The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-03-14
Japan at the Centennial.

The Japanese workmen are now en-
gagged in putting up the structures to
serve for Japan in the coming Philadel-
phia Exposition. A correspondent Of
the New York " orld thus describes
their ingenious manner OF working ana
their exactness of measurement by the
eye:
The Japanese carpenters at work fas-
cinate crowds OF curiosity-hunters, Yam
kee artisans and thieves. 10 keep all
at a distance guard-tence has been set
around the Japanese building. An old
boss Philadelphia carpenter whom SAW
leaning over the fence yesterday after
noon said, in answer to my question
whether any one could 60 inside:
"Oh, no. They had to put up this
concern to keep out just such men as
me. They've got tools in there that
American carpenters can't hold candle
| to, and they found out that some loks
around here wasn't above stealing. But
the tools amt half as ingenious as their
ways of handlin' 'em. I've watched that
fellow up there now for half day, and
1 never seen him use. rule nor a
| measurin' rod. DID ii he don't
measure. everything with his eye.
See him now - see him saw of
that connection between them two posts;
see how quick he saws ii in two with
that little fine tool of his. Now look at
HIM put 1t up. There-it fits to hairs
breadth, and yet he did it with his eye!
Now notice that other little cuss over
wonder. He's fiXin' one dove-tail to fit
| into another; he hain't touched anything
| in the shape of rule since he began,
and you'll see he'll make them two joints
set as if they was melted into each other.
Hi! didn't tell you SO? l can see like
a microscope; you couldn't get your i'm
ger-nail in the crack"
What is the wood they useW
"Mostly kind OF cedar, straighter,
and whittier, and closer-grained than
ours. not SO red, and without the odor Of
American CEDAR"
"But that nghter-eolored and harder
wood, with those elaborate carvings
over the front entrance and under the
widow-lintels |"
81 don't exactly know the name of that
wood. It's very fne-almost as fine az
some OF our lockwood, but harder, and
has, as you see, a large, broad, orna
mental grain"
sand the roof-tiles-what materialp
"Kaholes, a clay mixture of their own.
Each tile weighs about as much as one
OF our bricks"
| lueSe tlles uIo VI pecultdE CoHstruC'
jtiOn-conyoiuted on one side, the othel
side slightly convoluted, tapping under
and into the convolution ot its neighbor,
so that the tiles are jointed sidewise BY
the device OF their own construction.
did not see that they were knitted to
getner up and down the roof by any join
or catch, but they oyerlapped on,
another, as American shingles do, ant
were fastened to the roof by deep un
derlayer Of waterproof cement.
l remarked to the old carpenter tina
such roof must be very heavy.
"Heayyi Yes, indeed. That there roo
must weigh nigh on to two tons. Blu
just see how beautifully they contrive t,
support 1t without letting 1t seem to b,
heavy and without seeming to make an,
fuss. See how light all the timber-gea
l. is; yet how we'll the uprights are dis
: tributed and how well-placed the slen
der braces are. II i didn't tell you
I you'd never think that roof was 9
. heavy. When they get the building III
4 ished and painted you'll think Of th
, roof % the lightest part Of IL, and th
, whole thing'l seem as II you could TAX
II up on your back and carry 1t away,p
q - .rf