A VISIT TO THE BRITISH NEEDLE MILLS. 
517 
quently a raised one, since it is to produce depressions in the wire. The 
workman holding in his hand several wires, drops one at a time on the 
bed-iron of the machine, adjusts it to the die, brings down the upper 
die upon it by the action of the foot, and allows it to fall into a little, 
dish when done. This he does with such rapidity that one stamper can 
stamp 4,000 wires, equivalent to 8,000 needles, in an hour, although he 
has to adjust each needle separately to the die. 
{a is the lower die on which the needles h are placed, to be pierced by the 
points c, guided by the apparatus d.) 
To this process succeeds another, in which the eye of the needle is 
pierced through. This is effected by boys, each of whom works at a 
small hand-press, and the operation is at once a minute and ingenious 
one. The boy takes up a number of needles or wires, and spreads them 
out like a fan. He lays them flat on a small iron bed or slab, holding 
one end of each wire in his left hand, and bringing the middle of the 
wire to the middle of the press. To the upper arm of the press are 
affixed two hardened steel points or cutters, being in size and shape ex- 
actly corresponding with the eyes which they are to form. Both of these 
points are to pass through each wire, very nearly together, and at a small 
distance on either side of the exact centre of the wire. The wire being 
placed beneath the points the press is moved by hand, the points descend, 
and two little bits of steel are cut out of the wire, thereby forming the 
eyes for two needles. As each wire becomes thus pierced, the boy shifts 
the fan-like array of wires until another one comes under the piercers, 
and so on throughout. The press has to be worked by the right hand 
for piercing each wire, and the head of the boy is held down pretty 
