Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-09-27
FIXIN'S FOR STOVES.
DEALER IN HEATERS TELLS HOW
THEY CAUSE TROUBLE.

Afloulations of People Who Think They
Know About Their Stoves but Find
When They Desire to Repair Them That
Their Ignorance Is Appalling,
The life of a 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 "a, 900
and so, 900 different stoves AS each va.
rlety has from s to 10 component parts
this will make total of between $780,
600 and 640,00 different pieces. It
Will be seen that unless minute details
are given there are possibilities of hay
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,
"how little the general public knows
about stoves. People will handle stove
for years and still be stranger to it.
Then, when something happens to it,
they come to us and expect us to know
what part is wanted by general de-
scription. We carry supplies of about
80, 600 different stoves. There are about
300 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 four stories full of sup
plies, which weigh 2, 500 tons. Besides
these we have 800 tons of patterns and
pay $4,000 yearly for new designs.
Our stock is an accumulation of over 23
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 in stoves,
but they don't. They will hang onto a
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 in one
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 the 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 it impossible to make mis-
take.
" Good mornin, he began. 'Oi was
laid off yesterday, an Oi just came
down to git some fixins for the stove.
The ould woman's been lackin for O
new back this long tonne
"'What kind of o stove is it?'
" oh, just common livery day
stove.
"'Does it burn coal or wood?'
It's 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
it?'
"'No. Star
"'Are you sure?'
Am Oi sure? OF course Dim 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 am, choomp?'
But there is no such stove made.
is that so? Maybe you t'ink you
know more about II than Oi do, an ye
niver sane the stove at all, at all.
But there are several kinds Of
Stars. Who is the maker, what is the
date of the patent, and what is the size
of the oven?'
AN do you have to know all that?
Sure, the next tonne Oi come down for
o job loike this Oil sind some one
else
"Then there is the handy man, who
comes in with a piece of string or q
stick There are knots in the string and
hicks OH the stick to show that the stove
is so long and so deep When We tell
him what is necessary before he can be
accommodated, he beats hasty retreat.
And there is the lady who thinks we are
lust horrid, when we tell her that we
don't know what kind Of stove she
has, that there are between 20, 900 and
80, 600 for which we have repairs, and
that hers might be any one of them.
'The other day German who keeps
a secondhand store was in here for some
parts to two stoves that he had bought.
He could not speak English very well,
and as near as the clerk could make out
the names of his stoves were the 'Sau-
sage and the 'Maggots. As no such
stoves were made to our knowledge, we
were somewhat puzzled. Finally the
catalogue was resorted to, and the Ger
man triumphantly pointed out the
names of his stoves. They were the Sue
cess and the Magnetic.
Occasionally a man of the Spoopen-
dyke order comes in. He wants water
front. He has the name and the details
all right, and we give him the part and
suggest that we send man to put it in
for him. He declines our assistance;
says he is used to these little jobs. He
enjoys them. Besides he isn't as big a
fool as some people, who pay man to
do simple little piece of work when
they could save the money by doing it
themselves. Next day he comes in crazy
and wants to know what we mean by
giving him the wrong front. Upon in.
yestigation it appears that he has taken
ont the firebrick all right, but has neg.