Huntsville gazette., 1892-09-10
A FAIR BLACKSMITH.
The Young California Woman Who Has
Arranged to Visit the Worlds Fair.


The Young California Woman Who Has
Arranged to Visit the Worlds Fair.
California will send at least one
unique exhibit to the Columbian expo
sition in the person of Miss Ray Sum
shine Beveridge, blacksmith. Perhaps
to James D. Phelan more than to any
other is due the interest taken in Miss
Beveridge and her art. AS soon as that
commissioner learned that Miss BeveF-
idge had taken up blachsmithing seri-
ously and was showing an unusual de-
gree of proficiency for one SO new to
the study, he offered encouragement,
and suggested that the lady would be a
most attractive feature of the Califor-
MIA showing if she could be induced to
work at her forge during part of each
day. Miss Beveridge consented and
will represent the blacksmiths of tho
state at Chicago.
She was found by San Francisco
Examiner man deep in the study OF
problems in welding and forging over
her hot blast and anvil in the smithy
annex of the Cogswell polytechnic,
where she is learning the trade from lns
structor Mathis. The iron-working
room was not clean: it was smutty and
full of pungent smoke. A score OF an
wills were changing as sturdy YOU .hs
beat upon them, but Miss Beverage
worked on as though all blacksmt ,hs
were feminine and she was not the sole
practitioner in an art that might pro TT
ably engage many of the unemplo. ed
women of the country.
She was ftly attired for her woSk.
Over her shoulders were uumistaka bic
suspenders to distribute the weight of
her skirts and give her freedom OF
movement. Her sleeves were roll ed
above her elbows and exposed ar ms
that were Drowned and sinewy. An
ample apron of leather shielded the
wooden fabrics of her costume from
flying sparks of hot metal, and the only
suggestion of unfitness for the dust aud
smoke was in a pair of dainty boots
which padded about the sloppy fioor
near her forge. as though they were
made for that purpose and not for a
drawing-room.
dab of SCOT on her nose and Sundry
smutches on her face and arms gave an
air of realism to the scene, and showed
the earnestness of the lady who could
forget her primness in her devotion to
blacksmithing. The forge fire was
troublesome because it was urged only
by hand blast, while at the others
any desired strength of air current
could be maintained by merely opening
valve connecting with steam blower,
but Miss Beveridge did not mind
the annoyance or additional labor.
While hammering and shaping the
bits of iron on which she was
working the fire would almost die
out. Then to reheat her metal the lady
was compelled to turn the crank of her
blast engine until her fire glowed,
which caused loss of time and waste
of strength, but the labor was cheer.
fully performed and the pleasure of the
laborer was easily to be seen when the
proper treatment had fashioned some
part of the fancy forging just right and
had left the iron smooth as though the
skill of her master, Mathis, had dons
the work.
1t was no toy forge at which Miss
Beveridge was engaged, but the kind
furnished for the use of mines, mills
and wherever frequent use of intense
heat is necessary, as in the repointing
of drills and picks or the welding of
tamping-bars and the doing of general
Smithv xyorl.