Wichita eagle., 1890-02-12
THE WICKER WORKERS.
THE BUSINESS OF WEAVING 1WIGs
INTO THINGS OF UTILITY.

THE BUSINESS OF WEAVING TWIos
INTO THINGS OF UTILITY.
An Ancient Art in Which tho Britons and
Romans Were Adepts-Ths Process - Il
Is Carried on in Modern Shop-Not .
Very Lucrative Calling.
Wicker work is world wide and of an
cient date. The Romans found wicker
boats covered with skins in use among
the ancient natives Of Britain. Round
boats of wicker work, covered with btu
men or skins, were used on the Tigris
and Euphrates in the time of Herodotus,
and similar boats are still used there In
India boats of similar form and con-
struction are still in use for crossing
rapid rivers; they are made of bamboo
and skins and require only few hours
labor.
The ancient Britons manufactured
wicker vessels with extraordinary skill
and ingenuity. Their costly and elegant
baskets are mentioned by Juvenal in
speaking Of the extravaganza of the
Romans in his time. The natives of
South America made baskets of rushes
SO closely woven as to hold liquids. The
natives of Tasmania wove similar water
tight vessels of leaves.
The Kafers and Hottentots are skilled
in weaving the roots of certain plants.
Shields, in ancient times, were con-
structed Of wicker work, plain or COW
cred with hides, and are still in use
among certain savage tribes. Wicker
work is now largely used for the bodies
of light carriages. In different parts of
the world, houses, huts, gates, fences,
sledges and shoes are formed by this
ancient and universal art.
In the construction Of the rudest kind
OF basket the twigs OF rods are assorted
according to their size and use and left
considerably longer than the work to be
woven. They are laid on the floor in
pairs parallel to each other and at small
intervals apart and in the direction of
the long diameter of the basket. Two
large rows are laid across the parallel
rods with their thick ends toward the
workman, who is to put his foot on them
and weave them one at a time alter
nately over and under those first laid
down, confning them in their places.
This forms the foundation of the basket
and is technically called the slat or slate.
Then the long end Of one of these two
rods is woven over and under the pairs
of short ends all round the bottom till
the whole is woven in. The same is
done with the other rod, and then addi-
tional long ones are woven in till the
bottom of the basket is of sufficient size.
The sides are formed by sharpening the
large ends Of enough stout rods to form
the ribs, and plating or forcing the
sharpened ends into the bottom of the
basket from the circumference toward
the center, then raising the rods in the
direction the sides Of the basket are to
have and weaving other rods between
them till the basket is of the required
depth. The brim is formed by bending
down and fastening the perpendicular |
sides Of the ribs, whereby the whole is
firmly and compactly united. A handle |
is fitted to the basket by forcing two or
three sharpened rods of the right length |
down the weaving of the sides close to |
each other and pinning them fast about |
Two inches below the brim, so that the |
handle may retain its position when COM
oleted. The ends of the rods are then |
bound or plated in any way the work
men may choose.
There are twelve firms of basket max
ATS in Detroit, employing about 100 per-
'ors, mostly men and boys. 1t isseldom
hat girl is employed in this business,
md there are no women. The reason
assigned is that the only thing they
,ould do would be to plat, and there is
70 much bending over in the work.
Besides this the cutting of splints
md bands is very heavy work. The
nen and boys work ten hours day
when they do not work by the piece, and
he average wages are from 3 to $40 pei
week. Piece workers sometimes average
rs per week, but that is when the bas-
let maker is especially skillful.
The basket principally manufactured
n the city is the splint, the splints being
havines cut from Norway pine and in a
arge variety of sizes, some covered and
ONE open. from q quart to bushel and
half. The largest sized covered baskets
re used extensively by florists in which
D convey cut flowers, and are packed in
ne delivery wagons. Travelling lunch
askets are made OF the Norway spknts,
nd are used generally for the festive
icnic and for travelling purposes where
cold lunch is the conforta5 bic and eco
omical idea. The splints are woven in
ianond shape, and the market baskets
this material are called diamond bas-
cts.
Other market baskets are made of the
sier willow, the osiers coming from
arioos parts of Michigan Of the willow
askess, there is the clothes hamper. the
o<hes basket and open and covered
larket baskets VARYING in size, but AL
aving special form.
The willows are prepared by the boil
z process for the purpose Of peeling :
len. They are then allowed to cool,
I'd are tied up IN bundles for future use.
hey are split As they are needed for uss q
? passing them through small knife,
IL block. A great many wild viii !,
ws are used. but only N rough baskets, I
'eh as open market baskets. Cultivated
iilows are used tor the finer qualities Of
lskets and willow chairs and cradles, !
ID the tops of chilcren's Carriages. The
liiowe are grown In swanpy places that
.nnot be utilized for ether purposes I
lrhout draining. c
The fancy bsSrefs are princicaily i'm | Z