New-York tribune., 1871-08-05
TIE ElIRB4N6S ScALE EIc7oRE
ST. JoHNsBURY, VERMONT.


GLOW much does it weigh ?' is the second
question invariably asked upon advent into the world
OF the little piece of humanity destncdn is mothers
eyes, at leastto become great in the affairs OF the
tion. Our fathers can well remember how eEdey they
tied US up the old silk handkerchief and hung Us on
the hook Of the family steeyard, watching with owing
eyes that might not fall bgt little did they think
that father weighing him who should make
the seeyard thing Of the past and give us instead scales
varying IN capacity from eight ounces 70 the p0aleOls
weigl-lock scale Of 500 tuns
In the year 1880 Erastus and 'Thaddeus Fairbanks,
brothers. were largely engaged IN the hemprAle In ST.
JOhnsbuy Having no means e weighing their ship.
mcnts with accuracy Thaddeu-, after much study aad
calculation, invented and made the platform scales At
first these were only used taelrOgn premises hut
soon their ncighbors heard o. their excellence aud
wanted them. The invention was patented, and the Two
brothers entered into partuer,hii E|stu' attending
to the business part Of the house tAlmO,t immediately
the demand for the scales became -e, dud ,1e number
OF their buildings and WOlhluen g. constant; 91 tAe
increase. after the bUs'ue WAS started joseph
Fairbanks taken into the frul He died iu l5i IN
1863 Unprecedented fresAet Card away over lai Of
their works but tho task 81 rebml Ig va, llntlaey
begun, and now I'm delight mi ttE valley ON tAe banks
OF a neveT-fiiug tributary Ind Pas>jmp,ir River,
their factory j. situated, giving cfpOyueut 10 nearly
coo men, and forming with It stOrasS miniature village
Leaving the Office which is Just ON. dc the WORKS we
pass through several buildings until We nnd ourselves ID
the t0undery. This Building, having but one ROOM under
The immense beams, well the n ,fe-w0rk, attest
its great strength Looking ont 90 end We See tral
ol cars unloading coal ana non IN great quantities han
way up the ri ght three large boilers aud i-aces
whore lsl tuns Of iron melted each day In he morn
inc only the INST O these furnaces used ln iDe aet
noon the second ana al -nt the third Thus hcrMpyu
always have cool rllnaee 70 clean ont ana ils
ter Of the room are the molds Ghs sand tor which .
brought from the vicinity Of LaktT tGaupiin. Oi th'
300 tuns per year are used. II all th, iron - =
nodded. and we molds uSf for forming The
smallest weights well as the at t-pst levers. To dc
scribe in word, the shapes OF these suodS Wolld De- IN
ID -II
most intricate. In this room. also. aie the moa,
for the brass beams and sliding balances We
shall witness the operation of modAs uese
however, in another room. In the scales we
ordinarily meet with there are two levers one Su.ai
10 the letter very much WidCned, ana the 0hef some
thing like SJscces triangle. some o the a,tel Low Low
ever shorter from the base o. ihe NeieA tin @ u
tees This forms the cOnucctn grOd between 'etho
levers and II extended 20 the base would DE- ptiiTr
dicular 20 IT, This form is only used ID tIt u,a. 80,
pose stem must not DE forgotten Unlike the OfuhAIi
stem II is fiat, and Ia, numbers ON the sides corr
Ing to the numbers the weights. the adNtn'l- y,
this j. that when many weights are used tos tlI yo,i
can Immediately read of the exact weight oS ooAin7 "
Leaving the foundery, enter smaller building
where models and patterns are stored h'le wa ul. @
mndel OF lever To be used the scales iol weighing
canal bnits n j, lo feet lou, and weighs 500 Oul>
Near By J., the pngiue-IOOm, ANA here u ,h' W.
tive power which drives the machinery 0l OD nc
tabshment From here we proceed 10 tlr ulLu-ii7 .i.
room, where Mr. spencer, the Eiiu-.,S 'A % vs. Tie
plans of extra sized scales. Here, on ptlti, LII
rcpreSentation OF railroad scale now ~ Use lH t tl ~
region OF Pennsylvania, II Is l25 i,et m ien-'n m ,un.
4d c2paS ddd S 100 on 'IGi mi. caa DS IShe qaa to weighing
each day Of ordinary freight or iG,ds1V n. he
ear every 80 seconds Tor 10 hours. IN "tl-niN ,gb
engine Is switched OF while the train j. ia ne
car being mcouped and weighed "a, ~ pa ~ IL. has
pltfprm of the scales. Thi, description l - ,sst
be,n i'm s for the past IS years, and Onrr dNhS 80,
demand. IL were made In T. days ll'N "l' ',c,sry
siyrIy ns most railroad, IN this country ana u. 5d
,annfb a te.t car i sent around 'o correct any itu ~ ~
make repairs In no case has an' toh,''la' i,. nv
been reported. and m bui rriniiAduG !, ',rreI The
s,.ht fI.Bm
Erie Railway Company, beside ,"Nriii o' o'n' irOnly
former reliable employees OF the hlin 10 htN " e, ol
business To regulate and keep M o!d't 4" '-'
" Te stock scales have their pltyns n'o'eh o',csd
otherwise do not dlhrr miriaiy lkolH 'o o,i,.I, Of
scales, They are capable OF weighing t"o 90
c'TT Fro,n nv me- 5ra,lngroom We 20 to the br''o'%,
Here are melted annually IS tuus of olftl.aU s,h
tuns of brass Manufactured. sunk ~ I'-. NJ sd
we're are two hcry little furnaces n fA.u ~, W i,n,sr
.crucibles containing brls, films, and tns"," ,pI
When the compound /, sufficiently hlu'ue, " l,,.lm
into the beam aud balance mOlls MN,l " tIr. are
the foundery. coming our ~ tl' & Ll1, I1,n they sw
plunged into water which anneaiN uleh. 't.,, ftoa.
sent, together with the balances 10 'C sl,h are
The beams, after receiving thcit ll' on i charge
sent to the machinpshop which b. under tt o o MARKS
OF Mr.. Chauncey walker where 'rn uo,',' ,, interest
are cut and the figures stamped IN, Ne are @ numler
ing oprrat ions, In cutns the uotchy'' A'e' ,,sn an
OF The beams irmly nNed' ,i'sr ~ nrh blm s
iron slab, that the upper tdse 'iphe o yile cbe
visible Just one end oi the ,laD i Inc heams
having graduated teeth ana ~ rsh no bisel filio
Upon setting the machinery IN lnoilon si under
the level Of the beams which are constantly , Shortest
H. The r,t tooth OF the chse when H 'o 'nond cuts
mer,I, marks The line OF the nOtche,. Ihc a mil
,n ii ,ht depth the next little deeper, ana 10 ms
perect notch Of the requisite size has been ,b h ecs
emitting /, done gradually In order 10 Sano nH.er bo
Nu',tS Hftrr I thc beams have passed once unl u, e
chl and the first notch 0t every beam ms I ,etuus
tnncbncry which l. self-aCting stops I'm 4 tuic
The beam, tO their former position mV'v' ',erelngio 10
Ia one side, aud continues the og,t''l'u' heinz All
cut the second row of notchcS. lhe uu',b,ne WEere
Sni.bed the beams are carried to another mas o.
The mark, ON the sides are cut This i d,' ~ I'm h lli
knife and with the utmost precision luv 80 outing
= tt,a E,tfl aff
tnvard the notched edge Although the Aihs r.,h sDd
fcrrut lengths the trlsty knife n teyS 10. siauved
never iails IN it,. duty. The hSuio' arc Nv"