The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-05-09
Over . HALF Million Of Them Are
Manufactured Annually In
America.
II tho Trade They Are Called
"Hooples," but no One
Knows Why.
The supply Furnished ~ sixty-Five
Workmen In Two FActor,ss- Differ
ant Kiads ana sizes.
written Tor thu HELENA IsDrprspEsr.1

restaurant In New York ons day last week.
But il yen wers in the toy trade you would
knew I'll about ~''hooplss."
Tho youngest slerk in any big wholesale
toy store knows that ''hooples'' moan roll
ling hoops. How shsy came to bs called
hooplss in the toy trade is more than I can
tell You. Even Father johnson, at one
tjms the largest. manufacturer Of hooplss
in America sould not Qivs me ! reason.
L 'sThey have always beea called hooples
by the trade" 40 said to ms, but never
hy the boys and girls who roll thsn. Whom
VA : y%ounRstsr " alwAys called them
rolling hoops - the children do to-day"
Ten years ago there were about 1000
gross, o. 1872, 600 rolling hoops, nAds in thin
seuntry. Last year the same number were
ssnt to market, no more and no less. ##
Ths hosp-making industry has not kept
pace with the increase In population, be-
cause Of the popularity Of the tricycle.,
bicycle and other rival tsys. Boys rather
ride q wheel than rsll one. So, to-day,
aixty-fve men in two factories, one in Now
England and sne in New York state, make
the half million hoops that ire sent out an
nually.
The two factories arc In small towns
whore there ID good water power INC plenty
Of hardwood timber. Their labor il cheap
and she materials are found directly as
their doors. Nr. johnson onos had l large
hoople factory in Nav York city, but hc
was forced TO abandon that Inns Of business
because no could not compete with the
country manufacturers.
With the exception Of the saving tn Q
work In makinu hnnrn ia dina Nv hard
The best wood is the American ash, which
ID also the best wood for kite frames and
other toys requiring lightness and
strength combined. Tn next best woods
hre the oak, chestnut and a species OF bass
wood called wildwood by the manufacture
era. The ash hoop costs more money than
the other kinds. and is worth il, as it easily
o%utlasts two made out Of inferior woods.
Great care is taken in selecting logs for tho
hoqple factories. They must 30 from trees
OF second growth, straight and free from
knots The logs are hauled to the mills in
ing season begins in December and ends in
May.
The largest hoops sold are forty-eiaht
inches in diameter. Tn smallest ordinary
size is twenty-five inches. There are inter
mediate Sizes gil the way from q limit to
the other. When the logs have been Sc
lected they are sawed into boards half an
inch thick. This is . little thicker than the
hoops, to allow for planning. These boards
are then sawed into proper lengths. which
are eight inches longer than the hoops, to
allow the ends 70 be Tapped ono over the
put on a table from the top OF which pro
trude the sharp edges Of six. eight, ten or
twelve circular saws which are set half an
inch apart. Over these the boards are run.
They &C in whole and come out amid a
shower OF saWdust in clean. smooth sticks
rS,rk hall ~a.#t an s1,,n or G AFAo- A1Hso@ 49,.
are plnned fiat and smooth and the ends
are tapered down to a fine edge, 90 that
when they are Joined together there will be
no lump to prevent their rolling smoothly.
Now they are ready for the steam boxes.
Tho steam boxes are long closets made
into each end Of them. The slender strips
are piled in and ths steam is turned on. In
this Russian bath. go to speak, the wood is
kept from one to three hours, depending
upon its age and quality. The older the
wood 10 this moro steaming it needs. When
It has become softsned and plant the
steam is turned of and the workmen take
out the sticks one BY one and shape then
over the "forms,'' These forms are wooden
cylinders about two feet long and varying
from twenty-five to forty-ciQht inches in
diameter. For every size OF hoop there is
n separate form. The workman fastsns one
end of a atick in q clamp on top Of the
form and winds the stick around the cylin-
der until the other end joins the clnmpsd
one. Then he takes q tack from between
his lips, the hoopmaksr's tack box, and
nails tho ends firmly together. He then
slips it off Of the form and the hoop ID put
away to dry.
Hoop sticks are cut out by a dowsl ma
chine in tbs same way that chair rounds are
made. Squares Of wood of the requisite
length are pushed through q machine which
contains revolving knives. They come out
round and smooth.
Most Of the painted hoops are merely
to dry. The highsr-pricsd or sfanoy''
hoops are painted by hand with a brush.
Tho sinplest Of all the ~.'fancy'' hoops il
called the 'plain ohime." Along the inside
Of the rim four to eight sleigh bells are
fastened. at equal distances apart. Whom
full jingle which gives pleasure to the ear.
The chime hoop with q handle il an al
together different affair. The hoop has
spokes like a wheel and through the axis
there is q bolt to which q handle is at
tached. This hoop 10 pushed like one
: lssls 8 .d baby By oas j ~ The hand handle . il is
brightly colored and the bells arc set into
this handle instead of being in tho hoop
itself. These hoops are made in q variety
of styles. One of the prettiest has four
wire spokes, on each of which thsre are
Two pretty 3pOOl6 with little Tin washers
between Thorn. As the wheel ~revolves
these spools slide from one md OF their
spokes to the other, while the tin jingles
msrrily.
A rolling hoop of real beauty is the ''star
chime" The hoop is made precisely the
same as the ordinary kind. The only diff
ference consists Of q series of oolorsd cords
which are rugged from the inner edge Of
the hoop so that they form \ five-pointed
star in the center. The middle OF the star
is a piece of wood star-shaped, and gaylv
painted. Sleigh bells arc fastened in this
cord at the points OF the star, and when
this hoop is rolled it is the loudest and
most musical of all.
Little girls who like pretty things often
use ribbons instead of oord and make stars
and other designs inside their hoops, with
Auttering bows ut the center and al the
crossings of this ribbons.
In the way of games with hoops, Ameri-
can boys and girls are far behind tho
French. In this country these sports are
confined almost wholly to simple trund-
ling and an occasional race.
The iron hoop ID almost entirely ont of
date. 1t ia made by blacksmiths out of
heavy iron wire. which 10 heated and made
round on an ordinary anvil instead of a
form. When the ends arc brought together
they are welded into one mass. Iron hoops
are rolled with a wire stick shaped like a
button hook.
A-.-s-kA