The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-02-03
MAKING ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.

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ooh, yes, indeed, they come pretty
high" said the artificial leg maker.
"It is beauty, though, isn't it! !
venture to say there amt another one
in Philadelphia like it, on or off, and
it's as light as a feather, too.
With these words the creator OF
artificial limbs fourished leg in the
air. He was fat and smiling, and
he spoke with an indistinguishable
foreign ascent, and every once in q
while his face beamed with enthu-
siasm.
"They all come to Philadelphia for
them, too," he continued. We've
customers from all over Europe, Asia
and Africa. There are lots of leg
makers in the city-at least they call
themselves such, but some of them
are not leg makers at all they're
harness makers. I"
The august Philadelphia leg maker,
purveyor to kings, queens and Gov
ernment officials, took little time to
show the specimens around the room.
They were fat and thin, long and
short, graceful and otherwise. Some
of them were huddled in corners, ac-
cumulating the dust of ages others
hung aloft on racks, so light and airy
that they were waited to and fro in
the breeze.
"You see," continued the leg
maker, 1--WE know how to do things
now. We've got the secret all right.
First they chop down the willow tree;
then we cut out the legs. 1t takes
heap of flexible leather to put the
tendons in the right place. See that
spring in the ankles? That's made
by the leather tendons. If you saw
one on man you could not tell the
difference. Then the whole thing is
covered over with fine pink enamel.
Looks natural enough, don't it?"
At this juncture rap came at the
door, and big man, 6 feet q, weigh
ing nearly 900 pounds, entered. He
looked smilingly complaisant as he
lighted cigarette and shook hands
with the leg maker.
"Can you do rush order for me,
double quick p he asked. GIVE
come through tough fight he
went on. "You know / always travel
with bunch of legs and coming up
this way from New Orleans the Pull
man car was burned and all four of
my legs were lost. I only saved the
one had on and now you've got to
get to work to make another set for
me double quick" With an air of
languor and ease the big man stood
to have himself measured.
"Do you know who he is ?" ques-
toned he of the leg trade, after the
ponderous man had gone. "Well,
he is the son of one of the richest wo-
men in the United States. He lost
his leg through disease, and he al
ways comes to Philadelphia to have
his sets made. Plain, ordinary boxes
do for most people to cart their legs
around in but he's got fine leather
cases with his name engraved upon
them.
"Do many of them go into it on
such wholesale plan 7" was queried
of the leg maker.
Heaps of them" he replied, Ia
conically. "Some of them can do
anything with 'em. There's one
young man in this city who belongs
to glee club and they tell me he's
the best dancer of Irish jigs in the
town. He was a good dancer before
he lost his leg, and he's all right yet.
No; we have no lady attendants.
We ought to have, though. What's
the reason? Oh, because there is
not one woman in Philadelphia that
can find who knows the trade. Pity,
too, because there's money in it. A
good leg maker ought to make at
least $25 per week.
"There are six or seven men in
public life, we'll known, who wear
artificial limbs. None but their inti-
mate friends and families know it,
however. One young lady in Phila-
delphia who led number of dances
last winter has an artificial leg. 1t
is easy to waltz with one after you
learn how to use them.
:Oh yes, artificial leg making is
the thing for me, concluded the leg
maker. IT started out as fine car
penter, doing up banks and public
buildings, and one day went into
place in New York to order an artifi-
cial limb for friend in distress. The
maker was doctor, strange to say.
He sized me up and l sized him up,
and in short time was under con-
tract to work for him. They can't
steal our patents, either, for it's as
hard to make an artificial limb with
out years of learning as it would be
for some tinhorn maker to produce
Stradivarius. ."-ShOe Retailer.