The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-31
THE AGE OF LEATHER.
Ons of the Oldest Commodities La the
World.

when he says leather dates from time
unknown" tor leather is of the very
highest antiquity. Long before the
days of Noah's ark there were those
who, according to Holy Writ, lived IN
tents and kept cattle. It is hardly to
be doubted that these people who tend
ed Hocks and herds which furnished
them both with meat and drink,
also made use of the skins Of
their animals for articles of cloth
ing, and, therefore, very early acquired
some knowledge Of the tanners ar.
In the book of Genesis mention il
made of colored leather, and all evil
dences of an extraneous character go
to show that some simple method OF
tanning and dressing the skins of ami
mails was known before even Tubal
Cain learned the trade Of a brass
founder.
The ancient Egyptians were skilled
in the art of tanning leather, and manu-
featured it in various ways and for
various purposes besides that of fur
nishing covering for the feet. Indeed,
~ 10 ~ CAOSO UuIloC4 VI CAAO nv
that we are indebted for che first arts
tic forms Of footwear; and so far as can
be ascertained from history and the re-
searches of psychologists the Egyptians
were the first shoemakers who were
worthy of the name.
It is a fact, too, that tanners of to-day
employ very much the same methods as
dil h. bout he
terials are used. and the processes are
almost precisely similar to those in
vogue hundreds of years ago. It is
true that tanners of the present day
have found means of greatly shorten
ing the time required to sconvert hide
into leather, and that steam power and
modern machinery have done much to
expedite and improve the process of
finishing the leather, but. after all, the
principles of tanning remain the same
as they have from the first.
Leather was very early used rs q cur
rency, the Romans employing it for this
purpose before either gold. .silver or
brass came into common use. History
is full of references showing that
leather was used By the ancients as
sort of circulating medium of exchange.
1t is said, on good authority, that so late
as during the reign OF Louis XII. Of
France the country became SO i'm
poverished, and, as a consequence,
money was so scarce that little pieces of
leather, with small silver nail driven.
through each, were in general use as
money. Some few specimens of this
leather money are still In existence but
are only to be found in the possession
of numismatists, by whom they are
highly priced.
However, the manufacture of leather
has ever been a slow and tedious pro-
cess, as compared with most other in
dustries, and even now, with improved
processes of tanning and finishing.
months are required for the tanner to
convert the hide Of an animal into leath-
or. There is, too, a popular epinion ex-
tant that tanners do not make as good
leather now from hides that are tanned
in three months time as they used to
turn out when nine, and even twelve,
months were necessary. This is a mis-
take.
As matter of fact, better leather IL
made to-day from hides IN from sixty to
ninety days than was manufactured in
the old way. It should be remem-
bered, however, that hides are tanned
in precisely the same manner now
they have always been. That is, the
some agencies are used for ombining
it with the gelatine of the hide
and for converting it into leather.
Modern tanners have simply discovered
methods by which the fannie acid is
made to penetrate more quickly into
the pores of the skin. This is accom-
plished partly by frequent manipula-
ton of the hides while in the watts, and
partly by special treatments for keep
ing the pores of the skins open during
the tanning process. 1t is fact well
known to all tanners that any method
Or process which will hasten the union
Of the tannio acid with the hide short
ems materially the time necessary to
convert it into leather.
Of late years there has been much
talk of tanning hides by electricity, and
several methods have been tried, but
with Indifferent success. There is no
doubt, however, but that electricity
does greatly aid in the tanning process.
In the old days of tanning the hides,
after being dehaired and made ready,
were placed in the tan watts, and there
allowed to remain untouched and un-
Il E.
months, and in some cases even longer,
until the tannin in the liquors, thor
oughly uniting with the hides, had con-
verted them into leather. But after
time it was discovered that by putting
the hides into revolving wheel. or
filed with the tan liquors, the time nee
essary to convert them in TO leather was
greatly shortened.
AS early as 1898 an English tanner
conceived the idea of forcing the tan
liquors into the hides by hydrostatis
pressure. By this method he greatly
lessened the time of tanning; and, as he
used frame on which the hides had to
be tackled before being put into the
wheel, and as the hides had to be cut
to fit these frames, thus causing con-
siderable waste and damage, the pro-
cess was abandoned.
II is hardly to be doubted, however,
that with the spirit of push and enter.
prise now manifested by those en-
gagged in the manufacture Of leather
the future viii see wonderful
Improvements IN this important