Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-07-02
GIRLS All NJ EMS WORK
YOUNG WOMEN IN PlTTSeURG MAKE
IRON BOLTS AND NUTS.

Work Tint Seems Hard for Feminine
| Hands, but which Is Liked by tho
| Girls, Who Arc Very SiSiilSul-Thcy Arc
Neat and Inteiligont-Their Pay.
There are probably Il thousand women
in Pittsburg who work in iron mills
making bolts, nuts, hinges and barbed
wire. 1t seems almost incredible that
girls should be employed in an occupa-
ton which is associated only with Drawn
and muscle, but such is tho case. AT
the first sight of the holt works ono can
not believe that anything bright or in
| teresting could live inside. At the call
| of tho 6:30 n. m. whistle girls are seen
coming from all directions toward tho
| factory. They are generally dressed
tidy and well, and with their lunch bas-
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 coffecsack 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 i'll little while
they begin to move with more rapidity
and the noise amounts to something ter
rifle. A sulphur smoke arises, and as it
embraces everything in dim color, it
needs but the dull red burning of the
oil, the horrible noises and the occa-
sional sound of a human voice halloing
a command to stamp the scene on ones
memory as a 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 inmovable socket
at one side and steam revolving knives
facing it.
The operator, who is known as a
pointer" places the head of the bolt
i'll the socket. presses her foot on q
pedal. and the sharp. steel knives are
forced against the iron. Little bits OF
the iron fly, and III 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 besn
accomplishing this. the other foot sup
ports the girl. goose style, and the other
hand has got a 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
| 10000 bolts in u day.
When the bolts are pointed they are
taken to the cutting quarters. These
| machines are large, with deep sinks
| filed with thic!, black oil. The bolts
are placed in slides and pushed by the
worker up into sharp steel dies. In an
instant the tnread is cut on thom. The
work is rather dangerous, and care
IluSI DC tAclClSCNl W lsccp Illc
| fingers from going into the open dies and
having their ends cut off instead of the
iron. The oil in which the girl is com
PEELED TO work in order to keep the bolts
from getting hot and thereby breaking
has a very offensive odor and gradually
smears the worker from the root of her
frizzly bangs down to her runover heels.
Girls of any age, from sixteen to fifty,
work i'll this department. Their pay by
the Thousand averages from fifty cents
to one dollar day.
Little girls from six years up to twelve
put the nuts on the bolts and pack them.
The ''nutting on" is also accomplished
by machine power. The worker pats a
nut OH plate: then, after catching the
head of bolt in the jaws above, she
presses her foot Oh the pedal, when,
presto! the work is done. AT long tables,
built of substantial wood, are rows OF
young girls, interspersed with a scatter
ing of women whom life cast forth in
their old age. They pile the bolts, row
after row, alternate heads, then wrap
them in strong paper.
The girls always come to the factory
! HcUlly itltl VIGIL.
are provided for them, and soap and
towels. At noon the girls are given
thrce-quarters of an hour. They lay
aside their aprons, wash their hands and
levour their wee lunches with energy
worthy of better cause. Formerly the
girls would hurry their dinners and de.
vote the rest of their time to dancing
The orchestra was not the largest, noI
I did it rival the Mexican band in melody
but it answered the purpose of furnish
ing time for the shabby shoed girls. II
consisted of one girl and amouth organ
The men were not permitted to come
into the girls side of the shop, but they
would stand at respectful distance, n:
though longing TO join the merry dan
GERS. 1t seems rather strange, but the
girls never ningle with the men III thu
same factory. They are good and hon