(_Seneca Machine & Tool Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y._)]
The assertion has often been made, although its absurdity is now quite generally realized, that the success of the European fur dressers and dyers, particularly in Leipzig, is due to the peculiar nature of the water used, which is supposed to be especially suited for their needs. The achievements in this country in the fur dressing and dyeing industry during the past few years are ample and sufficient answers to the claim of foreign superiority in this field no matter what reason may be given, and particularly when the quality of the water used is advanced as a leading argument. For the water employed by the establishments in and about New York, as well as in other sections of the country is surely not the same as the water of Leipzig, yet the work done here is in every respect the equal of, if not better than the foreign products.
It is interesting to note that similar rumors were current here in the early period of the development of the American coal-tar industry since 1914. Our efforts to establish an independent dyestuff industry were doomed to failure, according to those who circulated the stories, because we did not have the water, which they claimed was responsible for the German success. The present status of the American dye business, in its capacity satisfactorily to supply most of the needs of this country and of others as well, speaks for itself.
However, as is often the case with such erroneous assertions, there is just enough of an element of truth in the statement regarding the peculiar qualities of certain kinds of water, to make the matter worthy of consideration. Water is certainly a factor of great importance in fur dressing and dyeing, and it is not every sort of water that is suitable for use. This fact was recognized by the early masters of the art, for they invariably used rain-water as the medium for their tanning and dyeing materials, and their choice must be regarded as an exceedingly wise one. While the necessity for giving consideration to the quality of the water for fur dressing purposes is great, it is in fur dyeing that the effects of using the wrong water are largely evident, and so extra care must be exercised in the selection of water for this purpose.