The Springdale news., 1889-09-20
TANlslNG BY ELECTRICITY.
A New Way of Making Leather That Will
 Kevolutionize the Trade.


 The process of converting hides into leather, as new followed, consumes a space of time varying from six to twelve months. 1t also demands close attention and good management. as well as experience. Great care has to be exercised in the selection of ma terial, else a lot of choice hides are found at the expiration of the tanning season to have deteriorated into sec- ond or even third quality leather. Tanners, and leather dealers general ly, are accredited with being very careful and conservative in all their business methods.
 With these facts in view it is not surprising that when it was reported from France that leather was being tanned by electricity, American tan ners regarded the statement as q news paper sensation. Twenty-four hours was considered pretty quick work for even electricity. It was not until the doubting Thomases had seen and felt that they believed. But now since tanning by this process seems an as- sured fact it is no longer regard ed as a sort of transatlantic offset to our electric sugar refining. Every item that can be gleaned is thoroughly discussed and every source of informa- tion eagerly sought That the earlier efforts in this direction were failures is true. but this is largely owing to q lack of electrical knowledge on tho part of the inventors They were unable to economically pro- duce an effective current. And again, many experiments were necessary to learn the strength of the most effective current But this in time was learned, as was also it's most economic means of production. Only a uniform current will give good results.
 The process as described by those who have seen it is a very simple one. The hides are placed in large cylinders, which revolve upon horizontal aXlea The drum is filled with deeoction of tannin and closed. Provision is made for the passing of a current of electric ity through the drum. The drum is kept slowly revolving until the process of tanning is completed. The length of time required varies with the nature of the hide. For the lighter skins, such as sheep and goat, which used to require from three to six months, by the electric process are tanned in tWen- ty-four hours. The heavierhid such as calf, OK, COW or horse. require from seventy-two to ninety-six hours. By the old-fashioned bark process twelve months, or even more, would have been taken.
 The cost of production is greatly re- duced by this method, for not only is the saving in time, but in labor. The actual cost of working is reduced over fifty per cent. By the bark process the cost of tanning is from seven to eight cents per pound of dry leather. as against that of three to four cents by the electric methods. And again, where a force of fifty men were re- quired to produce a given quantity of leather, only ten are needed to pro- duce the same by the new methods. Heretofore large capital has been re- quired to run q tannery having reg ular weekly output. As hides often require to lie in the tan vats nearly year, it will be seen that a great num- Der must be in process of tannage in order that a certain amount of leather be turned out each week In addition to extensive plant, heavy investments are represented by the hides in tan mage But the electric process com plctely rcvolutionizes this. Hides pur. chased on Monday have been convert ed into feather and put on the market by Saturday.
 Just what effect the electric current has upon the tannin is, as yet. ques- tion of dispute. Some claim that it's effect is upon the tannin. giving it more active properties. Others say that it effects the hide only. Prof $. r. Thompson, who has examined the process, thinks that the effect is to open the pores of the hide and so per- init a more rapid access of the tannin solution. Another claims that the renders the gelatine moro soluble, so that it is able to combine more rapidly with the tannin There is reason to believe that there is truth in both these statements, from tho fact that the leather is much moro plable and of greater strength than that of the long process. N Y. Mail and Express,
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