Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1893-09-02
NY LADY,s FURs,

y
have known that very many pretty
pennies have been turned by traders
in the great fur marts, says the New
York Recorder. At the chief Of them,
Mini Novgorod, not 80 long ago, one
daring trader cornered the market on
Persian lamb, buying the whole prod
net at something like fifteen cents q
skin. Within a year Astrakhan was
the rage, and the Spectator sold out at
about two hundred per cent. profit. Tho
fur takes name from the province of
Astralkhan, in which huge f6cks of
curly sheep are kept wholly for the
sake of their skins. Those of them that
the furricr loves die young-in fifteen
minutes of birth. Their skins come in
huge bales to the weird eastern city
that is the largest entire pot 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 uiuskrat. 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
ern.nost bit of earth flying the stars
and stripes. They are roc Ky, forbid
ding and storm beaten-fit for nothing
1nder heaven but the seal roolscries
that abound on them, and have done,
of Inv fr>l1
obese 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
wo nen as the man who made seal
sacqucs Il possible pc session. ~.
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. Whcth-
or owing to trade secrets iaalously
guarded or some peculiar quality of
Thames water no man can say, but the
fact remains that scalskin LonIon-t lycd
is unapproachable for softlaSs, gloss,
good color and wearing quality
The prepared skin is stretched, fur
side up, on n clean board, and dye APP
Piled with brush evenly over its sur
face. Great care is necessary to keep
the coloriny matter from reaching the
sl1in-it would rot and ruin it. Three
coats are needed to give. the rich tone
known as ''scal-brown," which is as I'M
like as possible to the natural lightish
brown-grny. After the last coat is dry
the skin passes to an especially skilled
worker, who loo IS 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, ;Ss it is called,
q nice operation. In all animals
here IS n wide difference both of
growth, thic' ness and color between
jhe middle part, which covers the back
bone, and the edges. Hence the wrong
side of cny fur garment looks pretty
much lie war map, or the plat of
new suburban town. The right side
must match to hair, and only thus can
that result be brought about. ,
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
fleshed with blunt knife, the edges
trimmed, and put by dozens into big
drum that steam. keeps revolving at a
lively rate. Sawdust is packed thiclSly
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 moro the wheels go
merrily round, the skins and sawdust
churning about inside. Next, as they
come out each pelt is rubbed LIBERAL
on the hair side with rancid butter the
stronger the better. After that it is
pulled many times diagonally over II
70 nj. A1,o -.