St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-29

A day or two later trip was made 10 the
orner of Third and Commercial streets.
where the man had said the images were
burned out 1t is in little shop. hardly a
foot higher than ones head. With one small
window to furnish light. Three men, who
looked about as dried and baked as their
countrvman, the Roman soldier, said to
have been done to crisp while On guard at
Pompeii, were the occupants OF The little
room and though they could not talk much
English they indicated that visitor would
be no intruder In the faint light, and to
an eve that was not too eXacting on defni-
lions. the little workshop was not unlike
the working-room of the American artists
in Florence and other cities of that sunny
land. There were models that in the dim
light might have been st. George killing
the dragon. or an ordinary jockey ready
for a tWo-mile running race, the main out
line being man and horse. There were
statues that might have been the Venus OF
Milo or the Goddess of Liberty; at any
rate they were female figures, with about
as MANY clothes on as the females wear at
some variety theaters. There were dozen
or more curious-looking objects of green
ism color aud about the shape of rough
log, three or four feet long and foot in
diameter. These, it appeared, as the men
went on with their work,
WERE THE MoLDS
in which these statues were carved, and
which the three humble disciples of PraX-
iteIes took apart and knocked around with
a recklessness that would give shock to
an artistic eye.
.'What are those moIds made of ?" was
asked of the only man whose English could
be we'll understood.
Il dona know was the reply, as the
artist went on with his work without rails
ing his eyes.
'.What are the images made of ?" was
asked.
1--WE maka plaster ANA salta. Salta?
You knOwa him?" and the artist grinned
again as he went on with his work.
''Salt?"
''Yesa, salta."
''What do you put salt in for?"
''Makastronga, was the reply all in one
word. Two of the men then began taking
apart one of the molds, which was in half
dozen or more pieces that fitted to each
other like the pieces of a Chinese puzzle.
They were first put together with a coating
of varnish to cement them and prevent the
plaster. water and salt from leaking out.
and then bound round with a small rope to
hold them firmly. A hole in one end al
lowed the plaster to be poured in. and then
the whole was put away for a
couple of hours while the plaster
hardened. The images seemed to be made
without the arms. which were run in sepa-
rate molds and then stuck on. Another
kind of mold used for the more elaborate
faces and for such pieces as had fine work,
were made of glue that would bend like
thick pieces of rubber. These were in sew
eral pieces. like the other kind and were
put together in about the same way.
It takes about two hours, the men said,
for the plaster to harden, and then it takes
a half hour more to trim and cover them
with varnish mixed with bronze, so that
with hunk of glue dug out in proper
shape, a quantity of plaster OF paris, a
little salt and some ordinary water it is
possible to turn out George Washingtons Oh
Abraham Lincolns in about two and one
half hours per George or Abraham.
While the reporter
was there another man.
evidently the proprie
tor of the factory O. TIN
studio. came in. Il ~
could talk English. ~
''What are those \ n
molds made of ?'' was y
asked him. Relooked " y
): !. 4: =: :: 4 =:
rather curiouSly at his al
queStioner and said:
''You Iva in SANTA
Paula?" = II J
yes" ~ - L
''You wanta learna9 Il +
maka." E> 4
No" ~
You wanta buya?"
No"
81 don'ta tell what theya make of. Thens
youa know how. l knowa. I don't;
tell. l keepa secret" And he grinned
and looked at the other three men, WHIT
grimaced back. No amount Of questioning
would induce him to give up.
One Of the men sat on a barrel POLISHING
two-foot-high George Washington with +;
piece of sand paper. The proprietor sait
this had to be done before they were var
nished and bronzed. The whole cost of :
piece of that size would be about so cents
'sWhat kind do you sell the most OPP
asked the reporter.
'.Georgawash, he sella. but nota mucf
now. Mena have no money. Saya dom
wanta buy"
They don't sell well?"
''Noa, too mucha cost. Pretty ladys
sella some Not much.
AS it was getting dark, the three mer
gathered up two or three busts of Venus, 6