The Opelousas courier., 1889-07-13
MAKING BASEBALL BATS.
a Great Industry Which Has Grown Up
In the Western States.

a Great Industry which Has Grown UD
In the Western States.
The material which goes into base
ball bats comes principally from In
diana, 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, splitting guarantee
ing great straightness of grain.
The forest ash comes next in point
of excellence, although the saltwater
ash. from the coast OF Maine, is con-
sidered in the East it's 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 tho
bat-makers sometimes exceeds the sup
plies of well-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 manufact-
ure of baseball bats to a large extent,
and is called American willow. There
was a time when English willow was
considered by ball-players to be tho
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 atGranI
Rapids. Mich, and millions of sticks
are turned out yearly from this i'm
mense concern. Milwaukee
second. while Vincennes, Ind, is third.
The latter city at one time led the
country in baseball bat manufacture
ing, but Grand Rapids and Milwaukee
passed the Hoosier town long ago. OF
course, nearly every city of import
ance 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
considered first-class, except occasional
ones for individuals.
One big house in Chicago, that deals
heavily in baseball goods, every win
ter 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 are supposed to be made
from the poles of worn-out wagons
This is a nice little delusion, in keep
ing with the Appomattox apple-tree
cane fake that was rung on the
try for years after Lees surrender.
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 ball-players buy them and
veal by them, and the dealer gets a
fancy price for his goods. So every
'-ody seems happy and contented in
that direction
Years ago when baseball was in
its kindergarten stages" says a dealer
in and manufacturer of baseball goods
in st. Louis, ':fancy bats were al: .he
rage. and manufacturers and dealers
We'd with each other in their efforts to
get up gaudy-looking sticks to attract
the eye of the players. In those days
ball players were proud of their bats
because of the elegant coats of paint
and varnish, but now the professionals
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 sea-
soning, and in general appearance are
as rough and course as a comron pick
handle, but in perfection of shape and
of fiber, they can not be
Nearly every professional has his
ideal bat, and all weights. lengths and
circumference 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 other
wise finishing up the bat they expect
to knock out home runs with during
the playing season. Linseed oil is all
the dressing that professionals nse cd
their bats. No paint or varnish is
ever allowed to remain on a stick after
the player a get an opportunity to
scrape it off, hence the manufacturers
make what is called the professional
bat, without polish or dlagree