762 Transactions of the American Institute. 



and every piece of the underlying bark, or other ingredient within 

 the apparatus, and in such a manner that it should reach the inside 

 of each piece in its passage; absorb, remove, and carry down there- 

 from the dissolved tannin to receiver M; whereas, with tanners, 

 too often the liquor in a leach is around the bark, but only passes 

 doAvn through gutters, formed within the leach, by the force of the 

 current, and passages, made between the bark and the sides of the 

 leaoh (by the falling in of the bark in the running off of liquors), 

 while the bark is very imperfectly affected by its passage; and to 

 the verdict of every unprejudiced tanner I appeal, as to whether, 

 because I discovered and improved menstruum for the leaching of 

 bark, and a new mode of obtaining said menstruum, I should be 

 thereby deprived of a tanner's indestructible right to use tan liquor 

 for the same purpose, as is the immemorial habit of tanners, and 

 which no tanner can fail to discern I intended to make use of, when my 

 object would be simply to make tanning liquors of ordinary strength. 



Mr. Steers was proceeding to comment further on the merits of 

 his patents when objection was made, and the general discussion of 

 the subject was opened. Jackson S. Schultz, Esq., one of the 

 largest dealers in leather in the city, then took the floor: 



Mr. Schultz commenced by saying that this matter might prove 

 very uninteresting to persons outside of the leather trade unless it 

 was illustrated by models and drawings. Every tanner realized 

 the trouble of leaching bark thoroughly, and some of the best pay- 

 ing patents in the trade were for professed improvements in this 

 branch. He said there wjis eleven or twelve per cent of tannin in 

 hemlock, and seven per cent in oak bark, and at the present high 

 prices and prospective scarcity of the article, it was an object with 

 the tanner to have the process of leaching thoroughly performed. 

 He also referred to the new process about to be introduced to crush 

 the bark, and thus obtain all the tannin, and said if this method 

 was what it claimed to be, the " occupation " of previous inventors 

 in this line would be gone. Mr. Schultz also said that any person 

 who could extract the coloring matter from liquors without injuring 

 the tanning properties could be assured of a fortune. 



The Chairman made some able remarks on the importance of the 

 leather trade, which stands at the head of industrial interests in 

 the State of New York; alluded to its growth and prosperity here, 

 and paid a fine compliment to the late Col. William Edwards, 

 styling him the Watts of the tanning trade. The Chairman showed 

 a thorough knowledge of the business, which is accounted for by 



