The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-08-02
THE MAKING OF GLOVES.
HOW THE VARIOUS OPERATIONS ARE
PERFORMED.

Hsnd.-American Made Gloves.
In very early days 1t was q custom,
when buying land, for the purchaser 70
take possession by throwing down his
glove on the land, in the presence Of wit
nesses. This is spoken Of in the book OF
Ruth, the word shoe being there used.
Authorities say that "shoe" means
"glove." The German language has no
equivalent for the word glove, and the
Teuton calls the article "hand shoe"
Gloves are defined a. coverings for the
hand having a sheath for each finger"
It is quite probable that the ancient
gloves were entirely unlike the article
now in use.
Most hne gloves are imported, s6 per
cent OF ladies' gloves coming over the
ocean. The greatest factory in the world
Is the Trefousse, just out OF Paris, where
$3.50 workmen and women are employed.
The establishment every year dresses
1,000, 900 kid skins and cuts out 1,75O, 900
pairs OF gloves and uses 10000 yolks OF
eggs In dressing and dyeing.
| A skin TO be dressed requires to be
manipulated 1873 times, and 219 manipu-
lators are required on the skin from the
| first state with hair on to produce fin-
ished glove. The process Of preparing
the skins is called tawing and Is similar
to tanning, the difference being that in
tawing the utmost cleanliness Is pre-
served in every department OF the work.
The process begins with the scraping
and drying OF the skins. Next, they are
soaked in lime and constantly turned,
then rinsed and the hair scraped on.
They are rinced again and soaked. Then
they go through an artificial fermenta-
| tion with bran, which absorbs all the
fatty PARTICLES and makes them supple.
| They are taken out every day and beaten
with. sticks. Afterward they are put in a
water, flour, yolks OF eggs, alum and salt.
The machine is set in motion and the
paste penetrates every pore OF the skins.
This treatment makes them soft and sup
pie and is called "nourishing." When
| taken out the skins are slowed in cellars
and left for day. Then they are rinsed
again and put in pressing machine with
4
pressed out. After being thoroughly
dried they are again rinsed and put
under paddles, which beat them and
| make them soft. They are rubbed over
| blunt blade, and then over hot blade to
stretch them, then packed away to season
and from there are chosen for dyeing.
Preparing the dyes requires several pro-
l alr;x k.f
trodden under foot for several hours in
cold water. Another rinsing occurs. and
then they are thrown in a mixture OF
water and yolks Of eggs for day. The
| skins are then spread out and the work
man takes brush dipped in ammonia and
spreads Il over the skin. Several coats Of
dye are administered and lastly test to
fix the color. They are then dried in hot
air. The final process is to place the skin
on machine, and 1t Is separated into two
layers, making them thin and doubling
4 the production. The skins next 60 to
the cutters. Gloves cut by band are
'bench-cut" gloves, and are more desir-
able.
Gloves were made of deer skins in New
England more than fifty years ago. They
are made in this country now at Glovers.
vile, N. Y, which was named from the
industry; at Johnstown, N. Y, at Jersey
Heights, NJ; at Littleton, NH at Napa,
Cal. and various other places in the United
States. A great quantity Of pure spring
water is necessary. Caribou, calf, dog,
horse, cat and moose skins are used. Rat
skins, which some people have thought
to be utilized, are entirely too thin and
papery. Most of the lamb and leather is
imported.
/; One reason why there are 80 few glove
factories is because from 100000 TO $780,
600 worth of raw material has to be salted
down at one time. The first glove fac
tory in this country was started by man
, in New York State who brought over
thirty-five Frenchmen to make gloves
That was before the contract labor law
was in existence. Iu foreign countries
whole families work in glove factories and
no other trade occupies them from gener-
alton to generation: Even thelwives of
the wealthy proprietors make the last in
spection of gloves before they are sent
out. The styles Of gloves are as change
able as that of any other article manufac-
tured. People of a youthful generation
remember the one button gloves which
were then worn. A gentleman of this
city, who was somewhat of a fop, had very
ugly wrists, and he sent to Paris and had
gloves made with long wrists Since that
time gloves have come in all lengths,
from one to thirty buttons.
Gloves are used for all occasions, from
hard manual labor to the finest full dress
function. A combination of heavy leather
, fur and wood materials meets the wants
OF men in several lines of severe work.
Driving gloves come next in quality,
then common gloves, and finally those
made of imported kid. OF the latter there
are two kinds, the glace or smooth kid,
and the Suede, which are Of kid made up
/ "A mn