Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-03-11
Something about Crinoline.

Something about Crinoline.
HOW SKIRTS ARE NADE-THE NUMBER
TURNED OUT EACH Day THEIR
SINGULAR NoMRNcLATURE-A MODEL
MANUFACToRY "A PLEA FOR CRINo.
LINE.
The ladies will, however, be interested
to learn that the business in skirts is sc
extensive that single firm in this city
Douglas & Sherwood, in White street
finish not less than three thousand
skirts day, and daily use in the manu-
facture of their hoops ton of steel.
The manufacture of the hoop skirts
made by this house commences in Con-
necticut, where. at large foundry, the
sheet steel is prepared, cut into narrow
strips, tempered and "braided." This
"braiding' process, which is done by
machinery, consists in closely wrapping
each narrow strip in cotton, thus sheath.
ing it in coat that prevents subsequent
rusting. 1t is then brought to this city,
to the establishment of Messrs. Douglas
& Sherwood where the ends of each strip
are bound together by little clasps of tin,
previously prepared, and fitted at once
into their place by ingenious machinery.
The different sized hoops are then taken
to an upper room, and placed upon a
large shaped frame. the different
hoops being held in their places. and at
proper distances from each other,by little
pegs. Here girls join them together
with strips of cotton, clasped upon each
hoop with patent clasp, for the clasp
ing of which patent pair of pincers has
been expressly invented. Some skirts
have thirty hoops ard some have only
three, and for skirts of each number of
hoops there is special frame.
A skeleton skirt is ore in which
the hoops are Joined together merely by
strips of material, leaving wide interstices,
so that the whole affair is suggestive of
a hen coop or parrot cage. Full skirts
are covered with muslin or cotton stuff,
either white or slate colored; sometimes
lace is used. The sewing Of this cover
ing upon the hoops woold be an enor-
nous task were it not for sewing ma
chimes. Two hundred, Of Wheeler &
Wilson's patent, are in constant use, and
find constant employment. Several cut
ters are employed, who find plenty to do
in supplying material for the greedy
teeth of those two hundred little iron
laborers.
A room on the lower floor is occupied
as the finishing room, where each skirt
is duly inspected before being packed
up for sale. Into this room the skirts
fall from the different stories above,
through an oblong orifce, prepared in
each floor for that purpose. Every min
ute or two a skirt drops noiselessly
down. while on "dropping day" they
fall in such profusion as almost to bury
the girls employed in the room. When
once packed up, they are sent all over
the United States, Canada, and even to
South America. The peculiarities of the
expensive patent of Douglas & Sher.
wood, allowing different degrees of ex-
pansion and compression to the skirt, at
the option of the wearer, in great de-
gree contribute to their popularity.
There are seventy different styles of
skirt, and each style has its own name,
corresponding much to the "brand" of
segars. -four, or wine. These names are
chiefly arbitrary, and there is, for in
stance, La Sylph, the Crystal, the Union
Balmoral, the Palmetto, the Opera, &c.
Others again have slightly descriptive
names-such as the Expansion" the
Union Corded" the 'Honiton fine Lace
&C.. while still others bear titles of dread
mysterious import, such as the Union
Hair and the "Bustc Skeleton" y!
Messrs. Sherwood 4 Douglas employ
some eight hundred girls, and the arrange
ments for the convenience Of their en-
ployees are remarkable liberal They
occapy two buildings on White street,
and the greater part of one Of these is
occupied with dressing and retiring rooms
for the girls. There is also parlor where
they can meet their friends, and library
of two thousands volumes of standard
works of fiction, history, travel, &c., 20
which all have free access, ID the girls
are not remiss in improving this privi-
lege. The workrooms are spacious,
clean, we'll aired and the work hours
from eight to six, With of course, an hour
for dinner.
OF course, there are many other manu-
factories of hoops, though perhaps none
on so large scale as this. So, with all
the outcry in the newspapers against
crinoline, from Punch down to the petty
village weekly, it will be seen that the
fashion, apart from its being conducive
to the health and comfort of the female
sex, affords easy and remunerative en-
ployment to thousands of people, who
would otherwise 60 to overflow other
branches of trade Evening Post.
The Potato Disease.
The Royal Agricultural Society has
awarded purse to DR.. Lang, of Ipple-
tnp Coz panar IN tba ,ts o,l.,