Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-03-24
Making Needles.

Mamma, what do they make needles
OFF" asked Dorothea as she looked
up from her sewing. She was a
bright-eyed little girl of seven years,
Of an inquiring turn of mind and indus
trious in her habits.
"Of wire,'' Dorothea," replied her
mother.
''Steel wire2''
YES
sit must be very fines"
''1t is so very fine that fifteen thous-
and ordinary needles can be made out
of one pound of the wire.''
''Do they make one needle at a
time?''
mo, dear. That would be a very
slow process, and would make them
rather expensive. One hundred wires,
eight feet long, are placed in bundle
and cut into proper sizes by powerful
pair of shears; it is so arranged that
one man can easily cut about one mil
lion needles in day of twelve hours.
Dorotheas eyes widened.
''How they are polished?' she asked.
II hardly know whether l can ex-
plain the operation to you,'' replied
her mother. 1.-THE needles are tied up
in bundles and are placed in what is
called the securing machine. They are
kept in motion from eight to ten hours,
which give them a silvery appear.
ance.''
THAT seems simple enough" OBJ.
served little Dorothea.
81 didn't say they came out of the
machine polished resumed the moth.
er. ''The rolls are then covered with
putty powder and oil, wrapped in can.
vas, and placed in a similar machine
called the polishing machine. A third
process is necessary. The canvas is
is removed ana the needles are agitated
in a vessel filled with soft soap and
water
I'm order to remove the .oil?' Doro-
thea asked.
Eyes, dear, They are finally dried in
ash-wood sawdust, after which they
are tempered.'
(which means brittle, don't it, nam
map
Just so. 1t is done by making
them hot, plunging them into oil, and
afterward burning off the OIL
Dorothea was very much interested.
She now closely examined the needle
which she had in her hand.
Mamma, do they drill the eyes and
sharpen the needles before they tenn
per them?' she asked.
Eyes, Dolothea. l was getting
along too fast in my description. A
clever workman will drill and polish
the holes of seventy thousand needles
per week.
''That is a large number, mamma.
Are they sharpened on grindstone?'
YES
[-l"One needle at time?'
"Oh, no. An expert grinder will
hold twenty-five of the wires at once
against the stone, presenting all their
points by dexterous movement of his
thumb.
Dorothea pushed her inquiries.
"Where are needles principally
made, 'namma?'
In Rebellion, small town near
Birmingham, in England. 1t is the
great centre of the needle trade, and
it may be said that it has supplied the
whole world for almost two hundred
years. Ninety millions of needles arc
turned out every week.
othea's mind could grasp.
did they use aeedles in old timesp'
she asked.
''They are mentioned by some very
old writer's. The beautiful Babylonian
embroideries which were often made
out of gold thread, were wrought with
needles. The body of the wife of the
Emperor Honcrjus,, whose grave was
discovered at Rome in 1914, was
wrapped up in an embroidered dress,
from which thirty-six pounds Ct gold
were obtained. The needles used by
the ancient E egyptians were made OF
bronze. They had no eyes in them,
owing to the difficulty of piercing
such minute holes in the metal"
Dorothea put away her patches, a
thoughtful look filling her face.
Mamma, she said, "they had
needles in Bible times. Needles that
had eyes in them, toor'
why do you think 80, Dorothea?'
Because it says, in the eighteenth
chapter of Luke, twentyfifth verse,
that it is easier for a camel to 20
through needles eye than for :: rich