Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-07-17
A FEM GOOD POINTS
ON CAMBRIA NEEDLES
FROM A MAN WHO Is THOROUGHLY
yERSED uPoN THE
SUBJECT.
TELLS HOW THEY ARE MADE.
The Process of M~anufacture De-
scribed in N Very ~lnteresting
Manner by the Oldest in
tho World-Ensiaud and
the Worlds supply.

-
There is not one man is a thousand
who can tell you how the ordinary
cambria needle is made" remarked
Mr.. Nate. w. Flaisig in his of the
Mcclure last night. Let me tell you
1t is one of the slowest processes in
the world, as well as the longest and
most minute"
AS Nate Is the Oldest needle drum
mer in the world. he having entered the
service of William Crowley a. Sons
needle manufacturers at Redditeh, Eng
land, over fifty-one years ago,She prob
ably knows more about the tiny bits
of steel than anyone. and the reporter
asked him to tell the story of their
manufacture.
Picking up a needle from the table
Nate" said: THAT needle was c a
section of a large coil OF steel wire
wound upon a metallic spool. The coil
of wire is cut up into lengths, N
twins. as the process is called. which
means a section long enough for two
needles.
These lengths are then tied into bun
dies of about 20, 900 and rolled on a
solid iron table until they are perfectly
straight. The bunch is then heated and
zach needle is "skimmed'-that Is. the
rough scales are taken off. Then the
Al ..it.I a.. stitl Ia Aaphla lnnQthS.
is pointed and stamped. ready for the
eye. The eyes are punched in and the
sides are filed; then the twin Is
broken In two and each needle is
headed.
Now, being separated, the two are
tempered in cold oil and secured This
process includes putting the needles In
a cloth, which is filed with emery. oil
and soft soap. After coming out of this
the the tiny bit OF steel is run through
a machine that looks very much like
an old fashioned mangle. The points
are next polished and then the entire
length OF the needle is held up under
an emery wheel and highly polished.
Asked where most needles were man
ufactured, Mr.. Flaisig said:
England and Germany produce
the worlds supply of cambria needles
to-day. but If the Cleveland o., fac
tory-they are investing over a million
dollars in the erection of the first needle
factory in the United States-turns oul
we'll these two countries will have {
strong competitor in the United States
England now has seven factories. Tn
first. that of VIM. Crowley & Sons, was
established in 1850, and is running To-
day under the same name by the de
s~cendants of the founders. Ire English
product is $50, 900, 900 a week. German
factories turn out 200, 900, 900 needles a
week.
when were needles hrst invented
Why. it is known that the Chinese
Hindoos and Hebrews used needles
from very ancient time. Steel needles
were known to the Romans. The Moors
introduced them into Spain and from
there they were brought to England In
the time of Queen Elizabeth, but they
were not manufactured there until
1850"
Mr.. Flaisig said his ancestors had
been employees of the firm he now rep
resents for two hundred years, though
he is himself American by birth, his
parents having come to this country.
Nate is sixty-three years old. but
looks not over forty-five. He laughing
" replied to a query of the reporter:
Eyes. | have children-eleven of them
and thirty-six grandchildren. A year
ago l married my pre- sen. wife-daugh-
ter of General Andrew Heath, OF In
diana-ln Wheeling. And such a time
as / had finding a preacher. They were
all out of the city except Rev. S. G.
Naylor, whom I at last found on the
Island"
He has made six complete trips
around the word in his firiI's interest
as factory agent. 1t was like reading 4
romance to listen to air. Flaisig's stcr-
les of his adventures in repeatedly
betting" the trade centers of the earth.