St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-02
CYCLONES OF TOOTHPICKs.
"A Toothpick Trust Results in the
Invention of a Machine That
Makes 100000 q Day.

4HdhCS osOOO,OOO a LAY
AS he stood beside little machine
that was sending out a perfect cyclone
of toOthpicks, some 10000 of them
minute, says the Lewiston Journal, E.
T. Edgecomb, the title member of the
firm, related his experience in the tooth
pick business:
II was formerly mechanical expert
in the employ of the Haverhold Ma
chine company. was with that con-
Germ number of years, mastering many
details and ideas about machinery, for
which l hold most decided taste. In
fact, it is my hobby. A few years ago L
left my position with the HaverhOld
company and went to Mechanic Falls,
where [ formed machine company.
Later | went into the toothpick business
with Harry ID. Creighton, of Phlladel-
phia, as my partner. We succeeded
well i'll our venture, till all of sudden
we found that the toothpick combina-
ton had frozen us out. This cOmbina-
ton practically controlled all the tooth
pick business of the United States, and
when it refused to supply us with tooth
picks we found ourselves in bad posi-
ton. We had large number Of orders
to fill and not pick to fill them with.
In this extremity went to work to get
up tOOthpick machine of my own, and
you see the result of my labor before
you. This machine manufactures about
100000 picks per day, and they are
about as good picks as there are in the
market"
He took up a handful of picks from
the bin into which they were being
poured f.om the mouth of the machine,
and handed one to the reporter for eX
animation. They are the flat picks with
the ends sharpened off like a chisel,
very good picks indeed the repOr ter
thought, and his view is evidently the
public mird to Judge from the fact that
the EdgecOmD factory has orders ahead
for its entire production of the next five
years.
Don't you make the picks that are
pointed at both endS?'
mo, we do not at present. We are
perfecting plans to go into that style of
pick in the spring. We are now at work
on a toothpick machine, the capacity of
which will be 10000 per minute OF ~,
100000 per day.
..Well, to go back little to the time
when we began to manufacture for our
selves. AS soon as the tOothpick COM
bination found that we we're able to
supply our customers with as good
pick as could be had, and that we had a
machine that would do three times as
much work as their own, which turns
out about 5000 per minute, they decided
to more than ever to drive us out OF the
business.
''We were not to be driven out, but,
on the contrary, kept forging ahead all
were not to be conquered, so they in
UitaI ne info tbpir continuation We
refused to go. We saw no use of COM
binations. Our goods stand on their
own merits, and we find ready market
for them.
but you wished to know how tooth
pick was made. Well, let's begin at the
first stage of the process.
1.-The wood we use is birch and maple.
1t must be green, clear and straight
grained. We get it from all along the
line of the Maine Central. 1t comes in
four-fOot logs, which we saw into six
and a quarter inch pieces. These are
put into barrels in the steaming room,
where they remain for about three
hours, coming out as soft as leather"
and exhibited its pliability by twisting
it carelesSly in the way one would strip
of ribbon.
1.-THE charging of the wood with
steam drives out all the sap, and then it
is ready for the veneer machine. the
bark having been removed. Here is the
veneer machine in operation" and he
indicated a piece of mechanism much
like lathe, similar to the veneer ma
chine used in wooden box factories.
The blocks are placed in this instrument
and out comes two long serpents of
veneer, or ribbons of wood, the grain
running across the strips, which are al
lowed to squirm around on the floor till
the operation is complete.
"They are then wound up on large
spools, each spool carrying about
hundred feet or so of veneer. The reels
are the ammunition with which the tooth
pick machine is loaded. The end of the
veneer is placed in the Gattling-gun-
like apparatus and shoots out at the
muzzle in scattering volley. A small
boy picks them up into drying boxes
with wire bottoms. They are placed on
a hot-air draught, famed by a blower.
and in twenty minutes they are as dry
as bone.
'.Iu the boxing room half-doZen
girls stand at tables and put up about
five cases a day, 100 boxes in case. for
which they are paid Is cents case. The
work is not hard, and an expert can
make good wages"