The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-08-13
HOW FLAGS ARE MADE.
THERE ARE FORTY FLAG FAcrO.
RIEs M THE UNITED STATES.

Three millions of ihr Stars uut Stripes
Turned uut Annually Various Kinds
OF riars. and Process OF Manufacture
Iir.t American fiaE Wnmau'a Work.
There are forty flag factories in the
United States, scattered through Che
country. but for the most port located
iu New England whore Che great mag-
uiactuug businesses lie.
According 20 Grant Eldridge in the
New York, there are three ways of
milking q flag; an three are equally
well paIrouized, and of the three mill-
ions that are made annually it may Doe
said that there are q million Of each,
without Partially as 20 quality or ex-
pense.
The commonest flag, that which You
see in public most upon the largest
buildings, is the woven flag. IL is
made Of cotton bunting, upon loom
that is built especially for flags. The
colors are supplied 10 the loom in reg
ular order and the machinery takes
and distributes them so that when a
certain number of inches. have been
woven you see coming ont Of the loom
a completed flag.
After the loom gets through with it
the flag is handed 10 a number Of
small girls and boys, who tack it upon
q staff; ib is then handed 10 another
group Of workers, who roll it around
the staff and slip it in a paper wrap
per. It is then sent TO the packing
room to be done up in boxes Of 100
each and shipped to the retailers.
There is another kind of flag which
is more expensive than this, though
not so good for all purposes. This is
the sewed flag. It is made out of
stripes of silk or bunting. Bunting
flags are sewed together strip by strip
and fastened to the pole; the blue field
is then sewed in place. Silk flags are
made in the same way, strip by strip,
carefully overhanded together, with
the field" and stars sewed or pasted
upon it.
Silk flags are used for draping pub
lie halls and for hanging back of pa
triotic speakers. They are very dear,
a silk flag 12x1S feet costing 5000
What becomes of the flags no one
knows, for unless they fall into the
hands Of the destructive small boy their
final end is a mystery; one million of
them, however, perish every year.
A great number of these fine flags 60
out of the country every year in the
trunks of travelling American citizens,
who find it very convenient Ito spread u
flag over the top of their belongings,
so that the Custom House people can
see it as soon as the cover of the trunk
is lifted.
The commonest flag is the little
printed one. This is done upon ordi-
nary calico, aud is turned off in sheets
These sheets are given to girls to cut
apart and glue on sticks. The flags
are then packed in boxes for ship
ment.
When a State is admitted to the
Union it means a great deal Of extra
work for the flag factories, as the en-
tire star design must be changed.
This is done by law or the following
Fourth Of July, When Utah became a
State there was a great deal of trouble
in adding the 45th star. Secretary La
mont appointed Lieutenant Rockwell,
of Philadelphia, to place the extra star,
and he made room for it in the fourth
row from the top upon the right of
the existing stars. At the same time
the regulation size of the army flag was
made smaller. 1t is now five and a
half feet long and four feet four inches
wide. The old army flags were toe
big; they hung spiritless around the
pole instead OF flying proudly to the
breeze as a smaller flag would. The
stripes are now four inches wide, and
the rows of stars four and a half inches
apart. The staff of the regular flag is
nine feet long.
The first American flag was made
laboriously by hand by Mrs. Betsy
Ross, an upholsterer, who lived Oh
Arch street, near Third, Philadelphia,
She had done work for Lady Wash,
ington, and when George Washington
wanted flag he took his design to hel
and left it. When he visited her 8
week later she brought out from hel
little cupboard sample flag, ant
holding it up before him said
81 have executed your order, sir; does
it please you?" The General made
few changes in it until it became thu
American flag as you now know it
with the thirteen original stars anC
stripes
The American flag has never beer
changed, although other countries
have changed freely. General Wash
ington said: "This flag of the Thirteen
United States shall be thirteen stripes
alternate red and white, with tn,
union Of thirteen stars, white, in
blue field, to represent new constel
lation, and it shall endure forever,
new heaven floating between Gods oil,
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