St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-05-28
st. Johnsbury's Industries.
The Scale works.-Continued.

The Scale WOrks.-COntinued.
THE BLACKSMITH AND MACHINE SHOPS.
When those went these went; and when those
Stood these stoOd for the spirit of the living crea-
ture was in the wheels.-Ezekiel.
Have our readers ever thought that
the spirit of man could be impressed
upon his works Have they ever
thought that the human spirit could
penetrate the most secret recesses of
the vast universe? Have they ever re-
allied that thought travels swifter than
ightning-that it can sink into the
depths of the earth, or soar above the
clouds into space? In short, can any
of us Iealize what the human spirit is,
or even family understand its glorious
possibilities We often think of these
things, and when we entered these
shops with the foreman, and saw ma
chinery Obeying the will of the human
spirit, almost without touch or contact,
we instantly thought of the words of
Ezekiel, that 'the spirit of the living
creature was in the Wheels"
The impress of the mind is certainly
on all the works of man. These works
are grand and glorious or otherwise, ac-
cOrding as the mind shall have cultiva-
tion and fit surroundings. Through
inspiration Il great idea is born, which
is unfelt and unrealized by the world
until it is embodied into substance.
We see this embodiment as the result
of mental power, or, as we prefer to
call it, "the spirit of the living crea-
ture." With Mr.. Thomas SpoOner, the
general foreman, who has taken his
daily rounds over these shops since
1852, we step into the
ENGINE ROOM,
where we see the propelling power Of
the works. The main wheel which is
l6 feet in diameter, has leathern bell
"a inches wide, and is run by double
cylinder engine of $50 horse power.
These cylinders are run alternately, sc
the wear of the machinery shall be
equal. We notice that everything runs
with great precision and steadiness
that all the parts look bright and in
good order. We do not see the spirit
of the living creature anywhere, any
more than we can see the power tha
raises the arm to the head but we
know the power is there all the same
for it went there in an idea, and is do
ing now precisely what it intended tc
do. Dead matter does not work. The
big wheel moves because the impres.
of the living spirit is upon it, W.
open the door adjoining and step into
the
BOILER ROOM,
where there are set of four heavy iror
boilers placed in solid masonry-twt
of them run with coal, and two witt
the refuse stuff from the wood shop
and elsewhere. The fires are run by
blower, and two men are engaged il
tending them. The reader must no
think it strange that the presence o
the ''living creature" was here also, TO
the communications of thought go a
the wind, and spread through materia
things like the arteries of the human
system-we cannot get rid of tit il
everywhere. From here we enter tn,
BLACKSMITH SHOP,
over which Mr.. Alden Wheeler has th,
immediate oversight, and the nois,
that greeted our ears was the "anvi
chorus" with all the wind and fore,
on we saw and heard it in the plim
mer of the many blazing fires, in tn
incongruous motions and strokes O
many falling and uplifted arms; in tht
rattling of iron bars, the clatter of triI
hammers, and the swapping and buzz
ing of bands and wheels. The work
men are around this shop like bee
around a hive-each almost within
arms distance of the other. The Goa
dust and the gas are in close proximity
and men with hand carts and wheel
barrows meet one at every corner. Ii
the midst of what would at first seen
inharmOny, there is after all harmon,
whose music is constantly speaking o
a busy industry, which is ever unde
the direction of the living spirit.
Almost every casting has its appen
dage of wrought iron or steel. The mel
all have their special work, and it il
performed with as much regularity al
are the movements of soldiers upon pa
rade. We noticed the operations O
Mr.. d. P. Celley with the trip hammer
and we thought, as we saw it took jus
so many blows for every piece-a raj
on one side, two or three upon another
4 and little one on corner, all in ex
act time and tune-and it was done
that his muscles and winking appara