News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-04-25
MAKING BASEBALL BATS.
A Great Industry That Has Grown
UP in the West.

When you consider that 10000 dozen
bats are handled yearly in every large
city, some idea of the dimensions of the
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 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 a large extent, and is
called American willow. There was q
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 manufactory
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
advertses 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 are
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
er gets fancy price for his goods. So
everybody seems happy and contented
in that direction.
"Years ago, when baseball was in its
stages" says George Rawl-
ings, the dealer in and manufacturer
of base ball goods in st. Louis, Clancy
bats were all the rage, and manufactur-
ers We'd with each other in their efforts
to get up gaudy-looking 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 profes-
sionals 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
and in general appearance
are as rough and coarse as a common
pick handle, but i'll perfection of shape
and toughness of fibre, they cannot be
'FNearly every professional has his
ideal bat, and all weights, lengths and
circumferences are turned out to meet
the individual tastes of the players.
Most professionals are cranks to some
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 OF varnish is ever allowed to re-
main on q stick after the player can get
an opportunity to scrape it off, hence
the manufacturers make what is called
the professional bat, without polish OF
filagree. ."-GL05e Democrat.