Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-02-09
ANIMAL PRODUCTS
| CURIOUS DISPLAY ar THE
WORLDS FAIR.
An Interesting Exhibit of the Many
Uses to Which the Various
Parts of Beasts, Birds
and Fishes are Put.

south part of the Government Build
ing at the World 8 Fair, is the only enc
Of its kind ever attempted, except that
at tho Bcthnal Green branch Of the
South Kensington Museum, London,
and is admirably arranged for showing
tho different ways in which animals
are available for mans use both during
life and after death.
That portion of the exhibit which
deals with the uses of parts of the ami
NAL itself begins with the external app
pendages to the skin, such as the hair,
wool, feathers, fishscales, etc. /; next
comes the skin with appendages at
tached, which give all the furs ), fine
furs, feather furs, etc. then. the skin
without the appendages, giving the
numerous feathers from beasts, birds,
fish, and reptiles; next the appendages
to the skeleton, such as horns, hoofs,
antlers, claws, teeth, etc., and the
skeleton itself in tho utilization of
bones; finally tho application to mems
use of the viscera Tho treatment of
the flesh is not shown here, as that
subject involves tho whole question of
meat foods.
Tho first case in this section shows
whalebono rs it is taken from the
whales mouth, and then as applied to
industrial and other purposes, among
them long whalebones for whips, fat
pieces for dresses, shreds made into fish
ing nets, etc. Many of the fiat long whale
bones i'll the crude state, MS taken from
the whale, are over fifteen feet In
length. One Use for them is both
amusing and tragic This is in the Els
quimaux bear-trap, of which several
examples are shown. In making the
trap, long, very stiff whalebono with
pointed ends is used; this is bent back
and forth upon itself like succession
of letter SIS and tightly tied together
with some kind of animal fibre. When
fastened it occupies but little space,
md placed inside n piece of meat is
bolted by Mr. Bear without disturb
ing thought. The thong with which
the whalcbono is confined is attacked
by tho gastric juices in the same man
ncr rs the meat, with the result that
just rs the old bear is taking a post
prandial nap under the slanting rays
of the Arctic sun, and feeling proba-
bly, rs gentle and good natured rs an
old bear could, he awakens in panied
surprise. He knows it is no ordinary
attack of Indigestion following too
much swalrus blubber or seal, but
something very serious. Clasping his
paws over his stomach he tries the
stately minuet, then, as his anxiety
increases, more lively polka, until
finally no pirouottes off home to Mrs.
Bear. Here tho guileful Esquimaux
tracks and finishes him.
Tho second case contained hair OF
NIL sorts, alpaca, camel, calf, goat and
horse hair. The latter is woven into
cloth, made into ropo to kinlS it for
the upholsterer's use, into rope for the
Mexican lariats, halters and cinch;
md also prepared for violin bows
Many of the finest artists brushes are
made of hair from the inside of the
cows ear, whilo the so-called cancels
hair brushes arc really made from tho
hair of the squirrels tail. the ''camel's
hair" being only trade name. Wool
in oil its form is shown, from the crude
unwashed article to its finest dressed
and spun state
In another case is fine display of
ostrich feathers, beginning with the
natural plumes as taken from the bird
and then showing them in the different
processes of dyeing and curling. There
are also great number of birds pro-
pared for hat trimming and bird
feathers made into exquisite flowers.
In lenthers the finest in the world
is seen. From this it would seem that
almost NIL animals have skin suscepti-
bic OF being tanned into n serviceable
4 leather. Many snake skins are shown.
some eighteen inches wide and thirty
ana forty feet long; lizard skins, ALI
gators, big and little, of every color;
tapir, monkey and kangaroo skins. A
pretty little purse is made from a. frogs
skin. Wolf, fish, sturgeon and sharks
hides are tanned and birds skins also
make good leather In the collection
Is the: skin of g cassowary, and it looks
surprisingly thick and tough. Human
skin is said to make very fine and dur
able leather. One object, shocking no
doubt to many, is fine pair of boots
made OF human skin. A rather amus-
I ing fact about mans natural covering
Is that in appearance. and texture It
resembles when tanned that; OF the pig
more closely than does any other kind
OF leather. The use Of skin in glove
making is carried from the antelope
skin with hair intact up to the finished
Kids. Japanese and other kinds Of
embossed leather are exhibited and
also tho use of leather in bookbinding.
Many OF the examples of bookbinding
are exceptionally fine. ?
i After the feathers comesan interest
ing case showing the anauneirin which
horns are cut: into lengths, ,boiled in
OIL, fattened, andlby a series of mn.
nipuiations g converted into something
50 IKE tortoise shell that large guam
.l1les OF 1t are sold MS the genuine
turtle back, a quantity of objects
made by Mexican Indians shows how
largely horns enter into the manufaSe-
ture OF their household utensils. Sonic
are highly polished and nrtisticallS