The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-16
The a@ieta ay Eagle saturdaY gIurnng gauuarg 1897

earning mills and several grfsr mfzs.
At one of the large cotton mills they
had machine shop. where the prin-
cipa1 repairs for all the mills Of the
neighborhood were generally made.
My father, being milfwright and ma
chinist. as wei as q small farmer, did
all the important repairs for all tho
mills. In his shop. consequently.
spent al the spare time could get OF
the farm, and it was rare treat for me
to get there.
1.-THE tools consisted Of two small
lathes for turning iron and one for
turning wood. machine for cutting
light gear. (which was 10 me = great
curiosity, several vises and lot Of
email tools. One of these latter was
called a doctor It was used to correct
drunken threads as all screws Of any
chaser. The iathes were all made with
wooden shears or beds. In 1888 went
to learn my trade. In the machine shop
where I was apprenticed there wcre
about the same number and character
of lathes IS in the mill shop, but they
were larger. and one Of them was =
double-ender, for the purpose Of boring
out wheels that were too large to swing
over the shears. There was also driH
press, made out Of a lathe-head casting,
bolted against a 12x1c-inch wooden
post. This was not q very slightly ma
chine. but it did good work. We made
small brass castings. builtsmaA boilers
and engines and did al kinds of country
machine and blacksmith work and
made our own patterns for casting
without any drawings
Here" he continued. bringing forth
tool, "S the very hook-nosed lathe
tool with which did work 60 years
ago. How many are there of you now
who could even chow me how to hold
it? Here" he continued, ais q tool
which belongs in the lathe. the draw
ing of which you see in full size over
my heed"
The tools were laid side by side. The
older had cutting part made OF o
bar of steel half an inch thick and three
fourths of an inch deep. and this was
set in a round handle of wood. The
handle was perhaps is inches long by
an inch and half in diameter, and near
the end where the tool was insertedwas
a side handle which was clamped on.
so that it hung downward near the tool
rest when the tool was in use. The new
tool, on the other hand, was of bare
steel four feet long, four inches deep
and half al inch wide. 1t was curious
to note that the form of the cutting
ends of both tools was alike. The draw
ing to which Mr.. Fritz referred was CT
a lathe used at the bethlehem iron
works to cut up ingots of steel into por-
tons to make steamship shafts ana
other big articles or for cannon, and II
IS capable of receiving, turning and cut.
ting up ingots which weigh 20o. oCc
pounds. 1t was depicted as holding al
3ngot of IS tons, and the drawing ex-
tended clear across the wall back OF
Mr.. Fritz and for a number of feet on
each side of the two walls There, too,
were shown the enormous tool posts
in which the four-toot-long tool ex-
hibited would be clasped instead of be-
ing held to its work as of old in tho
hands of the workman, and the lathe
was provided With posts enough to have
II of these tools at work at once.
The machine shop Of to-day is mar
vel in completeness Of equipments for
doing work correctly and with rapid
t., having special small tools for all
purposes. The accuracy with which
their round gauges are fitted up Is sucn
that a machinist Of so years ago could
not possibly realize. Suppose that in
his presence you had separated a one
inch gauge and held the plug to
warm IN your hand for few mir
utes without calling his attention TO
this. and then handed 1t TO him
with a request to put it in fts place
ogain? He would have thought there
were witches about when he fomd 70
would not go back.
THE invention and construction OF
of precision and the meth
DDS of celebration and adjustments
which enable meesurements 10 be
taken within the fifty -thouRnfth part
Of an inch; machines which ennhle the
mechanic to fit taper work With almost
the same facility and accuracy as
work. are q refinement of prac-
tice of which mechanic of 80 Years ago
rOuid haye NO corceptsor IN " Eu,