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History

Out of the Past

Mid-Century (1900 – 1910)
The Needle's Eye Front Cover – February 1950
By John W. McLain, San Francisco Mr. McLain remembered this period well—having started with Union Special Machine Company on August 16, 1899. Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, said, “Study the past if you would divine the future.” Now, as we contemplate the Twenty-First Century, let's pause to glance back on the first fifty years of the Twentieth Century... to appraise the achievements and review the ideas and events of that period. The first decade of the Twentieth Century, 1900-1910, which is commemorated by the front cover of this issue, was a happy period—and eventful. The Wright brothers took to the air... automobiles progressed from the “Get a horse” stage to mass production... playing the Gramophone was a favorite amusement... use of electricity increased, and every year saw more applications of it for home and industrial use. The pioneering spirit of the era encouraged businessmen and many firms to trace their beginning to the early 1900s. Union Special, with two decades of experience behind it, continued to expand and add to its machine developments. A factory was opened in Stuttgart, Germany, and various branch offices were established to serve the ever-growing needle trades. Following are some excerpts from issues of the period: December 1990 – March 1910.
  • December 1900 – Making Horse Collars – “Styles 6500 H and 9200 D are well adapted for the work. The collars are made of duck and take the place of the collar and pad so extensively used.”
  • February 1901 – Skirt Cording and Ruffling – “An operator in the factory of Williamson Corset & Brace Co., St. Louis, Missouri, turned out 265 ruffles on our machine, Class 9B00 D, in 12 hours.”
  • June 1901 – Muslin Underwear – “The New York Office has sold four Dewees Trimming Machines for use in trimming muslin underwear.”
  • October 1901 – Rainy-Day Skirts – The manufacture of this line of goods is assuming enormous proportions and we are enjoying a good share of the business accruing from it.”
  • September 1902 – Attaching Ribbed Cuffs to Sleeves and Drawer Legs of Knit Underwear – “There is a large demand for a machine to do this work, as the trade requires that garments be made up in this manner.”
  • October 1903 – Bag Manufacturing – “Minneapolis contains several up-to-date bag factories which are worthy of attention: especially notable is the plant of the Bemis Bro. Bag Co.”
  • October 1903 – Ladies’ Wrappers – “An operator at Silber & Gross, Kent, Ohio, ruffles and stitches the flounce to thirty dozen ladies’ wrappers in a day of nine hours, using Style 9700 F.”
  • January 1904 – Cost of Barrels – A letter from Ballard & Ballard Co., Inc., Louisville, Kentucky, states: “We advise our trade to discourage the use of barrel flour, and to induce the consumer, wherever possible, to use sack flour, for as timber will surely get scarcer, barrels will be still higher.”
  • February 1905 – Ornamenting Men’s Night Shirts – “Our New York Office, recently sent us a sample night shirt made at the factory of T. J. Maxwell Co., Peekskill, New York, which has the front and collar ornamented with our diagonal stitch machine. Style 15200 A.”
  • September 1905 – Nose Bags for Horses – “San Francisco Office recently sold one of our machines. Style 11700 Z-5, to The Ross McMahon Tent and Awning Co., for making "Quick Lunch" nose bags for horses.”
  • April 1906 – Shoes – “The Sharood Shoe Co. (St. Paul, Minnesota) gift to Miss Alice Roosevelt on the occasion of her wedding to Congressman Longworth consisted of a pair of Fine shoes made on Union Specials.”
  • March 1907 – Lumberman’s Arctics – “This style of shoe is growing very rapidly in popularity, and it appears to be superseding the felt boot generally worn by persons employed in outdoor pursuits in cold weather.”
  • May 1908 – Piano Scarfs – "Cincinnati Office reports the sale of one of our single interlock machines, Style 15400 Z, to Henry Holtzman’s Sons, Columbus, Ohio, for finishing edges and sewing fronts on piano scarfs.”
  • June 1908 – Flags and Bunting – “During the approaching presidential campaign (William Howard Taft vs. William Jennings Bryan), we may well expect an enormous demand for all kinds of flags and decorative bunting.” William Howard Taft and William Jennings Bryan were two prominent figures in American politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were both influential politicians and ran against each other in the 1908 presidential election.
  • October 1908 – Coat Front Shirts – “An operator on a Class 8100 machine at the Robinson Shirt Co., Atlanta, Georgia, stitches the button stays on 176 dozen of men’s coat front shirts with inserted bosoms, in a day of ten hours.”
  • July 1909 – Largest Flag in the World – “W.E. LeRoy, Cincinnati Office, reports it was made by the National Flag Co., Cincinnati. It is 90 feet wide and 180 feet long; the stripes are seven feet wide, and the stars measure six feet from point to point.”
  • March 1910 – Overalls – “Union Special overall machines help Nunnally and McCrea to secure a contract from United States Government for supplying their well-known ‘Engineer’ overalls and ‘Tropical’ trousers to be used by the workers on the Panama Canal.”
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