The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22
UTILIZING FISHES SKIN.
Leather Can De Produced From the
Aquatic Species.

(From the Chicago Chron:cle.)
The Fish Commission has recently been
getting together a collection of feathers
made from the skins of fishes and other
| aquatic animals. 1t is not only Of interest
| to the curiosity seeker, but is intended
| to have very practical value, showing
incidentally what may be done with the
outer coats of many creatures whose hides
are commonly esteemed worthless. Already
the worlds supply of leather derived from
land animals does not equal the demand,
so that the utmost efforts are being made
/ to discover or manufacture some sort Of
available substitute, but hitherto nobody
seems to have thought of utilizing the
material afforded by creatures that live in
the water.
Several kinds of fishes have skins that
make excellent leather for some purposes
| For example, salmon hide serves 50 well in
! this way that the Eskimo of Alaska make
waterproof shirts and boots out CT tin
fact even whole suits of clothes. They also
cut jackets out of Goldfish skins. which are
very seryiceable garments. Already frog
skins are coming into use for the mounting
of books where an exceptionally delicate
material for fine bindings is required. Most
people do not realize now very tough the
outer coats of some fishes are. There are
certain tribes of savages who make
breastplates out of garfish skins. which
will turn any knife or spear a bullet will
pierce them, but ii is impossible to chop
through the material with Ratchet at one
! blow. Together with such breastplate is
worn helmet of the skin of a porcupine
fish which is covered with formidable
spines. Fastened upon the head 1t serves
not only as protection, but TO butt with.
The Gloucester Isinglass and Glue Com
pany recently made up some shoes from
the skins of Goldfish and cusk. On the
I Vol. 4 lie ,T. Il
fish skins are commonly worn by the ma
tives. Dogfish skin is utilized for polish
ing mackerel- jigs by fishermen, and the
side of the shark has long been recognized
as an excellent material for leather Whip
handles the made OF shark skin and in
strument cases are commonly covered with
it. II goes under he name of shagreen.
During the war of the Revolution, by the
way, the American soldiers, for lack Of rib
bon. tied up their queues with eel skin.
Whale skin would make an admirable
leather for some purposes, and 1t is
| shame to think of the countless thousands
| of hides of these cetaceans that have been
/ thrown away since the fishery for them
/ began. Porpoise leather is even now en-
| ployed for razor strops. being considered
a very superior material Seal leather, dyed
| in a number Of different colors, is included
| in the Fish Commissions collection. II is
| used now TO a considerable extent in the
manufacture of pocketbooks. and is OBJ
| tanned OF course, from the hair seal and
not from the fur bearing species. Hair
seals are still enormously plentiful in the
north Atlantic and other seas, and II is not
| difficult TO kill them so that they afford a
! very promising source of leather supply.
! Walrus leather has come into the market
| recently. but it will hardly amount to much
! commercially inasmuch as the animals are
/ being exterminated rapidly.
Another kind of leather now coming into
/ the market is that of the sea elephant. Up
( 10 within few years ago a species of sea
! elephant was found the Pacific Coast,
I ranging as far north as Lower California,
/ but ii has been entirely eXterminated.
/ related species occurs in Antarctic seas,
4 chiefly on Kerguelan Island and ii was
driven likewise almost to the point Of ex-
/ tinction a dozen years back. So few OF
| them were left that it became Improbable
! TO go after them and so they had a chance
| to increase again in numbers. Last year
vessel got a cargo of their oil and hides.
and this season other ships are going. So
! II is to be presumed that the sea elephants
J in that part Of the world will soon be prac-
: tically wiped out once more. When full
J grown they weigh about 1000 pounds and
| measure eighteen feet or so in length.
The Fish Commission has also acquired
specimens OF leather made from the hide of
! the manatee-that huge aquatic beast Of
/ Central and South American waters. which
weighs a ton, and feeds on water plants.
II is gentle. intelligent and affectionate
| when tanned Most commonly IL is caught
by stretching nets across the mouth of a
! stream in which il is feeding, so that it
/ becomes entangled. A skeleton of mana
tee is worth 500 today as museum Curl
! osity. Naturally the feathers made from
pelts of alligatoTs and crocodiles are in
| cluded in the collection described. So also
| is The skin OF the water moccosin, which is
| utilized in the manufacture of belts and
pocketbooks But fish feathers are most
| interesting OF all, and 1t is to their avail =
ability for industrial uses that the Fish
Commission chiefly desires to draw atten-
i