The gale., 1888-04-07
CYCLONES OF TOOTHPICKs.
A Toothpick Trust Results in the
Invention of Machine that Makes
100000 Day.

Invention of a Machine that Make es
100000 Day.
As he stood beside little machine that
was sending out n perfect cyclone of
toothpicks, some 10000 of them minute,
Mr.. Z. T. Edgecomb, the title member
of the firm, related his experience In the
toothpick busines:
sT was formerly o. mechanical expert
in the employ of tile Haverhold Machine
Company. / was with that concern
a number of years, mastering many de-
tails and ideas about machinery, for
which hold most decided taste. In
fact it was my hobby. A few years ago
l left my position with the Haverhold
Company and went to Mechanic Falls,
where 1 formed machine company.
Latterly went into the toothpick bust
ness with Mr.. Harry ID. Creighton OF
Philadelphia as my partner. We sue
ceeded pretty we'll in our venture, TIL all
of n sudden we found that the toothpick
combination had frozen us out. This
combination practically controlled all the
toothpick business of the United States,
and when it refused to supply us with
toothpicks we found ourselves in bad
position. 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. six million picks per day, and
they are about as good picks as there
are in the market"
He took up n handful OF picks from
the bin into which they We're being
poured from the mouth of the machine,
and handed one to the reporter for ex-
animation. They are the fiat pick with
the ends sharpened off like chisel
very good picks indeed the reporter
thought, and his view is evidently the
public mind, to Judge from the fact that
the Edgecomb factory has orders ahead
for its entire production of the next five
years.
'Don't you make the picks that ore
pointed at both endss"
"No, we do not at present. We are
perfecting plans to get into that style of
pick in the spring. We are now at work
on toothpick machine, the capacity of
which will be 100, 900 per minute, or ",
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 were able to sup
ply our customers with as good pick
as could be had, and that we had ma
chine that would do three times as much
work as their own, which turn out about
5000 picks per minute, they decided to
do 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 the
time, till finally they concluded we were
not to be conquered, so they invited us
into their combination. We refused tc
go. We saw no use for combinations.
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.
"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 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"
He picked up piece of thin veneer
and exhibited its pliability by twisting
it carelessly in the way one would a
strip of ribbon.
'''rhe 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 piece of mechanism much
like a 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 allowed to
squirm around on the floor till after the
operation is complete.
They are then wound up on large
spools, each spool carrying about hun
tiirotii feet or so of veneer. The reels arc
the ammunition with which the tooth
pick machine is loaded. The end of the
veneer is placed in the Gatling-gun-lik like
apparatus, and shoot out of the muzzle in
scattering volley. A small boy picks
them up into drying boxes, with wire
bottoms. They are placed on hot-ail
draught, famed by blower, and in
twenty minutes they are dry as bone
"In the boxing room halfdozer
girls stand at tables and put up about
five cases a day, 100 boxes in q case, fol
which they are paid eighteen cents 6
case. The work is not hard, and an ex
pert can make good wages. ."-LeDistor
.To3Irr1I