The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1906-05-25
The Making of Buttons.

The buttoa is one of the best examples
of the importance of small things. Read
it out of existence in all its forms and it
would affect our national life Compelled
to return to the robes of our ancestors,
many of the greatest lines of modern in
dustry would be handicapped. Imagine
! the tiremen of a locomotive clad in loose
flowing garments or the conductor of a
crowded trolley car making change in a
toga.
Forty two buttons each for every man,
woman and child in the United States re-
presents the annual production of the
United States, according to special re-
port on buttons issued by the Government
in connection with the twelfth census.
Since this report, however, there have
been great changes in the making of but
tons in this country and the annual pro-
duction has greatly increased. Our but
tons are made from bone, cloth, horn,
metals, vegetable ivory, wood, celluloid,
paper, pearl, and several other materials.
Of these pearl buttons hold first place in
both value and numbers Twelve million
gross of fresh water pearl buttons are now
being made in this country each year and
about one-ffth as many salt water pearl but
tonss. Since the last census report the pearl
buttons annually produced have nearly
doubled.
Fifteen years ago it was'.discovered that
the waters of Illinois, Indiana, iowa,
Tenuesse and Arkansas produced pearl ex-
cellently adapted to the making Of buttons.
Up to that time all pearl buttons made in
the United States were from salt water
shells and the button industry was con-
fined to cities on the Eastern coast. Since
the discovery of fresh water pearl the in
dustry has spread well into the Central
and Western States. Hundreds Of shell
hunters busy themselves along the rivers,
and factories for the making of button
blanks have sprung up on the banks.
The first operation in the making of
button is preparing and saving of the shell
into button blanks of various sizes and
thickness. The blanks, it will be under
stood, are round and of tie same diameter
as the buttons into which they are made
The varied thickness of the shell gives a
variety of thickness to the blanks as first
sawed out, thus necessitating the slieing of
them into many additional blanks of the
same diameter. If the blanks have
been prepared upon the banks of some
river they are shipped in sacks like so
much grain and are thus received at the
store room of the button factory proper
These bags contains 200 pounds or more.
A grading machine automatically sorts
bushels and bushels of these blanks into
their respective thickness.
The various sizes of buttons at button
factory and to the trade are described by
a number and the word ''lines There
are l0-line buttons and 65-hne buttons
and some even larger There are 10 lines
to the inch, and when We speak of 40
line button it means that the diaemter of
that button Is one inch.
As soon as the shells have been turned
into blanks the work Of shaping, facing
and drilling is begun. The button ma
chimes rest upon bench and are operated
by betting. They are not unlike the bench
lathes of machinist Each button is put
in a sort of socket with one hand of the
operator and with the other hand the me-
ehanical facing tool brought in contact with
it and the power applied. The drilling Of
the holes in the button is done in the same
way.
About three years ago a marvellous new
invention made its appearance and has
revolutionized the industry to no small
extent In the making of fresh water
pearl buttons one of these machines takes
the place of FIVE girls under the former
plan. A girl seated at one of these ma
chimes places the blanks one after another
rapidly in position. On sort of belt-like
arrangement these buttons, as they are
put in place, are carried first to the me-
chanism which shapes and faces and then
little further to the point at which the
drills automatically operate in piercing the
holes Carried on further, the button is
delivered from the machine into a recepta-
ele and the part of the machine which held
it on its journey quickly comes round in
front of the operator again to be filed.
These machines were invented in Iowa, and
are now coming into quite general use.
Where buttons are Of large size and are
made in some fancy design this work is
done upon hand machine. These but
tons are, of course, more expensive. The
STYLES of decoration in buttons do not change
greatly.
In another part of the factory another
force of girls is employed in fastening the
buttons onto cards ready for the market.
These girls become very adept at this
work and easily sew on 10 gross day each.