BILLINGSGATE HATS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1932, Page 3

BILLINGSGATE HATS

WITH FOUR HUNDRED NAILS IN

Writing in .the July number of “The P.L.A. Monthly,” a contributor calls attention to the. strange headgear of the Billingsgate, fish porters.

“Each hat contains five pounds of leather, twelve yards of waxed thread, arid at least foui' hundred nails. . “Fish porters Wear these special hats to help them carry their heavy and often riiessy, loads. Therefore only very strong leather is used to make them, generally the ‘shoulder,’ -is they call it in the leather trade. Most of the hat is hand-sewn, but the beading at the edge of the . brim, can be riiachiried. Four pieces of leather comprise the crown, which is moulded 4J inches deep, on a wooden block. There are severi chief pieces in the hat. “Before moulding, the leather is soaked in water for 21 hours, arid then allowed to mellow in the air. It can then be bent to any shape, like lead. The edge is a very important part of the fish porter’s hat, for he relies oh it to prevent him from getting splashed. It turns up sharply on the wide, protective brim, and the beading on the edge is fully an inch deep. “The porters themselves usually pack these hats with newspaper and keep them in position by wearing under them the crown of one, or two, felt hats.”