The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-12-14
BASKET MAKERS.
CURIOUS PEOPLE Alta CURIOUS
PLACE IN CONNECTICUT
The Colony of People Who Live at
Dantown-Homes of the Bias
ket Makers-How Bias
kets are Made

nuts hFc hduc-
You may look on the map and study
the Postottice guide. and you Will not
md Dautown; but there is a DantowG.
and 1t Is about as exclusive a town
was ever populated. Dantown is eighty
tve miles from New York: and is
reached by the New York, New Haven
and Hartford Railroad, via stamford and
New Canaan, Conn. \ colony OF basket
makers there inhabit district beginning
about four miles north of New Canaan,
running in length about eight miles, and
IN width about three miles. In this bali
wick Is included another settlement
called Jumptown, but the whole district
IS known a Dantown. The settlement
derives its name from the first settlers,
whose name was Dan. and ninety nine
hnndTeths of the people who live there
[ now are also Fans.
The homes Of the basket makers are
/ old, tumble-dowu, ramshackle affairs,
/ Imprinted, built Of oak shingles, one
/ half Of them fallen off. and the balance in
state OF irretrievable decay. fences
falling down, gates with no hinges, the
whole settlement looking as il a cyclone
had struck it away back in Revolution
sry war times, and not a stroke Of re-
pairs being put TO it since. For furni-
ture of these houses there is nothing but
the plainest straight backed chairs, with
basket-woyen seats, some of hem handed
down from great grandfather time, ami
some Of late domestic manufacture, but
AZ presenting the same style and discom-
foft. The old fashioned freplaces are
built Of VIC and Plastcred inside and
out. The Landowners are not high
lvers. They eat because it sustains life.
They do not sit long at table, and they
dispense with all OF the conyentionalities
of table etiquette. The writer sat down
TO dine. or, as the host expressed it. to
take pot luck" and was told TO pitch
in and help yersclf," VIII Oh he did The
bill of fare was pork and beans. potatoes,
bread aud molasses, and apple sauce, the
young girl of the family remarking
Say, mar, ef its dark t'night I'll git
nuther bag o. them there apples
Whereupon MAR replied: DRY up yer |
yawp.n
The people live frugally, because they /
are compelled. A basket maker must /
work early and late to make - week, /
and as there are generally a dozen young |
'uns' about the house, this does not 20 /
far, though the young 'uns" were all in 4
a semi state Of nudity.
Yet these people are content with their
lot. There is always 4 market for their /
baskets, and they manage to squeeze
along on the commonest food so that 4
they can indulge in tobacco and get the /
little brown Jug filled The latter is of /
more absolute necessity 10 the majority /
Of the landowners than the sack Of -four
or the fitch Of bacon. Years ago they /
were famous for their store Of MedfOrd I
rum, but it is never seen now. In its /
place Is rye whiskey, and not the best, /
either aud now that New Canaan is a /
prohibition town, they are sometimes /
put to desperate straits for the where /
withal 10 wet their whistles. There are .
no organized workshops, and the bust /
ness OF setting up baskets Is carried on /
in the kitchen, dIning-room and parlor, /
which is generally all in one room. They /
are very particular about their timber. /
They use hickory, white and black ash, I
and black OAK. They use the first cut of I
the log and no other. The bark is peeled /
OF, and the log, which Is never over ten /
inches through, is split into sections, /
making it easier to handle. They take /
q section and pound il over log or rock /
until it sliyers. 1t Is then segregated by I
peeling the slivers off, which are used I
for what is called ''iilling" for the /
baskets The standards" are peeled /
much thicker and have the appearance
OF ilouf barrel hoop. They are tied in
bundles, and, if not used when
green, are soaked in water over
night, which makes them pliable
and easy to weave. If they do not cut
this wood themselves they are compelled /
to pay SD a cord for it; but it is said I
that great many cut their own wood, /
and are not particular whose land they /
cut 1t from. Times have changed with
the basket makers, and competition has
cheapened their product from S15 a
dozen twenty years ago to s.. 80 now
And then wood was only ST a cord
The mode Of basket making is simple
First the thick strips are cut to the re-
quired length, and laid on the ground,
looking like gigantic startish. At the
point Of contact they arc fastened, and
then comes the work of weaving the
light or side strips in and out One
strip is woven in several times around
the basket before it gives out, when an
other one is Tapped on. As the weaving
continues the standards are raised and
bent, or shaped" until it has reached
the required height Then two thicker
strips, fiat on one side, rounded with a
draw shave on the other, are clapped on
The standards. which project above this
band. are twisted around It and securely
fastened The handles are put on be
fore the band is. These are made Of
thick strip trimmed down smooth, with
a notch cut in them. which abuts against
the band Then the basket is turned
ups de down, and another star-shaped set
are pushed up through the wool OF the
basket. This is done 50 that the basket
can sit on It's own bottom. A basket
maker has TO hustle TO make two dozen
baskets in a week They maze all
kinds, the corn, the market and the
oyster basket, but the latter takes pre-
cedence over the two former, as the de
mand along the Sound is never filled
-Netc York .Sqa.