The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-12


year ago have lifted their dyed arnica
cured wings and flown away, One OF
the features of the woman's fall hat Is
the almost total disappearance OF the
song bird. The men and women who
have fought so long and valiaRtly
against the slaughter OF birds for mil
ilnery trimming assert that the victory
is due TO their labors, Fashion has
had to yield, they say to their demands
because the women who make fashion
have been brought to realization of
the cruelty which the song-bird hat
demands,
SoNGLEss BIRDS NOW THE
THING.
The mllllners and the fashionable re-
tail dealers say that the crusaders have
had little or nothing to do in bringing
about the reform. The ostrich, the bird
of paradise, the pheasant and even the
meek and dull-witted goose are to be
thanked by the feathered songsters for
their new lease OF life. Fashion, as
sert the bonnet makers, has merely
turned from one bird to another. 1t
has experienced no regeneration, and
is as cruel at heart as ever. It's desire
TO kill is gratifed on other living things
now, that is the only difference The
song bird lives at me expense of the
pheasant. the bird OF paradise, the Owl
and other songless relatives.
II really matters very little, however,
whether the larks are indebted 10 the
crusaders or the geese the fact remains
that they are not correct on woman's
bonnet or tlrban, and that the styles
this year have undergone q radical
change. Three months ago woman
found Il almost impossible TO buy hat
without a small flock OF birds on II, and
her milliner would construct birdless
hat to order only under protest This
year she will find 1t almost as difficult
90 get one as 1t was TO escape one last
year.
OSTRICH HEADS THE PROCESSION
The fall will not be featherless, how
ever, by any means The hats are gor~
geous with plumage and the song birds
songiess relatives are having their In
nIngs now. That feather freak. the os-
trich, heads the procession in the new
movement. He can't grow feathers fast
enough TO meet the demand and the
price OF his wares has jumped skVward
in big, fierce Jumps. II It continues there
Is likely to be an ostrich-plume famine
before spring.
The large wholesale millinery places
in lower Broadway are abla2e with the
plumes OF the ostrich Huge trees of
Them with gorgeous dropping branches
OF plumes have sprung up wherever a
mllliner's sign is displayed There are
more shades on one tree than any hon
est, self-resepcting rainbow would dace
TO blend. Nile green, purple, heliotrope,
lavender. blue-black, white yellow and
scarlet piumes are being turned out by
the ton. And II the original feathers
which the ostrich shed for fashions
sake could be returned and grated
back on him he would create riot IN
the desert.
FEATHERS AT 500 A POUND.
The hiliners receive them in the raw
state just as theY come from the bird,
and the curing, dying and curling are.
done by their own workmen. They
come Tn bulk and are sold by the pound,
the present wholesale price being from
$40 TO $50 a pound. according TO SIZE and
auality As the average pound Will
yield about fifty plumcs, which sell for
Sc TO IS after they have been bleached
and curled, there Is pretty good profit
In the business
All the feathers that are to be c0lored
must be bleached first, and there Is
considerable loss in the process. Espec-
tally Is this true Of the black plumes.
II the dSe IL one degree too hot the
feather is burned up and ruined In
stantiy. To dye any other color except
black requires about twelve hours time
and three days are necessary to produce
glossy black plume. Even then there
is a risk that the feather will turn to n
dizzy black.
Most of the ostrich plumes are Inn
ported from South Africa, although a
considerable quantity is raised on the
ostrich farms Of California Our best
plumes." said big wholesale mllliner
10 n Sunday Press reporter, come from
South Africa We buy all we can IN
California, but the home supply does
not equal the demand. Competition
has compelled W. to cut the price, but
we have to pay more for the raw ma
N0NTlNl llllll 'N'l htlhlFi hllh AAN FlAAN ~
going up all the time.
III the demand for plumes continues
the ostrich farmers win make more
money than the farmer who raises
wheat or cotton. They get from $40 to
500 pound now, and should not be
surprised 10 see the price jump 10 500
before the holidays,
'rrhe plumcH are on this floor alone"
and the dealer waved his hand toward
the miniature forest Of feathers, and
are worth nt least 100000, and we carry
n stock valued At 100000,
MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD.
"Theso figures sound large don't they2
Come this way and ill show you somo-
thing thut really does count The deal.
or led the way 10 the companies alccl
vaults, ana, swinging back ono Of tho
massive doors, pulled out an ordinary
paRtcbonrl box about ten Inches by
eight
"That box" he Hald. removing tho
cover. "ls full of llgrotlcn GIVE q guess
ul iia value"
The reporter pcopod tntn tho box, saw
q mass Of plumoa ns delicate n1 Gpl-
dorB web ana nuCrncd the value at
500.
"rhnl shows how much you Know
about algrettcs," anld the mlllinor 'lf
you Ind 10 buy them you would not he
10 Ignorant. Tint box " wurth 5000,
The price Of ngreilca 10 $40 an ounce