Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1897-06-20
A BARREL-HooP MAGNATE.
Some Revelations by nm Old FRrme
About His Queer Dusincns.

About His Queer business.
On the night boat from Kingston to
New York few nights ago, II little knot
nj young people were discussing the
various methods of earning n living and
the invasion of mems professions by fe-
male workers, when n well-drcsscd and
prosperous-looking old man, who had
been an interested listener, chucklcd
nudibly and said:
81 calculate thcre'll never he any
women get inside Of my line of bust
ness" Then he continued: "Now, I'll
bet that none of you young folks can
guess how I get my living or why am
going to New York so early in the
spring"
Every guess was us good n miss ns u
H,i!c would have been, and after laugh.
Ing hr";iily, he seated himself in the
party and said:
"Wcll, it's lust barrel hoops. I'm an
operator and spccuiator in shaved bar
rel hoops. hoops for tubs, and wood
straps for packing boxes; and I've been
in the business since l wns n young
man.
It's queer business to city people
Yet, to cut hoop poles. shave hoops,
mrd tn speculate in hoops shaved by
other people is about all | do, and /
Lave neat income from the profits Of
my business OF fully 5000 year. ]
haVc done this kind If work for more
than 30 years. and have acquired II COM
pctcncc at it. carry on my operations
II. TWO or three states, and own scvCra!
hundred acres of land in PENNSYLVANIA.
which pays for itself every four or five
years in the hickory and onk hoop poles.
that nrc taken off IT,"
The old man then gnvc n dcscrintion
as To how hoops were prepared for the
market. Wintcr-cut hoop poles are tho
easiest worked, as they were filed with
frost and split caEy. Everything in tht
way Of hard wood saplngs, principally
white. rock, rcd and white oak, pignut,
hickory, ash and other fibrous woods
frCm seven feet To 30 fec; tall, are suit
able for hoops.
Soft woods, Guch rs chestnut and but
tcrnut, nrr nlso suitable for hoops. cspc.
cinlly for powder kegs md butter fir.
Eins, but not for barrels. The poles,
after being cut, nrc taken ID the shops,
where they nrc split into lengths.
Every pole furnishes two hoops, and
generally the longer poles two long
straps, which nre used In the packing
box trade. and two short bnrrcl hoops.
The outfit of the men consists Of an ntlz
10 split the poles, common drnwl.nifc.
and horse having II trcudlc worked by
the foot. and having head which nets
ms n clamp on the platform of the horse.
The hoop. when ready for shaving. Is
laid fiat on tho horse. and held fast iy
the pressure OF the foot on the head, ard
shaved fiat ms II Is pushed under tbc
head until the entire length Is shaved
They nrc then bound IN bunch"s Of iOl
cnch, nnd they are ready for the market
The long straps arc used solely for III,
binding Of packing boxes, md urc sold
entirely TO the pacl,ing.box trade.
The old man snid that most Of the
hoops used In New York and In thc
Hudson river towns came from nlart.
the Delaware & Hudson canal. In Il.
rtcr county. The trade had been inter.
fcrcd with somewhat by the using cf
sicaWbcnt hoops OF sawed ash aud by
band iron.
In the hny.prcssing business wire
binders had driven the use of siavod
hoops out altogether, yet the business.
In spite Of these losses, Is good. ard ir
busy years. when trade In general mrr.
chnndisc anI building materials Is brisk,
there ls demand for all the hoops I'm,
can bc produccd..-S. Y. Times. .-