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, Iowa, 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 $2 2, 708, 000. '^ 



It is unfortunate that the figures for pearl-button manufacture alone are not avail- 

 able for other years (prior to 19 14) than 1900 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 

 put into 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 



o 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, 1910. 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, 1912. 



6 Exclusive of buttons manufactured as by-products of other establishjments not engaged primarily in button manufacture. 

 All the figures above are reduced to even thousands for convenience of examination. 



