Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1895 — CRUTCHES. [ARTICLE]

CRUTCHES.

Where They Are Made and What They Are Made Of. Nearly all the crutches made in this country, for use here and for export to foreign countries, principally to the West Indies, to Mexico, Central America and South America, are made in four or five factories in New England, and two or three factories in other parts of the country. Perhaps three-fourths or more of them aro made in Now England, a great nmnber being produced by a single factory in New Hampshire. A few crutches are made to order outside of the factories, but they are very few. Almost without exception, and Including those made to order, crutches aro made In the factories. Most of the factories are located whore they are so as to bo as near as possible to forests of suitable Umber, and because of the greater cheapness of labor. Practically no crutches aro imported. Rock maple is the wood most used in the manufacture of crutches;they arc made also of lanccwood, rosewood, hickory and other woods, and of bamboo. The great majority of crutches are now made of the modern style, the spread or doublebar crutch so familiar to the oyo; but the old stylo crutch has by no means gono entirely out of use. Perhaps ten per cent, of our crutches aro still made of the old fashioned style, a single straight bar, with i'll arm piece across at the top. Crutches of this kind are sometimes made of ash or oak; they aro moro commonly sold whoro but a single crutch is desired, and where, therefore, a greater strength and stiffness aro needed. It is not unusual for women who use crutches to have two pairs, ono for ordinary use and the other for moro forinaj occasions; the pair moro commonly used might bocomo moro or less scratched or murrod. Somo women have two pairA ono pair of a light colored wood, the other of dark, the better to match the gowns they might wear. Men are not so particular as this, hut many of them buy crutches of fine materials, llnely made aud iinished. Jn SpanishAmerlcan countries men like crutchos handsomely and moro elaborately mounted,

Crutches may bo bought at almost any price; a puir of modorn double bur crutches with rubber tips can ho bought for $2, perhaps for loss. From that thoy run upward according to material and linlsh. Crutches aro often made with solid silver trimmings, ngid not Infrequently with gold trimmings and with ivory handles and with Ivory urmpleces. Probably $1(1 to $25 a puir would covor thacostof mostof tlio liner crutches; some, however, cost SSO, S6O and more. Crutch armplecos aro finished in various ways; many are covered with leather, many are finished in polished wood; ono of the nowest stylos is a polished wood top linished in the shape of a cow's horn and ho called. There aro patents on crutches, principally on ono end or the other, the top or the lip. Rubber tips liavo boon usod for many years, hut thero have been various Improvements In thorn. Formerly a ploco of rubber was simply tacked onto the end of the crutch. An Improvement oil tins wus a ferrule on the end of the crutch and projecting beyond tHo end of it, forming a socket into which the rubber could ho inserted. Thore is a clamp Up which car. be opened and closod, so that tlio worn rubber can ho tttkon out upd ronowod. Most of the rubber tips have openings into which ico spikes can ho Inserted in icy weather. A rocont device combines ico spike, rubber and ferrule In such a manner thut the ico spike can he used or not, ns desired. Dealers say that the demand for crutches increases more rapidly proportionately than the increase of tlio population. This Is accoftntod for by tlio increasing accidents attending tlio extended use of machinery in offtT form And another, fin 3 Til some measure it is attributed incidentally to improved methods of surgical proctice and the bettorVnannor in which fractured limbs are now supported, so that patients are not only permitted to go out on crutches, but are urged to go as soon as they can sufoly do so. While there aro many regular usors of crutches, still there aro thousands who use crutches only temporarily, perhaps in getting over a broken leg or a sprain, and who never liavo occasion to use them again. Somo people keep their crutches for the recollections that attuch to thorn; some hang them on a wall like a trophy; thousands give them to institutions where cratches aro needed. A largo dealer said that the annual production of crutches in this country would amount to 200,000 pairs.