The Winslow mail., 1899-10-05
PANAMA HATS IN FAVOR.
Found by Invaders of Cuba and POr-
to Rico to Be an Ideal Head
Covering.

Panama hats have come into increased
vogue since the war with Spain. Last
fall, when the army began returning
from Cuba and Porto Rico, Panama
hats appeared in town in noticeable
numbers. For long while these hats
hadn't been worn much in New York,
and their return was a matter of COM
ment. The men of the army and navy
and the newspaper correspondents in
their rambles about the Cuban and
Porto Rican towns, found Panama hats
selling for a few Spanish dollars, and
they at once bought them. Afoat or
ashore, they found these soft straws the
lightest, coolest and most comfortable
headgear for the tropics. The hats
could be rolled up and stuck into a
saddlebag when not wanted, and when
they got dirty they could be washed and
cleaned until they were like new. A
Porto Rican hat dealer in Ponce did
big business in Panamas. He had a
hat of very good quality which he sold
for six pesos, or Spanish dollars. AS
American gold was worth double. the
Spanish silver, the Americans got their
Panama hats for three dollars.
Nearly all these Panamas finally
reached the states, and they appeared
in some towns where Panamas were
only aname. Their utility as hotweath-
er hat at once created demand for
them, and hatters who hadn't them in
stock for years sent to their importers
for them. This season the call for low
priced Panamas has been remarkable.
Several of the big hatters have made a
speciality of them. One downtown
dealer imported lot of 200 from Bra
zil a week ago and put them all on sale
at six dollars each. Among them were
some which ordinarily would bring ten
and fifteen dollars. Another down
town dealer has been selling a great
many five-dollar Panamas. In his win
dow he has a $500 Panama which was
sent here from Cuba last fall by plant
er bankrupted by the war. One can buy
a Panama hat now for five or six dol
lars, which at one time sold for several
times as much.
Thirty years ago these hats from the
tropics were quite the go in New York,
and many very expensive ones were
sold, but after the police came out one
summer wearing an imitation Panama
hat, they became unpopular with the
un-uniformcd citizen.
The Panama is named from the town
from which it comes, not where it is
made. In Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil
and other parts of Central and South
America these hats are made from
straw obtained from the Carludovlca
palmata, called by the natives JipiJape
or portorico. The leaves Of the plant,
which resemble palm, are gathered
before they unfold, and, after the ribs
and coarser veins have been removed,
are cat into shreds. They are exposed
to the sun for day, and then tied in
knot and immersed in boiling water
until they become white. They are then
bleached in the shade for several days.
The straw is distributed about the coun-
try to be plated and made into hats by
the natives. Whole colonies of Indians
are engaged in this work. The men,
upon a block of wood, which they hold
between their knees, finishing an or
binary hat in two or three days. In
making the finer hats the straw is Sc
lected with great care, and the plating
occupies several months. Hats like the
5000 hat are made under water.
Men who play golf, sail, row and play
tennis find the Panama an ideal hat for
the country, and this summer it is TAX
J., Il l. I. L.
has been so much in vogue among ath-
letic Americans. Anyone who once
wears a Panama in the country in
summer never wants any other.-N. Y.
Sun.