Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-01-05

.rticles or the manufacturing enterprises u
Burlington, the most extensive reaiy-msde- iur-
piture.fsctory in the United States, and probably
IN the world. We proceed to dstcribe the biggest
mill for dressing and planning lumber on this COZ
.ipeut. end in all probability the most e1tensiTe
mill Of its kind in the world.
The grea. mill of Shepard, Davis 90, stands
at the foot Of College street, on the Lake shore,
and extends across the entire bloch, from College
to Main 1tree:. It was erected by L. Barnes &
Co.. from whom it passed to the present dFm.
Il consists of two-story brick engine house
and rsrair shop Of llS feet by 80. From the
side Of this on College street, rises the tail chm
pey. l12 feet and inches high, the tsllesE with
one exception in this region. At right singles
to the engine house extends the dressing mill,
two hundred and fifty feet in length By ninety in
width, making total length Of 2s5 feet for the
mill
/ Stepping into tie engine room, We take LOOK
/ first at the steam giant whose mighty muscles
give motion TO the machinery. 1t il Corlis'
engine O! the largest class, Ct 400 horse power
Five long boilers. in the boiler room adjoining
/ TO which smother IS to be added in the spring.
over furnaces fcl constantly with shavings BY
two stout ;.okeTs, aupply steam to the single
large cylinder, whose piston, with rapid stroke,
nothing moves slowly in this establishment-
drives ponderous driying-Theel Of iron, eighteen
ieet il diameter, and weighing from thirty thou
sand 10 forty thousand pounds, as easily apps
reat.y as II it were but the pulley CT sewing
machine. a double belt Of leather, thiriy-siz
inches il breadth end one hundred feet long.
which by the way, cost $1,000, conveys the
power to The main shaft, which runs through
/ the long mill from end TO end, sai carries the
ioEar to the planners.
Passing iuto the man mill, the visitor hnds
himself in an immense 1o5m, go feet long by 50
wills. TIE sides for ten or twelve feet above
tie ground sre composed Of series Of doors,
Sliding in vertical grooves, which, raised by dsy
afford communication with side compartments
OF sheds, each twe1ty-siz feet wide, which ex-
tend on each side Throughout. the length Of the
mil. and mske up the total width Of 80 feet These
doors closed and b1ltel at night ,Iectuslly pre-
yeot intrusion.
A monitor roof, with glass si!eE or in
other worls, al immense sky-.isht with YER
teal sides. ozjecliag leugthwise and occupying
the centre Of The roof, gives ample light to the
uiI The windows composing the sky-.isht
are 1872 in number. anl contain l,5si paaes
Of cl,s.
The scene, 30 w.s4.ne hour, j. one Of intense
activity. a rosT Ike tina, Of Niagara fills the
care. sui eIectlany prevents sn conversation.
High over heal the msin shaft reg5lyes with
great sTif.ness. carrying zone thirty Oh large
puIcys, from which as many belts descend to
the planners and other maohiue,, thirty-three in
number. Mos. Of ;aess are double planners AMI
Watchers. each Of w5ich does the work OF three
us5-i-ss, sl,t as were 10 use very few years
since. It vas formerly, rs our readers know,
quite sa achievement 10 plane 10y Es1hinery one
side % beard The tonruiay and growing for
ms.14eI stuff vas then all done by hand. Then
ss9-ri,e machines were invented for tonguiug
Sud growing. Now thee double planners and
ma.elars Do Oh. work of ALL Each il mass Of
c5--vho,.s. ro.ers, anu reyo,7iug cutters, in
strong ir.n frame. scme fifteen feet in ieug,h
The bosri. el % this in The rough, passes
through. al, Genes oas p,auel On 1s.. siios,
aaI ,nrlel ana rrooval ready fe- use The
great esyinr o. time AID handling In the use Of
these machines nay be imagined. Great care
was taken by ta. constructors OF the min in s,-
lssdr- this machinery. The plane1s aul match
e-s IN us,, vsss only sl1p,ci ai'sr thoasanis Of
miles ravL BY their agents 90 inspect machines,
-lI careful t-., ia zctual use Those oftvo
rs,sntt. scbe1cl's sad Wooi's were finally
-5aP,sl, each having peculiar c-'e1encies for
particular kinis Of work. Zach Of these ma
chimes viii dress d. 900 feet o." stock bas-ls'
in tea h,u-s Around the machines al is hustle
asI sctfvity. TO The she'd on the wes; side men
ere oou5taat'y bringing the boards 70 be dressed,
on trucks. drawn by hand OF horses, according
% the dis.srco they are novel Others pile
them near the p auers others feel ;hsm 70 the
machines. from which they pass 90 the fhcis en-
the esst size, TO be marcel, piled, Tailed, anl
loaIei into the csrs, which stand along the
t..a Of the mill, aul which take the iressel
lumber to the purchasers. an goes on with
sys,em and csrcfal attention to the saving Of
tim. ari h59r. You notice, for instance.
lial attacked to the wall opposite each Iiauer,
Oh. haui On which, governed by wheel moved
FROM time to time by the man who tends tie
p'sner. uoves 20 different figures on the dis.
What doe, tlat mcsn9 The explanation issin-
DE Lumber, yen taow, coues from the mills
where 1t is saved, ia pieces Of various lengths
and widths The number Of feet contained in
cssh is marked upon it, % save c1ntinul. re-
numbering as be lumber passes from hand 20
hand Now when e board is plaued on both
sides and both elses. the marks Of course dis
appear. AMI must be replaced The man who
feeds the bosritl the pianer might tske note Of
the measure AMI shout !, TO The msn who re-
ceiyes the pl,nel board, in order that he may
replace tae figures But thai. in such a din,
would soon ruin any lungs This conuiyance /
tayes the wear and tear Of human bellows.
When The hand on the dial moves to any figures I.
the hand on corresponding dial in the shed /
outside moyef to the same figures. Glancing al
this, the pier outside learns from it the /
measures. and remarks them on the boards. /
These figures are carefully Transferred to tally /
books, by boys, IS the lumber is pilei or ship /
pei, and thus accurate account IL kept Of al the
lumber.
In addition to the planners are upright SAWS /
for re-sSWing lumber circular SAVE, single, |
double or triple, for reducing the boards to uni
form widths circular splitting ssvs, 50 thin
that they cannot be made in one piece, bu; con-
sist of segments Of thin steel riyettei to cen
tral disc and machines for cutting morldincs,
Of which We shall speak hereafter.
noticeable Circumstance about all this ms-
chinery is the Absence of dust, and the mysteri-
Gus Disappearance Of the shsyings and saw
dust Here are machines making shaw
ings evidently by tons every day, yet none fly
or drop from the machine, to speak Of The
explanation Of this is found in McClellan's
patent Blowe-." This is a simple and ingenious
which sucks up the shavings from
each machine, as fast IS they are inside. and
carries them to the fuel room IN the engine house.
This invention is worth fuller description
Up over hasd, some twenty feet from the floor,
It different points along the mill, aye rItcei FIVE
revolving fans, connecting with a series Of large
wooden tubes. A tube of about foot in
iiameter descends to each machine, its expand
"a mouth opening right over the cutters The
fans, driven from the msin shaft, create a strong
current of air which draws Up the shayings.
The workman must be careful how he brings
e., ,o,- tbs r,o,tt 80 h. 10