The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-06-15
IN A BASEBALL FACTORY.
No Wonder the Spheres Are Like Stones-A
Chat with n Manufacturer.

"The baseball manufacturing business
has had rapid but prosperous growth"
said "A manufacturer recently. cit Is con-
fined TO a few men, and probably will not
| be encroached upon by spectators. There
are in the United States to-day only eight
factories OF any importance, and yet these
are entirely sufficient to supply all the
baSc-bals that are wanted in this country.
! Recently there has been sort OF boom
in the ball market. This is caused by the
adoption by clothing-houses throughout
the country OF the custom OF giving to jul
yenile purchasers base-ballS as presents.
The balls are OF different grades and prices.
| The kind that are given away are, OF
course, cheap but quite durable. Perhaps
YOU would like 10 see how base-balls are
made. Follow me and | will show you
the whole process"
On the upper floor Of the establishment
sat several men with baskets OF dampcned
chamois and buckskin clippings at their
| sides. Before each workman stood stout
piece Of joist, in the end OF which was IN
serted a mould, hemisphercal in shape, in
which the balls are formed. Taking a
handful Of the cuttings from the basket,
! the workman pressed them together In
I
mass a few yards Of strong wo0llen
yarn. Placing the embryo ball IN the
mould, he pounds it into shape with
heavy fiat mallet, and then wound
on more yarn and gave the ball another
pounding. After testing ITS weight on a
! pair of a scales and its diameter with a
I tape-meaSure he threw the ball into bas-
! ket and began another. When the newly
made balls are thoroughly dried they are
carried TO the sewing-room. on the floor
! below, where they are to receive their
covers. Forty young women sat at tables
! sewing on the covers OF bOrSc-hide. Grasp
! inc ball firmly in her left hand, with
! her right hand one OF the young women
! thrust three-cornered needle through
! the thick pieces OF the cover and drew
them firmly together. In less than ten
minutes her work was completed. a smart
girl can cover two or three dozen OF the
best, and eight dozen OF the. cheaper
grades of balls in day. The wages earned
| weekly range from 81 TO 80. The balls are
aiterward taken to the packing-rOOm, where
I the seams are smoOthed down and the pro-
per stamps are put Oh. The best balls are
made entirely OF yam and lndia-rubber.
My brother was one OF the pioneers in
/ this business said the MANUFACTURER.
- He was the inventor OF the two-piece
cover now in general use throughout the
country. II my brother had only pat
ented his invention the members OF our
family would now be wearing dia-
monds instead OF bits OF white glass
I in our shirtfronts. Blll-coyers are made
almost without exception, Of horse
hide, which costs three dollars a
side. We used to obtain our supply
from John Carl, leather dealer in The
Swamp for nearly thirty-five years. W.
are obliged to 20 to Philadelphia now
there being no merchant here who keep
horse-hide leather. The capacity OF oul
factory, when we get our new moulding
machines in working order, will be abou
$1,000 balls daily. each machine being eX
pected to turn out 1000 balls day."