St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-05-28

Ius were In good trim. There are six
OF these hammers in this department. |
Close by there are two water wheels. |
.ne larger one running in connection
with the steam engine for the general
power, and the smaller one running to |
blow the fires. All the men here arc
muscular and hardy. They work hard
ana we are Informed that all are relia-
Die and steady. Many whom we have
spoken with on the subject, speak very
highly of Mr.. Spooner, as being kind
and cOnsiderate to his men, while he at
the same time requires the strict per-
formance of duty. And by the way.
we more than half suspect that the har-
mony and prosperity so prominent all
through this industry, is attributable
in no small degree to the employment
of competent and harmonious foremen.
Commerce and manufactures are no
school-boy myths here, for the great
loads of coal and iron consumed yearly,
and the sturdy blows of the strong
We travel along, almost elbowing
our way through the little street of
workmen, lodging some one here,
turning aside for a wheelbarrow there,
until we arrive at the rooms where the
iron and steel are kept in stock. Mr..
SpOoner keeps track of all the wants in
this line, and gives the proper orders
therefor, which are constantly being
made. Of the Bessemer steel from 40
to as tons are used yearly. Considera-
BILE German steel is used for welding
into loops, and little cast steel is used
for certain purposes. The best of Nor
way iron is used, also the celebrated
Burden iron of Troy, N. Y, besides 9TH
er kinds of refined iron. More iron and
steel are used now than ever before.
The process of cutting up the steel is
novel to the stranger. A powerful ma
chine, under the direction of an expert
enced workman, will cut steel bars ap-
parently with the greatest ease. These
bars are cut into short pieces, differing
in length, according to what they are
to be used for, and are taken to a sep
arate department where they go
through what is called the "Patent
Process" done by heating in furnaces,
which, as we understand it, greatly i'm
proves and facilitates the operation of
scale making. As we cannot see or
note all the sights around us, we must
make haste in order to see what we
can; still in company with Mr.. Spoon
er, who has told us more interesting
things than we could write in q week.
we pass into the
| ... MACHINE SHOP,
of which Mr.. Chauncy Walker is fore
man-One of band of brothers whe
have stood by this institution, as faith
ful sentinels stand guard over u sleep
ing army. Mr.. Walker has been here
ever since he was 16 years old, which
is 35 years last March, and has been
foreman of this shop about 25 years. In
this department great variety of work
is done, from general repairs to the
fling of levers and pivOts, the notching
and marking Of beams, and the turning
and polishing of poises, etc.-we will
not attempt to describe it all /; but as
we look down the long room, lined
around the walls with almost one con-
tinuous bench, where an iron wise is
fastened every once in six feet for diff
ferent wOrkmen, and we see all through
the centre of the shop nice, clean look
ing machinery of every kind-planers,
drillers, markers, polishers, lathes, and
we know not what, with shafts, wheels
and bands overhead in unknown guam
titles, and hear the continuous hum,
clink, and rap all over the shop stimuli
taneously, we bear in mind the solemn
words Of the prophet, who truly said
that 'the spirit of the living creature
was in the wheels"
The notcbing of the beams is very
neatly done. A large number are placed
side by side upon machine similar to
planer, with the edges upward, and
are moved forward and backward under
sharp steel point that cuts straight
little groove directly through them all.
This operation is repeated until the
notches are of the required depth, and
the right number are made it is also
perfectly uniform,-the beams of the
same standard being netched exactly
alike. Mr.. Spooner's modesty did not
allow him to brag over it, but we learn
ed in more than one way that he has
considerable "ciphering" to do in ar
ranging scale beams to the multitude
, of different standards now required in
, weighing. We know that there is a
science that enables him to do this; but
, precisely how one beam is arranged to
two different standards-one of Eng
lish and one of French, or any Others
that may be required, is at this time as
much of mystery to us as the famous
"I5 puzzle.n
Among the curiosities here, is the
Grain Testing scale, that displays an
) other mathematical wonder in mechan-
les. In general appearance it is simi-
lar to the old-fashioned steelyard
There is beam, with ring attached
to hold it by, with sliding poise, and
upon the side are three rows of figures
indicating different things. There are