New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-06

AZ PHILADELPHIA q place almost OF no importance ex-
cett a, depot for receiving and shipping coal there
are 2 ,niar col stuctions sept continually in order
and in quite frequtD ut employ ment.
Inv entive talent more frequently than bIeeses
its po,sessor, but never when combined with those
other .teri' qualities which 60 to make the indus
hious workman, the conscientious. prudent and skiu-
fu business mar, and the unsssuniDg and public
spiritsd citizen The Hessrs. Fairbanks commenced
hemp or fax manufacturing busnes, in their native
town in 1893 or 30 and dev sed the platform scale
az a means of facilitating their operations The IN
vention Of the machine-the first grand idea, which
has resulted in epIichiDg themselves and blessing TO
limited extent almost every branch Of human indus
try-was but q simple stepi the next necessity, the
perfection of the manufacture, hss required aspsce OF
time extending nearly down 70 the present PERIOD and
IT, in fact still actively progressing There Is no busi-
ness worthy Of New-EOgland but will afford employ
melt for all the skill and care which can be com
nspded but the scse manufacture seems in an espe-
cial degree TO require experienced and intellectual
labor. The $50 workmen employed in the scale
mandatory at St JOhnsbury are unequaled by any
like number Of operatives collected together IN the
world This is due patty to the nature Of Their en-
poy ment part 10 their isolated situstion and partly
TO the influence Of their employers, but more than ALL
no doubt, to the traits Of character inherent in the
ptope Il this section The Of this establish
melt eoes far to solve some Of the great problems
connected with the relations Of capital TO labor, and
TO rtute the idt that the workman must necessarily
be either degraded uneasy in his situation. Inns
concern is the only within our knowi-
edge where the operatives have invented improve
ments which have been adopted and Literally pad fof
BY The propiietors, without the least degree impair
ing the perfect good feeling existing between them.
MANY of the workmen have been employed in the
establishment from period little subsequent to the
erection Of its fItt building, structure which has
since been surrounded by quite an extensive group
TIE works are located on snail but neverfaling
stream seme mile and half from the cepot. Labor
saving machinery and all the appliances and processes
which long years of study develop are employed to
fciGt e the yok The steel for the knfeedges Is inn
ported FROM Sheffield in precisely the form required,
and the holes into which it is fitted in each lever are
by inserting in the mold precisely similar piece OF
Eeel. cast in exactly the proper size and shape
Straight edges and gauges with most accurate surfaces
are constructed for each part Of every scale, aud IN
theory every part of scse should be able to serve
in every scale Of that size. The figures on the beams
are stamped by hand but the graduatons are pTevi-
ousy made with mathematical accuracy by machinery
The ait Of chilling csst-ron lie carried further we think
by these wOIkmen than in any other branch oil Dus-
ness. 1t may not be generally known that casuog'
Grown Point and Scotch pig mixed may be hardened
With perfect by heating and plungng partially
or wholly in water like steel. The few links or loops
REQUIRED are of tough American or Norway lron ana
however small they may be, are always smoothly ana
sauDoly welded and faced with -tctl The borax used
AZ uI in these operations is previously refined by
process which, although it would seem to consist in
simply e1peiI it's water Of capitalization, is we think,
unknown in manufactures generally, where 1t would be
of great importance as avoids the boiling and squirm-
ing behavior always exhibited by this material when
placed in its natural condition on hot metal.
The strain being always in one direction on each,
the pvots or hinges of compound scale are all
formed by "knfet dges' to avoid friction. The pivos
are of harde, caststet shaped TO form an angle OF
from Is to 80 degrees. In constructions IN common
u.e greater nicely required in the locating OF any
parts than in adjusting, or, as it is technically termed,
"tealns these scales. The stout knife-edges, hard
Az flee. are affected even by q few rubs with tine
milestone that their edges may by this means De
moved backward or forward Until the action of each
lever is found BY trial to be the nearest practicable ap
pros,h TO perfection. No human mechanism lie ever
absolutely perfect except by chance-as Is made PLAIN
in the Instruments referred to where the high magni
kipg powers of lsrge telescope are involved in the
.lrors-but Il ere are peculiar difficulties in compound
,cales, airing from the elasticity sf metals under
heavy strains and from the fact that kneedge can
not pres ent an infinitely fine line bearing under
snch circumstance Each knte-edge must be treated
merely as a very narrow area, the bearing points on
which change from one side 10 the other the beam
rises and falls Ii chances that the combination
of two long with equal number of short levers,
adopted in the frst instance BY the hesss Fairbanks
is the simplest possible construction, and involves
fewer of these difficulties than any other Yet the eI-
treme accuracy strength and unchsDging quality Of
their scales s due in great degree 70 the minor im-
proyemtnts successfully Introduced il the manufsour
ing department. The buildings Of this establishment
ale rusty and irregular, unworthy, from the crcum-
saI ces Of their construction Of any favorable enark;
bui the .ystem which is awaited Of throughout OF the
mo.t perfect character the "indiyidsM responsibility
doctrine being luDy carried ont that the name or
initials Of the "sesler' il stamped on the working
parts Of each scale, large or small Any arrangement
or insccuracy subsequently discovered In Fairbanks
scale rtcuIs directly the workman, who s frequent
y anxious 10 his shoulders the expense
Of travelling to the locality TO vndicste his repu-
tstion OF to remedy the evil. This establishment has
done much directly well indirectly, TO harmonise
the Cfcal andards of weight OF the different cities
ana STATES. Up 10 quite recent penod the standard
one two and three pound weights in different parts Of
country failed not only to agree with the CORE
spending weights Of distant point, but in many
failed TO agree with each other IN the proper ratio.
The Official .tspdnrd weights of Louisville. Ky., were
materially changed, as consequence Of investigations
by these p.ies as also were those Of Baltimore, Nd,
the error in the latter having been proved 10 be
as crest as 3 or per cent. The U. s. Government,
nv n n ratio Al Cd Dali.
cate equal beam scales and a full set OF standard
nrirhf. for ehch Stafs zach Agreeing With the i'm