The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-26
WOODEN TOOTHPICKS.
A Little Machine That Makes SIX Millions
of Them Every Day.

A Little Machine That Makes Six Millions
of Them Every Day.
As he stood beside little machine
that was sending out a perfect cyclone
of toothpicks. some 10000 of them a
minute, Mr. E. 7. Edgecomb, the title
member of the firm. related his expert
ence in the toothpick business:
81 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 ma
chinery, for which l hold most de-
cided taste In fact, it is my hobby. A
few years ago left my position with the
Haverhold company and went to Me-
chanic Falls, where formed machine
company Later | went into the tooth
pick business with Mr.. Harry ID. Creigh-
ton, of Philadelphia, as my partner.
We succeeded pretty well in our venture,
till all of a sudden we found that the
toothpick combination had frozen us
out. This combination practically con-
trolled 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
a pick to fill them with. In this cx-
tremity went to work to get up q
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 a handful of picks from
the bin into which they were being
poured from the mouth of the machine.
and handed one to the reporter for ex-
animation. They are the fiat pick with
the end 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 factory has orders ahead for
its entire production of the next five
wears.
"But YOU wished to know how a
toothpick was made. Well, let's begin
at the first stage of the process.
"The wood we use is birch and ma
pie. 1t must be green. clear and straigh,
grained. We get it from all along the
line of the Main 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.
He picked up piece of thin venec1
and exhibited its pliability by twisting
it carelessly in the way one would ;
| strip of ribbon.
| "The charging of the wood will
steam drives out all the sap. and thel
I il is ready for the veneer machine, tn
g bark having been removed. Here
l the veneer machine in operation. an
t he indicated piece of mechanism
much like lathe. similar to the venee
/ machine placed in this instrument an
V out comes two long serpents of venee
Il or ribbons of wood. the grain runnin
8 across the strips, which are allowed
e squirm around on the floor till after tf
it operation is complete.
O They are then wound up on larg
II spools, each spool carrying about
1t hundred feet or so of veneer. The rec
It are the ammunition with which tt
). toothpick machine is loaded. The en-
a of the veneer is placed in the Gatlin,
IS gun-like apparatus, and shoot out
d the muzzle in scattering volley.
4 small boy picks them up into dryin
u y, boxes, with wire bottoms. They a
;" placed on hot air draught. famed l
'f a blower, and in twenty minutes thu
'r are dry as bone.
ID sin the boxing room half-dozt
ID girls stand at tables and put up abo
te five cases day, one hundred boxes
a case. for which they are paid eighties
cents case. The work is not har
"a and an expert can make good wages