The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-06-24
USE FOR SHARKS.
Murderous Sea Monster Makes Excel
lent Leather.

vert another OF man S tradltlOnal ell
emies, the shark, into his serviceable
friend" according to bulletin from
the Washington. D. c., headquarters
of the National Geographic society.
ALREADY sharks are contributing
food, gelatine, and oil for many pur-
poses. to appease the ever more COM
plex needs of mankind, and now they
are being experimental with as a
probably source of shoe leather.
Not many years ago the cattle on
the western plains and on the farms
averaged about one animal to each
person in the United States, but to-
day there is not much more than half
a beef animal for each inhabitant Of
the country, and the import of hides
is negligible.
"The u. S. Bureau of Standards
has completed arrangements to test
the comparative durability of paper
leather made from sharkskin as COM
pared with that of calfskin and COW
hide. The cooperation of the shoe
manufacturers has been obtained in
the making of the necessary shoe for
the tests.
Sharks are regarded as the most
rapacious, bloodthirsty and cruel of
all the inhabitants of the sea, all Of
the known species, with four eXcep-
tions, being fesh-eating. They are
long and cylindrical, the body termin-
ating in a sharp snout in front and
long and flattened tail behind. The
mouth is placed crossWise and usually
is on the lower surface of the head,
some distance behind the tip of the
snout Almost all sharks are marine,
though many occasionally follow their
prey into mouths of rivers. Their
teeth are arranged in formidable tri
angular tiers, the first or outer row
alone being used while the rest are
turned back out of the way. When
those Of the first row are lost, those
of the next row take their place.
''The fms, with their abundant can
tilage, form the basis of the supply of
gelatine in China.
''The livers are taken for the oil
they contain. They are placed in
water and cooked either by steam or
fire, and then the oil is skinned off,
in former times they were 'sun-dried
placed in water and allowed to
stand in the sun for several days.
The quality produced by this method
(Which is still pursued in Labrador
and Newfoundland is much better
than that obtained by the more mod
ern methods, but the difference in
quantity is considerable. Quantity
and quality vary considerably with
the season. The oil is of value in
dressing leather, soap making, fish
glue, paints, and Cor medicinal par
poses. The yield varies from less than
a pint of the smaller sharks, to about
125 gallons in the larger sizes.
cat one time large quantities of the
hides, cleaned but not tanned, were
used for polishing wood, ivory, and
metal. With improvements in meth
ods of preparation of sandpaper and
emery, these have largely replaced
animal hides. Small quantities of GER
tain classes of skin are still in de-
mand among cabinet makers, and
have other special uses, as in the
manufacture of optical fittings. Pc
culiar markings, such as transverse
bands or elongated spots, and the
character of the small, close set, va
riously sculptured lime-like particles
which cover the skin, have adapted
some to uses for sword grips, card
cases, jewelry boxes and other novel
ties. The demand for sword grips is
at present usually large and diff
cult to supply with satisfactory ma
terial.
within the last year American
tanners have experimental in the
production of feathers from these
hides excellent results, and there now
exists a demand for large quantities
of raw materials. In tensile strength,
feathers tested compare favorably
with those made from animal hides,
and the market for those products
appears assured. Special seines, 900
feet long and 1S feet deep, with a
four-inch mesh of extra heavy-twine,
are constructed to capture these fish.
One crew, fishing off the southern
coast, has captured 200 sharks in a
day. A hide will produce from 10 to
40 square feet of leather suitable for
shoes. Five hundred skins a week
are said to be handled at one tannery,