Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-07-31
STORY OF A SOLDIERS HAT.
The Rabbit Goes u Long Way Toward
Helping Win tho War.

are far-reaching, and Interfere with
the domestic life OF some little wild
creatures that don't even know there
is war. The rabbits in far.away
Australia, in Canada and in the Uni
ted States have been called to the
colors, regardless OF age or dcp"r |.
ent relatives. Just SO they are rab-
bits and are wearing the regulation
amount OF fur under their coats Of
hair is all that is required, and It
matters not whether they are male
or female, married or single, young
or old, they must do their bit to help
win the war
1t all came about this way: The
soldiers must have hats and good
hats, too, and, unfortunately for the
rabbits, their fur is the best sort of
fur. for making real good hats, and
so they have been called upon to give
up, SO that Uncle Sans boys in kha-
XII might have hats that would stand
rough wear, rain and sunshine. Since
the war began the government has
ordered six millions Of these hats,
and, as 1t takes the fur of six or
eight rabbits to make one of these
army hats, at the lowest calculation,
thirty-six millions Of rabbits have
had to make the supreme sacrifice.
Pretty hard~on the rabbits, but, then,
If they think about 1t at all, they
have the satisfaction of knowing
they are doing their part to make
this better world in which to live,
from human standpoint, If not
from rabbits way of looking at it.
Well, the word went forth that
rabbit fur was needed, and the hunt
ers and trappers got busy, and soon
the skins, in bales and bundles, be-
gan to travel in an endless stream to
the big hat making centers. Then
the hatters got busy, and another
stream, this time Of finished hats,
began to flow from the hat factories
to the great warehouses of the War
Department. From there the stream
divided and flowed North, East.
South and West to the training camps
and cantonments scattered from the
Atlantic to the Pacific. So every
time you see a soldier wearing
soft, straight brim hat, with four
dents in the crown, you can imagine
him as walking around with six little
rabbits on his head. The rabbits
gave up their hair in order that his
hair might be covered.
The contract price for these hats
is $1.75 each and they are the same
quality that civilian would have to
pay $3.50 or 81 for in any retail hat
Store When the skins arc brought
10 thS Factory the FIRST ching shat has
tc be done is to clean the fur ana 10
eLH Scr the long over-hars. This
pio.> ~ is called "carrotinE," as the
chemicals used turn the skin, fur and
all bright yellow-the color Of a
carrot. Next the skin is dried and
hung up, and brushed by machinery
until the over-hairs stand straight
out through the fur. An electrical
machine now comes along and Jerks
the hairs out, leaving nothing but
the clean, dry fur. The skins are
now taken to the cutting department
where sharp knives, driven by cleo
tricity, shave the fur off, all in one
piece, without mussing it I'D at all.
The flake Of fur keeps it's shape so
perfectly, that one would suppose it
was still attached to the skin. If you
will examine some rabbit fur under
strong microscope, you will see
that each separate hair is covered
with tiny little scales, something like
the scales on fish, and, If the mass
of fur is subjected to pounding and
pressing process, these little scales
become interlocked, and the fur
forms something like thick cloth,
called felt. The flakes Of fur, after
passing through a mixer, and then
through another machine called
picker, and then between rollers. are
finally turned over to the men who
make the hats. in front of each hat
ter stands rapidly revolving table,
on which is a copper cone about
three feet high. This inverted fun
mel is full OF tiny holes, and inside
Of 1t is a powerful fan that sucks the
air through the holes, in a regular
gale. The copper cone is kept wet
as it whirls around, and as the hat
ter slowly moves the fur before it the