The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-05-05

Utt& RWsys
Within week have let of at least 20
men brought before me for yagrancy and
drunkenness" said Police Justice recent
~, because they claimed to be soda water
hands and pleaded that month on the Ia.
land now would ruin their chances for get.
ting employment for the summer Some Of
the fellows recognized, because let them
go on precisely the same excuse last spring,
and sure enough / saw nothing of them
again until after the snow was on the ground
the following winter"
1t would be as hard to tell what becomes
OF the soda water hand in winter as it would
to discover the whereabouts of the oyster
opener after the months without an "Rr
come in. After the season Is over they van-
ish from the army of wage earners, to re-
appear ready for work again few months
later, looking scarcely less seedy than when
they quit. The soda water season only lasts
about six months. A warm day in April is
likely to precipitate it with a rush, and q
cold dry IN October blinhia IL aa- snddanlx
as It docs the few flowers remaining in the
fields.
Whether an empty bottle is returned .
or comes out of the packing straw new from
the mandatory, it is carefully washed,
rinsed, and dried In the soda water estab.
ishment by men employed to do this work
and nothing else It requires more prac-
tice than novice would imagine to do 1t
rapidly and thoroughly. The washers don't
know what it is 10 have ON dry clothes while
at work They rig themselves out in CAPT
OIL garments and splash around all day
until they are as wet as so many wharf rats.
After they are dried the bottles are stacked
In crates and carried on to the ssfilers. y
II intended for lemonade or lemon soda they
60 first TO another squad Of men, who dip
In the required amount Of syrup with q
ladle. In bottling the ,aerated water Ia
pumped into the bottles just as It comes
from the generators with pressure of so
pounds and over to the square inch. II q
bottle has flaw in 1t or the man handling
1t is careless the glass will burst into frag-
mants and scatter oil over the room. An
accident of this kind usually means trouble,
sometimes quite serious, for others than the
man who happens to be handling the bottle.
In most factories the men protect themselves
with devices for guarding the head and
arms, but every season adds to the list Of
men disfgured for life through their own
or somebody's else carelessness- eye
gone, a finger or two missing, or a SCARED
face. The young surgeons in the city hos
pitfalls are frequently called upon to attend
such cases.
The man who fills bottle corks At and
passes it along to "wirer," who sits close
beside him. 1t Is the wirer's duty TO draw
wire over the cork and fastcn it securely
around the neck Of the bottle with pair Of
pinchcrs. This, also, is work requiring
nimble fingers and some skill. II Is pain.
full process for new hand to learn to wire.
The thin wire lacerates the flesh badly, and
It is common thing to see lads hands
running with blood after brisk days work.
After few weeks at the business, how.
ever. the fngers get callous, Just as oakum
pickers' fingers do, ami the wirers get along
very comfortably. When the wirers are
through with the bottles they are stacked in
crates again and carried away for another
washing. A few pals of winter are thrown
over them and they arc left to dry before
eoing to the labelers. After labelling and
polishing they are put away in cases ready
10 be sent of in delivery wagons as fast as
ordered. The process Of filling siphons and
patent bottles of numerous make is much
simpler, more rapidly done, and with less
risk. But they are not suited to all branch
es of the trade.
In rush such as frequently occurs dur
ing the extremely hot weather in July and
August the men were compelled to work
overtime willy nilly, often Is and Is hours