Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-01-16
KANGAROO HuNrlha.
Exsoasavo Uttlasattoo q FAetr HI6os In
th0 United States.

she United States.
There are 5000 kangaroo skins re-
ceived In Newark. N. j., every week.
They are all tanned in one large estab-
ushment on Sussex avenue, and are
then made into hne shoes Australia
and New Zealand furnish kangaroo
hides for the world. The kangaroos are
killed in Australia about 300 miles back
from the coast, and are shipped from
Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle, in
Australta, and from Masterton, in New
Zealand Up to 1859 the kangaroos
were killed and eaten in Australia, and
their hides were cut into shoe-strings.
But an Englishman named Brown in
that year discovered the remarkable
character of the leather, and brought
several thousand skins to this country.
He tried to sell the hides to tanners;
but they were shy Of the novelty. and
he had to sell them at sacrifice to
o book-binder. The book-binder made
triangular corner pieces in ledgers and
commercial books out of the skins, and
so ascertained the good quality Of
the leather. 1t was in this way that
the larger leather factories were first
attracted to kangaroo hide. The skin
was found to be very tenacious, and
the compactness Of the grain prevents
Its absorbing water, while the acids in
backing meet with an almost impervi-
GUS substance. 1t was hard work for
years to get the kangaroo skins. 1t was
not until the Newarker, who now tans
them, sent agents to Australia three
years ago that the demand could be sup
piled. The characteristic climate Of
Australia and the pugnacity Of the
kangaroo make hunting the hides d Ian
gerous. Winter starts in May and ends
In December in that country. The rest
OF the year the heat Is intense, the Their
mometer frequently reaching lao de-
grees. Eight men hunt together for
kangaroos. They are called o 'set"
When brought to bay the kangaroo
jumps like fash for the hunters chest
and tries to crush it in with his fore
feet. To prevent this each man wears
across his breast q two or three-inch
thick mating. Armed with o spear,
with club attachment at the other end,
they ride upon swift horses into herd
With the agility and equipoise of
circus riders they stand erect upon
their horses and use their spears
and clubs. The kangaroo is able
to jump clear over horse. AS the
game is bagged it is skinned, and the
skin Is stretc he'd on the ground and
pegged down to prevent shrinkage. The
flesh furnishes meat for the camp.
Each man places his private mark upon
his booty, and when they have 100
skins apiece they return back to civil.
cation. There are twenty varieties of
kangaroos. among them the blue, red
Wallaby, black. gray and Forester, the
latter furnishing the best leather, as it
lives mainly in wooded sections. When
the shipping ports are reached the hunt
era dispose Of the skins by auction to
the highest bidders and realize about
seventy cents pound Kangaroo hunt
ers make large profits. One man Is
known to have cleared $4,000 free OF liv-
ing expenses in single year. The
tanning of kangaroo skins is confined to
men employed by Americans, as other
dealers can not afford to pay the high
prioos for the raw material. The result
ia that Partisan and London ahoe man
ufacturers buy their stock of kangaroo
leather directly from Newark, and
prominent dealers in Germany. Greece,
Spain, and even Australia itself, receive
their supplies from the same. The
manufacturer here scouts the idea that
the original seven-league boots we're
made from the skin Of the great Austria
lian leapers. (R. ~ Jour
nal