The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-24
Making the Eager.

elated over his feat that he Is thinking of
challenging the world to a finish contest on
tin buckets for purse and gate receipts.
All the men In the shop stand ready to
back Echeverria for any amount and fur
nish the tin for the buckets.
The champion is a wiry little Mexican
employed as a pressman in the hardware
establishment of Holbrook, Merrill Il Stet-
son. at Market and Beale streets.
His business is TO feed chunks Of tin and
galvanized sheet iron to lightning geared
machine that turns out pans, pals and cups.
Buckets are his specially, and though a
little man. weighing less than 125 pounds.
he can give the fifteen balls to any man in
the shop and beat him out in the game Of
making buckets.
For this work he receives the sum Of 81 Is
a day.
But he has record now and he should
not be surprised If some rival concern Of
fered him 81 20 day TO come and make its
tin buckets.
This sudden and unexpected bucket out
put was the result Of wager. The cham
piOn had been talking of how he could
knock the spots off anybody hereabOuts in
the bucket business, bnt as he has only
been employed six months in the shop the
other bucket-builders thought that he was
articugtlng through his sombrero.
Finally a snail boy employed on the ele-
the bucket artist.
He stood around Romualdo's machine for
several days watching the man at work.
The champions boast was that he could
turn out five gross Of GROWERS in one day
and never feel Ii.
The elevator boy said he couldn't do 1t
for money. Romnaldo Reginald Echever-
rlna said he could and then the elevator boy
promptly put up 10 cents, placing the money
in the hands of reliable party.
The champion was unable 10 cover the
stake until Saturday, but he drew up an
agreement 10 pay the money il he lost,
signed IL and placed the document In the
hands OF the stakeholder
Seven O'Clock yesterday morning was the
hour set for the start, but the machine
broke down and it was fifteen minutes after
nine before Romualdo began to grind out
buckets.
The machinery consists OF die and
socket, into which the sheets of tin are
placed.
The die drops. forms the pail and finishes
the brim with wire placed by the opera
tor.
Large piles of material were placed with
In easy reach and the expert started in on
his great job.
The whole shop was interested in the re-
suit and many side bets were placed.
At first Romuald0 was little stiff and
did not strike his gait until re got warmed
up.
Then the buckets fairly dubbed out of
the machine.
Hi. nimble fingers flew with the rapldity
OF thought and the buckets rolled out at
the rate of 100 an hour. which was Just
half the time heretofore required.
In a few minutes Romualdo was buried
beneath a glttering mass of buckets
While running under the highest pressure
he kept five pals in the air at once and Ii
required the combined efforts Of three men
and boy to keep Mr.. Echeverria clear of
the output.
The foreman grew alarmed and begged
the man TO stop. fearing that he might drop
dead OF heart disease owing TO the fearful
strain on his system, but Romualdo only
smiled and said, 'pll bust the record or
die"
Shortly before noon a bucket got TANNED
in the machine
1t took nearly half an hour to remove the
obstruction, and IL then looked as IL the
Mexlcan's 10 cents WAS in precarous posi-
ton.
While Romualdo was cIaving the manpled
chunk of tin out of the machine the elevator
boy came around and asked him If he hadn't
better hedge on his bet, but the bucket
maker said he guessed his money was all
right.
At noon he had just an even chance of
winning, but after a hearty lunch and a
couple OF brown paper cigarettes Romualdo
went at the pals again with renewed yigor.
From / o'clock on he gained RAPIDLY on
himself, and at 80 o'clock the task was
completed with the champion as fresh as
daisy.
The elevator-boy paid over the stakes
without murmur, and says he Is ready TO
back Echeverria against any bucket builder
in the country