The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-17

Enough American flags, large and
small were made last year to give ev-
cry man, woman and child in the Uni
ted States at least one specimen of the
Stars and Stripes, says the New York
Sun.
Must be we are getting strenuous in
firm that makes large proportion of
these flags. Because the flag was
never SO popular as it is today. What's
more, the people seem to want flags
made of better quality of material
than before This is boom year for
the silk flag"
The fact is that flagmaking is now
occupying high place among Amer
lean industries. 1t is the only indus
try whose prosperity finds patriotic
sentiment practically its sole basis.
The increase in this sentiment is at
tributed by many persons to the public
schools, where the law requires that
the American flag shall be displayed
every schoole day.
Manufacturers give another reason.
They say travelling statesmen for flag
houses have caused the major part of
the gain. The growing demand for
flags has aroused competition. A nat
ural result is that flagmakers and deal
ers do their best to add to the flags
popularity. On the Fourth of July the
sun looked down on the largest display
of American flags ever seen in this
country.
Twenty-four hundred stitches a min
ute is the regular speed of the electri-
cally driven machine used to sew to-
gether the red and white stripes of a
silk or wool bunting American flag. In
one hour skilled fingers and machinery
create perfect banner six by ten feet
in size.
This task includes fourteen different
operations and twenty years ago re-
qufred a day and half to accomplish
The last decade has witnessed the in
PRODUCTION of splicing and cutting ma
chimes. These have revolutionized the
flagmaking industry.
Women play the leading roles in flag
making. Somehow or other it seems
impossible for men to acquire the skill
that is natural to the opposite sex. So
only the heavier and less complicated
features of the work fall to the men.
The first step in making flag is to
or white silk or wool bunting. Machin-
cry accomplishes the most of this, al
though some operatives, equipped with
huge shears are still employed.
The stripes are given over to the ma
chine operatives, by whom they are
sewn together with lightning like ra-
pidity. The lockstitch is used and the
thread fed from spools, each of which
holds $4,000 yards.
The stripes sewn together, the flag
is ready to receive the union. The un-
ion is the blue field at the left upper
corner Of the flag bearing forty-six
stars, a star for every state, although
most of them seen for some months
will sho wonly fOrty-five stars.
Stars of wool bunting are of muslin,
although the union itself is of the same
material as the body of the flag. A
star is always half the width of stripe
of the flag 1t adorns.
Muslin stars are cut by machinery
at the rate of 5000 an hour. A star is
five pointed, each being precisely like
its fellow. AS fast as the stars are
cut out they are passed to girls, who,
on the unions. They are placed in six
rows, alternating eight and seven Then
they are basted in place by hand and
turned over to the machine operatives.
Placing the union in position follows
two unions being required for each
flag: Stripes and union are Joined, the
finishers taking the flag in hand. Strong
canvas bands are sewn across the had
lings, the bands having grommets. or
eyeiets, in the corners. In the case
or large flags for STATS the halliards
are run through these grommets.
Although every year more than
100000 American flags are made in
the fashion described they form only
a small proportion of the total number
manufactured. Millions of printed
hags come into existence every year