New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-20

anger, ana declarations OF customers 'has ''! WYNN
cease calling il that thing was not taken do"n
But il was all Of no use. The hoop, once started
kept rolling. Al ser.s of materials have been used
and all sorts Of contrvances 10 produce the expansion
until the demand has finally become Fixed upon see
hoops-not one, but msny-held in place by strips OF
tape forming the skeleton skirt, inserted il light
muslin scientifically cut and fashioned into the true
shape to give that peculiarly symmetrical form, SO
much admired by ladies and their admirers. 4 small
quantity Of real crpone is still used, and some other
expensive cloths bu, the majority of women are be-
ginning 10 appreciate the skeleton or cheap muslin
skirt to sustain the hoops putting the costier material.
over them. The idea of single wooden hoop near
the hem of the skirt, such used to see in the
early days of hoopom read of in the days of idd
son, is exploded.
MATERIALS OF HOOPS.
Rattan, when made strong nough for the large hoops,
is stiff and manageable, and liable after short use to
81 sp of under hard pressure II has been greatly m-
proved lately by inpregnating it with gummy sub
stance Whalebone makes excellent, elastic, yielding
hoops bearing all sorts of hard usage in warm weather,
but sps short in Winter Gutta percha has been 1ei
in various forms, but does not prove successful. An
excellent hoop has been made OF cooled brass wire over
cord but it is entirely too expensive Round wire OF
any metal has proved worthless Flat bands of brass
have been used to considerable extent but brass
cannot be tempered, except by cold rolling, it soon
loses its elasticity and plaques the Steel was
looked upon at first with the greatest degree OF favor
of any substance, but then it expensive. Yankee
ingenuity had pot yet been applied to making it cheap.
The fist Hat steel hoops made by tattening round
steel wire. They unevenly tempered, and when
made light were liable to break. 1fstrolg, they were
heavy and expensive.
STEEL HooPs-Bow MADE.
Something must lie done. Here was new want;
and who ever heard of demand for any manufactured
article that could net be filled by Yankee ingenuity
and cheapened ly applyiI Yankee machinery En-
glish sheet STEEL that comes four and half to eight
feet long in bands about eight inches wide, was bought
and cut into ribbons by stean driven shears. 1t lett
the edges rough but these were worn of by passing
the ribbons through dies. The strips were, however,
still rough ard il was too expensive to file them or
We shall see directly how cheaply all this smoothing
and polishing ia DONE But first, the steel must be
tempered. This is very important part OF the man.
ufacture and requires the utmost expertne care.
The ribbons are taken from the dies eoed into tight
small coils carefully heated to an even heat cherry
red and then taken and plunged in owith the loss OF
but moment of time between the fire and bath. They
are now Of such high temper that falling upon the
floor they would fly ike glass. They are as brittle
said workman, "as thin ce.P This temper is drawn
by dpprg in lead, varying according to the thickness
of the steel, from $50 deg to 600 deg. Fahrenheit.
Next comes the Strengthening process which Is ac-
con plshed by passing the ribbons between rollers that
give reversed pressure.
HOW THE HOOPS ARE POLISHED.
See how smooth your hoops are. Look how they
are made so, and how chsaply. The ribbons are put
in long cylinder say half full, and with them, per-
haps bushel of broken glassthe fragments of your
window which you esteemed worthless when 1t was
br ken-and the Under set revolving generally at
night when there is no other work for the water
whee to do and when opened it il found that the glass
is all ground into small smooth cubes, and the rough
edges Of the steel rounded and made smooth. One
more process and the ribbons are ready for the skirt
manufacturers. They are passed between large heavy
rollers which set the temper and leave them straight,
20 that they will always return to their place when
bent.
These ribbons are now ready TO form into hoops for
the plain muslin or cloth skirts. For the skeleton pat
tern, they undergo another process. They are taken
to another mandatory and covered with cotton thread
braided over the steel something similar to bonnet
wire. This establishment is fixed in this city; the steel
works are in Connecticut where also manufactured
sundy clasps, hooks and slides, all smoothly polished
by the tumbliDg operation. The eyelets are made in
France because they require great deal of hand labor
which this country cannot furnish cheapy. All else
is of American manufacture
THE GREAT SKIRT MASuFACToRY.
Now let look into the manufactory-that i is
great one We shall soon see-of hoOped skirts. Our
two young clerks and small shopkeepers have risen to
a position in which they can benefit themselves and
delight all womankind, while they giving employ
men TO small army Of sewing girls and at least cor
porals guard Of men and boys. Indeed, they now
employ THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY HANDS, nearly
the whole of them bright, intelligent American girls
and widows, who receive every Monday about 81, 800
for the previous weeks work. The girls mostly work
by the piece, commencing at o'clock and working
nine hours, with half an hour at dinner, which they
take on the premises and they make from a to ~
week.
In these rooms we listen to the continual buzz Of $50
sewing machines, which, with the hand sewing, use up
every month 2,0C0 dozen spOols Of cotton thread.
These machines, and this army Of sewing women,
are now manufacturing average of 900 skirts
day. varying from so cents to 81 apiece, and com
prispg more than fifty patterns; the latest improved
style being "the beauty "a skeleton made of thirteen
ard half yards Of nch-wide tape and three yards of
narrow tape and some strips Of muslin and three and
half yards of corset lacing with 81 metal clasps,
slides tubes eyeets and hooks and seven steel hoops
measuring 81 feet in length covered with braid with
three buse hoops OF whalebone, eight and half feet
long, cloth coyered-the steel hoops being made to
expand by slides, TO suit the most expansive ideas;
and yet the whole fabric weighs but II ounces; and
although it will keep its place, it can be folded up small
enough to put in carpet-bag or band-boI without IN
injury A. this requires much hand labor, it will be
probably sold at retail at about %. The low pnce
comparatively of this and of all their work is owing