The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-09
BELLOWS AND THE
BELLOWS MAKER.

I
instrument probably held its own as long
as ''the old air-tight" reigned queen among
domestic heating convenences. Nova
days. however. the Preside bellows has al
most passed into the realm of the relic
hunter; and all bellows maintain prestige
chiefly in the industrial walks of life. The
oldtime bellows-maker. too. is rare as
his wares therefore interest attaches to
the man of mellowed years who is often
seen on the suburban cars between New
Albany and Louisville. bearing with him
several pairs of handmade bellows. at
tractive in new yellow leather and gay
Venetian red paint. Unique occupations
generally abide in unique surroundings;
and tortuous passage across lots, through
byways. down alleys and along cinder
paths leads you to the grass plot and cot
tage of the only man in this part of In
diana who still makes bellows in the old
time way. In a little wooden shed across
the back end OF. his yard he is at home
with what at a glance, seem to be the
few and simple implements of his trade
"a carpenters bench and some trestles,
chest of tools. several wooden patterns
and some sheets of leather; racks over
head hold lumber. in planks and strips.
while two or three paint pots. bits of wood
and leather clippings on the floor fill out
the story.
the s-maker-William Collins by
name-was born in Ireland in 1890. but his
features and bearing do not match that
characteristic country. 1t comes out later
that his father and mother were both
Scotch, which explains his long oval face
and shrewd. yet kindly and artless humor.
His paternal great-grandfather. Hills Col
lins was a general in the British army.
and when age retired him the nations
gift TO him was "a countryside for him
and his men'-so Collinsville. a town seven
miles from Glasgow still bears his name.
In 1898 the younger Collins family came to
America; and in 1874. at Cincinnati. at the
age of fourteen. young William Collins was
apprenticed to the useful trade which, with
the exception of seven years at gardening.
has since occupied his lifetime. On the
reasonable theory that the man who has
something artistic to say can best say ii
by carving a chair. surely the worker who
has spent his days in fashioning instru
ments to capture the ''viewless wind" for
the use of his fellow-man has earned his
need OF appreciation.
In passing it is interesting to note that.
in the ancient tongues. the word bello ;
means "blast-bag," and as TO the homely
pronunciation of this word. dictionaries
agree that its final syllable. like that of
gallows. has been irrecoveraby corrupted:
the man who says "galluses' can safely
be expected to say ''belluses" In construc-
ton, the handmade bellows may seem
simple enough; two poplar boards. shaped
for the sides, the air hole with its little
leather-padded wooden valve. the sheepskin
folds between the boards. the iron nozzle
at the head of the bellows. a leather bind
ing around the nozzle and on the edges,
and a leather loop by which it may be
suspended-these constitute the 'instru-
ment utensi or machine for blowing the
fire. On framework in the bellows shop
now rests a huge blacksmiths bellows,
Just made new by sound yellow leather,
black bindings and red paint 1t belongs
in Mooresville, out on the Floyd county
knobs, and was made forty years ago
by Enoch Brown. of Salena, also on the
hills Until this time it has not been re-
covered. and. as the bellows-maker COM
ments: THE man that owns this old bel
lows won't know it when he sees it,"
The Mooresville bellows is four feet
long thirty-eight inches wide and has
bag. The long nozzle is steel. copper
scanned, and is joined to the head by a
broad iron band. Tive four-inch valve holes
are in the lower board and this brings up
the question as to whether bellows y
singular or plural In blacksmith bellows
and all large bellows-there is a center
board containing one valve; this creates
two air chambers. The large bellows. there
fore. is properly plural. being literally "a
pair of bellows" William Collins says he
has known DID, old men who didn't know
why we say "a pair of bellows" BY means
of the centerboard valve in large bellows
the lower bellows keeps the upper bellows
full of air, and a steady blast is thus main
tanned.
Many blacksmith shops and foundries
now use the rotary fan instead of the bel
lows; but the old-fashioned bellows advo-
cate claims for his instrument a steader,
more easily directed stream of air. At the
age of sixteen he had made, in Cincinnati,
two pairs of foundry bellows. each six feet
long and requiring two bullock hides for
covering. which were sold at $50 each. At
that time bellows firms made $1,000 year
on the single item of keeping bellows in re-
pair Although factory made bellows now
have a wide field. the handmade bellows
still holds it's Own-the latter wears longer
and is always susceptible to repair-the
machine-made bellows being often useless
at the end of six months. Hinges play an
important part in bellows-making, four
large hinges being used in the larger in
struments: these were formerly hand
wrought by blacksmiths. Three sizes of bel
lows are still made by hand and sell at 81,
81 % and 81. No very small bellows are
made the belOws-maker Directing to the
manufacture of articles too small TO be of
service. OF these instruments. the middle
sized bellows is known as the wheel bel
lows" being largely used by iron molders.
chiefly in car works TO blow foreign OBJ
jects out of their sand molds for wheels
The smaller size is the well-known fireside
bellows. Many of these are now sold to per-
mother used to have them" They are also
in demand as studio or den" decorations
and for homes where the open wood fire is
still cherished.
The familiar bellows is still applied to
many miscellaneous uses. Besides black
smith and foundry bellows the organ bel
lows has a large field. Hand bellows go
into printing offices. to blow dust from the
type: postofices use them TO clear dust out
of pigeon holes; the jeweler operates his
sand pipe" by means of a bellows: florists
have a special bellows made with a nozzle