The Portland daily press., 1894-04-27

and who was in the business for ten
years in Mr.. Fosters factory in Strong,
is the inventor of most of the machinery
in Strong and Deering.
I, The other six factories of the country
are located in K1ngna, Bradford and ELL
and, Penn, and Wellsville and Roches-
ter, New York, and Findley, Ohio. They
all make toothpicks in connection with
some other business. principally baskets.
They use the ordinary machine for max
ing furniture veneer.
Mr.. Seaman has just patented an in
vention that will be an automatic drier
and packer combined and will do away
with the work of the 20 girls. When
the picks come from the machine they
will fall into an elongated toothpick
box; that is, it is just the shape in
length and width but in depth is
seven or eight feet and extends down to
the room below. Two sides are of boards
the other two of fine wire, through
which the hot air will pass and dry the
picks. At the top of this there is stop
motion" appliance, patented last Satur-
day, that by means of electric currents
stops the flow of picks when the ma
chine stops. 1t also regulates the CHIEF
part of the whole invention, which is a
sliding receptacle at the bottom of this
tunnel, that fills the boxes with tooth
picks. 1t measures them off and drops
them into the box underneath by sliding
up and down as fast as il fills the boxes.
It will contain eight boxes of picks and
therefore one operator can care for from
four or five of them, for after he empties
one it takes some time for 1t to fill up
again. 1t is simply an automatic i'm
provement of the method of filling
grain bags with a chute from the upper
story, but it involves much skilful use
of electricity and many complicated
appliances. 1t is a most valuable inven-
tion as it dispenses with a large proper
tion Of the present force of employees.
Ten more pick machines and four
more veneer lathes are all ready to be
put into operation next fall when the
mill starts up after the usual shut down
in hot weather. 1t will continue to run
now till the last of June.
An order was received this week from
the West for five carloads of picks.
Reckoning 1000 cases at 10000 picks in
the case and there is a grand total of
600, 600, 900 picks. 1t requires nearly a
month to make them.
Ten years ago, when the picks came
out of the machine they fell on the floor
in heap, were handled with pitchforks,
dried in the sun outdoors ike hay, and
then sorted and packed with great
labor, of course. Mr.. Scamman's auto
matte drier and packer is an astonishing
and inspiring contrast. The whole plant
almost runs itself, all the waste from
the diff machines is carried on
chains to the boiler room and dumped
into a hole in the roof of the vast fire
box that is ten feet long, 10 feet wide
and 81 inches high. 1t is just in front
of the flame bed under the boiler and is
connected by a large aperture through
hich the draft driyesia great sheet of
flame. The flame bed is 81 feet long
10 feet wide and about three feet high.
At the end opposite the fire box there is
door and one may look in. 1t is a
beautiful and awful spectacle. The
place is full of fame and nothing else.
It comes rushing in through the hole
from the fire box as subterranean fires
burnt from volcano. There are auto
matte fire sprinklers all over the build
ing, in fact 1877 of these sleepless watch
ers are ready at even the slight warning
of the heat that comes from match,
to save the building. Sometimes the
bot air from the drier starts the deluge
of water, they are so sensitive.
Outside is.a huge old rusty boiler. 1t
is utilized to steam the logs in winter
and get the frost out of them. Otherwise
they cannot be converted into ribbons.
The plant is one of the best equipped
for it's work of any plant of any kind
anywhere. An artesian we'll furnishes
water and the drier furnishes heat The
perfection of the entire arrangements is
very fascinating to witness, TO say moth
ing of the interest of the process.