Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-10-26
OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF
PfN-MAKTNG. Ir

PfN-MAKTNG. IrEF
The following sketch is from The intro
duction 10 the abridgments Of specifea-
tions relating to needles and pins recently
published BY the English Patent Ofsce
"Pins formed of wire seem 10 have been
unknown in England tili shout the mid,
die Of the fifteenth century. before which
time they we're larger than the present
pin. and were made Of boxwood. bone.
ivory. and some few OF fsilser. Metal pins
had. however. long been matters of hisso-
ry. In the Egyptian tombs they are fire.
quently found. and are much more elabo.
rate and costly than those produced to suit
modern requirements They vary in
length up 70 seven or eight inches. and
are furnished sometimes with large gold
heads. and sometimes with band Of gold
around the upper end. those Of the latter
kind having probably been used for secur-
ing the hair. The ancient Mexicaus were
familiar With their use, but they also found
convenient substitute in the thorns Of
the agave. About the middle Of the fif.
tecnth century. metal pins were in use to
a small extent in this country. and we
hear Of Catharine Howard importing them
from France somewhere about the year
1910. The importation Of pins really date
much further back. for in 1853 il was
made the subject Of prohibitory statute.
In l543. another act. passed in the reign
Of Henry VIII. provided that no person
shall put to sale any pinnes but only such
as shall he double-headcd. aud have the
heads soldered fast to the shank of the
pinnes. well smoothed. the shank well
>hapen. the points well and round, filed.
cauted. and sharpened' Within three
years from this date the manufacture vas
so much improved that the enactment be-
came Of Little value. It is very probable
that the imported pins were the cause of
this manifestation Of government interfer-
ence. The best pins were made Of brass.
but in France it had become very general
to manufacture pins from iron wire. which.
being blanched like the others. passed for
brass. The pins 80 made were very de-
fective. and in little time their use was
confined to the Continent The French
especially could with difficulty be prevail
ed upon TO discard them; aud even as
late as 1695. il is recorded that the Sci
zure Of some millions Of the faulty pins by
order of the lieutenant Of police was con-
firuei by the parliament. and the whole
quantity was ordered TO be burnt by the
common exc, utioner.
"Thc manufacture Of pins was started
in Gloucestershire. BIZ John Tilsty. in
1926. and the business soon proved SO
prosperous that it gave employment to
I 500 persons. Ten years later i. was
established in London. About the mid
die Of the last century. wire-drawing and
pin making were commenced in Birming-
ham by the Rvlanis family. who carried
on most successfully this branch Of indus
try. So much Of the business as related
to pins was transferred. about the year
1885. BY Mr.. Samnel Rylands to his
nephew. Mr.. Thomas Phipson. and this
manufacture has since been continued by
the present firm Of Thomas Phipson &
Son.
THE trade gradually improved. but
without any remarkable impetus. until
1924. when Mr. Lcmuel W. Wright, a
native Of Massachusetts,. patented in Eng
land an important machine Of hrs own in
vention. which is often believed to have
been the first ever contriyed for making
solid -headed pins This is an error. as a
shncc at the following abrilgement will
show: for. nearly seven years earlier. Mr..
Hunts had been at work on a machine for
the same purpose. Mr. Wright. howev-
er. introduced his machine TO the public
in London. where it was worked at fac
tory in Lambeth. The enterprise was not
successful. and the company failed before
the ucw pins could be brought into the
market. The machinery was then trans
ferred to Stroud. in Gloucestershire. the
county where the trade had been original
ly introduced two centuries before and
here the manufacture was conducted BY
Messrs. D. F. Taylor & Co. The first
solid-hcaded pins were sold BY this firm
in London somewhere about the year 1888.
The first efforts to establish a home
trade in America appear to have been in
l7t5. In that year. the Convention Of
tho Province Of Carolina. with vi to
the encouragement Of the manufacture of
pins and nee.lles. offered $50 for the first
twenty-five dozen of the former. equal to
British imported pins. costing Is. Sd. a
dozen and to the manufacturer of the
first =. 900 needles. sorted from one to
twelve inclusive. and equal to needles
from Great Britain of the price of IS. 81.
sterling per thousand. the same reward.
if made within twelve months.'t Who
gained the prize we are not told. but il is
probable that public attention was assrac-
ted to the desirssility Of establishing the
trade, for in the ssme year. ITS. we hear
of proposition BY Leonsrd Chester. of
Wethcrs6rld, 10 erect pin factory atshat
place. Seine years later. DIR. ,Apo.los
kinsley. Of Connecticut. man. Of much
mechanical Ingenuity. and the patentee al
certain printing and briek-msking ma
chimes, invented machine for making
pins; hus neither ofthese projects appears
10 have succeeded. Soon after he war OF
1872, however. when. in consequence oi
| the interruption to commerce. the vslae
.f parer of pins wxs not less than one
idolsar-aud these were Of very iufcr.or
quality 10 those now worth only SIX cents
. taper-the manufacture vas really un-
Idersaken. The 6rse attempt wss made by
isume Engsishnen. q Che old Ssase trison,
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