Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-04-17
pEe,pATeTIc KNIFE GRINDERS.
Men to Whom Travelling Is Natural ana
Who Wander All Over the Union.

K,;fo grinders in this town retain the
,ra,,dor;ng instinct that has belonged to
tbeir craft from time immeEorlal. Being
rorinatetic, it is simple and easy thing
to nrolong a days walk to the next city,
and so by degrees all over the Union.
They are seldom native Americans, never
peorces and as often as not Germans.
They are found in large numbers on the
east side and on the west, but are seldom
seen in the main business thoroughfares.
Their best customers used to be the butch
ers. but the travelling tool shop, with all
the appliances for sharpening edged tools,
setting saws and repairing cutlery, has
somewhat cut into the trade OF the wan
dering knife grinder. Scissors grinding
for nonprofessional women is now an I'M
portant part of their trade, and IN many
country districts they are called scissors
grinders.
The knife grinders outfit is bought In
Mulberry street, the resort of all sorts OF
peripatetic persons. 1t costs from So to
$40 and should include besides the frame,
treadle and driving wheel small grind
stone for larger articles n smaller one OF
sandstone for fine cutlery, file and
whetstone The last two articles and
few other trifles are stored in little closet
between the legs of the frame. The wheels
will last from eight to ten years, and the
frame, with proper repairing, half life
time. The whole thing is light enough
for a man of moderate strength to carry
all day long without overexerting himself.
Some knife grinders have routes that are
not seriously intcrfered with by their fel-
lows, but every important thoroughfare is
visited daily by several. They arc treated
with more consideration than peddlers
and are recognized, especially in the Ger
man quarter, as a public convenience.
Some of the knife grinders insist upon
grinding with a dry stone, custom that
many owners of cutlery object to on the
ground that it tends to spoil the temper of
steel. The dry grinders have deft way of
turning the knife so that it docs not be-
como too much heated by being long upon
the stone. Dry grinding is economical to
the grinder since it wears the stone slowly
The characteristic ting-a-ling, ting
ting, ting-a-ling, ting, ting of tho knife
grinder is traditional and unique. 1t is
kept up long time by mechanical
movement of the wrist that gradually
gives the muscles involved great power
The movement Of the bell is very slight
and tho muscular effort is SO timed that
the motion of walking shall aid in pro
ducing the sound. 1t is uniform, and in
time it becomes almost involuntary. A
few grinders have substituted the voice OF
the bugle for the bell, but the traditional
alarm is the most agreeable TO persons
that find pleasure in the conservation OF
trade and picturesqueness in its uniform
ity with the past.
A little Swiss knife grinder of no age
in particular, speaking German, French
and English, Us is the way with many
Swiss declares that he has gone tinlllinp
abouS this city for ten years and has be
sides seen Boston, Philadelphia, Balti
more, Pittsburg and places between. He
takes an experts pride in his trade and
declines to water his wheel, though knives
are withheld in consequence and receipts
fall off.-New York sun.