LEA THER-MAKIXd. 



353 



clayey side of a hill for its location. There was a fine spring of 

 water just above his vats, and the natural flow of it was enough 

 to keep them filled. Colonel Edwards's first improvement on the 

 tannery of the day was the making of a place beneath the vats 

 for carrying away the spent liquor. The Ogden and Spencer 

 tannery, it will be remembered, had no provision for getting rid of 



Fig. 12. Polishing Machine. 



Fig. 14. Pebbling Jack. 



Fig. 1-3. Glossing Jack. 



Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14. A great variety of machinery has been introduced for finishing the 

 leather after it has been tanned. Most prominent among them are those figured above. 

 The object of the boarding machine is to bring up the grain and give a granular appear- 

 ance to the leather. The other machines are for the details of the process. 



that refuse. Colonel Edwards, too, arranged his leaches in tiers, 

 one above the other, and used a suction-pump for raising the 

 liquor. He built a mill for grinding his bark, and, instead of the 

 customary horse as motor power, used water. Perceiving that 

 his leather tanned faster in summer, the application of heat was 

 suggested, and the result was the invention of the copper heater. 

 Dry hides had become very plentiful at that time, and Colonel 

 Edwards had used a stone wheel to soften them. This, however, 

 was a slow operation, and as an experiment the colonel took a 



VOL. XLI. 2fi 



