Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-07-13
FIXIN'S FOR STOVES.
A DEALER IN HEATERS TELLS HOW
THEY CAUSE TROUBLE.


Their Ignorance Is Appalling.
The life Of dealer in stove repairs
is not one of unalloyed bliss. He has
all classes Of people TO deal with, and
the greater portion of them seldom
know what they want They think they
do, but they don't. This will be readily
understood when it is known that there
are manufactured today between 20, 900
and so, 900 different stoves. As each va.
riety has from s to 10 component parts
this will make total of between 500,
900 and $40, 900 different pieces. IL
will be seen that unless minute details
are given there are possibilities of hav-
ing mixed stove on your hands. A
visit to one of the largest repair shops
in the country was productive of some
interesting Information as well as some
amusing incidents
1T is singular, " said the manager,
show little the general public knows
about stoves. People will handle stove
for years and still be stranger to it.
Then, when something happens to 1t,
they come to us and expect us to know
what part Is wanted by a general de-
scription. We carry supplies of about
80, 900 different stoves. There are about
800 stove manufacturers in this country,
and they turn out on an average 5000
new designs every year. As we are
called upon to supply the different parts
of all of them, we have to keep pretty
large stock on hand.
1--WE have 2our stories full of sup
plies, which weigh 2, 800 tons. Besides
these we have 300 tons Of patterns and
pay $4,000 yearly for new designs.
Our stock is an accumulation OF over ~
years. Some of our supplies are for
stoves that haven't been manufactured
for years. One would think that people
would want the latest pattern i'll stoves,
but they don't. They will hang onto n
stove as long as there is anything to
patch up. Why, only the other day we
were asked to supply CRATE for stove
that was made in 1886. You see, there
are lots of people, especially in the
country, who use the old fashioned wood
stoves, and although one Of the new
stoves would save them enough III ono
season to pay for itself they stick to the
old ones.
1--WE have any number Of amusing
experiences, although some Of them
would try tho patience Of saint. Peo-
pie will come to us who think they have
enough information if they give us the
name of their stove. An Irishman
walked into our place the other day
He was one of those positive Irishmen
who think ii impossible to make mis-
take.
Good mornin, he began. 'Oi was
laid Off yesterday, an Oi just came
down to git some fixin's for the stove.
The ould woman's been lackin for q
new back this long tonne.
what kind Of stove is it?'
'Oh, just common livery day
stove.
"'Does il burn coal or wood|
"'It's n coal stove an burns divil
of lot Of coal. Sure, it takes the best
part of me wages buyin coal,
"'What is the name and number OF
itY
"'No. 8 Star,
"Are you sure?'
Am Oi sure? OF course Oi'm sure.
Dye suppose Olive sat in front of it for
the last eight years an not know what
kind of stove it is? Phat do you t'ink
Oi ami, choompT
"'But there is no such stove made.
I" is that so? Maybe you t'ink you
know more about il than Oi do, an ye
niyer sane the stove at all, at all
Z" But there are several kinds OF
Stars. Who is the maker, what is the
date of the patent, and what is the siz'
of the ovenT
" An do you have to know all that
Sure the next tonne Oi come down To-
a Job loike this Oi'll sind some ont
else.
"Then there is the handy man, VIII
comes in with piece OF string or
stick. There are knots in the string AM
hicks ON tho stick to show that the stow
is so long and SO deep When we Tel
him what is necessary before he can b
accommodated, he beats hasty retreat
And there is the lady who thinks we an
lust horrid, when we tell her that W
don't know what kind of a stove sh
has, that there are between TO- 600 an
80, 900 for which we have repairs, an
that hers might be any one OF them.
"The other day a German who keel
a secondhand store was in here for som
parts TO two stoves that he had bought
He could not speak English very wei
and as near as the clerk could make on
the names Of his stoves We're the 'sal
sage and the 'Maggots AS no sue
stoves were made 20 our knowledge, "
were somewhat puzzled, Finally u
catalogue was resorted to, and the de
man uiumphantly pointed out q
names OF his stoves, They were the 'su
cess and the Magnetic,
Occasionally u man OF the spoopel
dyke order comes in, He wants a wat
front, He has the name aud the detai
all right, and We give him the part al
suggest that we send man 70 put u
for him, He declines our asslstane