The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-15


They Come from and aow Tney Are
Handled Before Fashion Gets Them.
How Feathers Are Bleached and
Dyed.
From, the Neo York Recorder.
Some thousands of girls are busy these
summer days in preparing the feathery
tinery that is to decorate next winters hats
No trade has had in the last decade mora
ups and downs than feather curlino
Ostrich feathers, after having been in
vogue for centuries, suddenly lost popular
ity a few years ago. and it is less than three
years since capricious fashion again donned
its plumes. The trade. at its most prosper
GUS period, gave steady employment aad
high wages to thousands of young women
When the decline came work was sh ortened
and wages were reduced. With the return
Of fashion to ostrich feathers work has in.
creased and wages have improved. but the
high pay of earlier days will probably never
again be known.
south Africa still supplies the greater
part OF the ostrich feathers used by mann.
lecturers in this city Most of the New
YORK houses buy feathers in London, though
at least one house deals directly with the
apo OOoo dOpe. Snalt cOnslgnmentS of
feathers come from the ostrich farms Of
California, and Barbary feathers from
Northern Africa aud the Desert of Sahara
are imported in considerable quantities.
Within the last few years ostrich farmers
have learned that it pays to send the
feathers to market clean and other
wise in good ndition. They form
cry arrived Just as they were
plucked Tom the bird, and locking more
Ike bedreggled turkey plumes than aught
else They now come sorted and neatly tied
10 punches. The wing feathers of the male
bird are'the finest. They are from fifteen
lncnes to two feet long, and it is OF these that
the finest plumes are made. They are
usually white with grnyish ends. From
the back and breast of the male bird natur-
al black feathers are sometimes plucked.
The short tawny feathers of the female bird
are called "boos." These are bleacAed al
most white and used in combination with
the poorer plumes.
Ostrich feathers wholesale at from $40 to
40 a pound. 1t is not many years since
they brought as much as $50 poun l..
changes OF fashion and large increase in
the number of ostrich farms have combined
TO depress prices. When feathers we're OBJ
Gained only from wild birds after pursuit
ana capture on African plains, the supply
was small and the price high. Now the
crop Of ostrich feathers is as certain as any
otPer, and the supply is constant.
Bleaching and dyeing precede the other
processes OF feather curling. Bleaching is
done by means OF chemicals, ammonia and
peroxide of hydrogen being the most i'm
portant. The feathers are transferred from
bath to bath until the process is practically
completed. They are then Cleahsed of
chemicals by being washed in starch water
The feathers are then beaten against a fat
horizontal board to free them from starch
and prevent them from drying into stiff,
stringy shapes. They are dried in the sun
IN summer time, aud in winter by steam
heat. The dyeing process is soInew what
similar to that of bleaching. The feathers
pass from bath to bath 10 order that the
oolors may be properly fixed Even the
black feathers must be dyed to give them
iuster
When the feathers have bleached or dyed
or both, they go to the preparers 1t is the
auty OF these workers to split and scrape
the feather stalk 30 that 1t shall be thin and
pllant. Next the feathers are passed to the
sewers and sewed together, two. three or
-FOUR ply, through the central stalk. The
stemmers then take the feathers sewed to-
Eether and wire their ends, in order that
they may be attached to hat or bonnet.
Next the curriers' take the plumes and, seiz-
1ng the liens" or branches between the
Cnumo and dull knife~edge, quickly and
deity curl them as one would curl a bit of
thin paper. This is the most difficult part
Of the work, and upon its success depends
the beauty of plume or tuft. The feathers
then go to the bunchers to be combined
into various shapes, and thence to the per-
sons that pack them into boxes ready for
shipment
Ostrich feathers are combined into many
forms. The finest feathers are made into
large plumes for women's hats, for Masonic
ornaments or for fans Single plumes are
seldom used now, but two are sewed to-
gether, one on top the other, in order that
the plume may have grace and body. Some
times the feather is split laterally and each
side IS used for a special purpose. Tips
are made by combining the ends Of wing
feathers and the less expensive plumes.
Sometimes they are made up to resent ole
the crest of the Prince of Wales Perhaps
this is the best known form of tip, though
half dozen others are used. Pompons are
made sometimes of single feathers; some
tunes OF two or more. They are usually
ornamented with an aigrette from the
plunage of species of crane found in
Florida. The algrette is a sort of skeleton
leather with many branches, plant at the
ends. The finest plumes are used for fans
In the earlier days Of feather curling
each operative learned the trade from top
to bottom, Now, however, each learns a
separate branch of the trade The bleach
ers and dyers are men, usually from
france or Germany. The sewers, stemmers,
curriers' and bu7chers are women. Girls
Degln to learn thesTade at 10. Some be-.
come skll.e Ell in their special branch in a
single season; others never acquire any
great SILL or taste. Beginners first do the
rougher work, and then, if possible, find
some one to instruct them in a more
dllhcult branch. There are schools
wnere feather curling is taught,
Dut the best place to learn 4 is
snop wnere real work is in progress. A
SKI. led feather worker charges as much as
20 to teach pupil the mysteries Of the
trade. Wages have greatly fallen within
tsh years, but the more skilled feather
workers are still comparatively we'll paid
Surlers can average $l6 a week for four or
hVe months OF the year. Buuchers do
pretty nearly as well. Girls in other de-
partmentS of the trade earn from s. to S12
yer week. Learners earn little or nothing.
6rooably 10 per cent. of the workers earn
lalr weekly wages, and they would be
pretty well Off il shere was work the
year round. Dyers earn from S25 to $40
Hr Yer week, and their helpers from SO to $40.
tue hours OF labor are from in the morn
hs 70 o:50 IN the evening, with about an
nour Ior luncheon. Some girls in the busy
season take work home and increase their
salTnings. A few women keep at the trade
msii INTO old age, but most of them marry
~ uiie sun young. 1t has been noticed that
~, ~ lew OF the married women return to
sLJ Ssnop after being absent a year or So A
nlleu leather worker is good catch for a
lazy husband
rph