66 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
This factory and a following one did not succeed against the inevitable difficulties 
confronting a new venture. Better success was had in the ensuing year, when a market 
for the product began to be found, but it was hardly before 1895, after several factories 
in the hands of various parties were in operation, that the industry could be said to be 
fairly established.? 
The greatest expansion occurred in 1897 and 1898, when a condition of more than 
local excitement prevailed. Thus, in 1897 there were 13 button or blank establishments 
in 4 cities on the Mississippi River, while in 1898 there were 49 plants in 13 towns on the 
same river, besides at least 12 factories in as many different cities more or less remote 
from the Mississippi River. The territory of the new industry now extended from 
Omaha, Nebr., to Janesville, Wis., and Cincinnati, Ohio, with the center still at Musca- 
tine, lowa, where there were 28 blank-cutting plants, or ‘‘saw works,’’ as they were 
then called, and 5 complete factories. 
The next great advance came in 1901 with the invention of automatic facing and 
drilling machines; by subsequent invention (1903) these machines were combined into 
one, the automatic facing and drilling machine. Both the single and the double machines 
are still in use, although improved by many minor changes and additions. ‘These 
machines are very ingenious in design, and not only enable an operator to turn out four 
or five times as great a number of buttons per day, as compared with the product of 
the foot-power lathes formerly in use, but also insure a greater uniformity of finish. 
SOME ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE INDUSTRY. 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY. 
Recent as the establishment of the industry is, the effects have already been note- 
worthy. The United States Census reports show that in 1849, before pearl material 
was in use, the value of American button products was $964,000, and in 1859 $949,000. 
The manufacture of ocean-pearl buttons and of composition buttons began about this 
time, or in 1855 and 1862, respectively, and perhaps it is due to this that in 1869 we 
find the value of all button products amounting to $1,779,000 and in 1879 to $4,450,000. 
No increase is shown in the next decade, for in 1889 the value was but $4,127,000. It 
was during the two following decades that the fresh-water button industry developed 
with such rapidity. The value of the button product of the country in 1899 was 
$7,696,000, in 1904 $11,134,000, and in 1909 $22,708,000." 
It is unfortunate that the figures for pearl-button manufacture alone are not avail- 
able for other years (prior to 1914) than r900 and 1905, but from the reports of these 
years we find that the fresh-water pearl-button product was valued in 1899 at $2,766,053 
and in 1904 at $4,370,241. Between these two dates the first automatic machinery was 
putinto use. During the same period the output of ocean-pearl buttons fell from nearly 
$2,000,000 to about $1,500,000 in value. It will not appear, however, from facts given 
below that the great development of the fresh-water pearl manufacture has caused any 
general decline in the other branches of the industry. The census taken for 1909 gives 
@ It should be recorded that Mr. Boepple, who subsequently removed to Davenport, Iowa, and later to Cannelton, Ind., 
continued to engage actively in the button industry until February, roro. At that time he became shell expert of the Fisheries 
Biological Station at Fairport, Iowa, where he rendered invaluable service until his death in January, ro12. 
b Exclusive of buttons manufactured as by-products of other establishments not engaged primarily in button manufacture. 
All the figures above are reduced to even thousands for convenience of examination. 
