The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1892-09-16
OLD COMBS
The Proprietor of 81. Louis Manufao-
tory the Census Men Didn't Find.

The Proprietor of 81. Louis ManufRo-
tory the Census Men Didn't Find.
There exists in St. Louis at least one
establishment which was overlooked by
Census superintendent Porter in his
enumeration of the city's manufactures.
IL is the comb factory of Mr.. Anton Engel-
kraut. This factory has been in existence
nearly forty years. Its present output is
about two dozen combs a week, and Mr..
Engelkraut is not only its sole proprietor,
but the only operator. He is one of the
curious chafacters of St. Louis He is
known to every barber in the city. though
none of them know his name Even Mr.
Engelkraut had to think twice when asked
by the reporter what his name was He is
known as "Old Combs, " and is so called by
his wife and children as well as by all of
his acquaintance.
Engelkraut devotes himself principally
TO the manufacture of BARRIERS combs.
The process of making combs by hand is
extremely tedious, and would exhaust
the patience of any one but a steady
German like Mr.. Engelkraut. To begin
with, he buys the horns of cattle at
the different boneyards of ST. Louis, pay
ing four cents pound for them. Then he
boils them for twenty-four hours, after
WHICH, ne hdIItuS bntm Oub N6GL bnS
pieces are sorted, for only about one-third
are Of good enough quality to make into
combs. The good pieces are then sawed
by hand into pieces from which combs can
be cut and the size of the combs is marked
out Then filing commences, and it lasts
until each comb is worked into shape
The teeth are next made by means of
very fine saws and files. This is a difficult
operation and occupies much time. Old
Combs is so expert at it, however, that he
never makes a miscut, and always makes
every tooth as regular as if cut by machin-
cry. After this the combs are rubbed with
sandpaper, and then they are polished by
means of bath brick and the bare palms
This constitutes the process of combmak-
ing by hand, simple of description, but as
difficult and ingenious trade as was ever
undertaken, and ora which has been al
most entirely obliterated by machinery
When the horns are prepared and sawed
into convenient pieces Engelkraut can
make dozen combs a day; but rs much
time is consumed in preparing the materi-
al, two dozen combs week are all that he
can make, or three dozen on a rush. These
he sells at twenty cents and twenty-five
cents each at retail, or $l.25 a dozen at
wholesale. The earnings of the factory
may thus be figured at about four dollars
week. Every Monday Old Combs starts
out as a salesman.
The old man has customers at all of the
big establishments, and his Monday trip ex-
tends from Grand avenue to Carondelet.
If, after visiting all of his barber custom
ers, with his cigar box of handmade combs
under his arm, he has dozen left, he goes
to one of the BARRIERS supply houses and
sells them.
Engelkraut came TO St. Louis from Ger
many in 1871 He was then twenty-four
years of age. He learned the combmaking
trade in Germany, and when he first came
here he used to make good money at it.
Until about 1860 he used to get from
seventy-five cents TO one dollar for each
barber's comb, and from $3.50 to two dol
lars for each family comb. But since then
rubber and celluloid combs have become
more and more common, until now
dozen large family combs can be had for
the price of one of Engelkraut's choice
ones.-St. Louis Globe-Democrat