Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-12-08
The Labor of Making Hoops.

gives the following curious facts respecting the
manufacture of steel hoops for ladies skirts, at
the mill of Henry S. Washburn, of Worcester,
Massachusetts
Mr. Henry s Washburn makes some of the
finest wire in the world. He showed us a
specimen of No. 50 iron wire, finer than hair
1t weighed only seven ounces, and was G8 900
feet, or thirteen miles, fifteen rods twelve feet
and six inches in length 1t was drawn cold
! from piece Of iron one fourth of an inch in
diameter
Mr.. Washburn manufactures twenty thous-
| and yards day Of steel crinoline or fiat wire,
which is here tempered aud covered, all ready
for the ladies' skirts. The manufacture of this
kind Of wire (or hoops is immense. Mr.
WaShburn estimates that at least five thous-
and tons of steel and iron are used annually
10 this way for the ladies' Of the United States,
South America, and Mexico It's sold, when
covered, at wholesale, at about fifty cents a
pound, aud about three quarters of pound is
required for each skirt Indeed, we suppose
that his estimate Of five thousand tons of hoops
year is quite too low There are, uudoub-
tely, ten millions of females in this country
and the South American states who wear
hoops Many Of them wear out half a dozen
skirts year suppose the average to be three
year to each, and the iron Of each weighs
only half pound-we have fifteen millions of
pounds of steel and iron hoops used up by the
/ ladies OF the United States aud South Amer
lean states every year or seven thousand five
/ hundred and lIty-fiye tons, costing seven and
| a half millions Of dollars
! Now imagine the amount Of labor, Of money
/ and OF skill brought into active service by this
fashion Of spreading the skirts by hoops See
| the dusky miners cutting their way into the
bowels Of the earth to bring up the thousands
Of tons OF iron ore necessary to make these
/ hoops the long train of mules necessary to
draw it to the furnaces where it is melted into
pigs the many men aud boys employed to
! plant, hoe, nov, rake and pitch, to produce
/ food for the mules aud the miners, the pud-
! dIegS and smeltcrs, the iron-workers and the
1 rOn-draWerS aud the machinery. too necessary
/ to bring the wire into lattened shape and
cOmely form, to temper it, aud to cover it,
/ Think of the wear of brani and the test Of
genius, to produce these results-0f the amount
Of coal (and here comes in the miners, aud the
mules, ard the producers again to keep the
/ boilers SteamIng and the machinery running
for making this wire And then again, think
of the force directly employed il this skirt hoop
manufacture!
Mr. Waslburn alone crnIovs sivtv.scven
mon and bors and tb;rtv.fhr1n Fan, oIas IN
srraigbrenfn, Gattrni9~ Iemnsrjng roypring
and nackina these boonS And then we muSf
not lose ,irht Of the fact that these too nu>t
be fed and cIotLcd-keepiur the tai,ors and
miuinars and shoamaEcrs IN morton to cover
them. and the butchers and miIlers as we'll as
farmers to produce, and the Bridgets in the
Kitchen to cook for them And this is NOT the
half ofit! Like the hooD itself round and
round does this estimate 20, never ending. but
always putting and swelling mp, drawing into
its folds miners, ironmongers, mechanics, ar
tisauS, inventors, farmers, groccrS, dry-goods
men, and the mills that supply them, doctors
hostIers, cooks, walters aud mliuers-alI, all
in aid Of this little thin iron hoop that run,
round and round the skirts of our wives aud
daughters, putting them out Of proportion, and
making it inconycncnt for them to ride in stage
coaches and sit in church pcws And what is
the product of the hoop per Sc? Its influence
not upon the hearts, but upon the muscle OF