Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-14
LEATHER FROM THE OCEAN.
Many Varieties Not Generally Known
Are Obtained From Fish
Canadian HarnAss and l,arria aa Iaurnal-

\ grea. deal of good heather comes out of
The sea-not the kind of leather that comes
from the backs of wairus, seal and otter;
everybody knows about that. There is a
queerer leather, which comes from the bod
les of fish.
An extremely fine quality of green leather
I made in Turkey is manufactured from the
skin of an ugly fish called the angel fish.
This is kind of shark--a shark with thick
wiuglike fins that have earned for him the
name of angel, though he doesn't look bit
like an angel, but rather the opposite.
The sword grips of the officers of the Ger
man army are made from shark leather,
too. They are beautiful in pattern, being
marked with dark acknowledged figures.
This skin comes from a North sea shark
known as the diamond shark.
German leather manufacturers have tried
to produce a leather from animal hides that
shall sunplant this Skin but in vain. I'm
like animal leather, fish leather is abso-
.utely imIerviouS to water and never gets
soegy from dampness. Therefore it is ideal
for sword grips, as no matter how much
.the~ hand may perspire, the grip remains
hard and dry.
furnishes a valuable and attractive leather
When the bony plates are taken off their
pattern remains on the skin just the pat
fern of alligator scales remains on alligator
leather. The Pacific coast sturgeon and the
sturgeon Of the great lakes produce tough
leather that is used to make laces for join
ms leather betting for machinery, and the
laces often outwear the betting.
The strange garfish, an American fresh
water fish with long-toothed jaws like those
of the crocodile, has a skin that can be pol
ished smooth until it has a finish like ivory
Ii makes beautiful jewel caskets and pic
ture frames.
The skin of the garfish used to be con-
verted into armor by some tribes of Ameri-
car savageS The hide is SO tough and
hard thai it makes a breastplate that can
lr,,sfa 80
specimens that have been found are hard
enough TO turn even a blow from a toma-
hawk
The savages who wore this fish armor also
used to wear fish helmet. 1t was made
from the skin of the nrickly porcupine fish.
and besides protecting the wearers head,
ii vas used as a weapon of offense. The
warriors butted their enemies with it. and
as 1t had hundreds of ironlike spikes the
operation was eminently painful to the OBJ
,ect of attack 80
In Gloucester, the king town" of fish.
the humble cod has been utilized with sue
cess for making leather for shoes and
gloves. In Egypt men walk on sandals
made from the skins of Red sea fish. In
Russia certain peasant costumes are beau
tifully trimmed with the skins Of fine
food fish, the turbot. Bookbinders in Eu-
rope are binding books with eelskin.
The eelskin serves another and less pleas
ant purpose. 1t Is braided into whips
The writer was the unhappy member of a
European private school where one of these
ceiskfn whips was prominent instrument
of discipline, and he has never cared for
cells since then.
Along the big salmon rivers of Siberia the
natives often wear brilliant leather gar
ments dyed red and yellow. They are made
from salmon skins.
In Alaska beautiful waterproof bags are
made from all sorts of fish skins.
The queerest use is that to which the
intestines of the sea lions are put They
are slit and stitched together to form hood
ed coats, which are superior to India rub
Der as waterproof garments
Walrus intestines are made into sails for
boats by the Esqnimaux of northwestern
America.
Even the frog does not escape. Several
factories in France and few in America.
make card cases and other small leather ar
tlcles from his skin.