The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-01

Ehng "a before. Matchmaking has completely
monopolizcd the little town, and the new in
dustry has become truly national one. when
the watch company was organized, twenty years
ago, and 1t became known that the concern in
tended to Introduce machinery I'm tho minufac-
turc Of the tiny mechanism Of a pocket timc-
keeper, the enterprise was laughed AZ NJ being
chmericil IL was said that no machinery
could be invented to perform the complicated
movements required. Yet the proposed end
has been achieved, and 1T the present moment
ABOUT a thousand men are employed In the fac
tory, turning out daily tn &c hundred gold and
silver watches, the demand for which all over
the world l. growing 40 rapidly that last wear no
less than one hundred ana ten thousand Of them
were sold.
The factory not only makes watches, but in
vents and constructs all the machinery required
In their manufacture A number OF engineers
and machinists arc constantly at work on the
Improvement Of the machinery, the delicate
nature Of which may be judged from the
one used for making the minute screws.
piece OF thin wire Is placed in the ap-
paratus, put through eight separate automatic
processes, and transformed in almost the
twInkllng OF an eye into most per
feet screw. The size OF this screw may be
imagined from the fact that n takes 5000 Of
them to weigh pound: yet when placed under
. maeDifyinR glass, the screw Is shown to be
perfect In everv ono OF It's details. Not less
Ingenious machinery is used for the construc-
ton OF wheels and all the other parts Of the
watch including the saving, cutting, aud pol
ishine OF the jewels.
The greater part OF the work Of tho factory
Is performed by girls, men being employed
manly In the more laborious parts of the
work, or where special knowledge is required.
And It is a real pleasure TO see how ne tly the
work IA done aud what an amount of gentility Is
dis aged by the working people. Few of the girls
working are particularly pretty, and II constant
work does not seriously affect their health, IL is
nevertheless evident that their complexions
would have been more blooming bad they not to
earn their livelihood. In their general an
pearance, however. there is unmstakablo
evidence Of supreme effort to appear lady!ike,
that gives a visit to Waltham peculiar charm.
IL is curioussfact that people employed here
arc almost exclusively Americans, English and
Scotch, with a slight percentage OF Germans
and other European nationalities, while the
Irish are scarcely represented at all. On the
other hand, at the cotton mills aud bloachery
OF waltham there are but few workmen and
women employed who are not Irish and the
superintendent Of the watch factory told me that
II American or English men or women get by
but very short time, aud pass to the watch
factory as soon as they get a chancs to do so.
ain this way" he said, 1--WE have possibility
Of picking up the very best sort OF help that
can he obtained"
The only point which struck me somewhat
unfavorably at Lawrence, as well as at wathsm,
was, that very little provision Is made for the
recreation OF the wr5fkpeople. There is n little
steamboat at each place, aud hundred people
or so 60 out on Sundays picnicking along the
river banks. But this lasts only three four
months In the year; the rest Of the time their
recreation consists In a stray lecture on temper
| aDce or on woman's rights. and an occasional
| concert by some wandering Ministries. In this
way hard work all the week long and church.
going on Sundays Is what the lite of some $1,000
| of these factory workmen and women Is practi
| cally reduced to, and In looking at them could
not help thinking OF the refrain OF that good old
| French song:
Enfantf de Dcu, crGateur de Ia terre,
AccOmulissons chacun nOtre mSticri
lie gal travail est Ia ca ntc price,
Qui plait Deu &c su0llne ouvricr.