The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1891-02-20
STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
MECHANICS.

A two-story brick building, 81 by 76
feet, with wing Is by 80 feet, known
as the Mechanical Hall, is devoted
exclusively to the use of mechanic arts
The three rooms on the first floor are
used for recitation room, blacksmith
shop, and engine and machinery room.
The second floor is divided into two
rooms, one for drawing and one for
wood work. Besides this there is a
small house standing short distance
from main building containing the
steam boiler.
Motive power for the machinery is
furnished by 15-horse power Chan
dler & Taylor engine supplied with
steam from 20-horse power tubular
boiler. The same boiler also supplies
the steam necessary to operate steam
pump.
The water plant consists of, in addi-
ton to- the pump, a circular tank with
a capacity of $4,000 gallons placed on
a tower sixty feet in height. This
tank is connected with the college and
supplies water to the college, green
house and campus.
Instruction in mechanics is given
more by practical work than by reclta-
tions, from text books. Students in
wood work are first given a series of
exercises designed especially to illus
trate the principles involved in work.
These exercises are made progressive
and consist, for example, in joining
pieces of wood in ways such as are
employed in actual practice. After
these exercises are completed they are
put to work constructing things needed
about college and elsewhere. En- most
cases the work is done from blue
prints which give practice in working
from plans.
The equipment for wood work con-
sists of ten sets of carpenters tools,
including saws, planes, chisels, etc.,
just such tools as are commonly used
by carpenters, ten benches, two wood
turning lathes, circular saw and grind
stone. There are soon to be added
six more sets Of tools and six benches,
pony planer, band saw and scroll saw.
Iron work begins in the blacksmith
shop and consists of exercises similar
to those in wood work, in that they
involve the more simple and funda-
mental forms, such as converting a
round rod into square one, then
making half of it round again and
pointing both ends, and in the common
forms of welding. From this they are
gradually advanced in the art of max
ing tools for their own use AMI for use
on the farm and in repairing broken
machinery. The blacksmith shop is
very we'll equipped. In fact, Prof.
.Covell seems to be rather proud Of it.
The equipment consists Of nine Buff
falo stationary forges and one portable
forge, ten 100-pound Eagle anvils with
hammers, tongs, fullers, fatters, etc., a
vice, sledge hammer and swedge block.
The blast is furnished by a 35-inch
steel pressure blower, and the smoke
from all the forges is removed by an
exhaust fan and discharged through a
single sheet iron stack.
Fhe machine shop is thus fan pro-
vided with l6-inch engine lathe with
taper attachment, l2-inch hand lathe,
15-inch sl,aper,, and 25-inch drill press.
There are soon to- be added some small
tools and an emery toofgrinder:
Mechanical Drawing begins with
the spring term of the first year and
continues during remainder Of the
course. The instruction commences
with the first principles of geometrical
drawing and gradually leads on to. the
more difficult forms of drafting, line
shading and drawing from objects, also
making tracings and blue prints.
Each student is required to supply
himself with a set of drawing instru.
ments, T-square, triangles and curves.
The department furnishes him with a
patented drawing table and drawing
board. The latter is made by students
in wood work.
Every student of the mechanical
course is, required to work FIVE hours a
week Should he fail to put in this
amount of time during the week he is
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