Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-11-10

swer every purpose. From the middle of
the framework was suspended by pulleys q
heavier beam of wood than the rest Nine
ropes on each of two opposite sides were
connected with this beam. and the process
OF ramming stones was conducted by aim
ply pulling the beam up to the ton of the
framework and then letting Ii drop. The
beam did not even work in q groove. 1t
was guided in its downward course by a
man who held the end of a rope tied to 1t.
But for this 1t might have fallen almost
anywhere but In the required place.
As the workmen bent their supple backs
in raising the beam to the top of the frame
they gave vent to a series of howls from
which they might easily have been sup
posed to be very unhappy about something
or other. These lugubrious calculations
were set to a sort of tune, and sounded
like something different was being said by
every man, the tune always remaining un-
changed. The words ''Yonya colass" were
repeated over and over again, with varis-
tions and interpretations by each singer.
What they meant even K K Taksshams,
the gentlemsnly manager, did not know
He said in very good English that this was
a way the laborers had of expressing their
JOY at being permitted to work. After
hearing their glad pesn 1t Was not difficult
to see why their caps should have been
built with flaps at their sides to cover the
| ears. 1t was also easy to that they
considered their job a soft thing, for they
laughed all the while. When a workman
slipped on the yielding ground and fell fiat
on his face they laughed more than ever,
and he laughed loudest of all when he got
up. The consequences, had the big beam
fallen on one Of them, would have been
too hilarious to contemplate. The south
ern negro has bsen described as the hap
| piest of toilers, but he must give way to
the blithesome Japanese after this.
Other workmen were employed a little
way off in finishing the excavation of
holes and carrying the dirt away, while
still others bore the fat rocks to the holes
intended for their reception. 1t would
naturally be supposed that wheelbarrow
| would be used for this sort of business
AS in almost every other case of Japanese
| labor methods, what would be naturally
| supposed the thing to do is just exactly
| what the Japanese do not do. For carry
| ing the stones they used an implement
which consisted of a few pieces of wood
| suspended by three strands of twine, very
much as the pan of a pair of scales is hung
from the beam. Only two or three stones
| could be placed in this at once, and 1t was
all one man could do to lug them to the
place where they were to be laid. Dirt
| was carried in basket of woven rice fibre
that looked like piece of dilspidated fish
net. This was strung on pole, which
was borne on the shoulders of two men.
1t must not be supposed that the jap
| auese do not use nails. All their build
| ings are fastened together with nails, but
| all of their temporary structures, such as
| scaffolding, are bound tightly in place
| with ropes. They are very skTful in
| this kind of work, making q jointure
| with incredible rapidity and binding the
pieces together so securely that no ordi-
| nary strain would suffice to pull them
apart. But when the Japanese do use
| nails they do not use them as other peo-
pie do. Before they put plank or a
piece of timber on a building they find
| out by measurement where the nails
| ought to be placed, and then they drive
| them through the wood before putting it
in position on the building.
Nor are their nails like ours, but in
the buildings now being put up at Jack
son Park American nails will be en-
ployed. When they wish to drive a nail
in board they first make a small hole
in the board by giving it a sharp blow
with one end Of a Japanese hammer
| which is pointed for that purpose. Then
| the process is continued in 'the ordinary
| manner, the nail being inserted in the
hole thus made.
When Japanese workman wishes to
change cross cut saw for rip saw he
does not have to exchange tools. His
| saw is two edged, resembling nothing 80
| much as the bony beak of a saufish,
such as may be seen in any marine mu-
| scum. 1t has no loop in the handle for
| the hand, but must be manipulated just
as a cheese knife or similar implement.
| 1t takes a frst-class sleight-of- hand man
as well as a proficient workman to han
| die Japanese saw. Japanese planes are
very much like any others, but they are
| used differently. A native carpenter al
ways planes toward himself instead of in
| the opposite direction.
Chalk lines are unknown in Japan.
As q substitute tool is employed which
| contains quantity of raw cotton soaked
/ with some pigment, generally black or
| red, and spindle of cord with a small
| crank to wind it up with, after the fash
| ion of fishing reel. The cord runs
| through the saturated cotton, and on be-
| ing drawn up and let fall smartly on
plank to be marked leaves q plain and
| durable impression. Perhaps the Ameri-
can workman might with advantage take
a lesson here from the Japanese.
Compound pulleys for saving labor are
not used in Japan. A block and tackle
| of the simplest description, containing
| only one grooved wheel, sufices for them
| to lift the heaviest part of their build
ipgs to the height required. A little
steam engine putting laboriously away
could accomplish better results in a shorter
time. but they eitLer do not know this
| or do not care to save themselves time,
trouble and expense. 1t may be said,
however, that their building materials are
light compared to ours.
At Jackson Park the workmen have q
little tent, not at all Japanese. in which
they keep their tools and retire to eat
their luncheon of dried ehipped beef and
crackers. They drink their water from
big tin teapot Of the squat pattern that
charscterizss Japanese utensils. Some of
them are already beginning to suffer
| with the cold. 1t Is always pleasant
weather in Japan, but occasionally It be-
comes cool enough for light overcosts,
which were unknown until introduced by
Americans. Most of the twenty-five
workmen on the grounds are carpenters,
and all of them belong to the Nippon
Doboku Z sishs, which is Japanese civil
engineering company, with S. Ota at its
head. s. Ota watches his workmen all
day long, occasionally encouraging them
by an individual word of praise. K K
Takashima attends to all the details of
management. Both he and Mr.. Ota wear
American clothing, while the workmen
all bear the red circle and white cross of
the Nippon Doboku Ksisha on their backs.
Mr.. Takashima said the work would bs
pushed on Sundays and far into the mid
die Of the winter Three buildings will
be reared on the site of the palaces One
of these will be of the Japanese architect