Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-06-05
WEDNESDAY, MAY 80, 1855.
What Incomes of all the Pins ?-Er.


What becomes of all the Pins ?-Er.
There are not so many Pins in the world as
many imagine The largest Pin Factory IN the
Unite States is in Nate, bury, Conn. 1t manu-
f,cturrs at least one-third, if not one-half OF all
the consumed in the United States. Consequen-
tly il has 10 run six DAYS 10 make one pm T each
;ndjrifl,aI, If to what this establishment pro-
drces wc add all made hv other factories and all
imported the daily product is not half pm TO
each person So that. If every one lost or de-
stroyed one pin deg. instead Of one PIN ereiy
f,ro dass, the whole world pinned garments would
fall TO pieces.
The destruction OF pins therefore. is not SO
great as is generally supposed and ''Nhat be-
comes of all the Pins:"-iS not such Il d ihcuit
question to solve, after all
And while talking OF Pins, it is singular
fact tha. the Chinese have always refused To
adopt the article. Various attempts have been
made to overcome their prciudices, but without
success. They adhere to the Baton and String
making the two supply the place of the more
simple and every ready PiN.---iAdny JoufaGl.
e-Y7 We d. fer with the Albany Joarnal in re-
gard to the number of Pins manufactured in this
country, having some knowledge of the matter
from personal observation and investigation. In
1852 there were several Pin Factories in opera
ton in the United States: one at pou.hkeepsc,
n. Y; one at Waterbury,, Conn: an one at Bly,
mingham, Conn. The Poughkecpsie and Birmin--
ham ones were purchased by the wealthy Compa-
ny ut Waterbury, and we believe, although loca-
ted in different places, are now owned by one
Company. The original Pin Machine was invent
ed By DIR. JOIN |. Howe, of \. y, who spent ma-
ny years and quite large fortune in bringing
his invention to perfection, and when it was pro-
nounced to be valuable, he was so reduced IN cir
cumstances as to be unable to prosecute the bu-
siness without aid. At this time we were recev-
ing all our Pms from Europ', with wire heads,
which were the source Of considerable annoyance
to those who used them, the wire unwinding and
leaving the Pin useless. The machine, invented
by the Doctor, manufactured the Pin with solid
head, which soon superseded the o.d European
article. These machines were pu in operation for
the first time, III Factory in Blrmngham, Con-
ncctcut in the wear 1915 or e, we do no. recoliect
which. 1t was about the time the Tariff question
acitated the public mind, and the great importa-
ton Of Pins, and the low Tariff paced on them,
gave rise to considerable feeling among those
who ranked themselves rs members Of the Wing
Party. The stock Of the Company was at this
time ry much depressed, Tin consequence of the
great importation Of the foreign artice,) and
original costing much greater sum. Still the
Company worked along until the years lS4o 80,
when the superiority of the Pins manufactured at
this factory began to b. known, and the old wire
heads, Okc used up polticans,) were driven from
public notice AMI rest in obscugitv. The
stock went up, and in two years each stocshoid,r
had made a handsome sum of money out OF the
operation. In the year 1880, we think, other
machines were introduced into the factory, the
old machine, invented by the Doctor, was greatly
improved, and arrangements were made to pnr-
chase the Pouyhkcepsic Factory and consolidate
the three, Ohc Waterbury, Birmngh ham and
Poughkeepsc,) and thus create monopoly. The
arrangements were perfected and that monopoly
now exists.
1t was in the year 1852 that visited the ORR
ginal factory in Birmny cham, and learned the in
formation now mparting. The incorpo-
rated capital of the Company at that time was
500, 900, but the real amount invested was not
far from 500 900, the Company being taxed for
over $4,000. There were sixty machines in op-
Grafton, the weekly product of which was 1000
lbs. The number of hands employed was between
50 and 60, aud the amount of wages paid them
form somo idea of the magnitude of Pin manu-
featuring in this country, and remember, this is
only one factory. The manufacture Of these ar
ticles is truly triumph of genius. Although to
the observer the process is simple, yet it is suf-
ciently intricate to battle the ingenuity Of the
shrcwdcst mechanic. The wire enters the
chine, is clipped off the requisite length, passes
to another part, where it is headed, to another,
is partially pointed, to a-othcr, ground to apcr
feet point, to another, polished, to another, fin
:.s =. beautiful point and solid head
Thus, in less time than the rU.,der can pef"Se our
description, the Pin is made. One macn,-e wa
manufacture 66,666 Pins in one day. Sixty ma
chimes will manufacture 4,0S3, 1888 and fraction.
In one week they will manufacture "a 500. .OOo!-
In one year the total amount will be
Allowing that the Waterbury Company will man
ufacture the same amount and the PouShkeepsie
Company half of the amount, we have the enor-
for the people of the United States of
3,s22, 100000 Pins-making $50 Pins for each
person in America! Consumption Of paper per
annum, upon which the Pms are placed, is about
5000 lbs.. amounting to $4,000.
This was in 1852, and since then we learn that
the Consolidated Company have increased their
Machines, the number of their workmen, and the
amount of their capital, so that it is reasonable
to believe that at the present time there are c.
OOO,OOO,O00 Pins manufactured in this country,
per annum, which would give to each person in
the United States, (pacing the population at q,
OOO,OO0,) $50 Pins apiece. But there is diff
Guilty here. At least one-third, if not one-half,
of the Pins manufactured in the U. S. are export.
ed. The superiority of the article, and its cheap
ness, have enabled the manufacturers to not only
e, DIVE the foreign article back from whence i,
came, but to invade its very strong-holds, and the
American Pin 10 now we'll known in almost every
portion Of the habitable Globe. 7'a" .s a.I