The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-02-09
MADE TO ORDER.
limitations of Animals That Would
Foo! the Beasts Themselves.

The Art of the sculptor and the Painter
Employed In Their Production
More Lifelike Than the Work
of the Taxidermist.
The art of the sculptor is utilized at
the National museum in Washington
for making snakes and alligators and
the like. When the scientists were in
vestigating the alleged petrified wom-
an which was brought to Washington
recently some of them said work just
as wonderful was done every day by
Prof. f. A. Lucas and the taxidermists.
The Washington Post at the time told
the story of how the woman was made
at Fresno, Cal, in a so-called petrifac-
ton factory. A reporter called the
other day and learned from Joseph
Palmer, the veteran taxidermist at the
museum. how he makes snakes, alliga
tors, turtles, squirrels, frogs and
multitude of other animals.
The shop where he does his work is
curiosity. The public is not admitted
to his secrets and he keeps big sign
on his door for it to keep out. The re-
porter found him with strange as
sortment on hand. A monstrous croc-
odile was stretched out on a table. Mr..
Palmer said it was not true to croco-
die life. He was captured before the
time when men knew how to manufac-
ture them, and Mr.. Palmer remarked
that he was stuffed like sausage and
that his arms and legs stuck out from
his body like those of a scarecrow in a
cornfield. The alligator and the snake
could not be stuffed, he said, aud he
led the way to another room, where he
unlocked door and pointed to two or
three big alligators as much like life
as if they were summing themselves on
the banks of some Florida lagoon.
Mr.. Palmer put his hand on the big
jaw muscle of the saurian and said
that that could only be shown in one
of his casts. The shoulder-b blade, too,
and the poise of the animal, the posi-
tion of his feet, and hundred other
little fine points which, for the sake of
exactness, the scientific man will labor
early and late to obtain, he also point
ed out. He put his hand down the rep
tiles mouth and showed that the flap,
which he may want to keep closed
when swapping flies or diving under
water, and which closes inside his
mouth like clam shell, could not be
represented in the stuffed specimen.
Then Mr.. Palmer proceeded to re-
late how he took the big monsters,
which were brought to him from Flor
ida, and after killing them surrounded
them with plaster of paris or clay
cast and made perfect alligator from
the living creature.
"Just divide the mold" said he, sin
twain after it is set and take it off
the dead monster, that has been
placed in any position desired, and you
have the impression to make one hun
dred alligators from if you like. Pour
the plaster in the mold till it is full
and let it set. 1t is the simplest thing
in the world You have perfect alli-
gator. Nothing could be more life
like. 1t is so near perfect that if you
should put it down in Florida on the
sands the darlies would think it gen
uine. 1t would need first coat of al
ligator paint from the museum artist" :"
Mr.. Palmer then told me how one
painter made mistake and painted
an alligator's claws white, thereby
giving the animal comical look, for,
unlike the tiger, the alligator has long,
sharp claws, which are as black as his
hide.
A large assortment of artificial tur-
ties were scattered in confusion about
the taxidermist's apartments They
were so real, too, that a fishmonger
with an eve to business would be put
ting the knife into them. A big leath-
erback which would weigh sixteen
hundred pounds and something more
in life was perched upon high pile of
skins. You could hold it out at arms
length. 1t was of papier mache. The
real animal is necessary first to get the
mold from. Then they are usually diff
ficult to mold, because of the many
creases under their shell which the
plaster will not enter. Mr.. Palmer
overcame this difficulty by process
which is his own, and consists of pour
ing hot paraffine around the shell. This
permeates the little creases and cor.
ners and makes a perfect mold. The
cast is taken by pressing the papier
mache into the mold and allowing it to
harden. The painter then takes it and
paints what is necessary to make
green turtle, a diamond-back or a
hawks bill.
Mr.. Palmer himself likes to talk best
of snakes. The museum is not making
many reptiles now, but in the past it
has turned out lots of them. All the
species in America have been cast by
Mr.. Palmer, so that there is little call
for this kind of work now.