The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-10
THE FIrNEss OLE THINGS.

out regard 10 HtneSS lot lne WOIh III
band2 Is it chronic state of don't care
a d. or does not the man comprehend
what he is doing?
The man who uses monkey-wrench
for a hammer is a good illustration of
this class of men, and is, perhaps, the
most common of them all. In the wood
shop these men will use whichever saw
they find upon the arbor, no matter
whether they intend to cut or rip the
work in hand.
These men will run fine, delicate,
nicely adjusted saw into a maple or a
hemlock knot as quick as they will cut
clean pine. They never change saw,
or seem to have any comprehension that
fine tools are intended for nice accurate
work, and that strong, heavy tools must
be used for rough work.
The same. is true in other work, We
know these men everywhere they are
found. They will take nice dressed
lumber for skids in unloading lime bar
rels from cart, and they will trudle
400 pound gear over the surface OF sixty
dollar pattern stock quicker than they
will go across the yard for a rough
plank.
When a man is found laying down
nicely dressed hard wood lumber for
foundation wherein to pile rough stock,
or boxes for machinery, then it is safe
to question that mans mechanical abil-
ity, and even his mental ability, and
even his mental qualities.
1t has often been stated in these col
umns that mechanical engineering is
simply adapting to ones needs the ma
terial to be had at the location OF the
work TO be executed. This is true, from
the head engineer down to the humblest
laborer.
1t is engineering to dig ditch or to
shovel out CARLOAD of gravel. The
material at hand is the muscle of the
shoveler. When he does the work
without fret or hurry, and quicher than
either of his fellow laborers, the fact is
established that the fast man is better
engineer than any of his comrades, for
he can adapt means TO ends with good
results,
The same is true of raising a large
frame building, or designing water
works, or planning some gigantic man
ufacturing establishment. In all these
problems there enters the same factor,
that of making the best of everything at
of things makes itself known.
The mechanic who wants IL inch
square timber, and who has only boards,
will serve as an illustration. He builds
I'D his square timber by mailing together
twelve one inch boards, each twelve in
ches wide, He adapts the material at
hand to the ends desired, and keeping
the fitness of things in view, is success
full.
Another case was in the construction
of large wooden skating rink. The
city placed an injunction upon the work,
because the posts were more than twelve
feet high, and wooden buildings OF
greater post height were not allowed
within city limits. The engineer was
equal to the occasion. He promptly cut
the post down SO within the desired limit
then built up some high timber arches
having a radius of half the width of the
building.
The structure being a wide one, the
arches which came under the head OF
rafters or roof beams extended upward
quite distance before they inclined
much from the perpendicular AS a
consequence, the finished structure was
as high posted as desired, yet it came
inside of the fire commissioners stipu-
lations, Here is where true engineering
and the fitness of things come into play.
The engineer reduced things to their
lowest terms on the spot, and lost Meth
err time nor money in securing the de-
sired ends, with the means and condi-
tons at hand.
There was no bungling in these cases.
The mechanics in charge use brains in
deciding what to do, and how to do it.
When once the decision was made all
energies were pushed to the completion
OF minor details, and nothing was left
for guess or chance. The man who mis-
uses tools and stock does not use his
brains. He is either lazy or under pro.
voyocation he has come to that stage OF
mechanical misery where he don't
care
There are just two divisions into
which illdone work can be turned, either
the don't know how or the'don't care
and as at the opening of this sketch it
was stated that competent, capable me-
chanics' were under discussion, the in
competent shall be turned over to the
mercies of the American Millwrights'
Association, to be graded and educated
told off into several subdivisions. Some
of them are thinking about anything
but the work they are doing. They are
planning some job of their own to be
done after working hours, or they have
been on BENDER and can think OF
nothing.
These men should wake up and realize
that they are American citizens, and that
upon them depends largely the advance
made by their country in manufactures.
All that is needed by many of this class
is a waking up, to be brought to their
senses and made to comprehend that
their thoughts should go with their
hands when hired out to their employ
ers.
The remaining class of 'misfit work.
men have been reduced to a state of al
most abject slavery by worse fitting
foremen and i'll chosen superintendents.
When all encouragement is denied
man, he is sure not to go very far in
that direction, especially if he be work
ing for some one beside himself. An
overbearing, self sufficient foreman will
effectually choke down all ambition to
excel which man may possess, and
soon reduce him to that level wherein
he cares for nothing but day wages and
Saturday night.
These two causes, don't fit,' and mis-
fit foreman are the cause of nearly all
the 'languid, don't care get it done
somehow work that disgraces work and
mechanics. Every foreman who has a
man or two of this description may well
sit down and have a talk with himself
as follows: is that man competent !
Yes, he is a good workman when he
has mind to be. He used to be a much
better man before he came here. | won
der what has come over him.
Ia he as apt and quick as he used to
be? Does he give all his thoughts to the
work.
No. He watches the clock as much as
the work He used to be the first man
in, and the last one out, but now he is
half way home before the whistle is
done blowing
DO treat my men as | should like to
be treated ? Do | encourage them to
make their brains save their hands, and
to improve existing methods of doing
work! Do give man decent praise
when he does good work or makes quick
timer Or do discourage him into the
belief that l am everything, and he is
but piece of machinery?
Let the foreman be honest, ask and
answer these questions truthfully, and
the remedy will suggest itself whereby
work may be done much more economi
cally, and more attention given to the
fitness of things by all hands, Manu-
facturer's Gazette.