Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-17
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS.
An Extensive Enlargement OF a PromI-
neut Business Establishment.

/ this establishment, which compelled proyid-
| ing largely additional capacity to meet the
| acquired and steadily increasing demands for
/ its vehicles of all kinds, while principally
due to the quality and reputation Of the
4 work turned out, is also strongly aided
| by the natural climatic advantages en-.
| joyed by Sacramento for all lines OF
| manufacturing, where thoroughly seasoned
woods are required. The orders received by
/ this establishment from all parts Of the coast,
extending east as far as Idaho, Utah and
| Texas, also to British Columbia and the
| Sandwich Islsnds, all attest this point of ad.
vantage, as well as the popularity of work
! furnished.
! In addition to the want of more room for
manufacturing and storage purposes, Mr..
| Hill also states that since the revival of trade
/ in the Eastern and Southern States, the bust
| ness of the Eastern houses has been so great
! that orders for finished materials or stock
were frequently not filed for several months,
/ aud in some cases not within a year. There
. fore, in enlarging to meet the demands for
/ greater capacity, both for the work OF men
and machinery, he has provided ample space
| for storing materials imported in their raw
state, and has prepared to manufacture from
! such materials, in the most approved
manner, every class of work required in
/ his establishment. To accomplish this
/ an extended amount of machinery had to be
| introduced, the capacity of which is far in
excess Of the ordinary wants OF q single fac
| tory, and he will therefore not only in future
manufacture the supplies which he has here
| tofore imported from the East, but will also
| supply any and all orders from the trads gen.
| orally Of the Pacific coast.
The additions in buildings which have just
! been completed consist of three story brick
building ia the rear, and fronting or the alley.
! l. is 40 by 80 feet in dimensions, with wing
upon either side, % by 60 feet, giving nearly
Coo additional square feet of floor. The first
floor of the new building is occupied with the
engine and boiler, together with band saws,
circular saws Of various kinds, planners, drills,
emery wheels, hub boxing machines, shears,
punches, etc. The second foor is entirely oc-
cupisd in the manufacture of wheels and
gears Of all kinds, from the igbtes, trotting
rig to the heaviest freight and ore wagons.
The process by which this work is done,
especially by the modern machinery here
introduced for the first time upon the coast,
is well worth visit by any vino have taste
for and can appreciate perfection in ma
chinery, and a brief description of which
lnay be of interest. The materials for hubs
are placed in lathes, ana turned to the re-
quired shape, at the rate Of ten to twelve per
hour for each lathe. They are next placed
in the mort sing machine, where the mortises
for the spokes are first bored. By an in.
genieusly arranged indicator, which spaces off
the places for the mortises while the boring
is in progress, the places for all the spokes
are bored without the machine being once
stopped. Withou. taking the hub from the
machine, it is then slid upon carriage to
beneath chisel, and the mortises are cut
out in the most perfect manner possible and
in less time than it takes to tell it. 1t is also
done far more perfectly than it could by any
length of time be done as in former times by
hand. On the face side of the wheel the
mortisa is cut perpendicular, and on the other
the necessary wedge-shape is given.
The spokes are principally shipped from
the East already turned, to avoid expense of
freight. Received in this condition, they are
first placed upon sand belt and given a
finished surface. after which they go TO the
tenoning machine, where any size or form
is cut to fit the mortise by single movement
of sliding table, and by which process a
large number per minute are thus finished.
They sre then placed in another tenoning
machine, where By a similar operation the
spoke is cut to the required length and the
tenon for the felly is made. This part is
done even more rapidly than is the work of
the last machine mentioned
Next we reach the felly machine, which
is an entirely new device, recently invented
in the East, and by use of which felly mate
f-Eikc fEc tdf-Ca AZ AOdSn OGL1 anu
by being run once through come out plaued
upon all sides in the most perfect manner, and
far truer than they could possibly be made by
hand. This is the only machine of this kind
this side of the Rocky mountains, and
accomplishes perfection itself. The fell
lies made by it, of any size, are positively
true and Of the same sizs at every point, and
therefore every spoke has the same bearing
and with perfectly uniform surface for the
I i FL
urer, if not every owner of vehicle, will at
once see the great Importance wrought by
this improvement over the former methods.
The fellies are next bored for the spokes, also
by machinery, and from there they go to the
rounder machine, by which the inside face is
rounded between the spokss, after which they
are finished off by running over the sand
belt. The whole process OF making the wheel
occupies but remarkably short space of
time, and produces the very finest work and
stock in the market.
Another interesting and probably one of
the greatest labor-saving machines in connec-
ton with wagon and carriage building now
| knswn, is here seen in what is called 1.-The
Irregular Dresser" and by use Of which wood
gearing of any kind and Of any class of wood,
however hard, can be cut almost instantane-
/ ously into any desired shape, to conform to
pattern A pattern is cut out of any soft
Woo. LETeS-IOuIIuS OI Thickness,
and fastened with Drads upon the material to
be used for gear or other purpose, and by
simply running the material through ths
machine, in which the pattern rests upon a
guide ut the side, It comes out cut and planed
into the exact form OF the pattern. In this
manner piece of wagon work, which would
ordinarily take good workman several hours
to make by hand, can be done in moments
time. 1t is one of those laborsaving ma
chimes which will very naturally be looked
upon as in the interest Of capital and antag-
onistic to labor. The machine is very small,
not occupying to exceed two feet square of
space upon the floor, and is about three feet
high.
The third story of the new addition to the
works is used for storage and drying of stock.
Hera all the wheel materials not already sea-
soned TO the uttermost are placed in racks,
aud the exhaust steam from the engine is con-
Quoted to and throughout the room in large
pipas, keeping the temperature of the apart
msnt at upwards of 100 degrees day and
night. By this means fresh materials can be
most thoroughly seasoned in very short
space of time, and stock such as is commonly
used in manufacturing is still more COM
pletely seasoned by this process, thus render
ing the work absolutely free from subsequent
shrinkape or change. The value of this can
not be overestimated, for it is well known
that any, even the slightest, shrinking after
the carriage work is put together, not only
defaces the finish, but greatly lessons the
strength and durability. Mr.. Hill has there:
fore in his additions and improvements not
only introduced the most modern and perfect
machinery of all kinds known in this line,
but has also increased his facilities and
methods in this regard, to the end of giving
to his work, if possible, even greater durabil
ity and perfection than that which in tbs
past has gained for his establishment its
present high standing among consumers and
the trade.
While these additions were primarily H.
tended to afford greater capacity and facility
+ for the manufacture OF carriages upon the
premises, Mr.. Hill will bs enabled also to
furnish to any and all other carriagemakers
and dealers generally upon the coast first.
class carriage and wagon woodwork of all
kinds and descriptions, and which, by reason
of the advantages referred to, he can produce
at far lower rates than the same have cost
him in the past, and, as he claims, at prices
| beyond competition. Such advances In the
| industrial forces Of the city as is marked by
this and other imp lrtant improvements in
progress, and the evidence they furnish OF in.
creasing prosperity and the enlargement OF
the trade influence of Sacramento, are omens
| of the future, and most welcome.
BREVIriES.