The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-06-19

THE INQUlSlTlVE MAN LEARNS SOME
THING IN LEWISTON.

tricatc For Description.
The inquisitive man alighted from
the cars i'll the city Of Lewiston, Me
and stood on tho station platform in an
attitude of I'D. ision, for he was at Il
loss to say l. v hich direction it would
be most de bic to turn.
Il can earn Il dollar day packing
working in the cotton factories" he
heard Il little girl say to companion,
and instantly the inquisitivo man had
found an occupation.
Packing toothpicks! OF all things,
| prefer to see Il toothpick factory, and
it is fortunate | Numbered on board
that train" he said to himself.
Then, with the air of one bent on
most urgent business, the inquisitive
man set out i'll search of the toothpick
factory.
1t was not so imposing structure as
he had expected to see, but there was
so much hustle and semblance of in
dustry everywhere around the establish
ment that his disappointment as to the
general appearance of the building was
soon forgotten.
Enclosing the structure, as if to pre-
vent its escape, were long rows of small
logs and short rows of big logs, each
one exactly four feet in length, trcr
all of which the bark had been neatly
and entirely removed.
Its birch and maple, of course. We
don't use any other kind" "a small boy
said in answer to the inquisitive mans
question. 81 reckon you re a stranger
round thcec larts:"
Il do Lac member ever having hCcn
nero before
''Ihcn / guess you never have, he
cause you wouldn't be likely to forget :,
tCothpicll factory if you'd ever seen one
We make 5000, 900 picks a day, ana
that sQuitea pile. Anyhow, you d think
so il You lad to count 'cm before get
trrg'a BIKE - est. Want to see the H.
chinc?"
Can you show it to me?''
'That's what I'm here for. "
81 should Think that it would he
more profitable to work i'll the factory
than to idle your time away answering
the questions of ignorant people like
myself. "
That's where you make Il big mis-
take, mister. It's mighty mean man
who won't pay me for showing him
round, and pick up fair wages when
there's good crop of visitors: Conc
along, and I'll show you the tootLlpick
business. Here i'll this yard the stock is
sawed into pieces Ga inches long.
And the small boy pointed to the i'll
closure III which Il dozen on more circu-
sr saws were buzzing and hunmiug as
they quickly divided tfe logs into the
required. lengths.
All pieces not clear and straight
grained were thrown aside, and the re-
mainder was being packed into barrels
so made that wide crevices appeared be
tween the slaves.
Eyes, that's all right, " the small log
said, answering the inQuisitivc man :
look Of inquiry. "Thc stock is being
packed for the steaming room. When
the barrels are full, they'll he taken
there and left about three hours, VIXEN
the blocks will be almost as soft as
leather. Charging the wood with steam
drives out all the sap, and it is then
ready for splitting. Come this way and
you can see how that part Of the work
is done.
The small boy led the visitor to II
room i'll the main building, where was
what is known as Il veneer machine, "
Il piece of mechanism not unlike ii lathe,
which was rapidly converting the wood
into pliablc bands, hardly thicker than
ordinary cardboard. The keen knives
cut the G1l inch blocks so readily and
smoothly that the general appearance of
the work was much us if Il roll Of cream
colored ribbon was being unwound and
thrown carelessly on the floor. Two
boys were gathering up the damp ma
tcrial and winding it on huge spools.
''Thcy're getting it ready for the big
machine" the guide said as lie chewcd
Il fragment Of the wooden ribbon. "Ev-
cry one Of the spools holds about 100
feet of the veneer, and the rest of the
work is done so quickly that you won t
iitNt HluCu VI IL CIuLCG W Stt TIC OptT-
alton.
The "big machine was so intricate
that tho inquisitiye man realized that
he could not describe it intelligently,
even though he should spend many
hours studying its construction. Ike
saw at one end Of long, narrow struc-
ture, filed with wheels and knives,
ARMS on which the spools Of veneer
were hung and observed-that men push
ed the onds of the wooden ribbon
through narrow slots, where it was
seized by little steel fingers,
He knew that somewhere inside the
machine Tie material was being cut,
trimmed and smoothpd into flat picks
with chisellike ends, for directly Qppo-
site 10 where the veneer was being fed
to the iron workman long spout shot
out tOothpicks III bcwildcr4ug numbers
1t was II perfect cloud Of tiny bits Of
wood, which would soon have buried
the machine itself but for the fact shat
boys were gathering the harvest into
wooden boxes with Y !Cc L,,tUms capa-
BILE of holding IL peck OF more.
"That's all there is to the making"
the guide said as the inquisitive man
raised his eyes. "Of course they re soft
how, as the veneer Was, bat these boys
will take them into the drying room,