The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-07-12
PANAMA HATS.
North American Craze Keeps South
American Busy.

The Panama hat craze is probably the
most expensive fashion ever adopted by
men. Lyman j. Gage is said to have
paid $500 for hat-enough to pay for
trip to Europe or to keep young man
in college whole year. King Edward
gave up $3.50 and Jean de Resake reached
the top notch-he paid 5000. Ex-Mayor
Van Wyck's cost only $3.50
These figures are of course away above
the average, but no Panama worth wear
ing can be had for less than $25. If you
aim to have a hat that may be tucked
away in a vest pocket like lead pencil or
slipped through finger ring you must be
in the coupon-clipping class. Neverthe-
less, in spite of these figures, Panama hats
are being sent from South America in
ship loads and about half the population
of Ecuador and hundreds of persons in
other South American countries are en-
gagged in supplying hat luxuries for the
men of Yankeedom.
WHAT THE PANAMA Is.
Before 1897 all of these hats were of
the shapeless sombrero shape, with crease
across the top of the crown. The shape
has been improved, but the method of
making the hats is the same as it was
many years ago when they received the
name Panama, because they began to
come by way of that place to the United
States and other distant countries. The
material used in the making of Panama
hats is the screw palm, call by naturalists
Carindovica palmata. 1t is of the palm
family, and is described by Charles r.
Dodge, expert for the United States on
fibres, as follows
cit is stemless species, common in
shady places all over Panama and along
the cost of New Granada and Ecuador.
The leaves, pleated like fan, are born on
three -cornered stalks, 6 to IA feet high.
They are about four feet in diameter
and deeply cut into four or five divisions,
each of which is gain cut. The leaves
are gathered while young and stiff, and
the parallel veins are removed, after which
they are slit into shreds, but not separated
at the stalk end, and immersed in boiling
water for short time and bleached in the
sum-
The strands are about half inch wide.
Before they are ready for the braider they
are rolled from either edge and become
round, and then again pressed fat and are
ready for the weaver. In order to work
the material it must be dipped into water
every few minutes. If this is not done the
strands become brittle and break A hat
to command high price must be perfect,
and in order that it may be so and have no
loose strand, no broken part, the weavers
never work in the hot hours of the day,
and many of them do their weaving only
at night, by candle light
A first-class hat usually takes about six
months to make, and when it comes here
it is shapeless, dirty and unsightly. Here
it is cleaned and pressed into shape. The
expert can tell by the button, the CEN
tral point of the crown Of the hat, where
the weaver begins the work, in which part
of the country the hat was made. Every
section has its peculiar style, which is
taught to the children when they begin to
work, They practice on low grade ma
terial for years, and when they have ac-
quired sufficient skill they begin work with
the better material, but it matters not what
grade of hat they make, the s'button' is
always made in the same way. The name
of the hat is misleading. 1t gives the
impression that the fabric is manufactured
in Panama, whereas the fact is that Ecu
ador and Colombia produce two thirds of
all the Panamas in the market. The city
of Panama is merely shipping port for
the hats brought from these places. But
because the headgear all passes through
that city its name is applied to the hat.
The perfect Panamas are woven by the
women of Ecuador, and those that live in
the provinces of Tolima and Su@z, Co.
lombia. The men can rarely he induced
to work, no matter how considerably the
pay, and contractors have about ceased
trying to galyanize them with energy.
But the women are more industrious, and
plod along week after week, tearing the
palm leaf with certain nicely, and weaving
in the shreds, one at time.
The value of a hat depends entirely
upon its texture and pliability. One that
cost $500, for example, should be SO close
ly woven as to appear practically smooth to
the naked eye. It is, Of course, made in
one piece, and if the owner has not been
cheated he should be able to squeeze his
hat through finger ring But hat ca
pable of this treatment is about as rare as
a blue diamond.
The crave for Panamas began last year,
and appeared only to be transient, but the
enterprising merchants of our big cities
foretold that this summer would find
demand far greater than the supply, and
they accordingly put in their orders about
six months ago. Since then the Panama
hat industry has become more lucrative
than any other in that part of Sonth
America adjoining the isthmus, and with
the prospects of making fortune in few
years many planters have abandoned the
raising of coffee and rice. The mountain
passes of the Andes, from Chimbroazo
northward, TEEN, day and night, with
large columns of pack mules and OK carts,
bearing their precious burden to Panama.
The streets of Panama itself are fanked
with the establishments of hat brokers,
and half the city is engaged one way OF
the other in helping to further this Amer