Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-03-20
How Cigar Boxes Are Made.


Three different kinds of lumber are
used IN the manufacture of the boxes.
Common boxes are made from bass
wood. brought in heavy boards from
the northern part of the State. 1t is
then recut, planed, grained and stained,
In order to give it a cedar-Ike appear
ance. The best wood is red cedar,
which is grown on the sunny southern
slopes OF Mexico, Cuba and Central
America, where the vertical rays of the
sun may penetrate its fiber and the
heavy forests shelter it from the north
ern and western winds. This wood
possesses the sharp, pungent odor which
renders it particularly valuable for the
packing of fine cigars.
The wood is purchased either from
first hands in the South or from New
York dealers. 1t is cut in the requisite
thicknesses, one-fifth of car load al
ways being of the necessary thicknesses
for ends. The strips of wood are run
through rip-saw and sawed in long
strips, and cut into the required lengths
on a second machine. The ends are
then planed as smooth as the sides,
boxes. The lids and slides are then put
into printing presses such as ordinary
printers use, only much heavier, and
the brand, trademark, etc, are indel-
IDLY impressed on them. They next
pass into the hands of the nailers.
They are not nailed together by hand,
but by machines which look like type
writing machines. The nails are fed
into hopper on the top, and are led
through small brass pipes into little
tubes at proper distance apart. BY
the pressure of his foot the nails are
forced by the operator out of these
tubes into the wood as accurately and
six times as rapidly as the most expert
mechanic could do by hand with ham,
mer. First an end and head piece are
nailed together and placed in large
piles, and then two of these nailed to-
gether, forming the sides. They are
passed to boys at the right, who rapidly
nail the bottoms on by hand. The half
completed boxes are then taken by
girls, who tack on the covers by hand,
fastening them in place temporarily
with partly driven nails. They pass
along to girls who dexterously paste
cloth hinges upon them. The boxes
are then piled up to dry.
The next operation consists in trim
ming off all overhanging wood, which
is done on rapidly revolving planer.
They are then placed against whirling
sandwiches and nicely smoothed. The
boxes are now ready for the large force
of girls upon the upper floor, who pro-
coed to place the finishing touches upon
them. First the edgings are pasted on,
then the inside labels, Innings, and
flaps. The girls are paid at the rate of
80 cents hundred, and earn from 81
to So week. The labels are made by
houses in Chicago and New York.
Some labels are very artistic. The de-
signs are the work of distinguished art
lists, and the coloring is rich and varied,
ranging in price from to 10 cents
each.
1t has been noticed that the quality
of the cigar can be told by the style of
the label. Those labels resembling a
cartoon in a comic paper are usually
intended for cheap cigars. Those which
describe ladies in very decolfete toilets
cdIeSSlHS llHpOSSlD16 DlruS OF unnearQ
of colors by fountains of emerald water,
seldom accompany a good cigar. The
best Havana cigars usually have motto
labels, bearing some Spanish name, or
containing scenes in Cuban or Spanish
outdoor life. The more gorgeous the
label, usually, the poorer the cigar.
The same rule holds good with the box
itelf. Those which have brass hinges
and a small catch in front, and fairly
glisten with varnish polish, general
ly hold cheap cigars. The printing de-
partment of large factory is as nearly
complete as oh printing office can be.
The names OF the bra4d ordered by
manufacturers are printed upon the
labels at the factory. The boxes are
now ready for delivery. The silk rib
bons used for fastenings form quite an
item, the factory visited by the reporter
using over 800 worth month. A car
load of cedar is used every five or six
weeks, and costs $40 per 1000 feet
NitaCaukee EUeni11d Wisconsin.