The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-08
OWNED BY SALT LAKERS
OPERATED BY ROWE, MORRIS &
SUMMERHAYS.
Pelts Go Through Many Intricate
Operations Before They Finally
Become Ready For the Market
Capacity of the Plant is Large
Is an Important Industry.


Angeles railroad and the lake, The
wooI-puIling plant of the Utah Tan
ming company, which for many years
had a hard fight to remain wt1lin the
city limits of Salt Lake and which was
finally moved has re-begun work on a
larger scale than ever.
At what is Known as the halfway
house" on the railroad it has the larSes-
wOOl-pulling establishment Of any Of
the surrounding states, Idaho, WyOm-
ing, Nevada. Montana, Colorado or
Mexico and Arizona There yet remains
in Salt Lake the tanning factory proper
at the old location on Fourth North
street, between. First and Second West
streets, where there are facilities Tor
curing and tanning thirty dozen hides
per week.
The wOol-pullins plant was driven
away from its old home. There had
been a fight upon it because Of the
stencil which arose in the process of
pulling the wool 1t had been there for
twenty three years and there had been
complaints at different times. but the
city council, which had been induced TO
make Investigations, had reported that
good ground for complaint did not ex-
list and that seemed to end the matter
But last May the factory burned down
After a long search for an Unobjec-
tiOnabe location in Salt Lake a build
ing and location was purchased out
near the track of the Salt Lake & Los
Angeles road. The lack of water, which
was the difficulty in many suggested To-
cations, did not cause nuCh trouble out
there. A spring which bubbles up from
the prairie is used. However. the COM
pany has had to rent from the owners
and the supply to be lad is mot quite
enough to run the factory without
economy.
An Interesting Process.
The process of tearing the wool from
sheep pelts is interesting and comp1-
Gated though to one UnaccuStomed to
the odor the experience is not pleasant.
1t might seem a very easy thing to pull
wool, hair and even legs, but the meth
Cd of the Utah Tanning company is
complicated and aTduOus and requires
the work Of a dozen or more men.
The dirty and beslneared dry peIts
are dumped into the store room on the
second floor of one Of the buildings.
they are carried on over to another one
and dropped down to the watts a floor
below, where they are soaked in water
for two or three days until they become
soft and pliable or until they are
green" again.
Then they are run through the burr
ing machine, an intricate affair so ar
ranged that it has teeth which comb
out most Of the dirt and grease with
the aid Of water, and tears from the
skin the flesh and blood and refuse
which clings to it. from the sheep. The
man who runs this can handle 600 pelts
each day, which is almost dis many as
can be taken care Of in other portions
Of the work.
These cleansed hides are then sent
to sweat boxes, ten in number. each Of
which holds 100 pelts. They are first
painted with a preparation Of arsenic
and potash, which preserves the skins
and keeps them from decaying. Tre
peltS are kept in these heated vaults
for from three TO SIX days, depending
on their condition, and at q tempera-
ture of from so to 80 degrees. Steam
pipes, which run through the hallway
Of the dark chambers wherein the boxes
are located, keep UP this warmth.
The theory Of this heating is very
simple. 1t has been noticed by cattle
men and butchers from time imme-
mortal that the hair on heated hides can
be torn off easily. The heat develops am
mOnia, which causes a decaying pro-
cess that lOOsens the hair. The sweat
boxes act upon the sheep pelts in the
same way. The heat, by causing the
generation of ammonia, loOsens the
wool. When the process is complete
the peltS are sent upstairs to the pull
ing beams, three in number, convex
boards on which skins are laid. so that
the wool can be scraped off. The three
men who do this work can each handle
100 -pelts a day
Grading the Wool.
The scraping is not, however, the
most important part of their work.
They must separate the different grades
of wool found on different pelts, and on
the same pelts. Tie wool on the back Of
a sheep is thicker and longer Jhan that
on his belly and his legs. This selection
becomes, by continual practice a mat
ter Of habit. Wool which to the un-
trained eye seems Of the same grade
these men will, without second thought.
separate into three different grades.
They are the most expert and are the
best paid men in such establishments.
There are ten grades, but only four or
five Of Importance. The Utah Tanning
company separates its wool in B, c. &C
and cOmbing grades, principally.
There are yet other processes Z. be-
gone through. These grades are par
ately gathered 10 and placed in the So
tractor. a curious machine. Up TO this
point, it must be remembered the Wool
is wet and dripping with water. Sublse-
quent work is TOR the purpose Of get
ting it dry
The extractor is Il large tub. three
feet deep, and probably four feet in
diameter, with a center piece of d foot
or more in diameter, something like
smaller tub inverted, and with wire
Gid
in the receptacle about the smaller tub.
the whole machine Is whirled around
at very rapid pace. The wool naturally
moves to the circumstance, and packs
hard against the machine. thereby
pressing out the water.
1t is then taken to dryers, in each Of
which there II a separate grade. lay
ing on a wire netting hot air is forced
through by powerful electric fan Till.
in few hours, the wool is dry and
ready for sackinS. It is carefully lamp
ed in these big sacks, which hold about
2G0 pounds each. Then it is ready for
shipment. The whole process can be
finished in from a week to ten davs
The green peits which need not 90
through the soaking process may. be
handled in less time.
The hides, stripped of Wool, are sent
to the tannery in town for curing an
other process which takes a week. Thev
may be made into finished leather for
the use Of local shoe dealers as Innings
and for others who Use them. or sent
in an unfinished condition to eastern
purchasers, The time from placing the
pelts in the warehouse to cleaning the
wool from them, and .ater turning the
hides into finished leather is about three
weeks.
Emperor's Neither Dead.
Victoria, 3. c., Feb. THE Empress