The Washington times., 1904-12-25
EXPERT LEATHER
COUNTERFEIT ING
Goods Are Often Not What
They Seem to Be.
SHEEPsKINS TRANSFORMED

Leather working. which is now a
fashionable society fad, Is the practical
business OF hundreds of men IN the
great leather-making centers of New
England, and so sk;llfu1 are the latter
in manipulating various hides and skins
that their feats of wholesale counter
feiting border on the marvellous
These leather workers take a bundle
Of skeepskins, fresh from the Chicago
packing house, and one of them they
will make into n handsome furry rug,
another into beautiful snake skin, q
third into an alligator's hide, a fourth
into piece of Swiss chamois, fifth
into a beautiful soft leather fog book
binding. a sixth skin into a smooth
dark olive leather for upholst ering, a
seventh into a fine black leather for an
automobile coat or cap, and so on
throughout a range Of E1any articles OF
domestic use, apparel and ornament
So skilIful are these leather wOI kers
that they themselves are often deceived
by their own limitations Lately a hand
some seal watch fob was presented a
noted leather worker. and he himself
was unable to tell whether the skin was
a genuine sealSkin, or only a piece OF
sheepshin until he had cut it and sub
jected ii to microscopic examination.
AS a result of the toll of these leather
workers. hundreds Of people are de-
ceived about their leather goods. The
woman who thinks she carries purse
from the skin of Il dear little African
monkey has only q piece OF cleverly
tanned sheepSlfin- The society S1r! who
brightens up her complexion with a
piece of Swiss chaInois, is only using
bit of Marys little lamb. The young
dude who wears a moieskin vest be-
cause King Edward once wore~one, in
closes himself in sheepskin- The hand
some lizard-skin slippers of my lady 5
are sheen
skin Even figured wall paper is made
Of sheepskin, but it's costly
Process cf Making limitations.
The processes of making these imita-
tions are remarkably interesting, and
they combine both chemistry and me-
chanics. Tanners obtain their sheep
skins from all parts OF the world NIL
lions come from the Chicago slaughter
houses, and large quantities are also Sc
cured from South America, New Zea-
land, Australia. China. India. South
Africa, and other countries.
The leather workers sort these skins
for various purposes. Some are tanned
with the wool on them and after being
tanned the wool is combed out by great
revolving combs into long. silky lengths.
These skins are used for rugs and in
fants' robes and are also sewed up into
sleeping bags for arctic explorers and
sportsE1en.
From other skins the wool is pulled
by hand and then the skins are tanned
In sumac, or chrome acid. which pre-
! serves them One piece OF sumac-t tanned
skin is known to have lasted 500 years.
After the skins are tanned. the leath-
or workers begin their wonderful fears-
Usually these operations are performed
behind locked doors. and only the most
| trustworthy men are allowed inside Be-
hind these doors are great machines.
looking like printing presses, and which
are really leather printing presses. Upon
their cylinders are plates or the skins
which the leather worker desires to imi-
tate.
'sThe Camera Doesn't Lie"
These plates are obtained by photo
graphing genuine skins, such as skins
of the snake. alligator, lizard or seal,
and by enlarging and reproducing in
steel the Photographic plates. by the pro-
cess commonly used for newspaper work
@-The camera doesn't Ie." is a maxim
among the leather workers, and their
T, printed counterfeits are usually such ac-
curate reproductions of the original skins
/ that only experts can tell the difference
| The sheepskin that is fed into one side
| of the press comes out the other Ike a
| snakeSkin, an alligator hide or the hide
of whatever other animal the leather
| worker may have reproduced on the
| plates on his press. The figures OF
| the press are reproduced on the leather
! just as type is reproduced on. the news
paper.
Despite the mechanical perfection o,
! this wholesale system OF counterfeiting
| great skill is necessary on the part OF
the leather workers. In the tanning
processes an ounce too much or too
/ little of certain chemicals will ruin
| hundreds of skins, and in the finishing
processes the tension and speed of ma
chimes must be fixed with greatest care
| More than million of these snita-
! ton skins are turned out in the town oI
| Pea body Mess, alone, and probably
| another r.illfon are made elsewhere
| These skins are distributed in this coun-
| try and abroad and are made UP into
| hundreds of leather novelties, bags and
| ValiSes, gloves. purses. pocket books
cigar and card cases and other common
| little things of leather.
GREENE GETS CONCESSION.
/ AUSTIN. Tex, Dec. 24-The Mexican
! government has granted a concession to