The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-11-05
MANUFACTURE OF TooTHPIOKs.
A place VIII re They Are Made by tho
1TiIIiou. and the Way The, Are Made.


There ar, I have been told, but three !
+ootbnics ctories in the United States.
Ono az rge1n Is located at Belmont, Ale
ca. Z county New York, just on [ e edge
Of the town and near the banks OF the
Geue5ee river.
In going over most factories one is genz
aratlV ushered in at the wrong end that
is where the completed work Is ready for
sbi ,ment. This factory was no eXcep-
tion to the rule bat l will take you be-
low stairs frat and we will then work up
ward gradually,
The factory makes two articles II
commerce. toothpicks, as already stated,
and alIumettes, or lamPughters. 10
conamrnc, al first princi .es.
w started in ths basement and after
exploring the engine room oeto0k our
selves TO where tue woodwork was Ii It's
frst stages. We found il this second
room piles of circular blocks of wood
about sixteen nc -es In diameter by per-
haps fi,e IN thickness. This wood was
:. derd and soft maple and pine.
these are put into revolving ma hine
vybicu sLrlps he.u OF their bark tney
are then sent up to the nrst floor. Here
they are again put mo another revolving
IN chine wuicI outs them into hne strips
wbicu are then cut into the required
shape I toOthpIcks.
The 3. vIcks are dropped out at one
sid. while the refuse fails from the other
into a .haft and Is carried down to tue
basement and subsequently used Tor
dring. Some are round, some square.
TINS little machine whlcn makes them
appears sim ,Ie enough to ,ho uninitioted
Tut II realty is quIte hPicated' con-
tain,ng, weare informed, several hundred
knives,
Tnsse small articles of aiter-dinn-r
Service are then taken up TO the second
story, where they are kept in heated
room until eGfficisntIy dry for packing.
DeSceaIing to { @ first foOr-for we
have followed our miniature guide up
stairs and Jwn-we enter u room where
several girls and women and two or thre.
boys are at wOrk.
one girl we find stamping thin paste
board boxes with q press and tn n iOld-
ing these boxes b, hand with rRpidity
Inpossfbe t. be followed by the eye.
The experienced fingers grow very MIN
bic.
On the other side Of the room girls
were sorting and arranging " picks and
putting tuem in boxes. Tne work was
executed with AN aiertuess only acquired
through long PRACTICE.
The plan of arrau rIng them In bundles
preparatory TO bUXiu IS thi7: From the
large heap Ia trout draw a smaller guam
tity, yet several times larger than the
proposed bundle. These little sticks lay
at skies and seyens as confused as he
most co 4LIaTy pllS OF JACK tEd"S' hS
first notion Is 70 d aw The Pile toward
the worAer, the second to draw tbs
hands across the pile lateTally RnC
carry of any offending sticks that lay II
their way and uhen close In the pile az
the third motion, again scattering anC
arranging. ReIJeratIng these mo ions
with more or less varIat on soon brings
order our Of chaos, and the pile grows
beautifully less as compact, neat bundles
ass ume the desired shape and proper
ton. They were then quickly boxed ant
thrown aside ready for the market.
In the Manufacture OF the allumett
the wood was cut into long strips Of w
different widths, four nd a half inche
for the mar over, and a. / Temembe
about eight inches for the wide, and
,.trtv-scccud Of an inch l..
These we're hen hung .r--.- p..-slss
a dryi4g-room, and the draped, rlbuboI
like effect OF tie room was very lre-t
Tney were afterward put by the quanti
into q cutting machine, attended by
boy, whence sued the useful allumel
ready for buudling and boxing.
This factory Is not only one OF Z
sights OF Allegany county, but tHde
of New York State. Ior, to the best
my belief III the only one In New YoT
Rochester Union.