Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-12-07
Cringline or Hoopdom.

which distends beyond its normal size that i'm
portant part of female apparel, the skirt. The
hoop. in its various forms of Offensveness, from
the single one, whose Legitimate place, no doubt,
was to encircle the slaves of hogshead, instead
of embracing the limbs of one of the fair sex, to
the attenuation of rattan, whalebone, and other
elastic material, has no right whatever to the
appellstion. Crinoline, as its name signifies, is
cloth made of hair, and has a natural elegant
and symmetrical expansiveness, which no con-
struction of hoops, however artistic, can equal.
But.the demand for this article has made crino'
line expensive, and hence the resort to hoops as
sui ,titute, and the application of ingenuity to
its ,..most stretch to invent something which
would ioin with cheapness the charming grace
and pleasing contour of the yeritable crinoline.
Ten, twenty, and even fifty dollars for hair
skirt. is rather more than the means of major
ity of the fair sex would allow, but yet the want,
even as artificial as it is, existed, and ways and
means have been found to supply it in the shape
of an article light, airy, expansive, swelling,
Welding, in short, hardly inferior in its qualities
to the real crinoline itself; this is the steel hoop,
recent invention, IN its application, and one
which has led to new, extensive and rapidly
increasing branch of industry. The manufacto-
ry for these articles and the only one, we be-
lieve, is in the city of New York, the business
having been started by two yonng men of that
city who were previously engaged in the retail
dry goods trade, in q modest way. The i'm
men.e extent which the business of mannfactu-
ring these steel hoops, both in the form of skirts
ready for the wearer, and of skeletons uncovered
as yet by drapery, has been carried, will scarce
lly be credited. The persons engaged in the bus
mess commenced making skirts of corded cotton
and grass cloth, then started loom for the
weaving of hair cloth, the real crinoline, using
cotton for the warp in order to cheaper their
production. Finally, one OF the parties contriv-
ed skeleton skirt, expanded symmetrically by
a series of hoops. The first one hung up in the
store excited laughter, anger and ridicule, but
all in vain, the hoop kept rolling, the demand
for the article increased yet it was not until af-
ter a succession of trials and improvements that
it was brought to it's present and ultimate state
of perfection.
Every variety of material was used and e1.
perimented on and put together in every variety
of way. Rattan, when strong enough, was found
stiff and unmanageable, whalebone was brittle
in winter, gutta percha was found to be quite
unsuited for the purpose, brass wire over cord
answered very well but was too expensive,
round wire of any metal proved worthless, brass
in fiat bands had some success, but its rapid loss
of elasticity made it Objectionable. Steel was
found to possess the best qualities in all respects
but it was expensive. Here then was the prob
lem to be solved, to produce the strips of steel
or steel hoops cheaply. This after many ex-
periments, was finally accomplished, and now
the steel skeleton skirt, light, strong, yielding
and elastic, stands proudly triumphant. Eng
lish sheet steel is cut into ribbons by machinery
these are tempered, polished and prepared to be
formed into hoops for the plain muslin or cloth
skirt, or covered with cotton thread, like bon
net wire, preparatory to being shaped into skel-
etons. The manufacturing Of these articles III
the various processes give employment to over
five hundred persons. The machinery and sew
ing women combined are now manufacturing an
average of three thousand skirts day at prices
varying from fifty cents to three dollars. An
improved style Of skeleton is certainly remarka-
BILE. 1t is composed of tapes, muslin and corset
lacing combined with fifty one metal clasps,
slipes, tubes, eyelets and hooks, and seven steel
hoops measuring fifty four feet long; hustle
arrangement made oi thin hoops OF whaleoone
is also attached to it. The steel hoops are made
to expand as desired by means OF slides, and yet
the whole of this extensive affair weighs but
twelve ounces, and can be folded up and put in
carpet bag or bandbox.
Talk about the mysteries of the toilet of for
mer daysl We have fallen upon times when
they are real mysteries, and expect to reach the
epoch when they will be as complicated as the
machinery of g. locomotive, and will require as
careful engineering. The rate at which the
skirts are manufactured amount to the enor-
nous quantity of 10000 year. In fact, the
facilities of the manufacturers scarcely enable
them to make them rapidly enough to keep pace
with the increasing demand. Notwithstanding,
however, the popularity and diminished cost OF
the steel hoop rattan is still largely used and 1t
is now sold for five or six times its former price,
and it will no doubt continue to be used extern
sively in the manufacture of cheap skirts while
the fashion of imitation maintains its ground.
The reign OF hoopdom, moreover, we verify be-
lieve has but just commenced. The swelling
skirts are bound to sweep every thing before
them, and they, longer-lived than our most ia
vored chiefs, will go beyond even two Presiden-
tial terms before they see the decadence OF their
authority, and collapsiug. shrink into the obscu-
rity OF retiracy.