The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-07
CUSTAvE ECKSTEIN & co.

browns and brindles are all desirable: hut
when an old-time cow-puncher casts his
eye upon clear hide of a deep red color
thrills of delight pervade his whole being
and JOY such as he has not felt since
Mary promised to ride with him over The
rockiest trail of all; and humming a song
to the girl who lives away down in the
canyon of the Sycamore, he picks up the
red beauty and throws it into water
hole until the morning.
BY that time the glue has succumbed
to the influence Of the surrounding damp
ness, leaving the hide as pliable as a
bed quilt and ready to be treated to an
application Of wood ashes. when It Is
rolled up hair side in, and thrown back
into the water. Gradually the lye goes
down into the foundations of the thickets
Of hair and loosens the grip of each
ciinging root until after two days a few
minutes vigorous scraping with the end
of a board removes every Vestige of hair
and leaves the hide all white and clean
all ready for the knife.
Usually the cutting Is done by two men,
who select the ranch floor as their scene
Of operations They begin by trimming
the hide all around and cutting away the
thinner portions of the belly sections. The
part that overles the spine being cross
grained and bumpy, a strip three inches
wide il cut out the entire length. This
which is rounded Of all corners. Sitting
fiat upon the floor, each man takes a side
across his knees gives his knife another
whet or two, and while he pours forth
his soul In many a whistled strain, the
strands appear and ever grow longer and
more beautiful before the advance of rhe
keen blade as 1t cuts around and around,
from left hand to right II a four-braid
RATA Is to be made, each man carries
two strands together, cutting first one
and then the other. For six-braid, three
are carried; and the cutters always begin
on the outside edge, leaving the strands
a bit wider than is necessary In order 10
allow for gauging. Each side, If carefully
cut, will turn out two sixty-foot strands
for four-brald or four for an eight-braid,
as the latter are only half the width of
the former.
The next move Is splitting the strands
down to a uniform thickness. This may
be more easily accomplished by a regular
splitter, such as Is used in saddle shops.
But this is a luxury I'm which but few
ranches indulge, and an improvised ma
chine, made with a piece OF oak and an
old sheepshear blade, is generally used.
In either case, the operation is one re-
quiring great caution, for a slip means n
cut strand, a deal of swearing and the
ordeal OF having to prepare another hide
from which TO replace the ruined strand.
That the splitting may be accomplished
with ease. the strands should DO soaked
until perfectly soft, and while one is be-
ing passed through the machine, the others
should be kept rolled up in a cloth to keep
them moist.
After this woe is past, the coming RATA
must be allowed 20 become nearly dry,
preparatory for the gauging act. For this
part OF the performance, no machine has
ever been invented that will do the work
like the Cowboys Semi-Automatic il is
a simple contrivance consisting OF a piece
of seasoned oak, with a slit ripped in one
end with saw. This block Is fastened
down on a bench and a pocket knife IS
stuck down al an angle OF IS degrees in
front Of the slit. All the strands are
passed through first. and simply beveled.
The knife IS then moved up and after be-
ing pulled through the second time they
are down to the proper gauge and have
an oyerbevel on one side and an under
bevel on the other, which permits them 10
lie close together In the finished RATA
AL. Is ready now for the braidlng-the
stage Of bllstered hands and tired elbows
No whistling Is heard now; not even the
snatch OF a song. Only the low mutter
Of an occasional oath disturbs the ominous
silence. Beginning at the center, each
strand Is wound In a peculiar manner into
two balls so arranged that the strand
may be pulled out from the center as East