The Louisiana populist., 1897-02-26
BLOOD BY THE POUND.
IT Is USED FOR MAKING BUTTONS,
COMBS AND PENHOLDERS.

SOM6S AND HENHOLOEHSs
SIaughter.Houses Drawn Upon to Sup.
ply Articles Of Use and Adornment..
Curious Phase OF the lndustria! Progress
OF the Age.
The sweet girl who likes to be up
to-date in her fadS and fancies has
done many strange things, says the
New York News. She has worn ugly,
crawling lizards in close contiguty
to her shapely neck. She has worn,
without knowing it, rats heads at the
end Of her fur boa, fondly imagining
that the heads were those of mink.
She was not to blame for this last Pc
cUliarity. 1t was all the fault of the
horrid dealers, who ran short Of mink
heads and substituted those OF rats,
when scme inspired genius discovered
that it was impossible to detect the
difference after proper treatment.
lit is not the fault of the girl either
that She wears buttons made Of blood.
The probability is that few, even Of
the not over-sensitive girls Of to-day,
would relish the idea OF having their
dresses trimmed with buttons that owe
their origin to the slaughter-houses.
And yet it is a fact that the buttons
on many of the dainty dresses that so
enhance the charms of the wearer,
are made from the life-blood Of the
victims OF the butchers knife.
The thought is calculated to shock
the sensibilities of any fellow who re.
CARDS his girls tresses as something
sacred, but the cruel fact remains tha!
it is within the bounds Of possibility
that her lovely locks are arranged with
comb that has been made solely
from CONCEALED blood that once
dropped red and warm frcm the throat
Of slaughtered animal.
Nor Is this all. The sweet words
that the rewly-engaged giTq confdes
to the mercy Of Uncle SANS mail box
may have been written by hand hold
ing stick of congealed and com
pressed blood. Dreadful as the though
may be, however, it is q fact that pen
holders are made frcm the sanguinary
substance Of slaughtered animals.
This industry is not an altogether
new one, but few people are aware Of
Its existence. AS a matter Of fact, tht
manufacturers Of blood articles do no
proclaim from the housetops the ma
ture OF their business, for people art
apt to be prejuliced against wearing
b.ood buttons and using blood comb:
and penholders. The chief reason fol
the siaughter-houses being drawn upol
TOT the material to make buttons
combs and penholders lis that they car
be made much cheaper by this mean:
than from bone. The process Is simple
When steer, sheep, pig or other ami
mai is slaughtered the blood is not al
lowed to run to waste. 1t is CAREFUL,
caught in buckets as it flows from tht
dying animal and laid aside to congea
and dry. 1,le receptacies in which tn,
blood congeals are tilted at a Sigh
angle, so that all the fluid portion O
the blood runs 10 the side. 1t can thel
readily be drained off, leaving behin(
| only the flbrous portion Of the fluid
which dries and hardens until 1t cal
be lifted In Jumps. This Is the sub
stance that the blood button maker
purchase from the butchers. 1t Is sol(
to them by tine pound, II cents bein!
about the average price for that guam
tity of congealed gore in its dry state
The price is kept up by the active com
| pe'tltion to secure the blood, for i
makes a splendid fertilizer, and tn,
farmers are always demanding II
Very little goes to waste In New Yorl
slaughter. house.
having secured a supply OF con
gealed blood, tine manufacturer mex
proceeds to grind the fibrous substance
to powder This powder, mixed witt
a little water, is the sole ingredien
for the substitute for bone in the but
ton, comb and penholder industry.
Inc mass Is placed over a mould AM
is compressed by hydraulic means
When it is taken out the substance 4
as hard as bone and Of the desires
shape. There is little in its appear
ance to show that the material origi
mated in the slaughterIhouse. Til
natural color Of blood button 1
bEack, and 1t can be used without th
slightest suspicion of Its uncanny OF
| igin.
| III 1t is desired TO color the substance
| the manufacturers mix 1t with clip
I pings from the ,hoofs Of the animal
and 1t then comes out in yariegate,
| hues.
Ane industry Is an extensive Que
many Of the Chicago slaughter-house
shipping congealed blood to New Yorl
for the use Of the makers Of the arti
cles mentioned. The cheapness Of uh
product Is its chief recomme mendation.