The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-03-01
A Mans Work.


How best 10 utilize human labor an,
at the same time 90 produce the leas
fatigue, is one of those interesting prob
lcms IN industrial mechanics which eyerN
inventor Of machines based on mar
power as motor is callod upon tO con
slider and % which every employer d
men for the sake AZ their brute muscular
strength Is obliged to give some atten
ton. IL la IA common error 30 believe
that, Ia order Ia produce "a given amount
ui work, a man always rxpends given
amount of power, and 90 recognize thir
Is the first step toward correct estima.
tluu 81 mans muscular capAbility.
Appropriate rests are absolute necrssi.
tics to the human machine, and il is toy in.
termittent, not continuous, effort that IL
best work is produced One man labor
ing teu hours and taking intervals Of re-
pose viii produce more force aud accom-.
plish more work with less fatigue than
another laboring eight hours with shorter
ar less frequent rests, the actual time
spent in working in both cases being
equal. But 0n the other hand, during
the periods of absolute work regularity
is "a necessity, fact clearly shown hy the
government Of soldiers OH long marches,
where the drum % which the feet keep
time is q wonderful agent for repressing
fatigue, simply because il msmes regu-
larity uf motion 80 also IN rowing ia a
long race experience has proved the AL
vantage II clockWurk regularity of
stroke with a brief breathing spell be-
tween each pull. In fact il appears that
men will naturally fall into TINS cadence.
us witness the blows delivered hv labor
ers with bledgr hammers upm rock drills,
and tAe peculiar timed "Auu which
each will aspirate rs his implement falls,
or tAe tendency which sailors have 10
break into n cadrncel singsoug when
pulling standing haul on "a rope. A
more curious instance lu tins regard is
found ln the power ut dancing nothing
hut the repeated rest, and the regular
movements viii explain the ability oi
women, 10 whom ordinarily a walk of a
mile iu length Is Il severe task, 10 dance
during period cI five ar SIX hours, and
tAs al a time when nature Is most ex-
hnnsted, ewing % deprivation Of sleep.
The hest application IA man can make
ut h3s power is through hia legs, for the
muscles ul those members are not only
absolutely hut relatively stronger than
those AZ the arms. Ia other words. after
work, the faugur produced in both sets Of
muscles be.uP equal, the leg muscles viii
Aayr performed more useful labor than
Those 81 the arms. And further, the
ue..Teg Ns initiate IA natural movement
the better 10 we apply the power. there
fore "a walking motion If the legs, al
velocity equal to thni of au ordinary gait.
and applied a. levers. Is probably the
most el'rsriuus application of human
force for steady work.
As to the absolute power Of a man ex-
pressed .a bounds to be lifted or in siun-
lar terms, exact data are obviously inn
possible, even for au average individual
An interesting series u experiments were
conducted On this subject some time ago
in France. and these We believe. give
fair approximation The heaviest load o
man ot strength cau carry ior short dis
tanco ls plarvsi at SI8 pounds All man
can carr@ habltualiy--a- q soldier his
EnArsa l.-- walking au icyyl ground ie l32
pounds. aud thls IT. au extreme io1d. We
should Judge Or lie can carry an nggre-
gate IL !. .alS pounds over 3. zoo feet as q
DAYS work, nnier liGc circumstances. II
be ascend ladders or s,airs-as do hod
carrier then bee eau carry hUt III
pounds continuously. and his ,iav work
cannot exceed l.432 pounds raised 8. 200
feet high. With rcgArd to the effort and
velocity vA.ch "a man eau produce hy
pulling ur pushing with lis arms. il has
bceu found that. under tho most favor
able circumstance anal ior continuous
work. aa effect cxcceiiug from ~ D. SO
pounds misel frm Is to 2 feet per
second cannot begainei, and this is equal
10 abnut horse power,