The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-12

Millions of Balls Consumed in this Country
Yearly.


Philadelphia Record.
''Ten millions of base balls are made and sold
in this country in year, said the veteran ball
tosser and manufacturer, Al Reach, day or so
ago. The reporter seemed to regard the figures
increduously. Now, let me explain" contin-
ued Mr.. Reach. There is not city, town.
hamlet, village or country crossroads in the
United States but what has its base ball club
Everybody plays ball now, from the iveyear-
old boy up to the gray-headed man who has
scored half century of innings just for
moment consider how many balls are needed for
all these clubs in a season How many are
knocked out and lost. Nearly every member of
the organizations has one of the spheres to prac-
tice with. And then the small boy. He can
chew up a base ball with about the same CELEBRITY
a sausage machine chops up meat
This year the demand is greater than was
ever known before. The base ball fever has
broken out in the South, and clubs are being
organized in nearly all the cities and towns In
quiries are being made as to the method of play
ing the game, and we are sending balls South by
the carload. The demand from the West is
larger than ever. In the East the season is just
opening. The patrons of the game are nearer
the centers of supply, and the season is back
ward, hence they are little late with their
orders Canada is reaching out, and the season
will be good there. Taken altogether. the pros
poets for 1885 are very bright and the public
interest in the game promises to be greater than
ever before
'How are base balls made? Well, I'll show
you," said AL as he led the way to his factory
on Beach street. Entering large room,
dozens Of men and boys were found seated upon
low stools. They were busily engaged in wrap
ping the different species of yarn in the form of
a ball. Alongside each bench were pair of
scales. and at the feet of the wrapper Short
thick piece of wood which he used to knock the
ball in shape when it became crooked. Take
the American Association tall" the veteran
tosser said. Our most expert workmen are
employed in its manufacture. First there is
little hard rubber ball, and around that the
wrapper winds strong blue coarse yarn.
When this reaches prescribed size it is firmly
wrapped with white Venetian yarn The balls
are then placed in an oven and baked until all
the moisture is taken out of them and they are
reduced in size. This makes them solid. After
this they are coated with cement, which is pre-
pared by my partner This causes the balls to
retain their shape and they cannot be knocked
crooked. Then comes some fine blue yarn, and
around the whole is placed fine white gilling
Irvine. The balls are weighed, for each must
be of certain weight and are now ready for the
covers. These latter are made of the best quail
ity of horse hide The cover consists of two
pieces, each cut in the shape of the figure g.
By bending one section one way and the other
in an opposite direction complete cover
is obtained. That was the discovery
of college-boy For years the balls were Gov
cred y 'th four pieces of leather, but the genius
of the college chap-Coulter, / think his name
was--has proved of great benefit to US. At one
time two covers were placed upon ball. That
is, the ball was half made when it was covered,
and then another ball constructed over it. But
even that did not prevent its being knocked out
of shape They cannot knock ours out, though,
because the cement holds it. This ball has been
adopted by the American Association, the West
ern League the Southern League, the North
Carolina League and the Collegiate Association
of New York.
Eyes, we always men and boys to do the
| wrapping. Girls may be more expert in one
sense, but they not possessed of the strength
of men, and cannot wrap the balls as compactly
as the males. We have the only machine in the
world for winding balls. 1t wraps two and one
half inches of the American Association ball in
apparatus is little wonder 1t does its work
as neatly as if it had brains, but is capable of
good deal of improvement. Call and see that in
about year.
! "Now, as to cheap balls--those which the
small boy uses We make them by the bushel
The insides are composed entirely of leather
scraps. A certain number of ounces of the
leather is placed in the stout iron bowl A
heavy weight falls upon it. 1t is squeezed by
hydraulic pressure, a lever raises the bowl and
there is perfectly round and hard ball Stout
yarn is placed around this, moderately good
cover put on it, and there is fun for the young
STEERS for whole day. The method of making
all our balls is the same, except that not so much
attention is paid to the composition of the
cheaper ones as is devoted to the more expensive.
In years gone by one man made ball outright
Now it passes through half a dozen hands, and
is much better. The covering is a fine art and
firstclass harness makers are used I'M this work,
although there are number of girls who are
experts at 1t. Next time you break your fingers
think of me-"