The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-13
NEED OF NEEDLES.
The Daily Output Wouidn', Re Lost |
Even In H.yktuck

Even In H.ystack
One needle is d pretty s.Isa.! item but
the daily consumption Of something
like 1000 600 needles 81 rv-- the world
| makes a pretty big t"'A, Every year
| the women of the United States break.
| lose and use about 30O.0n0.00O of these
little instruments.
Our needles are the finished product
| of American ingenuity, skill and work
manship, and yet how many people
threading a needle or taking Il stitch
have ever given a thought to the yari-
Gus processes through which the wire
must pass ere it comes out Il needle
| The Manufacture of single needle i'll
cludes some tWenty-one or twenty-five
different processes. as follows: Cutting
the wire into lengths, Strengthening by
rubbing while heated. pointing the
ends on grindstOnes. stamping impress
sion for the eyes. growing, cying. the
eye being pierced by screw presses;
splitting, threading the double needle
by the eyes on short lengths of fine
wire: filing. removing the check" left
Oh each side of the eve by stamping:
breaking separating the two needles
on the one length of Wire: heading.
heads filed and smoothed to remove the
bur left by stamping and breaking;
hardening in oil, the needle being thus
made brittle: tempering; picking. sepa-
rating those crooked i'll hardening;
Strengthening the crooked ones. Scnlir-
ing and polishing: bluing. Softenn@
the eyes by heat; drilling or cleaning
out the sides of the eye: head grinding:
point setting, or the final sharpening;
fiual polishing. then papering and final
~ labelling. For wrapping purple pa
per is used because it prevents rusting.
There are many sorts and kinds of
needles First there is the surgeons
grewsome outfit-the probing needle.
made for tracking bullets or hidden
cavities of pus; the harelip needle.
the long pins for pinning open wounds,
the p0Stm0rtem needle of curious pat
tern Some of these little Instruments
are thin. some are thick Others are
long and straight Others again curve
once twice or three times The vet
Urinary surgeon has his special outfit
also The cook 5 needles are wonder
fully. fearfully made. His lardin@
needle is used to sew large pieces Of
meat together The trusting needle is
made OH purpose to insert melted but
ter or sauce right into the vitalS of a
Christmas turkey. It is hollow and has
large opening into which the sauce
is poured. Nor less interesting are the
needles which the upholsterer uses.
Some are half curved and some have
round points. He has needles with
curious eEes-long. round. egg and
needles are used by collar makers
Then there are the delicate needles
used by wigmakers. glOvemakers and
weaverS. These are often as fine as a
hair. The glove needles are splendid
specimens of skillful workmanship
The finest of them have three cornered
points. The great sail needle. which
has to be pushed with steel PALM
would puzzle most people So. too, the
broommaker's needle. which must also
be pushed with a steel palm: the curl
Gus knitting machine needle, with its
latchet; the arraSene and crewel nee
dies and the needle for stirring ma
chimes, the weaver'S pin for picking up
broken threads, with an open eye i'll the
hook. The long instrument used by
milliners. the needle of the rag baler.
the knife point ham needle used in
the st0ckyards, the astrakhan needle
these and other varieties do not call for
special notice
The needle as we see it today is the
evolved product of centuries of inven-
ton. In its primitive form it was made
of bone, ivory or wood The making
of Spanish needles was introduced
into England during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. Point by point the manu-
facture has improved until the little in
strument is one of the highly finished
products of nineteenth century ma
chinery and skill.-Scienttic American.