The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-07-18
MIXERS OF FEATHERS
Their Trade Is One That Takes
Many Years to Master.
SORTING OUT THE GRADES.

The Work Of the Blower, a Machine
That 10 at Once Both Simple and
Wonderful - The Combinations the
Expert Must Know How TO Mix.
Feather mixing is one OF the hardest
trades to learn, but when mastered ls
also one of the best paying methods OF
earning living. The worker who In
tends to make this trade his life work
must start when he is young, for II
takes on an average thirteen years for
a man to work up from pillow hller To
feather mixer.
Feathers that have been plucked
from hens, ducks, turkeys and geese
are the only kinds Of feathers that are
used, says the Chicago Tribune. one
kind OF feathers at a time is placed In
the drum TO lie beaten and to be ster'
ilized by hot air process. The drum
Is a large machine not unlike the wash
ing machines used in laundries. In
the center of each machine is an axle
with eight heaters attached. The beat
ers make over 200 revolutions a min.
ute, beating the dust out OF the feath
ers and cleaning them thoroughly. A
thin screen on the front and back OF
the machine let's the dust out.
This part OF the feather work In the
most unhealthy, for the windows In
the drum room are not allowed to be
opened, and the dust that comes from
the feathers is inhaled by the worker
Many of the drum men contract con.
sumption In a year or more doing this
work and are compelled to give up
and seek other employment. The work
Is not so unhealthy as II was In for
mer years, for the men now are allow.
ed to leave the room while the ma
chine is in operation.
After the feathers have been beaten
and sterilized in the drum they are
placed in the blowing machine to be
sorted and to be deodorized by the
cold blast. As In the drum, the kinds
of feathers are put in the blower sep
arately. The blower IL the most sim.
pie and yet the most wonderful ma
chine that Is used in the feather bust
ness. The machine is built with n
large funnel shaped mouth on top and
always Is placed at one end Of large
room.
The feathers are placed in the fun.
mel, through which they fall down into
the center of the machine. The cold
air blowing from the fan deOdorizes
them. and they leave the machine in
a steady stream, flying all over the
room. The worker finds himself in
what looks like a miniature storm, for
the feathers fly around as high as the
ceiling. An onlooker well might won
der where the sorting comes in of the
maze Of feathers.
II II here that the wonderful part OF
the machine lies, for the air pressure
Is so arranged that the heaviest feath.
ers. which are also the cheapest, will
fall precisely In bin about Ave feet
away from the bl~--T. The next
heaviest will fall in :. bin fifteen feet
away from the machine, and the rest
of the seven different grades Of feath
ers viii fall accurately in bins that
have been provided for them. The
down, which Is the most expensive,
flies around in the air the longest, but
when 1t comes down 1t falls into bin
that 10 placed over seventy-hve feet
away from the blower. Thus the sew
en- different grades OF feathers have
been sorted, each kind in a bin and
without having been touched since
leaving the blower.
The drum and blower man, after put
ting In Ave years at this kind OF work
and also learning the different grades
Of feathers, takes another step upward
IN the business and becomes an as.
sistant to the mixer. His work con-
slsts OF weighing feathers and learning
the different combinations that are
used In stufiing pillows. In n few
years he probably will know how to
mix some of the combinations, but usu-
ally 1t takes Ave years of experience
before an assistant can become a
mixer.
The combination used In the cheap
est pillows is hen and turkey feathers.
Duck and turkey combination is used
In little better grade OF pillows. and
the best combination OF all Is duck and
goose feathers. The most expensive
filling Is made OF downy feathers from
geese. These combinations have diff
ferent prices, and the mixer must know
these prices and when he can expert
ment with the various kinds Of feath-
ers TO try to get a cheaper comblna-
ton that will last as long as the dearer
kind.