Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-07-28
OBTAINING LEATHER.
Many uses for shark and Eel skins
Bciting From sturgeon.
(From the Chicago TribuneD

Aside from the leather that Is made
from the skin of seals. walruscs, OF
ters. etc, there Is leather obtained
from other denlzcns Of the sea, not to
speak of n queer sort of leather man
ufactured of the skins of fishes.
The skin OF sharks is of a beautiful
FURNISHED gray or blush color. 1t re
scinbles finely grained leather, mas
much as II shows many fine tiny
prickles set all one way. These arc
quite invisible to the naked eye. but
so many are there and SO finely set
are they. giving the dried skin its
rich effect, that one derives a decided
~ unpleasant effect in rubbing ones
hand over the sharks skin in the d.
rection opposite to that in which
they point.
This property of shark skin renders
IL especially valuable for the manu-
facture Of "shagreen." The skin being
both tough and easy to work. 1t Is
susceptible to use for many purposes
whereto decorative leather effects are
desired.
Despite its lumpy armor the stur
geon affords a valuable and attrac-
tive leather. 1t has been found that
when the bony plates are removed
the patterns thereof remain on the
skin. Just as the patterns Of allga-
tor scales remain on alligator leath
err. circumstance that adds much to
the value Of the product. From the
surgeons that abound on our Pacif-
ic coast and in the graf lakes there
Is procured tough leather that is
,,t o. LIT nc
join leather betting in machinery. and
it is said the laces frcquntly outwear
the betting itself.
In Turkish waters there Is found
strikingly unattractive fish called the
angel fish" which is by some held
to be a kind of a shark. and from
which is obtained an extremely high
grade Of green leather much
teemed in the Ottoman dominons.
In Russia certain peasant costumes
are trimmed with the skins of food
fish, the turbot, and in Egypt men
wear sandals made from the skins Of
fish caught In the Red Sea. In our
own country too the cod has been ut
ilized in a similar manner, for there
has been no li-tle use made in Glou
cester Mass. Of the skin Of the hum
BILE cod for the making Of leather for
shoes and gloves.
Eel skin serves for many purposes,
among them being the manufacture
OF leather for binding books and for
braiding into whips.
The garfish, fresh water fish
found along our coasts. possesses
skin that Is capable of polish so
smooth that It resembles ivory. 1t has
been used for the making OF picture
frames and jewel baskets. 1t is said
that the skin of this fish was en-
ployed by certain of the Indian tribes
to make an armor. So tough and hard
IS it that 1t Is claimed a breastplate
made thereof will turn a knife or n
spear We are even assured that OF
the finer specimens Of armor con-
structed OF this fish hide there were
some capable of rendering harmless
the blow OF a tomahawk.
Queer uses are made of the intes-
tines Of the warus and the sea lion.
Tho former are made into sails for
boats by the Eskimos and the latter
are slit and stitched together to form
hooded coats. said to be far superior
to rubber as waterproof garments.
In the utilization OF odd materials
for making leather even the frog
does not escape In this country and
in France Its skin Is used to make
card cases ana ether small articles.