The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1892-10-29
GIRLS AT MEMS WORK
YOUNG WOMEN IN PlrTSeuRG MAKE
IRON BOLTS AND NUTS.


Neat aud Intelligent Their Pay,
There are probably a thousand women
In Pittsburg who work in iron mills
making bolts, nuts, hinges and barbed
wire, II seems almost Incredible that
girls should be employed in an occupa-
tion which isassociated only with Drawn
and muscle, but such is the case. At
the first sight of the bolt works ono can.
not believe that anything bright or in.
teresting could live inside. At the call
of the ESQ u, m, whistle girls are seen
coming from all directions toward the
factory, They are generally dressed
tidy and well, and with their lunch has.
kets on their arms are not unlike any
working girl one may see.
The first thing they do after entering
the building is TO change their street
dress for one TO work in, tic up their
hair, roll up their sleeves, and, putting
ON n cotfeesack apron, are ready to be.
gin the days labor. AT o'clock the
last whistle blows, the wheels groan and
screech rs If they were weary to resume
another days work. but in little while
they begin to move with more rapidity
and the noise amounts to something ter
rife. 4 sulphur smoke arises, and ms ii
embraces everything in Il dim color, it
needs but the dull red burning Of the
oil, the horrible noises and the occa-
sional sound Of human voice haloing
a command to stamp the scene ON ones
memory as n study from sheol.
The bolts and nuts, as they are called.
are fashioned by the brawny men ON the
first floor, In a crude state they are
sent to other departments. when the fin
ishing touches are applied by feminine
fingers, ofttimes very delicate ones.
The bolts are dumped into different
bins, according to size and length, and
each girl has one special kind to work
on. The first work on the bolt is to
point" it-that is, to make q round
end so that it will enter the machine
which cuts the thread on it, The point
ing machine has an immoyable socket
at one side and' steam revolving knives
facing it.
The operator, who is known as a
pointer" places the head of the bolt
in the socket, presses her foot ON n
pedal, and the sharp steel knives are
forced against the iron. Little bits of |
the iron fly, and in an instant she re.
moves her foot and the pointed bolt |
falls down slide into an iron deposit
box on the floor.
While the one hand and foot has been |
accomplishing this, the other foot sup
ports the girl, goose style, and the other
hand has got bolt ready to be placed
into the socket the moment it is empty
Thus for days, weeks and years the
pointer" handles one bolt after an
other for a living, being paid by the
thousand. Expert workers have pointed
10 900 bolts in day.
When the bolts are pointed they are
taken to the cutting quarters. These
machines are large, with deep sinks
illed with thick black oil. The bolts
ale placed in slides and pushed by the
worker up into sharp steel dies. In an
instant the thread is cut on them. The
work is rather dangerous, and care
must be exercised to keep the operators
ingers from going into the open dies and
having their ends cut off instead of the
ron. The oil in which the girl is com
1elled to work in order to keep the bolts
rom getting hot and thereby breaking
las very offensive odor and gradually
mears the worker from the root of her
rizzly bangs down to her runover heels.
iirls of any age, from sixteen to fifty,
work in this department. Their pay by
he thousand averages from fifty cents
0 one dollar day.
Little girls from six years up to twelve
ut the nuts on the bolts and pack them.
he 'nutting on" is also accomplished
y machine power. The worker puts
ut on a plate; then, after catching the
cad of bolt in the jaws above, she
resses her foot on the pedal, when,
resto! the work is done. At long tables,
uilt of substantial wood, are rows of
oung girls, interspersed with a scatter
lg of women whom life cast forth in
leir old age. They pile the bolts, row
fter row, alternate heads. then wrap
lem in strong paper.
The girls always come to the factory
ad neatly and well. Dressing rooms T
'e provided for them, and soap and !
'wels. At noon the girls are given =,
lree-quarters of an hour. They Law
ide their aprons, wash their hands and :
evour their wee lunches with energy I
orthy Of better cause. Formerly the x
rls would hurry their dinners and de- u
tie the rest Of their time to dancing. =
he orchestra was not the largest, nor 4
d it rival the Mexican band in melody,
1T it answered the purpose of furnish
6 time for the shabby shoed girls. 1t
insisted of one girl and mouth organ.
ne men were not permitted to come -
to the girls side of the shop, but they
Ould stand at respectful distance, as &
ough longing to join the merry dan J
RS. 1t seems rather strange, but the B
rls never mingle with the men in the
me factory. They are good and hon H
t, and generally intelligent. Y
The girls were very happy, and every Y
ing moved as smoothly as steel on ice, -
It'll forewoman was introduced to ~
Ike the place of foreman. Imme- HI
ately she put stop to all singing gi
Iring the day and all dancing at noon. c,
lere was decided stir among the G
rls at these new rules, but they were vi
reed to submit. Since then they spend ~ ~
e noon hour reading and doing fancy 9TT
ork. Most of the girls are experts les