HNS BY THE BILLION.
INGENIOUS MECHANISM EMPLOYED
IN THEIR MANUFACTURE.
II Tnlr from Ten tn Sixteen Itlflr-rent
IImtihii In Make One Vln Turn.
Iiiv (tut Hon n ltlniite-Women Are
' Kitip1iipil it Itmiri'ltrn nml ftortrm.
What becomes of nil the pins? It Is
nn old question, nml one that hns never
been answered. Toko it in everyday
life. Nobody pvpr willfully destroys
or throws nwny a jiin. On the con
trary, nil tradition is in fnvor of cure in
preserving these useful littlp articles.
TIip connection between good luck nml
pins is bronghl nut 1y mi ancient Anglo-Saxon
saw, which nun;
Hee n 1 1n nml pick It ,
And nil the day you'll luivo Rood Im-k
H' n ln nml let It lay.
llnd liK'k yiiu'll have then nil the dny.
Tli in mny lie a littlp wpnk in gram
mnr, Imt the point in obvious enough.
Every student of household supersti
ion known, too, tlint to come upon n
pin lying with tlip point townnl imp
menu had luck, while tlip opposite eml
is nn equally potent harbinger of good
fortune. Ami so n long story might he
made of the romantic niul historical ns
socintiotis of the pin, but lest this
prove a ternler sulijei't for school -musters,
it may lie well to turn to the
jiioip proni(? nml practical siile of pin
ology. "Cnn nnythingbe more simple tlinii
tlip milking of a pin?" you say, nml
you hold one up to look nt it. There
is nothing to it except body, bend nml
point. You limy lie surprised, then,
to learn that this pin in the course of
its manufacture passed through from
ten to fixteen processes, journeying
from basement to roof of a great fnc
tory in which nre employed hundreds
of skilled operatives, nil giving their
minds nud muscles to the task of turn
ing out so simple an object ns the
ordinary pin. And besides the hiimnu
worker the industry engages, dozens
of different kinds of mnchiiips, operat
ing with the mystprious nml almost in
telligent action which makes modem
runcliinci v so highly interesting.
It is estimated that nine-tenths of
TVMM.INtt lUltnia.N, W1IKKK
11 American pins nre made in Connec
ticut, and the largest pin factory in
the country is in that State. The
number of pins turned out by this one
factory in the course of the year, if
placed end to end, would form a lino
reaching three times around the earth.
The totnl production of the country is
About twice this number, or nearly
enough to extend in a straight line
from the earth to the moon.
The pins make their appearance at
the factory in the form of coiled wire
packed in barrels. Tho ordinary pin
is made from brass wire, though iron
is used for the cheapest grades. The
first step in the transformation process
is the straightening of the wire. The
coils are placed on revolving racks and
fed from these into a machine from the
vise-like grasp of which the wire
emerges perfectly straight. Thence it
goes directly to the pin machines,
where the most interesting step in the
TIN STICKING MACHINE PUTTISQ TIMS
IN FAPEUB.
work of manufacture goes on. The
piu machine, like the printing presH,
combines in one compact piece of me
chanism a number of interesting pro
cesses. In the Machine.
As the wire is fed into the machinery
it enuouuters a sharp knife, which
cuts it oil' into uniform lengths of what
ever size may be desired. As each lit
tle length of wire drops from the knife
it fulls upon a wheel, perhaps ten
inches in diameter, set upright in the
frame of the machine. The edge of
this wheel is notched into a number of
little grooves, each one just large
enough to bold oue of the bits of wire,
The embryo pius settle into these
grooves nud are carried along by the
revolving wheel until an iron thumb
and Auger seizes uud holds them firm
)y, while an autoinutio hammer, by a
xiugle smart blow, puts a head on oue
end. Then they full upon auother
grooved wheel, which revolves hori
Kontally and looks like a miniature
barbican with the bit of wire project'
lug iroia its rim. At the wires move
on in tho rlasp of this second wheel,
the projecting ends pasa over the sur
face of a number of rapidly revolt
ing wheels, which may bo described as
circular steel files. Tfcese wheels
A TIM MACHINE.
grind the eml of wire to n neatly tap
ered point, nml after leaving them the
points pass ncrnsa a pumice stone
wheel to give them the smoothness
which the Mies cannot impart, and then
drop into a wooden box placed beneath
the machine to receive them. The
process is the same for nil grades of
pins, except that in the best ones a
stream of oil falls upon the points ns
they pass over the surface of the Hies.
This "pointing in oil" is said to impart
n toughness and durability not other
wise obtainable. It will bo seen that
since the wire was fed into this com
plicated machine it has passed through
four distinct processes cutting, head
ing, pointing and smoothing. There
nre KM) of these machines ranged along
the sides of the manufacturing room,
each one turning out i'OOpius per min
ute. Not all tlio machines are like
THE PINS AUK CI.KANKI).
the one described, but this is the new
est, most up-to-date and most rapid in
its operations. Hack in n corner of
tho room nre some of the old hund ma
chines of a decade ago, capable, under
tho direction of a skilled workman, of
turning out one-tenth ns much ns the
most improved modern machines.
In the square wooden boxes beneata
the machines wo have what may prop
erly be described as n pin, loi.Kiug
very much ns it does when it leaven the
factory, although it has a number of
processes to go through still. The
next step takes the pins to the whiten
ing room. Hero they are tirst placed
in a "tumbling barrel," which is sim
ply a revolving cylinder, half tilled
with sawdust, and rolled until they are
cleaned of grease and dirt. Then they
are passed through a blower, which re
moves the sawdust aud leaves the pins
bright and shining. Next they are
placed in largo square sieves and low
ered into vats tilled with a peculiar
green fluid. These are the nickeling
vats, aud after remaining in them an
hour or more the pins come out changed
from a brass color to the familiar nickel
hue. They are again rolled in saw
dust until dry, and then pass upstairs
to the sticking room.
Hon I n a the rin. ,.
Thus far the pins from each of the
machines have been kept in separate
boxes, as the least variation in size
would injure their appearance aud sell
ing qualities when placed in the papers.
.Now, however, if there is any doubt as
to the exact uniformity of all the pins
in euch consignment, if any of them
have been bent or imperfectly formed,
they are run through a ''sorter." This
curious machine has a hopper at the
top from which the pius feed down
through a narrow groove to an aper-
tnre graduuted to any desired size.
where every imperfect pin is thrown
out, while the others drop out a re
ceiver. It is impossible to get the bet
ter of this machine. Bend a pin ever
so slightly, mar the point or head the
least bit aud the machine w ill iustuutly
reject it.
Next comes the sticking room,
where the pius are mounted on papers,
as they are to be soon on the shelves
of dry goods stores. It is not so very
long since that this process was per
formed by hand, but now it is all done
by a most ingenious machine. From
the hopper into which the pins are
poured, as wheat is in a flour mill,
they pass dowu into a narrow slit,
which holds the pins upright. In In
dian tile they move down this narrow
uue ana at tne bottom lull upon a
grooved screw, which rejects all that
are imperfectly formed. The others it
neatly turns upside down, aud leaves
them standing point upward, thirty in
line, in a narrow frame. '
As the pins enter the sticking ma
chine from oue side, the paper, which
baa previously been out into proper
widths, and gilded on the edges, in fed
into it on the opposite side from a biff
roll. There are rained lines along the
roller over which the paper passes
and a press descends npon it making
double "crimp" in the paper. At the
same time the narrow frame which
holds the line of the pins is automat
ically raised and the pins are neatly
thrust.) through the pnper, being re
Ipnsed and left in exact and orderly nr
ray as soon as they have pipri'pd it.
The long strips of mounted pins are)
put into proper lengths as they emerge
from the sticking machines and pass
on to the inspectors. The inspector
from the court of last resort, where nil
deformed or injured pins tlmt may by
any possibility hnve escnped the ma
chine, are discarded and thrown out.
This w in k requires the grentest skill,
nnd only experienced hands are em
ployed. It mny be snid in pnssing tlint
nil the inspectors and most of the
workers employed in the sticking de
partment nre women. Men do tho
work in the whitening room nnd oper
ate the piuiiinking machines.
lntirttfiK the I'rniliict.
The inspectors hnve tho lightest and
plensnntest room in the factory, for
plenty of light and keen vision go to
gether to make their work effective.
The inspectors sit in a row before a
table. The papers of pins are sprend
out before them, nud they deftly re
move nil blunt nnd injured pius, in
serting fresh ones in the plnces. Hy
their work of handling thousands of
pins every dny their eyes become won
derfully trained, so tlint they can de
tect the slightest flaw. Of tho pins
that they throw out one will bo found
to have a little hook on tho point, an
other nn ill-shaped head, but the im
perfections nre so slight, tlint the or
dinary person, untrained to such
work, would not detect olio in a hun
dred. A paper of pins of standard
size contains twelve rows, with thirty
pins in n row. Ho deftly and quickly
docs the inspector do her work tlint
she handles thousands of pins in tho
course of nn hour, yet she almost
never overlooks oue that contains ail
imperfection.
After leaving tho Inspectors, tho
pnpern are folded, labeled and packed
in cases, ready for shipment. It may
have been only two or three hours
since the little piu now reposing in its
neat case, nlong with hundreds of its
fellows, was part of a coil of wira
many roils in length, but during that
timo it has passed through a dozen
dill'crent operations and twice that
number of pairs of hands.
Tim process described is that
through which the ordinary pin, what
may bo called tho house pin, passes,
but, of course, there nre endless vari
ations on this usual form. Koine of
the brass pius are allowed to retain
their original color, and these, of
.onrse, do not pass through tho nick
eling baths. Instead, they are boiled
in another solution. Then there is
the murderous hatpin and others
which it is desirable to have a dark
color. These are subjected to the
treatment known ns jnpnnning. From
the manufacturing room they go to the
basement, w hero they are placed in a
revolving cylinder half tilled with the
hot jnpaiiiiing mixture. When re
moved from here they are hung on
racks nud placed in big ovens under
an intense heat, where tliey are allowed
to "bake" for an hour or more. Then
they are removed, cleaned in sawdust
uud henceforth treated like the others,
Hiifcty Finn.
Safety pins require mora hand la
bor than any other kind, ami are made
by a separata process. The point is
sharpened while the pin is still a
straight piece of wire. Then it passes
through a machine which deftly winds
it about an upright steel rod, thus
making tho spring. The heads are
made separately by a machine which
stamps them out of long strips of wire,
aud the two parts are firmly joined by
a clamping machine.
No machine has yet been invented
that will stick safety pins into the pa-
pern, and this part of the work is done
by hand. Here again experience lends
speed, however, and a girl who is an
expert can mount 100 gross of safeties
in a day.
Tho statement that 300 workmen and
more than 100 rapid working ma
chines, capable of turning out 800 or
more pins per minute, are employed
in a single factory gives no adequate
impression of the great mountain of
pins tn at is required to supply tne
market every year. Washington Star,
Why Orange ltloHoms Are Worn.
. Much uncertainly exists as to why
the orange blossom has beeu so much
worn by brides, but the general
opinion seems to be that it was adopted
as an emblem of fruitfuluess. Accord
ing to some authorities the practice
has been derived from the Saracens,
among whom the orange blossom was
regarded as a symbol of a prosperous
marriage, a circumstance which is
partly to be accounted for by the fact
that, in the East, the orange tree
beurs ripe fruit and blossoms at the
same time. New York Ledger,
No great man ever had time to play
checkers in the middle of the duy,
' The New Cblaiic.
"O'IML l
-- "v?. vir
The boy soorohed on the bicycle brldgo,
WliouuD all but htm had Hod.
The uioiiu lit up the bicycle wreok,
And the boy stood ou tils bead.
Judge,
fllltlitf
Kilted Hit Iris,
The new kilted skirt must bo mndo
by an expert dressmaker, ns they need
to be cut so that there is no fullness
around the hips, while the plnits
round the feet must set with sufllcicnt
iiniplitndo or the effect is ruined.
IVriM-verliiK Wmttiin
Mary Ann I'aseoiubp of Htnpleton,
Htaten Islii'.nl, is one of the most per
severing women in America. Horn in
a little frn'im house in Htir.ileton Oil
iirs n.i, she begun life nt 12 years
of n-.r n maid of nil work, receiving
ns wages but fl" n year. Yet, from
this humble beginning she has suc
ceeded, through her own unaided ef
forts, in uniassiug n fortune of more
than $.1(10,11(111.
fiiititirltli; lirgrp fi,r Women.
The syndicate of Cambridge univer
sity, I'.nglan.l, has reported in favor of
granting the degree of bachelor of arts
to women. It has been suggested that
the title of degree might better bo
changed to spinster of arts in ense of
the young woman who succeeded in
earning it. Ou the other hand, some
one rises to insist that the youthful
iiiidergra hinte would sooner or later
change tho naniu to artful spinsters.
Itcwitn of (lie llnlrtln t
A French scientist announces that
the loss of mental balance is often in
duced by the use of hairpins. The
head, especially nt the back, is the
most sensitive part of n woman's nnnt
oinv. Further, that she is likely to
llx upon a nerve centre ns the pcrmn
lient spot on which to locate her coils
of hair, n i l th is persistently "jab"
u ith n hairpin the regions which should
be kept free from the slightest touch.
It is claimed that this is the rensoii so
many are scut to madhouses, with
some otht"' ciiiiko for their inula ly hs-
signeil.
1 .Ml lint mm l mitli.
A consiileriibe sensation hns been
caused at (.'mines by the arrival there
of the Princess Louise of Hnxe-Colmrg
Ootlui, who iutendc. to make n month's
stay at tlint fnsciiir.tiug spot, nud who,
if rumor may be relied upon, lias taken
with her us many as 1'20 hats to wear
during that period. Hho is occupying
half of a very largo hotel, and it is
said that one whole room has been set
apart for these huts,' while two other
salons nre devoted to as many as 2110
gowns, nil of them of the most costly
aud elaborate description possible. No
less than 80 packing cases were em
ployed in the transport of these gor
geous garments and it is difficult to
imagine how many gowns the princess
must have left behind in t'oburg, if
she considers that as many toilettes as
these uro necessary for a visit of a
month only to the sunny South.
Itriilil TrliiiinltiKH,
Tho routs nnd jackets of the hand
somest tailor made gowns are trimmed
with heavy mohair braid; but it should
be noted that it is put on with re
straint, never Invishly. Tho most
frequently repented motive is to cover
the side forms in the back with two
rows of the braid, close together, which
turn squarely ut the top, about a quar
ter of nn inch from the armholes, and
at the lower end, an inch or two from
the edge, are finished with trefoil
loops; these are left loose, not sewed
Hat. The fronts are usually trimmed
in military style, with graduated rows,
from three to five, and finished in
similar fashion with trefoils. It will
be noticed thnt the skirts of these util
ity gowns are still, as a rule, abso
lutely plain, as are also those of many
dressier cloth gowns, and those of
fancy figured silks and rich brocudes.
Demorest's Family Magazine.
HleevfH Are llriMiplng.
Sleeves droop at the shoulders nnd
gradually lessen until they are fairly
tight at the wrist, aud this cuts off the
lust resource pockutless women had
for disposing of the ossentiul handker
chief. It was convenient to tuok the
flue linen square into the sleeve before
it becume the narrow, pointed, curi
ously shaped conceit of the moment.
Now the tiny bag for carrying the
handkerchief is a necessity. Very
iiretty ones are to be hud, crocheted
in black or white silk, beaded with
minute steel or gilt beads, describing
tiny diamonds or blocks. They have
flaps at the top with a short beaded
fringe, and are large enough to hold
the handkerchief and nothing else. All
the handsomest bags uro beuded, aud
the majority have very handsome tops
of sterling silver or gold, often jewel
studded. Tho luttest shopping bag is
culled a "toggle, for no reas n given
St. Louis Star.
I'iii'iihiiIm Are ItdHiitlful.
The purusolri this year are beautiful
beyond description, ami the colorings,
combinations and new effects are sim
ply marvelous. The richest aud heavi
est materials are utilized in strong
ooutrust to the most diaphanous uud
perishable, uud scores of fabrics which
iu times past were never thought of in
the creation of a parasol are now
brought into prominent use. The size
and shape of this season's models are
Varied somewhat from those fashion
able a year ago, end the handles of ex
pensive varieties are exquisite works
of art. There are parasols of sntin
hroende, moire, taffeta, foulard, plain
liVons sntin, crepe do ( lime, crepe
lisse, chiffon, grass cloth, pongee, silk
canvas, grenadine, China silk, plain,
coin-dotted, spotted, embroidered nnd
striped. Many of the dressy styles
nre trimmed with rows of narrow rib
bon, laid upon accordion pleated
frills. So much fancy nnd decoration
prevail, that the once elegant plain
silk parasols nre now relegated to the
realms of sun umbrellas. New York
I'ost.
A Nov-l Ktirliti'lit.
After several ineffectual attempts.
through newspaper appeals nnd other
wise, to end the big theatre lint nuis
ance in Hun Francisco, the managers
of tho llaldwin theatre hit upon the
expedient of milking n personal appeal
to each lady patron. On the opening
night of the season each lady, on en
tering, received a card on which was
an appenl to her good nature not to
needlessly lessen the enioyinpiit of
other patrons. The plan was a suc
cess. All the huts, except the unob
strusive lint headgear, wero removed,
niul tho hubitiies of theatre were de
lighted. The managers' mail hns been
rowded with commendatory letters,
among which were not a few from the
ladies themselves. "The permanency
of the reform rests with the ladies,"
ono of the managers said. "Nonmoiint
of mere legislation will effect anything
in this matter. Now it may lie that
the ladies were so well pleased with
tho experience that they will doff their
hats again and again, nnd what wns n
novel experiment will become the
fashion. A comparatively few ladies
may bring about this result; if n num
ber of Indies well known in society
would take off' their hats, others would
do so merely by way of following a
good example by wny.in other words,
of being in the fashion. It would be
recognized ns a matter of good taste to
remove tho hat in tho theatre which
it certainly is and tho reform would
be then effected permanently." Chi
cngo Times-Herald.
FmnIiIoiiiiIiIp ntil HenflonHhlp
Many walking hat shapes.
lllack and white theatre bonnets.
Hough effects in delicate green straw
hats.
Tulle niching for millinery pur-
poses.
Many bonnets having ear pieces as
of old.
Hats of crinoline having a chiffon
crown.
(Ireen kid gloves for summer cos
tumes.
Fancy bolts of silk, plaid and ribbon
effects.
Hats of cherry and cardinal red
shades.
Girls' organdie
frocks accordion
plaited.
Nuturnl colored bird of paradise
feathers,'
Table scarfs of wide satin ribbon em
broidered. Large hats of scarlet mousseline for
small girls.
Steel effects in passementerie for
gray gowns.
White satin accessories on all kinds
of costumes.
Many drapery silks in cardinal and
white effects.
Round Spanish turbans of black and
colored straw.
Straw crowns having a brim of
plaited chiffon.
Green sun umbrellas with blue en
amelled handles.
Jetted bruid toques trimmed with
quills und velvet.
White leather belts having a buckle
of colored enumel.
Separate silk waists elaborately
trimmed with luce.
Belts', purses, eardeases, etc., of
Russian blue leather.
Girls' large hats trimmed with rib
bon rosetts uud quills.
Suits trimmed with velvet applique
edged with gold braid.
Shoulder capes of cardinal mous
seline uud satin ribbon.
Tiny toques having a straw brim,
tulle crown uud flowers.
Mousseline bunds, embroidered with
silk, for dress trimmings.
Canvas costumes nearly covered
with appliques of black luce.
(truss linen collars of u baud and
full top frill embroidered in white.
White sailor hats trimmed with scur
let velvet ribbon und red geraniums.
llluzer vests or plustnns without
number uud of every possible mute
riul. Separate collars of Hand urg em
broidery after the style of Wiiil'uu aud
luoa.
HELPS FOR HOUSEWIVES.
Ilrranlng for Poultry.
Make the dressing as usual, and just
before stuffing the turkey add one ten
spoonful of baking powder. It will
make it light, delicate and digestible,
n surprise to all who have not tried or
tasted it.
In Praise of I'nmnlp Strw.
Tn one of Miss" Wilkins's delightful
(dories for children she sings the praises
incidentally of parsnip stew. The
dish sounded so attractive to one fam
ily who rend the story that it was
promptly tried. A favorite luncheon
dish was thus discovered, and one thnt
is often called for during these first
spring dnys. The most satisfactory
recipe found wns the following : Iloil
three slices of salt pork an hour and a
half ; scrape five large parsnips, cnt
in quarters lengthwise, and add to the
pork ; boil half an hour longer and
add two sliced potatoes. When these
are soft the stew is ready to serve.
New York I'ost.
Ilnw to Cook litre,
Iloiled rice the substitute for bread
in Easfprn countries is cooked to
perfection in the following way : The
grains nre washed again and again,
until perfectly free from all the starchy
mntter clinging to them, Wnter is
then heated to a boiling point nnd
kept in A perpetually bubbling condi
tion, nnd the grains nre then carefully
dropped in and kept in a constant
stnte of action by the volcauo-Iiko
bubbling of tho boiling water, which
keeps them well astir. When a single
grain can be crushed between tho fin
gers the rice is done, and is thpn taken
off the fire and drained, being ready
for consumption. A little lemon added
while boiling blanches the rice beauti
fully, nud a dish of it thus prepared
is delicious. Knell grain lies apart,
and is of snowy whiteness, nnd its
taste so pure that to ndd flavoring of
nny kind would be a pity.
3ln.vonnnlse Dressing.
Mnyonnnise dressing is mnde by
Miss (lolling, tho well-known teacher
of cookery, ns follows :
I'ut the yolks of two eggs into a
cold soup plate, beat or stir a moment
with a silver or wooden fork, then add
half a tenspootiful of snlt.adash of cay
enne, and, if you like it, half a tea
spoouful of mustard. Work theso
well together, then add, A few drops
at a time, from a half to a pint of olivo
oil, stirring rapidly nnd steadily nil
tho time. Stir only ono way, ns re
versing the motion mny cnuso it to
curdle. While adding the oil ndd nlso,
occasionally, a few drops of lemon
juice or vinegar. If too thick when
finished, ndd vinegar or lemon juice
until it attains the consistency you do
sire. The more oil you use the thick
er the dressing. If the dressing
should curdle, begin again with one,
or two more yolks in auother plate, nnd
after stirring well add one teuspoonfrd
at a time of the curdled mayonnaise,
and when nil has been stirred in con
tinue adding oil as before until the de
sired amount is obtained. Everything
used in making the mayonnaise dress
ing, dish included, should be ice cold,
especially in hot weather.
Household Hints.
Imitation marble paper highly var
nished may be washed with cold w ater
and soap.
Look well at your breakfast table,
even though there is no one but thej
waitress to see you.
When you nre really hungry for
your breakfast yon can rest assured
you are in excellent health.
Papier-mache, much used for mold
ings and ornaments iu rooms, may bo
cleaned with soap aud water.
The woman who really loves her
home will never bo reconciled to apart
ments, no matter how attractive they
may be.
Tutting vinegar on spinach is con
sidered by some people as an epicurean
crime similar to that of adding sugar
to lettuce.
Baked potatoes have their starch
grains more thoroughly cooked than
when either boiled or steamed, and,
for this reason, inuy often be eaten by
delicate invalids who cannot touch
them boiled.
An odd but effective remedy for food
scorched iu the kettle is to lift the re
ceptacle at once from the stove and set
it iu a pan of cold water. Iu nearly
every instance the burned taste w ill bo
entirely removed.
The more you handle puff paste tho
better it is, according to the authority
of a cook ; but it must be managed
carefully, like delicate tulle, uud the
fundamental principle is, to keep tho
air iu, not to press it out.
I In selecting lobsters and crabs, tho
housekeeper should bear in miud that
the heaviest lire the best. Freshly
taken lobsters will respond to the pres
sure of the finger on their eyes by a
strong motion of the claws.
The less plain pie crust is touched
the better it is. The under crust of a
custard pie limy be kept from being
soggy by brushing it over with the
w hite of an egg beaten up w ith a little
water, just before pouring iu the cus
tard. Wull paper may be cleaned first by
dusting it with a clean cloth and thou
by gently rubbing it with a stale lout
of bread ; the crumb surface should be
cnt smoothly, the dirty face of the
bread being cut uway from time to
time.
Medium-sized crabs nre the sweet
est, iu perfect condition, the joints
of the legs are stiff, uud tho body has
au ugreeuhle smell. Iu a fresh crab,
the eyes are bright and firmly set ; iu
a stale crab, they look dead aud souiu
loose.