The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-08
EOW HIDES ARE TANNED.

fresh 81 TO Che Finished Article.
Tne leather ran was busy hosting
BIT" les Cf leather UP from the cellar
by means Of pulley rope, weighing II
and loading it on the cart which stood
! ut the door ready to carry the load to
the shoe manufacturers. He looked
up. however, at Il question and paused
to wipe the perspiration from his brow.
''Tell YOU about leather? Well. that's
long story. You see, there are so
different kinds Of leather If there is
one. and the processes through which
the hides so between the time they
leave the stOcliyards and the time
when the shoe man gets them are
| many and varied. There are steer
hides. calf skins, goat skins and 9th
ers. which are prepared each in one
certain way.
The green skins come from the
great stockyards in Chicago arG Kan
sas City TO the tannery, which is gen
orally built cn the bank Of pure
stream and near woodland. At the
tnnncry the hides are 1T once placed i'll
great vats filed with fresh, cold water
and left there to soak for two or three
days. Tie water tends to soften them.
Then tlle skins are put in Il long trough
anu run through Il sort Of slide, While
heavy hammers pound them to n great
er softncss ana pliability. Water is
played on them in q steady stream.
! when the work in the trough is fin
ished. the hides are placed back in the
yats, and they soak there Il little more
for Il day or so. The next move is to
keep them four or five days in the
sweat pits. The sweat pits are dug out
In the sides Of the hills and the skins
are hing up In rooms inside. 1t is
dangerous for 4 man to stay in one Of
these pits, owing to the fumes Of am
monia which issue from the hides
after they have been confined for q lit
tie While. They are powerful enough
at times to overcome person. But
the workmen know what they are
about and do not impcril their lives by
remaining too long in the place.
"After the turn in the sweat pits the
hides are ready for scraping. 1t takes
! trained tanner to know just how
long to keep them in the sweat pits.
When the thing is done right, the hides
should he just about at the point Of
out. Then bare armed men stand
ready with long, sharp knives. which
they work over the skins with both
hands. removing all the hair and the
small particles Of flesh SO that there is
not q shread Of it left. Each skin is
gone over thoroughly and tossed into
still another vat filed with liquid in
which there are small strips Of hem
lock bark. The hemlocll bark has q
hardening tendency on the skins. In
some cases acids are used in addition
to the bark.
Tanners have an instrument they
call Il barkometcr with which they test
the strength of the liquid. 1t would
not do to have it too strong or the
skins would be burned. So they are
generally put first into weak solu-
ton. The bark juice. or whatever
you want to call it, pcrincates tic skin
through every pore. The next process
is that OF drying. Then the dry hide is
rolled and n coating Of fish oil spread
over it to give it the peculiar gloss
which you notice In leather. The skins
are next stored in loft for two or
three days and aftcrward shipped to
the leather sellers in New York and
other cities. We have nothing to do
here but weigh them and send them
off to the shocmen. That is the way
that sole leather is prepared"
what is the best. kind of lcathcr?"
'"Ihe best quality OF leather is made
from hides that come from South
America, mostly from Bnenos Ayres.
A great deal Of these ides we get
from the big western cattle states.
The thicker skin is the better for us.
An old cow has thick skin, but calf
skin is thin and only used for making
uppers Of shoes. Some hides are very
expensive. 1t would not be possible,
on account of their scarcity, to get
buffalo hide for less than 5000. These
hides here" said the dealer, pushing
some with his foot, 1--WE sell for % or
"a cents a pound, and they range in
weight from IL to Il pounds."-New
York Sun.