Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-05-02

September /, 1900, a farmer Sid 10 a
Bethel butcher a COW with peculiar hide,
such a. he had never seen before. 1t was
marked in somewhat the same way as that
variety OF maple is marked giving the
birdseye maple.
January LIST following, the same farmer
bought Of local merchant pair Of shoes
for his wife and was surprised to notice
the leather was marked in the same way as
the hide of the COW he had sold, and in
tracing out the history Of the animal he
found his suggestions were correct, that
the hide had been sold TO Bethel tannery,
made into leather and then around
through the various channels Of dealers
and shoemakers until a portion thereof
had reached him again. He was peculiarly
interested in the manufacture OF the
finished leather from the green hide at the
Bethel tanIery and has written for us an
account of what he found at the tannery.
Through the Kindness of b. G. Walker,
manager Of the tannery, he was first
shown through tho buildings in which
the various processes OF tanning a hide
are carried out They are conveniently
situated on the western side OF the
G. V. X. r. in the village Of Bethel and
cover about two acres. The engine and
boiler rooms and bark grinding mill are
placed in a centrally located brick, metal
rooted building sOx30 feet,i the construc-
ton of which over 10000 brick were used.
The dynamo and electric lighting appara-
tus are placed in one end Of this building.
There Is one engine Of 100-horse power
and one OF horse power,and two boilers
Of l5O- horse power each. In the IRE room
i the tan press that takes the wet tan
bark. fresh from the teaches, and renders
il tit for immediate use for fuel. Without
the use OF this tan bark. the fuel bill
would be about 5000 year. with the
use OF il, only about $500 has to be spent
for coal, which is only used in winter
when the additional call for steam to heat
the buildings makes necessary the use OF
about one ton OF coal day. No coal j.
used In summer, OF any moment. The
engineer Is Moses Clukey, who Is now
sick and his duties are performed by
George Sanspra. The night engineer IS
F. 5. Merrill and night watchman ;.
Bartlett. ,,
the double brick fireproof building OF
Fire District No. /, containing Deane
numn of $50 gallons capacity per minute
Steam Is constantly supplied TO this pump
from the tannery boilers, so that the
nurnp Il ready for work to supply water IN
case OF a fire in the village.
The other buildings are the YARD ana
beam house, one story, 3OON5O ieet, the
leach house S0x30, the four-story nnlshlhg
rooms 15Ox60 feet, hide house. once ana
A snnr track from the Rochester railroad
rms into the ward and delivers the bark
within a few feet of the bark mill. Inc
hnildings are lighted throughout by
eIectricity generated by the company
own plant. by dynamo o. ~ ilghi
There are now 100 lights wired
in. The buildings are heated ny steam
and there is no stove or fire OUTSIDE OF the
engine room. ,.,,
green hides, coming in small lots bought
nv Charles W. Harrison, purchasing
4 s,ent for the tannery. The remainder are
r1red hides received by rail and come from
an rarts of the world. Recent receipts
include lots from East India, Ireland,
Alabama, Ohio and Illinois.
The green hides are thrown d2Mn
sbntes from the cars above to the hide
house about forty feet below, where they
are weighed. salted and packed Inc
cnring process is done in thirty days ana
hen the cured hides go to the beam house;
The hide house. beam house and YARD
house are under the charge OF John Weier.
When the hide reaches the beam house Il
IL soaked in water to soften It and run
through the fieshing machine, when mas
. canacity OF 400 hides in ten hours. inns
oneration removes the flesh left ON by the
butcher. Next it goes into the lime vat
- four days to loosen the hair, then INTO
he nnhairing machine, then 10 the pate
,,at 10 neutralize the lime. The hides are
'bcn loaded on to car running on an
c,-e-bead track and taken TO the yard
hons where there are 1854 watts hiled Win
'sliouor.n The heart Of our farmer Mhicn 1
had arisen TO his mouth on mention OF
his fact. fell again when he was informed
ihst This liquor was made by simply pass
mo hot water through ground henlocA
haSlr In the ten teaches in the leach house.
These teaches are circular IN form anu
30 ten feet high by ten feet in diameter. /
NJ, Ground bark is taken by conYeNors
ION, The bark mill and the leach Is fllea /
,-;,b hoiling hot water from large tank 4
'oa- Inc ton Of the leach house. me
,-ster in this tank is heated by ths
~ hsnst steam. Nine teaches are rehlled
- week with fresh material and the
;Hnor h bumped each day from the Oldest
- - AZ naxf oldest SO as 10 gel the