Year: 1873

1t seems as though they would stock
the world in a few weeks, don't it? But
the year after our war thirty millions
a week came to us. And we had needle
factories of our own, too.


The next operation is to straighten
them. They were wound on wheel,
you know, and that would bend them
somewhat; besides, they get bent in
cutting, For Strengthening they go to
another machine. The workman takes
two strong iron rings and packs them
full of needles, standing up, you under
stand. 1t will hold five or six thousand.
When they are tightly wedged in, the
rings are put on an iron table, where
there is groove made to receive them.
Over this table hangs rule, as it is
called, which also has grooves to fit the
rings. The rule is brought down tight
on the bundles of needles, and then by
machinery moved back and forth. OF
course the bundles of wire turn round,
and so tightly are the needles pressed
together that they are instantly made
straight. a..ltrr.. ''l-...


Needle-straightening used to be a
trade by itself, and when manufac-
turer tried to introduce this simple ma
chine into factory in England the
straighteners thought they were to be
thrown out of work, and they mobbed
the man and drove him out of town.
But that is nothing unusual for ignor-
ant workmen they always fight against
any improvement. -... -......


After Strengthening, the needles are
taken to the pointers. These men sit
all day at the grindstone There are
twenty or thirty of them generally, in
two rows down room, and all driven
the stones, not the men-by steam or
water power, These stones are about
eighteen inches in diameter, and go so
fast that they are apt to fly to pieces
so they are partly incased in iron to
keep them together A workman takes
up fifty or sixty wires in his hand and
holds the ends against the stone, at the
same time turning them between his
finger and thumb to make the points
round. He has a thumb-piece of
leather, and it is done in a minute. It
is called "roughing down" They can't
use water on their grindstones, because
it would rust the needles.


There's a great deal of steel dust hy-
ing around these grindstones, and
though the workman used to tie hand
kerchief over his mouth, he could not
help breathing it, and it was very un-
healthy. 1t would give a man the con-
sumption in few years. He got ex-
ira pay on that account. Now here's
another instance of ignorant prejudice
when machine was invented to drive
away the dust, the grinders opposed it's
introduction, because they would no
longer get extra wages. It made no
difference, though the machines were
soon in use. They drive the dust away
from the workman, as fast as it is
made, by strong stream of wind,
blown on the stone by two immense
pairs of bellows, something like black
smiths, only they are worked by steam
power. The wind is turned exactly on
the grindstone as the dust flies up it
is blown back of the wheel into sort
of box built on purpose, and there it
falls harmlessly out of the way.


Now, you remember, our needle is as
yet two needles joined by the heads.
In some factories the eyes are cut while
in this shape, but in the one I'm telling
of they are first separated.


They are cut apart by help of a
gauge. This is square piece of cop
per, with two sides turned up to make
an edge. Not two opposite sides, but
two adjoining sides. You see they put
pile of the double needles on the
guage, with the points resting against
one of the turned-up edges, and kept
from falling of by the other turned up
edge. This plate is just the length of
the needle they are making, and the
workman holds the edge of the plate of
needles up to the steam scissors, which
instantly cut them off, Then he puts
into box the ends he has on the plate,
gathers up those he cut off, and then
they're ready for the head-fattener.


You didn't know they had fiat heads ?
Look carefully at one and see for your
self.


The head-fattener seizes between his
left thumb and finger twenty or twenty
five needles by the points, spreads them
out like fan, and lays each head in
succession on square block of steel
three inches each way.


"A cube, did you say d? Well, [ knew
it, but how did I know that you did p


AS each head rests on the steel. the
workman gives it blow with small
hammer. That fattens it, but also
hardens it, so that it has to be annealed
before the eye can be cut.


There's a hard word, I declared I
meant to keep them out of this paper.
People who want to be very wise may
go to the big books and dig out the hard
words for themselves. Now for annedL-
ed they might just as we'll say softened.
for that's exactly what it is. 1t softens
the needles and makes them easy to cut.


When annealed, it is taken to the
piercer This is child, boy or girl,
who lays the needle on block of steel,
places a tiny punch on it, and gives it a
tap with hammer. A very tiny punch
it is, too


Some factories punch the eye by a
stamping machine. The pierces punch
first one side and then the other, and
they get to be so expert that they are
fond of astonishing visitors by punch
ing hole i'll hair and threading it
with another hair. Wonderful as that
sounds, it isn't any more so than punch
ing the eye of No. 12 needle.


The next operator, also child, has a
lump of lead before him on this he
lays the needle, and drives a punch
through the eye, which sleft very sharp
by the first punch, and weuld cut mann
mas thread terribly. While the punch
is still in the eye he lays the needle
over on its side, on piece of steel, and
gives it tap each side to make the eye
take the right shape. He can do four
thousand in an hour-at least they say
| SO.