Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-06-12
PINS AND THEIR MANY USES.
Different Countries Have Had Novel
EmpiOyment for the Tiny Articles.

Different Countries Have Had Novel
Employment for the Tiny Articles.
AS n requisite of the toilet. etc. pins
were first Used in Britain in the latter
part of the fifteenth century. They
were first made of iron wire. but In
1910 brass ones were imported from
France by Catherine Howard, queen
of Henry VIII. The prehistoric pin.
however, was Il thorn or Il iishbOnc,
and had no experience with or relation
to the dry goods or notion business iii.
I'll Eve improved upon the iig-leaf toilet
necessities. The natural thorn Is still
In use In some of the upper Egypt dis
tricts, where the Birmingham or the
Connecticut article Is prime curiosity
and an unpopular innovation.
In the ruins Of POmpeii Roman pins
OF bronze and hnirpins of bone or ivory
nave been disinterred. while ancicn.
iigypt has disclosed the indispensable
article having heads of gold. Bronze
pins were known to the lake jewellers
of Europe. some being artis,ically Orna.
nicntcd AMI elaborated with exquisite
skill. Some that have come to light
were Of the duplex pattern. having dou.
bic stems, and others were the same
In form as the safety pins in use at
the present time. At first pins were
made by fitting n point to n proper
length of wire. and then twisting u
piece of fine wire around the other cx.
trcmity or fastening Ii after twisting
In order to form knob or head. Till.
matcly these operations were so skill.
fully conducted that completely round
head was made of u very small size
and scarcely showing the nature of It's
construction.
Previous to the introduction of ma.
chlnery the pin was. of course, entirely
hand made and required n passage
through no less than fourteen different
manipulatlons before finding its way
~ finished product into market. The
brass pin which we see to-day In It's
perfect form and almost needle point.
cd Is turned out ut an almost incredible
speed by special machinery. the daily
product of Birmingham alone being
placed at about 4O,OOO,OOO.
The solid-hcadcd pin. rs differing
from that Just described was devised
by an ingenious Yankee. and came into
Use In 1910. The domestic pin was of
sufficient Importance in 1913 to war.
rant an act providing that mo person
shall put to sale any pins but such ~
shall he double headed and have the
heads so.dcrcd fast to the pin. well
smootlicd the shanks well shnpcn. the
points we'll rounded. filed. cantcd and
| sharpcncd." About 1900 the manuiac.
turc of pins became quite Il business IN
Bristol and Birmingham. employing Il
large number of persons.
Tho pin industry In the United States
was begun by colonisis of the Caro-.
llnas. but 1t was not until the year 1885,
that II reached any considerable proper
lions. the pins used coming from En-.
gland. although the black pins used III
black goods came from France. TIN
industry Is now largely conferred III
Connecticut. although there are facto
rics in Detroit. Cincinnati and variou,
points In the Eastern States.
As an article of domestic use thu
modern pin Il now practically ubiquit
Gus and Indispensable. The tonnay,
of metals annually used In its manu-
facturc would astound any who liav,
no interest In looking into the subject
while the number of thousands of Opc
rutivcs employed IN the manufacture OF
this special industry Is surprising
Boston Commercial Bulletin.