The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1859-12-28
The LaLOr of llaking 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 wife in the word. He showed us
a specimen OF No SO iron wire, finer than
a hair. 1t weighed only seven ounces and
was 300 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 thou
sand yards day of steel crinoline, or fiat
wire, which is here tempered and covered,
all ready for The ladies' skirts. The manu.
facture of this kind o. wire (or hoops) is
immense. Mr.. Washburn estimates that at
least five thousand tons of steel and iron are
used annually in this way for the ladies of
the United States, South America and Mex
leo. 1t is sold when covered, at wholesale,
at about fifty cents a pound, and about three
quarters of a pound is required for each
skirt. Indeed, we suppose that his esti-
mate of five thousand tons of hoops a year
is quite too low. There are, undoubtedly,
ten millions Of females in this country and
the South American states wko wear hoops.
| Many of them wear out half dozen skirts
a year; suppose the average to be three a
year TO each, and the iron of each weighs
only half pound-we have fifteen mil
lions of pounds of steel and iron hoops
used up by the ladies of the United States
and South American States every year or
seven thousand five hundred and fify-five
tons, costing seven and a half millions of
dollars.
Now imagine the amount of labor, of
morey, and Of skill brought into active ser
vice by this fashion of spreading the skirts
by hoops. See the dusky miners cutting
their way into the bowls of the earth to
bring up The thousands of tons of iron ore
necessary to make these hoops; the long
train of mules necessary 10 draw it TO the
furnaces where it is melted into "pigs"; the
many men and boys employed TO plant,
hoe, NOW, rake and pitch, TO produce food
for the mules and the miners, the pudGlers
and smeters, the iron workers and the iron
drawers; and the machinery, too, necessary
10 bring the wire into fattened shape and
comely form, 10 temper 1t, and to cover it.
Think OF the wear Of brans and the test of
genius. 10 produce these results-of the
amount Of coal (and here comes in the mi
! apH tho uloc nd ,ba
again,) to keep the boilers steaming and
the machinery running for making this wire.
And then again, of the force directly EN-
ployed in this skirt hoop manufacture.
MIR. Washbum alone employs sixty seven
men and boys and thirty females in
Strengthening, fattening, tempering, cover
ing and packing these hoops. And then
we must not lose sight of the fact that these
too, must be fed and clothed-keeping the
tailors, anu millners, and shoemakers in
motion TO cover them, and the butchers and
the millers as well as farmers TO produce,
and the Bridgets in the kitchen to cook for
them. And this is no: the half OF it Like
the hoop itself, round and round dose this
estimate go, never ending, but always puff
fling and swelling up, drawing into It's folds
miners, iron mongers, mechanics, artisans,
inventors, farmers, grocers, .goodsmen,
and the mills that supply them, doctors
hostlers, cooks, walters and mlliners-all,
all in aid of this little thin iron hoop tha,
runs round and round tho skirts of oul
wives and daughters, putting them out OF
/ proportion, and making it inconvenient fol
them TO ride in the stage coaches and sit in
church pews. And what is the product o.
, the hoop per see! Its influence not upon
the hearts, but upon the muscle of man
, kind, is great and sets astr large number
of the industrial classes and the men of se
, MUS. But what does it produce? Why
merely the grand climacteric of the puff
5 and boat of fashion-that's ALL But how
, odd and dreary it would be to see the ladie,
nova days without hoops. We should, al
. of us, involnntarily shudder at the sight, Sc
firmly does Fashian thrust and twist he
long fingers in our hair, turning and trun
ing the grip ill our eyes start out and turr
, up, seeing nothing save beautiful mists
and shadows, variegated, forming intc
shapes and imaginary substances before
our sdmiring gaze. Indeed, now that we
become used to the hoops, i, would be
shocking enough 10 part with them. So &C
on MIR. Washburn-you and others in the
same work-go on with your furnaces, you
trip.hammers, your cog wheels, ponderou'
machinery, your Kissing boilers and groan
ing engines-go on, fill up your coal bunk
ers, keep the mills running and the employ
) ees busy-turn out you seven and hal
millions OF dollars worth annually-the la
dies will take them promptly, the husbands
and fathers will pay, and you and your en-
, ployees will prosper. Let no man say tha
there can never any good come out of tn.
hooped skirts. They swel--the prosperity
of the country.
IT would be better not 10 reward brav,