Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-07-15
MAKING TOOTHPICKS.
THE INQUIS,TIvE MAN LEARNS SOME
THING IN LEWISTON.

by Bright Boy Who Was There For
That Purpose-A Big Machine Too In
tricate For Description.
The inquisitive man alighted from
the cars in the city Of Lewiston, Me-,
and stood on the station platform in an
attitude of indecision, for he was at a
loss to say in which direction it would
be most desirable to turn.
II can earn dollar day packing
toothpicks, and that is better than
working in the cotton factories" he
heard o little girl say to companion,
and instantly the inquisitive man had
found an occupation.
Packing toothpicksl OF all things.
I prefer to see a toothpick factory, and
| 1t 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 cut in search Of the toothpiok
factory.
II was not 90 imposing . stzuotare e.
he had expected to see. but there was
60 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.
Inclosing the structure. as II to pre-
vent Its escape, were long rows Of small
logs and short rows Of big logs, each
one exactly four feet in length, from
all of which the bark had been neatly
and entirely removed.
"It's birch and maple, Of course. We
don't use any other kind, a small boy
said in answer to the inquisitive mans
question. IT reckon you're stranger
round these partsf''
81 do not remember ever having been
here before
"'Then I guess you never have, be-
cause you wouldn't be likely to forget a
toothpick factory if you'd ever seen one.
We make 6,000,00 picks a day, and
that's quite pile. Anyhow, you'd think
so if you had to count 'em before get
ting bite to eat. Want to see the ma
| chine?"
"Can you show 1t to me?''
| ''That's what Pm here for"
| II should think that 1t would be
more profitable to work in the factory
than to idle your time away answering
the questions Of ignorant people like
myself. -
| "That's where you make 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 a good crop Of visitors. Come
along. and I'll show you the toothpiok
business Here in this yard the stock is
sawed into pieces 61 inches long :"
And the small boy pointed to the in
closure In which dozen or more circu-
lar saws we're buzzing and humming as
they quickly divided the 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 boy
said, answering the inquisitive mans
look of inquiry. "The stock is being
ipacked for the steaming room. When
the barrels are full, they'll be taken
there and left about three hours, when
the blocks will be almost as soft as
leather Charging the wood With steam
drives ont all the sap. ard it is then
ready for splitting Como this way and
you can see how that part Of the work
is done. -
The small boy led the visitor to a
room in the main building, where was
what is known as veneer machine. +"
q piece Of mechanism not unlike lathe,
which was rapidly converting the wood
into pliable bands, hardly thicker than
ordinary cardboard. The keen knives
cut the 6H inch blocks so readily and
smoothly that the general appearance Of
the work was much as If roll Of cream
oolored ribbon was being unwound and
thrown carelessly ON the floor. Two
boys we're gathering mp the damp ma
terial and winding it ON huge spoola
They're getting it ready for the big
machine" the guide said as he obewed
. 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
have much of q chance to see the oper-
ation-"
The "big machine" was SO intricate
that the inquisitiye man realized that
he could not describe it intelligently,
| even though he should spend many
hours studying its construction. He
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 ends of the wooden ribbon
through narrow slots, where it was
seized by little steel fingers.
He knew that somewhere inside the
machine the material was being cut,
trimmed and smootheds into fiat picks
with chisellike ends, for directly oppo-
site to where the veneer was being fed
to the iron workman long spout shot
out toothpicks in bewildering numbers
It was perfect cloud of tiny bits Of
wood, which would soon have buried
the machine itself but for the fact that
boys were gathering the harvest into
wooden boxes with wire bottoms capa-
BILE of holding a peck or more.
That's all there is to the making"
the guide said as the inquisitive man
raised his eyes, "Of. course they re soft
now, as the veneer was, but these boys
will take them into the drying room,
and after they've had hot air forced
through them by the steam blower for
30 minutes or half an hour they'll be
stiff and brittle, SO that you can break
q dozen or SO day and in that way
help to make trade good. james Otis
In Philadelphia Times.
Contrasts.
Statistics show that the uneducated
factory girl Is more frequently married
than Is the wide awake, capable girl in
the higher salaried position Of stenoS-
rapher, Office assistant, clerk or trusted
secretary. The factory girl is not
thrown with people of wealth and po-