10 whalebone: its pkoduction and utilization. 



These full-length cuts, which are nearly always five-sixteenths of 

 an inch thick, are reduced to lengths of 36 inches, thoroughly 

 steamed, run through the splitting machine, and split parallel with 

 the original surface of the slab into thin strips about 1 millimeter 

 (one twenty-fifth of an inch) in thickness. The splitting machine 

 consists of a horizontal knife about 2 inches wide, fixed in a frame on 

 the edge of a table, and subject to changeable gauge by means of 

 screws. As the whalebone is pushed against the edge of the sharp 

 knife a spring holds it doAvn firmh^, to assure cutting the full thick- 

 ness of the gauge. In splitting the cut pieces the shell bone on 

 either side is first removed in strips and then the grain bone is split. 



The strips of shell bone are next scraped with a sharp knife to 

 remove the membranous tissue upon the surface, and are then bun- 

 dled in gross lots ready for the dressmaking trade. Each piece is 

 36 inches long and, as a rule, five-sixteenths of an inch wide. The 

 thickness ranges from 0.7 millimeter to 1.4 millimeters, and is usually 

 0.8, 1, or 1.2 millimeters. The last three measurements correspond to 

 2, 2|, and 3 pounds, respectively, to the gross. Strips of shell bone 

 0.7 millimeter in thickness weigh about 1^ pounds to the gross, and 

 those 1.1 millimeters thick approximate 3^ pounds to the gross. At 

 the present time the market price of dress bone strips is $9 to $10 per 

 pound for ordinary grades. They are always j^acked in gross lots, 

 and prices are quoted by the gross rather than by the weight. 



Some of the shell bone is very light in color, even approaching 

 whiteness, although this is rare, not over 200 pounds of " white bone " 

 being secured annually in x\.merica. The lighter the color the more 

 desirable it is as a rule, and for the white or colorless upward of $30 

 per pound is received b}^ the cutters. This is not because of any 

 peculiar merit in the material itself, but because it is more suitable 

 for use with white dress material. The light bone exists in small 

 streaks onl}", and until it goes through the steam box there is difficulty 

 in determining Avhether it will come out very light or not. The cut- 

 ters make no attempt to account for the cause of this light coloring. 



The thin strips of grain bone, after leaving the splitting machine, 

 are cut into different lengths, varying from 8 to 16 inches, and in 

 widths as low as one-eighth of an inch, according to orders from the 

 corset makers. The transverse cutting is done by means of a vertical 

 knife, operated by a lever handle. The longitudinal cutting is 

 quickly accomplished bj^ running each strip against a small vertical 

 knife set in a frame and gauged from the side at the proper distance 

 to produce* strips of the desired width. These short pieces are 

 neatly bundled and sold at the present time for about $6.50 per 

 pound. They are commonly known as " corset bones." They are 

 liable to split if pierced b}' n needle, and are slipped into jackets or 

 casings instead of being sewed into the garments. 



