New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
"NOVELTY MILLS "
YANKEE MACHINES WHICH TURN OUT
BERRY BASKETS. SPOOLS, SkEWEh
AND OTHER SMALL ARTICLES.

many Years was associated with the Forestry
Commission Of Pennsylvania, and had charge OF
that branch at the Centennial Exposition III
1876. DR. Bean was the Government flsh C0h-
missioner at the Columbian Exposition, ana mas
been connected with several other fairs lie IS
not only a practical botanist. but has hi8h
rank in ichthyology and other branches OF
science. on the staff of Mr. Peek at fari5 ne Wli
have charge of everything that relates 10 TOT
ests fishes hunting. fishing wild crops ana OUT
door sport and has already made arrangements
for valuable collections representing the proc
ucts of the forests and the waters Of the Onlte1
States. and displays Of hunting ana nshlh5
equipment. 49,,
The exhibits Of sporting guns and fishing
tackle will be large and unusually lnterestIhs'
and will include the appliances used by proles,
siOnal fishermen on the Atlantic Coast lie VIII
also have a fine display of the taxidermsts arr
and trophies If the chase from the plains ana
the mountains.
US in the science Of forestry. but in IN productS
Of the forests we can show them many inter
esting and novel things. For example, hope
that DR.. Bean will arrange To exhibit AT PatiS
one IF the novelty mills that you see down IN
Maine. where they cut up sawogs into spools'
toothpcks berry baskets and all sorts OF things
that are useful and inexpensive. one remark
able feature Of the novelty mills, as they can
them. is the manufacture Of veneer goods. The
machinery invented by Yankee mechanics,
and performs wonders. Even the sawdust Is
saved and sold by the pound. They take II 70
Boston and New-YOrk, whore 1t is moulded into
forms of beauty and used 10 decorate the gor-
Of the metropolis. There are several mills which
can turn out millions Of toothpicks every day.
and millions of the wooden skewers that are
used by butchers to fasten roasts Of mutton and
beef.
A single factory that know Of sends to mar
ket JOOOOOOO skewers and 2HDODVDD tooth-
picks every month The manufacture Of Spools
is also a great industry. They turned out
by the hundreds Of millions and shipped to all
parts Of the world It is said that great
thread company manufactures J0O00OOoW
ri Of VpaT an
which 1t is wound come from a single mill.
Checkers. chesslen. wooden seds bicycle rims,
bicycle stanus and all sorts Of wooden toys and
trnkets are made in the same factories. Last
year firm sold S.ODNW sets Of checkers
almost one for every family in the United states.
But the slcer is the most curious and useful
Of all the new inventions for working up the
birch logs Of Maine. and its products are seen
in every household and in every grocery ani
butcher shop in the United states. When we
purchase 4 pound Of butter or a quart Of ber-
ries or basket Of grapes take them home
in dish made Of thin wood. The invention Of the
"sliCer' made them possible. and now millions
upon millions Of these useful receptacles
manufactured in the novelty mills Of Maine.
The same mills turn out similar number Of
fruit baskets
When you buy five pounds Of grapes the
basket is thrown in. and sometimes you wonder
how it happens that no charge is made. few
years ago people were required to return the
baskets to the grocery. and were given a
bate. The grocer tied them together in punches
and sent them back to the vineyard He also
collected the empty berry boxes and returned
them To the farmers 10 he used again. often five
or six times before they had accomplished their
destiny; but nowadays the grape baskets and
the berry boxes go into the WOOdbox. and finally
feed the ire. because the "slicer' has made
their manufacture so easy and so cheap that il
doesn't pay 20 send them back.
| think ii would interest French friends
and the rest Of the world If DR.. Bean could trans
port one of the novelty mills" to Paris as
illustration of Yankee ingenuity. They use moth
ing but brch logs which worthless for other
purposes. After the logs are cut and barked in
the woods they shipped to the mills on cars
and then boiled in hot water OF steamed for
twenty-four hours This process softens the
fibre so that it will not split. and makes it more
tougf and pliable. While they are still hot the
logs are carried by a crane To SawmiilS with
broad and keen knife blades. some of them
era feet long and very sharp. AS the roller
slowly shoves the log toward the sharp edge
there is n sudden whr. a wide. thin ribbon of
wood rolls up over the knife. while the log is
rolled back and placed in position for a second
operation. This ribbon is sometimes two to
three feet wide. eighteen twenty feet long
and not more than quarter or sometimes a six
teenth Of an inch thick. AS it falls from the log
il is laid upon pile Of its sisters. and then
ried on a tram into the next room to another set
of knives, which cuts il into proper lengths for
baskets, boxes and crates Then 1t passes on
through another set of ingenious machinery,
which bends and creases ii into the proper
shapes for berry boxes grape baskets, peach
baskets. butter trays. and the various purposes
for which it is used. 1t is next taken in hand by
quick fingered girls. who fasten the slips to-
gether in the shapes desired with little clasps of
tin small tacks, but most of the work is done
by machinery.
There is a curious apparatus known
"stapling machine" which is fed with coil of
copper wire and forms staple after staple which
ii thrusts into the wood. clinches and cuts off
faster thar the human mind can count them A
girl stands before the machine and holds the box
o. crate so that the machine can get at it, and it
will fasten boxes and baskets fast she can
handle them. Sometimes expert operators turn
out four thousand and five thousand baskets and
berry boxes day.
The berry boxes and the grape and peach bas-