Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-04-20
From The Lounger Of Harpsr's Weekly. j
ON THE WATCH.

Governor Banks, of Massachusetts, recon-
mends, in his last message, that the dome of
the Boston State House be gilded. That dome
is the most conspicuous object as you approach
the city; and it is seen from all the neighbor.
ing heights, as the dome Of st. Peters Is seen
from the villas about Rome. Boston also sits
upon its three hills, dark and massive, like a
feudal baron ;Sand the gilded dome would be on.
ly like glittering crown, reminding the feuda.
tory villages around OF the grandeur of their
lord. That lord ought to. be proud of its sub
jects, for no city in the world had ever more
thrifty, prosperous, intelligent neighborhood OF
villages, which overlap and run into each other,
contented with themselves and proud of the
whole.
Now II, some winter morning, when you wish
to get little nearer to the secret Of that thrift
and character, you take one Of the trains that
are necessarily departing westward from Boston,
after crossing the Back Bay, and gliding through
the gardens of Brookline and Brighton skirt.
ing the valley of the Charles River, you will
find yourself in the pretty village of West
Newton. It is white and wooden, and neat and
cheerful, especially as you see IL the next mo.
ment from the comfortable robes, wrapped in
which you are slipping along the road behind
| solid pair Of horses, making music as they 90.
A few moments bring you to the road which
winds above broad basin of the Charles, upon
which they are cutting ice The surface of the
river Is furrowed by horse and machine, and
the process looks to you like winter plowing.
But yonder are spires among the trees; and
nearer, upon the very edge of the river basin,
is low, two.story building. full of windows.
1 The spires are the spires OF Waltham, and the
many.windowed building is the factory of the
1 American Watch Company.
/ M III the m "a tt,ak -
be the most exquisite and delicate. Bat why
should Europe make ourl watchesl asks common
sense and the genius Of American enterprise
| Why should it2 asks the American Watch Com
pany; and In this factory that Company is dem
j onstrating why we should make them for our
selves. And it is very pretty aud satisfactory
answer to very plain question.
There are some two hundred and forty or fifty
hands employed, Of which about third are wo,
men, and only about dozen In all are foreign
ers, mainly Englishmen; and the work is almos
exclusively done BY machinery, but machinery
30 delicate and beautiful that when your minc
has become q little excited by observing the in
i Vulnerable and to you mex plicable processes Of
the different shops, you feel as II you had seer
the humsn brain In full play, thinking ou
watches.
The fneness Of the work Is bewilderipg =
Here are screws Of which q hundred and eft,
thousand make pound. TheyIare kept in liz
|, tie glass phisls, like those of the Homeopathi,
medicine cases. And here are shavings Of met
! al so fine that Eve thousand must be laid side b,
side to make an inch. and here are measures
that will indicate the ten thousandth part OF or
, inch. Here, with flying steel point, touched
!, with paste of diamond dust, the inside of th,
fine bores Of the ''jewels' are polishing; an,
here the galvanio process 'eets the pure goit
; upon the plates; while just beyond, wheels, wit
I their outer rim studded with small wisps O
brooms Of brass wire, revolye with velocit
that makes the room hum, and impart to th
plates that sparkling, frosty complexion whicl
. is peculiar TO the inner plates of watches.
The precision Of the work by machiner
methodizes the whole basiness The Compan
/, may have turned out about forty or fifty thou
: sand watches, and these are ell divided into dii
/. ferent classes, sizes. &c. For instance, ther,
{ may be thousand or fve thousand "founda
D tions" cut and shaped to-day. They are all ex
Q actly Of the same size; each line In one CORES
q ponds with the same In all the others. Fac
8 boe is drilled in precisely the same spot, 81
{ that the screw which will Ct one hole in on
will perfectly ft the corresponding hole in all
So with the wheels also; aud II your watch Il
Q California or Hindostan loses some such part
, you have only to send to the factory its pumbe
!, and class, and you have by return mail the par
3 wanting. Do you guess how il is packed? !
thin layer of cork Ia cut open and the part insert
: ed then It is closed and tied with bit of silk
: pvt In an envelope, and dropped into the post
t Office.
Wondering and charmed, you follow OF
{ through the different work. shops Of the Cheerful
and airy factosy--for It 10 open every where /
the auns and there Is no deletefious dust fror
) any Of the processes There Is one room--th
/, Salamsnder room--in which the enamel for th
diei 10 eetin fervid furnace, and the heat
not less than a hundred degrees Of Fshren
Q heit.
! And there is one pleasant impression