The Hartford republican., 1913-12-19
FOOTBALL MAKING
Work That Requires Powerful
Hands and Arms.
THE PlGSKIN IDEA IS WRONG.
That Brand Of Hide is Never Used, the
Finest Balls Taking Calf or Cow Skin
and the Cheaper Grades sheepskin.
The Blsdders Are Made Of Rubber.

Finest Balls Taking Calf or Cow Skin
and the Cheaper Grades Sheepskin.
The Blsdders Are Made Of Rubber.
That phrase so much used In the foot
ball season. "cIn,sing the pigskin," In.
wolves n popular error. The football
IL not made OF pigskin. but Of the hide
of the calf or COW and for the, cheaper
variety the skin of the sheep. Foot
balls or the ordinary grade are made
I'm this country. but some of the finest
sold to those who are not particular
about price. are imported from Eng
land. where the industry was an old
one before II was started In America.
The making of a football is almost
entirely male industry. The only
share that women have In the work is
seen when one first enters football
factory At long tables girls sit past.
ing Innings on sections of the footballs
cut I'm another part of the factory. II
Is work that a girl IL particularly fitted
for. as the Innings must be carefully
fastened to the rough len ther and
smoOthed until there Is not n sign of a
bubble or rough place on the surface
of the lining.
The first step in the making of
football Is to select the leather. Only
the best Of picked skins are used. and
each skin is carefully gene over for
defects before being cut into the nee
essary sections. This is done by ma
chinery. aud the sections are then sent
to the room In which the girls are at
work for the lining to he pasted on.
Then the lined sections are sent to
the sewing room and the Innings are
stitched together. bringing the outer
covering Of the football into position
for the final stitching. This is done by
machine that turns the footballs out
stitched IN the seams but wrong side
out. They must then be turned right
side out. II Job that Is left to men who
do nothing else all day long but re-
verse the leather covers by hand. a
work that requires great strength and
endurance and gives the workers pro-
digious amount OF pulling power In the
muscles Of the arms and hands.
When the cover Is pulled right side
out the outer part OF the football Is
finished ready for the imitation. The
bladder IL inserted and blown up. and
the ball IL then stamped on hot press
and worked up until the surface Is per.
fectly smooth aud free from rough
spots. The ball Il then debated and
placed aside for shipment.
Balls intended for the soccer game
or for basket ball are also made In the
way described. A new Idea recently
applied to the making of the football
Is to provide n ball suited to the rough
treatm inseparable from play on the
stone tagged or asphalted pavement Of
the school playground. 1t was found
that the finely finished football intend.
I'd for use on a grass covered field
rOnld not stand the hard usage receiv.
I'd during practice I'm the school yard
and football was therefore devised
especially for this rough work. with
the seams stitched on the outside In
stead Of the inside. Sewing the seams
from the outside provided u ridge that
protects the ball when kicked and
bounced In paved court ana makes !
the cost OF the footballs used in II sea
S0n somewhat less than when the fine
iy finished oval Of the gridirOn grounds
is used
The origin Of the term "kicking the !
pigsSin" was explained by one of the |
authorities In this way: Years ago. !
when the game was In its early stages
in England. the imitation was done by |
means Of bladder OF u pig. In those |
I'D days the skin OF the pig was nc.
tually subjected to the indignity Of he !
ing propelled high In the air by the
toe Of n football player. but as the
bladder is no longer used the term has
'eased to apply. TO-
The bladders are now made OF the
best Para rubber. The regulation foot
ball weighs from thirteen and a quar-
ter TO fourteen ounces The soccer
bah weighs from thirteen to fifteen
ounces One cannot definitely predict
the life Of n football. but the makers
say the hardest kicking should fail to
"etire the ball In less than two years.
II may not he generally known that
football has a patron saint. In l520
bov named Hugh had the misfortune
to kick football through a window In
the house Of neighhor. who became
90 Incensed at the damage done that
he stabbed the boy TO death. The pop
Mace avenged the boys death by kill.
ing bis slayer and then exalted the
name Of the unfortunate hoy by calling
him saint Hugh."-New York sun.
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