Evening star., 1898-05-07
HOW FELT HATS ARE MADE.
Thousands of Men, Women and Bows
Employed I'm the Industry,

Ihousands OF Men, Women and Boys
Employed in the Industry.
From the New York Commercial
One of the leading industries in this coun
try is the manufacture of hats At the
present time fur felt hats are made I'm
eleven states, namely, Connecticut, In
diana. Illinois, Maryland, Maine Massa-
chusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York.
pennsylvania and Rhode Island. There are
III all more than 200 manufacturing plan;s
producing hats for mems, boys, women's
ana chlldren's wear composed of the fur
of the rabbit, beaver nutria and other
arimals. The industry employs upward of
5000 men, women and boys and III. an
proximate value of the output is said to h
S2o,0ooU0o annually. Speaking of mems
hats and their manufacture, a representa-
tive OF one of the largest firms in this city
said:
Felt hats include the popular derby and
the various styles of soft hats all of
which are made from animal furs, the nat
ural coats of the coney. hare, nutria musk
rat and beaver. TIC manipulate the skins
of these animals TO properly prepare
the fur for felting purposes is an expert
chemical operation, IN fact, a trade in IT.
self, entirely distinct from that of hat
making, and is carried on by 'hatters', fur
ter for that work. The art of the hat
maker includes a knowledge of the partie-
ular fur or combination of furs for MAX
ing a given quality of hats. The pronor-
tioning or the different furs REQUIRES the
utmost eXactness. The quality of product
having been decided upon, the fur is then
cleaned and separated from stray hairs ana
all unreliable substances. This initial pro-
cess Is accomplished by windy machine
called the DEVIL
THE next process, forming, consists of
distributing by means of air currents a
light coating of fur upon the outer sur
face of a revolving perpendicular cone,
perforated with small, holes When fur
covers the cone sufficient for one hat. 1t
Is wrapped in wet cloths and given brief
hot bath, then stripped from the cone,
and, after the stopping process of add
Ing n little fur to weak spots, is wrapped
with other cloths irside woolen cloth to
harden it for handling. By a process
called Sizing which consists of repeated
immersions in hot water, together with
rolling and unrolling, folding and unfold
ing, the cone-shaped %mass is reduced to
full how each fiber will twist and inter-
twine, basket fashion, with the other IN
til the product is q cfosely woven mass
'The body Is tken shaved to remove
stiffened with a coating of shellac thor
oughly dried and Then subjected to steam,
which softens the shellac and draws It
into the fabric. When dried. 1t is inn
mersed in a hot alkaline solution to free
the surface from shellac, and then in cold
water to remove the alkali.
Blocking succeeds st1nenfng. The fab
ric is dipped in boiling water and placed on
a block patterned for the final shape of
the hat. After the dyeing process comes
that of finishing, which consists of steam
ing, blocking TO shape the crown, drying.
coating with a stiffening solution, drying
again, ironing out wrinkles after which it
is pounced with emery paper and singed
to remove the long nap. and oil applied to
smooth the surface The curling depart
ment cuts the brim to the desired width,
rolls up the sides and pitches the front and
rear as the style demands. With the pro-
cess Of trimming consisting of sewing en-
the binding and band and cementing the
liLing, the derby is finished. If a soft hat
ted