New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-11
Forty Models
Now at the Front

When the war broke out Mr.. Robin
son, director Of the Metropolitan Mu-
scum, learning that the government
was in need of models for the prepara-
ton of amor, obtained the sanction Of
the trustees in placing the department
of armor ct the disposition of Secre-
tary of War Baker Bashford Dean,
curator of the department and man
who has given his life to the study of
the subject, was commissioned as
major and Immediately sent abroad to
report on the status of armor-what
was already in use and what additions
might feasibly be made. He returned
to the United States late in January of
the present year, and has since kept the
armor workshop of the museum busy,
on holidays and weekdays, turning out
models in accordance with the sugges
tions of General Pershing and the Ord
nance Department. After careful and
patient experimentation by experts
forty models have been made, and are
>even now being tried out on the fight
ing front.
NJ. Tachaux, born in Blois and de-
scendant of men who had been for gen.
erations workers in metals and skilled
artisans in the art of making weapons
of offence and defence, himself q crafts
man of great skill even as a boy, and
filled with all the love of one who is
born to a craft and to whom is in
trusted the privilege of keeping that
craft alive, went to Paris in the 7O's as
apprentice to the famous Klein. The
latter had been brought from the Ores
den armory by order of Napoleon III 10
clean and repair the armor which he
was then installing in the beautiful
Chateau Of Pierrefonds.
Under such tutelagc Tachaux per-
fected himself and soon had an atelier
of his own, from which his reputation
as an armorer spread until he became
recognized as one of the greatest liv-
ing masters of his art, and considered
by many students superior to all in
hammer work. Ten years ago he was
brought to this country to assist Major
Bashford Dean in rcstrappng- the
technical term for riveting and read
justing the fastenings of armor Ca
process requiring high skilD repairing
and restoring the pieces in Americas
greatest collection of arms and armor.
Deft Handler Of
Medieval Tools
Here in the little workshop where the
sun comes in through miniature panes
and is DETECTED in myriad coors bv
small tools, age old, bits OF brass and
bronze, steel bright from pounding and
armored suits wrought with the ntri-
cate traceries of medieval decoration.
". Tachaux plies with deft skill and
the ease of long practice the very tools
used by his ancestors and handed down
from father to son through hundreds
of years. The museum has collected
from ali parts Of the world the imple-
hnents used in the fabrication Of an
Gent armor, comprising some ninety
Kinds of anviis and "stakcs," several
hundred different types Of hammers,
curious shears and instruments whose
use would be quite unknown we're it
not that six armorcrs--heirs Of past
skill-are living to-day. One Of these
is in Dresden, one in Switzerland.
two in Japan, one In London and the
other America has in the person Of VI. F.!
Tachauz VINO has collected about him
the dusty romance Of an almost for |
gotten art and in his corner Of an
ultra modern city has Iaborcd TO pre-
serve the relics Of those storicd cen