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then ready for use, are packed up and sent away to various factories.
The premises are well lit and ventilated by means of windows and
skylights. There are 5 men employed, for whom 1 w.c. is provided ;
this is situated in the yard in a well ventilated enclosure. Notice was
sent to have the flushing apparatus repaired, and the w.c. pan and
enclosure cleansed. All was complied with.
6. A Belting Manufactory.
This large factory is engaged in the manufacture of all kinds of
mechanical belting. These consist of sewn cotton belting, hair belting,
elevator webbing, indiarubber belting, leather and raw hide belting.
The premises consist of two buildings, each having three floors, and
also three or four one-storey workshops. To give an idea of the size
of the buildings, they stretch back from the street for a distance of 120
yards.
The Process. Perhaps it might be as well to describe the process
step by step. Hides are obtained from different tanneries throughout
the country. These are called butts. The hides go through a wet
process, first on the ground floor, where they are thoroughly washed in
a rotating drum at the end of the room. They are then moved to a
peculiar rotating table where a powerful mechanically worked brush
and rubber thoroughly cleanses the butt, and reduces the whole of the
hide to a uniform thickness. Next, the butt is again washed and
placed in a stretching frame, where it is extended as faras is practicable
within the limits of safety; in fact, the stretched butt in this machine
gave the same feeling to the tips of the fingers as the parchment in a
kettledrum. The skin is next partially dried in a drying room, and it
has now attained a certain density and texture required for certain
purposes, e.g., various kinds of belting. After partially drying, the
skins are placed on a table and the surface scraped by hand with
scrapers. Thereafter the skins are removed to another table and
dressed by hand with a yellowish compound composed of pure cod liver
oil and tallow ; this is intimately incorporated into the skins, rendering
them soft and pliable. This softening process is followed by the final
drying. The skins are suspended from racks in a long drying room
where air is drawn in by electric fans over steam-heated coils, attaining
a temperature of about 90° F. The air is driven into a duct which
passes the whole length of the room and has openings at intervals;
this heated air circulates around the skins and is finally dispelled