Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-03-06
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
Short Talk on the Wonders of
the Craft.
MAKING LEGS, ARMS AND FINGERS.
Noses and Ears are First Nodded tc
Proper Shape In Papier-Mache.
Then Waxed.


Proper Shape In Papier-Mache,
Then Waxed.
Bold Ben Battle, whose melancholy
fate is sung by Tom Hood. might have
found the means of retaining the affec-
tions of his Nellie Gray if he had lived
in the year 1895. When Ben went off
to the wars it is narrated that a
cannon ball took off his legs, so he
laid down his arms. :" Upon his re-
turn to England the heartless Nellie
looked upon him with disdain.
Before you had those timber toes
Your love did allow;
But then, you know you stand upon
Another footing now"
And poor Ben was SO overcome by
Nellie Gray's unkindness. that. bold as
he was, he lost all hope, and ''round
his melancholy neck rope he did in
twine.'
lone end he tied around a beam
And then removed his pegs;
And as his legs were of, OF course
He soon was off his legs.
All of these tragic occurrences might
have been entirely prevented if the
gallant Ben had been where he could
visit one of the little upstairs work
shops in Chicago where wooden legs are
whitfield out. Had he taken such
precaution Nellie Gray might not have
suspected that he had left his legs Gin
Badajos breaches. For artificial
limbs are made so perfectly in these
days that they do almost as well as the
originals.
Few persons have any idea to what
an extent men are mended up after they
have been mutilatde by accidents. To
see all the appliances that are used for
piecing out the human anatomy per-
Son would naturally suppose that it is
not such serious thing, after all, to
lose leg or an arm, an eye, or a
mouthful of teeth, or to become invol-
UNFAIRLY bald, or noseless, or earless.
All such trifing deficiencies can be
easily supplied, and the patching can
be SO cunningly done that only mar
row observer can detect the artificial
from the genuine.
The business of making artificial
legs, arms, fingers, ears and noses, or,
according to the generic classification
of the trade, artificial limbs" is
carried on by thirteen different manu-
facturers in Chicago, each of whom
turns out good many pieces of work
every month. Since the hard times
came on year ago the business has
not thirved SO vigorously as formerly,
for persons with mutilations, as
they are picturesquely described by the
trade, could not so we'll afford to in
dulge in the luxury of artificial limbs,
and so they put up for the time being
with their crutches and wheel-chairs.
But the outlook is now much more en-
couraging. Many of the firms are look
ing longingly toward the war in Japan
war is business maker for them
in the hope that the orders will soon
begin to come in. American patches
have been found to fit very we'll on for
eigners; so we'll. in fact, that great
many Climbs are sent to Mexico,
Central and South America, and to the
islands of the sea. In the past the
trade with China and Japan has been
small, perhaps for the reason that
electric cars and bicycles are not so
prevalent in those countries as in Chi
cago, but the war promises to do al
most as we'll. There are also sudden
fluctuations in the trade following
every great disaster in which numbers
of persons are maimed-a railroad acct
dent, mine explosion or falling
building. The enterprising manu-
facturer is always on the lookout for
such fortunate events. He is usually
subscriber to some bureau of press
clippings, and as soon as the news of a
great accident is published he is imme-
diately deluged with lists of the
wounded and dead. The dead are COM
pletely disregarded, but wherever "leg
crushed, ampptation will be neces-
sary," or farm terribly mangled"
appears he makes a blue mark. and
when a sufficient time has elapsed he
addresses letter to the "person with
mutilations. inviting him to call and
look at a "choice assortment.
Most of the manufactures of
Climbs are in the heart Of the city,
and their presence is usually made
known by the array of smooth pink
legs and arms which dangle in the
windows and sometimes give persons
of nervous temperament violent
shock. One of the most successful of
these institutions is located in the
second-story room of busy corner
near the city Hall. Having climbed
the long fight of steps-for the build
ing has not yet risen to the dignity of
an elevator service-the visitor is
warned that he has found the manu-
factory by the simple sing on the door:
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ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
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