Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-05-19
HISTORY oE THE Pin.
Its Use In Various Countries and In ID
ferent Ages.

Its Use I'm Various Countries and In Dif.
ferent Ages.
AS requisite of the toilet pins
were first used in Britain in the lat.
ter part of the fifteenth century, says
the Boston Commercial Bulletin.
They were first made of iron wire,
but in 1910 brass ones were import
ed from France by Catherine How
ard, queen of Henry VIII. The pre-
historic pin, however, was a thorn
or a fishbone, and had no experience
with or relation to the dry goods OF
notion business until Eve improved
upon the fig leaf toilet necessities.
The natural thorn is still in use in
some Of the upper Egypt @istricts,
where the Birmingham or the Con.
necticut article is a prime curiosity
and an unpopular innovation.
In the ruins'of Pompeii Roman
pins of bronze and hairpins of bone
or ivory have been disinterred,
while ancient Egypt has disclosed
the indispensable article having
heads of gold. Bronze pins were
known to the lake dwei1ers of Eu-
rope, some being artistically orna-
mented and elaborated with ex-
quisite ekill Some that have come
to light were on the duplex type,
having double stems, and others the
same in form as the safety pins in
use at the present time. At first
pins were made by fitting a point to
a proper length of wire, and. then
twisting a piece of fine wire around
the other extremity or fastening it
after twisting in order to form a
knob or head Ultimately these
operations were so skillfully con-
Quoted that completely round head
was made of a very small size and
scarcely showing the nature of its
construction.
Previous to the introduction Of
machinery the pin w2s, of course,
entirely hand made - required a
passage through 10 less than IA
different manipulatloLs before find
ing its way as finished product in
to market. The brass pin which we
see today in its perfect form and al
most needle pointed is turned out at
an almost Incredible speed by spe-
cial machinery, the daily product
of Birming ham alone being placed
at about 4O,00o,O00
The solid headed pin, as differing
from that just described, was de-
vised by an ingenious Yankee and
came into use in 1910. The domestic |
pin was OF sufficient importance in
1913 to warrant an act providing
that no person shall put to sale
any pins but such as shall be dou-
BILE headed and have the heads sol
dered fast to the pin, well smoothed, |
the shanks well shapen, the point |
we'll rounded, filed, canted and |
sharpened. = About 100 the manu-
facture of pins became quite a bust
ness in Bristol and Birmingham,
. large number of per
sons.
The pin industry in the United
States was begun by colonists of the
but it was not until the
year 1886 that it reached any CON
proportions, the pins used
coming from England, although the
black pins used in black goods came
from France. The. industry is now
-argely conferred in Connecticut, al
though there are large factories in
Detroit, Cincinnati and various
points in the eastern states. AS an
article of domestic use the modern
pin is now practically ubiquitous
md indispensable. The tonnage
If metals annually used in its man
fracture would astound any who
nave had no interest in looking into
he subject, while the number Of
thousands of operatives employed
n the manufacture in this special
industry is surprising.