Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-03-29
WOODWORK MANUFACTURES.

We continue our sketches Oh Inc IildHtI-
featuring interests by jotting down what
we saw and heard ut the Steam COOperage
Mandatory of NIessrs. Strauss & Rice,
located near the foot of Castle street. This
enterprise was commenced in February,
1850, when cOEmodious buildings were
erected and valuable machinery supplied
for the manufacture OF tight barrels, casks
and kegs, principally for use as packages
for spirits of turpentine. The difficulties
experienced by the proprietOrs in obtaining
a sufficient quantity of material to make so
large an investment relnunerative, induced
them to change the character of their pro-
auctions, and they turned their Whole at
tentiOn to the manufacture of
sYRUP BARRELS
for the New York trade. In July, 1850,
their works were burned, involving great
loss. Rebuilding at once commenced; new
buildings, more compact and scrviccable,
were erected, new machinery was put in,
and, on tie 2Gth OF November, just three
months following the disastrous fire, the
hum of the machinery was again heard,
shaping the rough wood into finished
barrels.
We were couTtCously shown Though the
entire works by thc owners, and, from the
rough sIaye 10 the finished package the
admirable arrangement of the machinery,
under the eye Of the competent superin-
tendent, is a perfect insurance against
idlenesS, for the machinery is the tell-tale,
and points out with Incrring certainty the
careless or Indifferent employe.
The rough slaves are first received on
the wharf, about sixty feet from the end
Of the factory and the first machine used.
The
FIRST PROCESS
is to educe them to equal thickness and a
width not greater than six inches. This is
done by passing the slaves between power
ful rollers, the top surface and one edge
being cut by stationary knives. Next to
this machine is the pianer, with double
cOncave and convex rotary cutters; passing
through this, the stave is fully shaped for
the outside and inside of the barrel. From
this machine the stave passes on an inge-
niOUsly constructed elevator, goes from the
basement story to the one above, and on
its way runs against two circular-saws, and
both ends are cut of. its successor fol-
lows, and, one by one, they drop beside
the joining machines in the upper story, all
of equal lengths.
The next process is
JOINING. THEM
vertically. This is done by saws convexed,
so that the table which holds them and
passes by the saw, gives them the necessary
shape OF narrow ends and wide i'll the
| centres. Joining requires men of con-
siderable experience. Only one machine
of this kind is required to produce three
thousand slaves per day, and the work. Ian
must necessarily be skilled and quick to
| take from the pile beside his machine two
slaves per minute and finish them, making
| all his calculations for the difference in
! width of ends and centre, and varying in
| width from three to six inches. He is re
/ quired to do it without loss Of material, as
/ he is expected to make every stave that
! will measure six inches i'll width make a
| full six-inch stave. And this is done with
| out any apparent loss, as it seemed to us.
! After the process named the slaves are
finished as far as the shape goes. They
! are next takentO
! THE DRY KILN,
/ a brick building seventy feet in length, and
| just the width of four slaves. Underneath
! is brick flue four feet in diameter, which
! exceeds the length Of the building some
| forty feet, inside OF which are the hot all
pipes, carrying OFT the smoke and radating
the heat the entire length of the tiue. The
/ hot air passes Though this tluc and up into
/ the dry house at one end. Here it meets
| the first car OF slaves. The dry house is
| so arranged that the slaves are piled on
! cars and run Tito one end Of the building
| and are mOvet out at the other end, the
track having q downward grade. From
! day to day the cars are pushed forward
until they are taken out Of the o.her end
! Of the building fully dry.
From the dry kiln the slaves are taken
to the
/ PACKING BUILDING
on railway, where they are packed five
barrels in one, and thence shipped to New
y ork for use by the sugar retiners. En-
ployment is gwen to thirty hands, and the
product per day is about three hundred
! barrels. All of the material used is cy-
! press, and MessIs. Strauss A Rice state
that they have Il demand for all the slaves
| brought to this market. Such enterprises
are an advantage to Wilmington and the
surrounding country, and we welcome any
and all such that tend to add to the mate
| rial prosperity of our city.
The prOprietOrs of these works are also
partners III the
| CAPE FEAR BUILDING COMPANY,
! a firm that has erected in our city many
elegant residences and large warehouses;
/ The extensive works of this company are
at Abbottsburg, but as their manufactured
material is largely used in this city, and
| the principal office is here, we claim this as
| Wilmington enterprise, and shall, in to-
! morrow's issua. more uly refer I'd il;
/ -