Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-12-11
BIRMlNGHAa'S NAIL MAKERS.
A Trade that was Once ProsperOus
Slowly Dying Out.
Par. H,7dls Groccr,


The handmade nail trade of this
vicinity has received much public at
tentiOn recently. Several of the New
York newspapers, as well as some Lon
con journals, have sent their cores
pondeuts TO write about it, and long
newspaper controversy hes been going
OH tor months on the subject Of the en-
Yiuyment of women at such trade as
uaii and chain making. | have walked
'Grcugh much of the nail making dis
trjCt, and have seen something of what
II j. like. Almost every cottage has q
small brick forge at one side, where the
COtlagcrs make nails or chains. Some.
uiues hundreds OF these are gathered
tCg, ther into small towns such aS Grad
ley and IIye. Others are scattered sin
gly throughout portions Of the counties
al Warwick, Stafford and Worcester,
araway from the usual black country
Surroundings.
once this trade was prosperous, but
for many years il has been dying out,
~ nachine-made nails have come
more and more universally into use.
The trade is vastly overcrOwded, and
the demand is daily decreasing. Under
these circumstances il is no wonder that
tie people are miserably poor, though
they seem To be industrious, cleanly,
ana not especially imprOvident. Que
HEAD, n good wOrkmOn, told me that by
woI sing very hard and long he could
earn lSd. day, but he could only get
g.. II. NrlnEy \
could probably earn Is. day, four days
aCh week. Children could earn about
/ he same. / saw in one place mother,
daughter and granddaughter working
ut the same forge. The three together
cCu'd hardly earn more than Is
we, K, and out of that they would have
;opGy 2!s. per week for rent OF house
and forge. The man who told me IL
earned 6s. a week lived alone. lie paid
IS for rent, and thus had 3!s. for fuel,
food and clothing.
When | asked why the young people
did not emigrate, instead OF going into
a trade already Overerowded, he laugh
ed Il me, and asked how long | thought
i; " ould take To save enough from ms
earnings 10 pay the expenses of emil
grating. This man was eating one day
VIII, saw him, and his dinner con-
;:si. a Of bread and salt and mug Of
wster. He said that he sometimes had
pot toes, and now and then,on Sundays
= bit OF bacon. He rarely tasted fresh
met. Some of the people manage TO
keep a pig, aud most oftaem keep pig
COPS.
saw various devices for keeping
v,ry youug children ia the forge, yet
out OF harms way, whilst the father
and mother were at work. or course,
as saou as children brought up IN the
way are able TO lift hammer, they be-
DIN TO learn TO make nails, and by the
Tine they attain the aye OF II or 10
Years they are a. expert as they ever
Income. Being thus masters OF tnlS
ils,ie at an ace when they should out
lepin TO learn almost any other, the
>inpiv continue to be nallmakers rath-
or than undergo an apprenticeship TO
some other trade, aud so each rising
generation crowds into trade already
>pf'0Catincly full.
The women whom saw seemed 10
he generally healthy and modest wo,
M, n, and the work OF making Smail
nails did not strike me at all as being
unwomanly. Indeed, II Is neater anu
less IaboIious than serubbing, and some
other recognized female employments.
The conclusion l came to was that,
ss a rule. the pail makers are honest,
industrious, frugal and neat; yet they
orc slowly starving because their trade
has been taken by successius rivals,
/ .honld think they would be a very
nroner sort of people for the Govern
n,tnt to assist by making it possible for
them to emigrate.