The historic times., 1891-10-31
MY LADY'S FURS.
The East Vies with the West to
Save Her from Winter Winds.
Our Skins Are Tanned with Sawdust-
Americans Furnish the Raw Mate
rial, but London Must Be Visit
ed for the Trimmings.

nave known IIldL very A4dAJ PA~SJ
pennies have been turned by traders
in the great fur marts, says the New
York Recorder At the chief of them,
Mini Novgorod, not so long ago. one
daring trader cornered the market on
Persian lamb, buying the whole prod
uct at something like fifteen cents a
skin. Within a year Astrakhan was
the rage, and the speculator sold out at
about two hundred per cent. profit Inc
fur takes name from the province OF
Astrakhan, in which huge 1ocks OF
curly sheep are kept wholly for the
sake of their skins. Those of them that
the furrier loves die young-in fifteen
minutes of birth. Their skins come in
huge bales to the weird eastern city
that is the largest entrepot on earth for
such unsavory merchandise.
Next to this source of supply comes
the Hudson Bay Company Afterward
the agencies scattered over the western
and northern United States. Though
fur-bearing animals are plenty enough
In the south, their hair is not close and
fine enough to give the skins CONNER
cial value American furs come chiefly
from the bear, otter, lynx, mink, beaver
skunk and muskrat. Opossum and coon
skins are likewise native, but hardly
worth mention among leading sorts
The seal supply, as all know, comes
mainly from Pribylov islands, the west
ernmost bit of earth flying the stars
and stripes. They are roc ky, forbid
ding and storm beaten-fit for nothing
under heaven but the seal rookerles
that abound on them, and have done,
time out of mind. 1t was by following
these herds of the sea that the good
Dutch Admiral Pribylov discovered
them and made himself a name in geog-
raphy. He deserves a statue from
women as the man who made seal
sacques possible possession.
If America furnishes the raw material
you must go to London for the trim
mings. The fresh skins, packed in
salt, all go there for finishing. Wheth-
er owing to trade secrets iealously
guarded or some peculiar quality of
Thames water no man can say, but the
fact remains that sealskin London-dyed
is unapproachable for softness, gloss,
good color and wearing quality
The prepared skin is stretched, fur
side up, on a clean board, and dye ap-
piled with a brush evenly over its sur
face Great care is necessary to keep
the coloring matter from reaching the
skin-it would rot and ruin it. Three
coats are needed to give the rich tone
known as ''seal-brown," which is as un-
like as possible to the natural lightish
brown-gray. After the last coat is dry
the skin passes to an especially skilled
worker, who looks it over; if there are
bad spots he cuts them out and deftly
sets in good bits in place of them, and
finally decides what manner of gar
ment will best come out of it.; also from
what sections shall be cut particular
parts. This matching fur, as it is called,
is a nice operation. In all animals
there is a wide difference both of
growth, thickness and color between
the middle part, which covers the back
bone, and the edges. Hence the wrong
side of any fur garment looks pretty
much like war map, or the plat of a
new suburban town. The right side
| that result be brought about.
i Nearly all sorts of skins go through
the same process Presumably they
come into the dressers' hands dry and
hard. The first thing is to soak them
in warmish water till they are as soft
as the day they left their original oc-
cupants Then they are carefully
feshed with a blunt knife, the edges
trimmed, and put by dozens into big
drum that steam keeps revolving at a
lively rate Sawdust is packed thickly
over and through them as they go in.
For common furs oak or pine will do.
Fine ones get sawdust from cedar, ma
hogany, rosewood, walnut or lockwood.
The last is SO high-priced that it Is re-
served for sable and ermine.
For ten hours or more the wheels GO
merrly round, the skins and sawdust
churning about inside. Next, as they
come out each pelt is rubbed literally
on the hair side with rancid butter the
stronger the better After that it is
pulled many times diagonally over a
blunt knife fixed above the workman's
head. This is to secure pliancy and al
even grain. The final curing process is
packing them in other revolving drums
with flour instead of sawdust, for an
other ten-hour dance. Here, the sable
and ermine assert their aristocratic su
premacy. They are given a bath o.
cornstarch.
The wherefore of this -four bath is Il
remove superfluous grease. The fin
ished skins are shaken or beaten free
of it, and go on to those who cut and
sew them.
Theirs should be we'll paid occupa
ton; certainly it is a mighty uncomfort
able one. For summer is the season o
it, and think of sewing seal capes ant
bear boas with the thermometer a
ninetyl. The work requires high de
gree of skill and is fairly lucrative.
Here, as in most other callings, Their
! Is room at the top. First-class work o
any sort is more than fairly paid. De
signers, indeed, get wages that compar
! more than favorably with more preten
: tious callings Most of them are of for
eign birth But your fur cape, madame
was most likely grown and dressed an
cut and sewed in the United States