The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-25
LOST LIMBS REPLACED.
Secrets Guarded by Makers Of ATtifi-
Cial Arms and Legs.

as Natures Own Means of Looomo-
tion-A Surgical Hint From a Limb
Factory-Doctors Often Make Mis-
take in Leaving Too Long a Stump.
Restored Cripples Generally EN-
ployed to Show Goods to Customers.
Railroads the Great Manners.
From the Chicago Times.
"The trouble with the doctors is they
don't want to amputate an inch more
was twisting cord "They mean well,
but they don't understand. Now, you
take mans foot of Just above the ankle
and it's sight harder to fit than if it was
about four inches shorter. There amt no
room for the spring to work. You've got
to have little room-it increases the
leverage"
And the old soldier, who had come to
get his second leg in ten years, assented.
The government allows its pensioners a
new leg or new arm every five years.
But if the pensioner choose he may keep
the SIS and make the old leg do.
~ reckon that's So" he said. "Now,
mine was taken off three inches below
the knee, and that's a mighty convenient
place. When 1 sit down IN a car or any
thing, you don't see my foot sticking out
rigid in front, tripping folks up, likely.
No, sir. l can bend my knee just as good
as anyone. And can sit straddle on
chair and kind o. curl my feet back of the
rounds, as natural as you'd want to see"
You were in luck" agreed the cord
twister cheerfully. Now, mine was a
thigh amputation." He got up as he
spoke and laid his cord by the side of an
other workman in a linen buster, who
was blocking out part of a wooden foot
held in wise. AS he moved he threw
the whole right leg with movement from
the hip. Yes, sir, right leg gone and
left foot. Pretty badly smashed up was
that time, but I'm worth a dozen dead
men yet. and 1 got $14, 900 out of the com
pany. Sued 'em for S25, 900, but glad to
compromise on S14, 600. They could carry
it up into the other courts, you know, and
wear poor man out"
THE RAILROADS MAKE MOST oRIPPLEs.
"Put an end to your railroading
though !" said the customer.
"Well, yes. There's lots Of wooden
legged conductors, though; yes, and fire
tenders and brakemen. They keep on in
the business just the same"
Them railroad fellers is our best Gus
TONER'S" spoke the man in the brown
buster. "Uncle Sam sends US few, and
there's some lose their linn bs from disease
but the cars do most of it."
Any women2"
"Oh, yes. Not so many as men, of course
Women don't go into such risky businesses
but sickness and accidents catches 'em
once in awhile. They are fussy, too, and
nervous about getting fitted. l don't
know as they're getting any worse than
the men though. We had one German
woman here the other day, big, healthy
old lady, and I tell you that Just as she
got her leg on she marched of like sol
dier. Didn't have no trouble about get
ting down stairs nor nothing. Said she
was going to see how good she could
walk. She wrote to US next day that she
had gone twelve miles and wasn't bit
tired"
s'Well, she was corker," said the old
soldier. Firstly, had to take of now
and then to rest me- 'Twasn't till I'd
worn one year that felt real comfort
BILE with one"
THE ARTIFICIAL HAS ITS ADVANTAGES.
AS he spoke he warmed his hands at
the stove in the center of the work room
you and me don't mover to warm our
feet, do wel" he ioked, wagging his head
at the cord twister.
Nor we don't suffer from corns,
neither" answered the workman. No
sonney. we don't want no chewing gum
nor yet no fruit" This to boy who
limped in carrying basket. THAT kid
never misses a day." he added. II guess
he'd like to be customer; wouldn't you,
hey"
The lad, who was cripple, smiled un-
certainly as he picked his way out on his
old-fashioned peg leg Not for news
boys hurt by cable cars are the
glorles of improved pneumatic limbs
He looked about wis tfully as he
went out. You or l might not find
the shop enticing, but to him no
Christmas toy store offered such al
Turing wares. Along the walls hung
an array of tools partaking Of the nature
of both shoemakers' and carpenters i'm
PIGMENTS. There were shelves laden
with sections of rough-hewn wooden
members; there were brushes and bottles
of coloring matter, there were screws
and springs. balls and sockets, leather
bands that laced up, and tall glass case
full of the most beautiful smooth
pink legs and arms, jointed like
Paris dolls. The hands We're mostly
gloved, and some of the feet were decked
in striped socks and patent leather
pumps.
AMONG MAKERS OF WOODEN LIMBS.
Among the queer businesses carried on
by the inhabitants of our lofty business
buildings-'the cliff dwellers," as Henry
George called them-one which strikes
the person who has a sufficiency of mem
bers-a quorum, as it were-as at once
pitiful and ludicrous, is the manufacture
of artificial limbs. Beholding these pic
tured on tin sign in the hall or unblush-
ingly displaying their pink nakedness in
a window will lure upstairs any person
who has properly cultivated the spirit of
laudable inquiry. Sometimes that enter
prising spirit leads one in to queer predic-
aments, but 1t viii not in this case 1t
merely penetrates into humble work
shop like the one just described, or per-
haps into more preten tious establish
ment. Here the actual manufacture
is a mystery not to be profaned
by the laymans eye. You will be
shown only a sort of fitting room for
the halt and the manned and the office
proper, where the points of the models in
the showcase will be explained TO you
These are many. In no country has the
business of artificial limb making pro-
gressed as in America Our civil war
and the action of the government in pro-
vidings these helps TO all the crippled
soldiers and sailors is in part the cause
of this, and this natural spirit of inven-
ton counts for something. London does
excellent work in this line, but the
French and the German appliances are
heavily and uncomfortable. Consequently
artificial limbs are not imported articles.
On the contrary, there is a small export
f,.ada ga FRIED on nv a firm in Navv Xo,.ly