Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-01-03
A DaY In a Bee Hive

A Day In Il Bee Hive
/ The larges, Sc7riEg Machine Factory %. IL.
T t-ort}-ho,g ne Wheeie, & Wilson isJaqGe
7ad ich.rs
Standing On the steps ct the -- hotel at
Bridgeport, Conn. the other dav, | asked oi
the landlord
Z" Have you anything in Bridgeport worth
seeing
The Yankee host looked 10 me with
mingling of pity and contempt, and. Yankee
like, answered my question by asking nm
other
Haven ygu ever heard Of She bi. flr.ory
which makes the W Wheeler 6 Wilson Scvin.
Machincst
had heard at it, a- who has not iut It
hal slipped my memory that the great Bee
hive Of industry. employing 300 persons,
ami turning our hvc hundred and twenty
machine per day. was located AZ Bridge
port
+" Il vol want t1 see -izht IL I-a sight.
continued the worthy man. YOU 20 over
there and tell them you are q Detrcit news
paper man. and they'll put YOU through all
right
] had t1o whole day before sue. and was
not long in making up my mind 70 heed the
show me the route. / knew tha. nothing
but q powerful manufacturing company
could occupy the mammoth buildings, whose
chimncys sent up such tall columns Of smoke
in the morning air. ln1 I sauntcrc3 towards
-1cm Imagine u Yourself q bau1iu- L-F-
,ng frontage Of one thousand feet and 4
lspth OF seven hundred, three stories high.
and cut IA twain by q public street. and yon
Ave the outside view Of the great Wheeler
III - H
YOUR imagination viii not dc Justice 10 the
sI1e 1f the building. The main building
soams as ir it could furnish business for five
thousand wgrSmen, and manufacture all the
machines sold iu America but, three or
four years ago il was found Just Que hall too
small for tho demands made for the w hcelcr
s. Wilson alone and - this other huge pile
cf brica auj mortar was erected. Put tie
two together and 10 makes q building which
-atisGe- even Yankee pomp9-ity.
~eekin. che office ! am greeted Vica a
ca,crIui 80 good morning ana wDeu give
mv ramo aud state my wishes. the polite
clerk calls 20 Mr. " A. Perry. the Superiu-
tcndent 81 the establishment. We 9hakc
aud be informs u4 that have liberty 70 LOOK
through every n01z and corner. liz v0lCu-
trars n ~ along that may haNc some one
I'D band tt s1sVcr inquiries, ani w" start
0uJ-
just Ii, this point feel tx. ruuu.n. away
from the manuscript aud leaving the story
unfinished TIA man had u be set down be-
for. ID layseack. an1 asked % ass0TC the 1lt-
isrcnt lengths 81 --raws his trouble would be
hardly greater than is mine to 70 at il N de-
rail and state what ! saw. The first sight
YOU get al tho doors OF this immense mill are
opened j. that OF belts, pulieys, shaitiDs and
machinery. and you almost believe that TIE
power OF Niagara Is wanted 90 keep so much
machinery in motion. vs. mat q beehive. rs
you stand and look down the l3Bg shop, which
seems to have no end, you near rumbllng.
Q striking, grinding. a pOlIsning-stcam
sisses, hammers 70, iron and steel clink, and
scores 8f men and boys dodge about under
their paper caps. You would imagine that
bv getting fifteen hundred men in one build
in. All would be confusion and excitement,
but it j. not SO. As you walk along, you
see that every movement made by men Or
b,vs Is inst as true az clock work. or just as
true and meth0dic a. the motions of the
beautiful machine which Is here seen IN
rarts. But there Is . bit Of excitement after
all The operatives have got word through
the Office that tine establishment - four thou
sand machines behind it, orders, and they
are strainius every nerve 70 catch up. For
dave before my visit, rhe factory turned out
500 perfect machines pcr day. and me men
worked fourteen hours ont Ot the twenty
f,ur $40 every fourteen hours would be
fraction over th;rty-seveu machines per hour,
ar one for every minute and bali from SIX
o'clock IN the morning until eight in the
evening. just think Of that and yc. work
ing al this speed, the Superintendent finds
himself f7nr thousand machines behind or
jcrs
A. va 20 along down the seven hundred
feet " 5usv life. Mr. Perry explains that this
yan., 9f men are working at the bed plates
this one ut tho short lever and connection.
these are at the hemmers, and 80 on all
through the machinery part OF the machine
He also explains to nc that the men 10 not
work dire .tly Tor the company, but the pieces
of the machine arc let out 70 contractors,
who hire experienced wOrkmen, the company
furnishing tools for all.
Evcrvwberc 20. see perfect =ysteu AMI
wonderful accuracy Not only must every
contractor work to plans and guages, but
cacl. mast work - that his work Will hJ all
other work and the machine a. whole DC
,t.=oIu seIv perfect There are no false blows.
n, needless filing. no waste OF material or
,ouy..le. Frc DAYS DO not come and 20 more
rs,ularlv ,aau each blow is struck here. As
,~t9 -, ". note the Automatic Machine that
ms keg the rotating hOok-thc most wonder
,,II machine | ever saw--and when to!u tIat
this part or the Wheeler i Wilson was dli-
ferent from 1ny other machine, and that TINS
rotating motion. which j. continuous IN one one
Jirscti6n. with no stops or starts, az is the
ease with all other machines which take the
lock stitch, was the great principle Wiich
had made the Wheeler i wilson the leadins
machine for fifteen years, fingered until al
roopished bv Mr. Perry that time was on
the move. and we pass in TO the gang drllir'
the iig. and the score Of other wonderful ma
cbines winch are called into use in framing
some mart Of this wonderful machine one
nuDches The holes for the screws, aroIiieF