The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-16
WOMEN WORK THE BUzzsAws.
They Have About Crowded the Men
Out of "A Missouri SawmiII.
Kansas City Journal

NoAASo lily OO0Ai Acl
Captain j. B. White. of Grandin, Mo-; E.
b. Grandin, CT Washington, D. c., and H.
G. Cummings, of Pennsylvania, are at the
Coates House. They are member of the
Grandin, Mo-, and are here on business con-
Lected with that establishment. Captain
White is the president of the ompany and
has for several years been it's general man
ager. 1t is one year tomorrow since their
new mill was opened for business, and it
has been crowded with work every day
since. The old mill was destroyed by fire
and the new one that was erected is said
to be one of the most complete establish
ments in the whole lumber business. The
big mill. the hotel and the general store
Of Grandin are all owned by the company
and constitute the greater part of the city.
TIL mill employs many people, and, as the
company is the dictator of the city, 1t has
aimed to found and maintain as nearly a
model city as possible, and 1t is said to have
been more successful in that line than 9TH
er companies that have essayed the same
thing.
tract attention to the mill and the city is
the fact that many OF the departments OF
the mill are handled entirely by women.
The new woman who essays to grapple the
tangled affairs of the present day. earn her
own living and demonstrate her ability to
meet her brother on an equality has an
opportunity to do so in the big mill at
Grandin. The general opinion that it takes
physical force and Drawn to dc the work
In a saWmill applies only to the old-time es-
Enlistment, fer, with the labor-saVing APP
p~liances of the present day, woman has
found that she can. with no violence to her
physical self, do the entire work in an up
to-date sawnill, take the big log and deliv-
er the finished goods just as readily as her
brother car,
In one department Of the mill there is a
woman in charge of the engine. She wears
a dainty waist and close-ltting skirt, and
gets about her work with a quiet grace and
ease that has attracted much atten-
ton. One of the rooms where the big saws
are operated is managed by women. The
latheroom is also populated with femi-
unity, and the machines of all sorts are
handled by them. In the rooms adjoining
a force of young women are constantly
employed filing and getting tie saws in
shape for work. The care of the machinery
is in their hands. and it is said they are
quite as adept and as competent TO handle
ii as any force yet employed in the mill.
The employment of the women in the mill
has caused many good-natured jibes to be
made at Captain White, but he has main
tanned his position. The points of vantage
in the different departments of the mill
show the presence of feminine hands and
minds, for there are various articles of
adornment that brighten even the waste
places of a sawmill. There are as yet no
lace curtains on the windows nor frills on
the band saws, but the walls nave been
tastefully frightened at many points and
the desolate appearance of most mills has
been overcome.
There are fine schools and churches in the
city, and no saloons. The company holds
the title to every foot of land in the city
and much surrounding il, and will not allow
the sale of liquor on any of its property.