Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-08-12
WORK LITTLE KNOWN
CIothespin Manufacture a Penn
syIvania Industry.
Humble Domestic Article Forms valu-
able By-Product Of the Hardwood
Miiis-Work Gives Employ
ment to Many.

The manufacture of the humble
clothespin is a considerable industry
In the mountains of Pennsylvania,
where hardwood is still being cut in
large quantities. In the hardwood
mills in central Pennsylvania the
clothespin form a valuable by-product,
the waste from maple and ash lumber
being used to manufacture the little
implement of domesticity. Largo
quantities of American clothespins
have been shipped yearly to Germany,
Austria and other foreign countries.
Manufacturers state that. due to the
war, the greater portion OF their for
eign trade has been discontinued. The
trade slump has been felt In the Penn
sylvania mountains, where the clothes
pin makers are not working as steadily
as usual.
Native Pennsylvanians are employed
exclusively in the clothespin industry.
and they earn fairly good wages, most
Of the operatives working by the
piece.
II takes a dozen or more rapid oper-
ations to turn piece of hardwood into
a clothespin, which Is ready. to be
shipped from the mountains to the
New York broker, who distributes the
smooth slit pin throughout the world.
Strips from boards are conveyed from
the hardwood mill to the pin mill,
where the strips are cut into small
cubes. The cubes are soaked or
steamed In the upper room Of the mill
and then thrown into chutes leading to
the turning machines Girls run the
turning machines, which eat up thou
sands Of the little blocks hourly.
The girls must be nimble of finger.
for 1t is necessary to keep the feeding
canal tight with blocks in order to
prevent the pieces of wood from flying
about. The machinery in clothespin
mill vibrates tremendously, the noise
in the mill being deafening.
From the turning machines the lit
tie blocks go to the slotting machines,
which are also run by girls, although,
occasionally. boys are put on them
when girls are not to be had. These
machines are as noisy. but not as dus-
ty. as the turning machines. No dust
absorbers are found in the clothespin
mills and the gears of the machines
are not protected AS the blocks are
wet when they are put through the
machines the sawdust does not fly, the
dust In the mills arising from accumu-
lated sawdust which has dried out.
From the slotting machines the pins
go into driers. When they are thor
oughly dried the little sticks are con-
veyed to polishing drums and rapidly
revolved in soapstone, which gives
them their marketable smoothness.
From the polishing drums they are
taken to washer, where the soap
stone is cleaned of. and they go again
to a drier. From the drier they are
conveyed to the packing room, where
girls with quick fingers, pieceworkers.
pack them in boxes Of 500. the girls
receiving one cent box for their
work, the packers averaging $50 boxes
a day, although come systematic work
ers PACK under pressure $50 boxes
daily.
In some mills. the culls. sorted out
by the packers, are saved and mar
keted In the United States. The
clothespin market varies, the factory
getting anywhere from IS to rs cents
box for its product. One factory
ships three carloads of clothespins
weekly to the New York brokers.
The machinery used was invented
by Q Pennsylvania. who revolution
lied the clothespin industry, and de-
veloped into the "Clothespin King"
He started the first rapid-fire clothes
pin mills in the vicinity of Kane. Pa,