans, driven at high
speed. This leaves the hat in very
plisble condition.
The blocking process is next in order.
Looking at numbered tag which has
been previously sewed inside, the work
man places the hat on the proper steam
heated sectional expanding metal block