The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-11-03
THE LEAD PENCIL,
Interesting Facts Abont IL Mos


Popular Instrument.
The lead pencil, the most common Of
all writing implements, is somewhat over
POO years old. The term lead pencil"
however, is Il miSnomcr, as, in miner
illogical sense, there is not a particle Of
lead in it's composition. The lead pencil
originated with the discovery of the
graphite mines in England, in 1864, dur
ing the reign of Queen Elizabeth. As
graphite SO greatly resemhled galena. the
German name for which was bleiglanz.
it WAS given the name blei. or lead. In
the early days of lead-pencil making the
graphite was sawed into thin sheets and
cut into strips smaller and smaller until
they We're OF Il size to be covered with
pencils. The first pencils created much
excitement. The graphite mines Of
England were considered Of ineStimabl:,
value, and were protected by law. But
there was great waste, first in digging,
for many of the pieces were too small
cutting the graphite. which was so crude
that half the material was lost. SO Il
binding substance had to be invented.
Glue, gum. isinglass and other sub
stances were tried, but the graphite was
only rendered hard and brittle and of
uneven hardness. Its marks were faint
and indistinct, and in those days if the
point broke it was quite an undertaking
to sharpen it again. First, the wood had
to be cut away, and the graphite heated
over Il light to soften it, after which it
was drawn to a point with the fingers.
the idea Of using pulverizcd graphite and
binding clay. This discovery resulted in
pencils of varying hardness, according to
the amount of binding clay added, and
each pencil was of exactly the same
hardness throughout it's length. Soon
off Il foI
lowed in mixing rolling and shaping the
graphite composition, which was cut into
lengths, placed i'll warm oven to hard
en-, and finally encased in wood, as seen
today.-St. Louis Globe Democrat.
Typhoid at Summer Resorts.
The statement made by DR.. Charles A.
Linsley i'll his recent report as secretary
of the Connecticut state board of health
that much of the annual fever sickness
is due to unsanitary conditions at sum-
ner resorts has aroused wide discussion
among hotel men and cottage owners
along the Connecticut shore. This is
what DIR. LinSlcy hoped for, as, he says,
It will tend ut once to improve conditions
DR.. Linslpy points out that in many
cases the water supply ut the summer
colonies is bad and is the cause of ty-
phoid fever. 1t is difficult, of course, to
obtain satisfactory records of the incip-
lency OF the fever. but some convincing
ones have been traced. I'm one in
stance, says DR.. Linsey. I'VE found
that fifteen cases developed from single
hotel. They did not develop until some
time after the victims returned from the
shore, but we traced them from New
''rr> Y, New York md all over the state
right back to the hotel. On examination
we found that the we'll at the hotel had
been contaminated by poisonous matter,
and that the fever was taken in that
way Undoubtedly this report, as Dr..
l,insley expected. will have far reaching
and beneficial results. If there are nm,
sanitary summer resorts, the quicker the
fault is discovered and renedied the bet
ter it will be for all concerned.