Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-05-02
MAKING BASEBALL BATS.
A Great Industry That Has Grown
Up in the West.

When you consider that $4,000 dozen
bats are handled yearly in every large
business can be formed.
The material which goes into baseball
bats comes principally from Indiana,
that is, the better quality does. Second
growth ash is the standard, and this
must be carefully selected and perfectly
seasoned. The best bats are made from
Indiana ash, cut the usual length and
split, the splitting guaranteeing great
straightness of grain.
The forest ash comes next in point of
excellence, although the salt water ash,
from the coast of Maine, is considered
in the East its equal, and a great many
bats are made from it. The forest ash
comes from all parts of the country
wherever ash is likely to grow, as the
demand for lumber by the bat makers
sometimes exceeds the supply of we'll
seasoned, prime Indiana ash, and they
are compelled to take such ash lumber
as they can get for the manufacture of
the second and third grades.
Eastwood enters into the manufacture
of baseball bats to large extent, and is
called American willow. There was a
time when English willow was con-
sidered by ball players to be the best
material for bats, but there is very little
of this used now, and none at all by
professional ball players. Pine, poplar
and cottonwood are used for cheap bats
for boys, and Missouri and Arkansas
supplies most of this lumber.
The leading baseball bat mandatory
Of the country is at Grand Rapids, Mich,
and millions of sticks are turned out
yearly from this immense concern.
Milwaukee comes second, while Vincen-
mes, Ind, is third. The latter city at
one time led the country in baseball bat
manufacturing, but Grand Rapid, and
Milwaukee passed the Hoosier town long
ago. OF course nearly every city of i'm
portance in the East manufactures more
or less baseball bats, but none of them
have any manufactures that compare
with the western concerns. st. Louis
makes a few bats, but none that are con-
sidered first-class except occasional ones
for individuals.
One big house in Chicago that deals
heavily in baseball goods, every winter
advertises for old ash wagon tongues, to
be made into bats. This concern sells
thousands and thousands of bats. which
they call the "Wagon Tongue" and ale
supposed to be made from the poles of
worn out wagons. The fact is that the
Chicago house sells every season ten
times as many so-called Wagon
Tongue" bats as there are or ever was
at one time, polled vehicles, old and new,
in the country, but the ball players buy
them and swear by them, and the deal
err gets fancy price for his goods. So
everybody seems happy and contented
in that direction.
years ago, when baseball was in its
kindergarten stages, says George Rawl-
ings, the dealer in and manufacturer
of base ball goods in st. Louis, fancy
bats were all the rage, and manufacture
ers We'd with each other in their efforts
to get up gaudy-loolxing sticks to at
tract the eye of the players. In those
days ball players were proud of their
bats, because of their elegant coats of
paint and varnish, but now the profess
SIGNALS take pride in the plainness Of
their ball-hitters. Dealers now make
bats for the professional trade only of
ash that has undergone three years of
seasoning, and in general appearance
are as rough and coarse as a common
pick handle, but in perfection of shape
and toughness of fibre, they cannot be
surpassed.
Nearly every professional has his
ideal bat, and all weights, lengths and /
are turned out to meet !
the individual tastes of the players.
Most professionals are cranks to some 4
extent in regard to bats, and they spend |
days and weeks and sometimes months /
in scraping, shaping and otherwise fin
ishing up the bat they expect to knock |
out home runs with during the playing /
season. Linseed oil is all the dressing
use ON their bats. No
paint or valnish is ever allowed to re-
main on stick after the player can get
an opportunity to scrape it off, hence .
the manufacturers make what is called 1
the professional bat, without polish or
tilagree. Globe Democrat.
Development of Trotters.