Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-04-03
OUR NEW INDUSTRY.
The Badger Box Co.'S. Factory Scene of
Great Activity

1
Great Activity
| .~eefgzSsss We all are aware that
| Our city iSone of the most
| l HprOSperOuS and progressive
| s5in the state, but we often
forget the forces upon
which the upbuilding and future of
our city to great extent depends.
A Reporter representative visited
the plant of the Badger Box Co. last
| week and was surprised to find how
| many improvements had been made
since the factory was eStabli she'd in
August, 1901. There he also found the
regularity of activity in all depart
mentS Of work which leaves favorable
impression upon him the visitor.
Every man, from the common labOrer
to the expert, seemed to know his place
and work, and this together with the
cheerfulneSS which prevailed, are
among the strong factors which have
placed the establishment upon paying
basis from the very beginning. The
credit of this success certainly belong
to the officers and SuperintendantS OF
the factory. c. E. Daily, president,
and Edward j. Daily, secretary and
treasurer, are well known as progress
Sive business men. John S. Thompson
is man of experience in the box
industry having been for six years in
charge Of the Gilkey & AnSOn Lumber
& Box Co., and for two years manager
of the AnSOu HiXOn Sash & Door Co.
at Merrill. He was the man who first
originated the idea Of starting a box
factory here and interested the late
John DAILY in the plan. The foreman
Nf Ioo icI Inl Inih hn In lOnp
yard is in charge of John Orr; Martin
plant has one of the most favorable
locations in the city. 1t is within easy
reach of the Milwaukee, the Central,
and tie Northwestern railways,
These roads have laid SidetrackS to
the factory, and this makes the trans
pOrtatiOn facilities exceptionally good.
The factory is 125x6O feet in dimen-
sion, one story in height, and mounted
on a stone wall four feet in heighth.
An addition 1OOX20 feet to the factory
is now being built which will be used
as a store room. A platform, 150XS
feet, will also be built to facilitate the
loading and unloading Of lumber.
About eight rods southwest of the
factory cOmmOdiOuS office building
has been erected, which contains a
counting room, 16X20 feet private
office 12x14 feet, and vault, 6Xl0 feet.
-zse<14aassszssa The factory is heated
+: :FF-----1 ~ with steam and electricity
EEI = is used to run the machin-
E:] ISery and for lighting pur-
Three motors with a united capacity
of 75-hOrSe-pOwer run the machinery.
The hatcher, Surfacer. printer and
one set of box saws are operated by a
40-hOrSe- power motor, 20-hOrSe-pOWer
motor runs the re-saw, one set Of box
saws, mailer, and the machinery Of
the filing room, while a 15-hOrSe-
power motor is used for the self-feed
up saw, slaSher and Shaper.
The Surfacer is operated by two men
and is used for planning and smooth
ing boards to prepare them to be cut
up into the shapes necessary for the
boxes. The lumber next goes to the
cut-Off-SaWS which works it into pro-
per lengths and cuts out the poor
parts. After being sorted and graded
the lumber is taken to the up-SaW and
ripped into correct widths for the diff
ferent sized boxes. The factory con-
tainS two up and cutoff saws, which
together one called set of box saws.
Aside from this machinery the
sasher is often used when crowded
with work, as a helper for cutting
lumber into proper lengths, and also
a great variety Of other work. The
Self-feed up-saw is used for ripping
long boards and cleatS. The Shaper
is used to cut hand holes in the ends
Of boxes.
After the lumber has gone through
the set of bOX-SaWS it is loaded on
trucks and sent to the re-SaWS, which
divides each one-inch board into half
inch boards. If the boxes are to be
printed the boards are first sent to
the printer and printed on both sides
before going through the re-Saw.
Then, if the board is to be tOngue-and-
grOOved, it is sent to the proper ma
chine, if not, it goes to the mailer.
-~STsSasszsass1 The mailing machine and
fzr--:i77sssSsz= ~ the filing room are of spec
II = sNial interest to the visitor.
z-.,-.-.-Ej NThe mailing machine
has Il capacity Of 1000
boxes per day. With one blow of the
chuck it drives from l to L nails,
clinchlng them at the same time.
The nails can be driven in Oblique posi-
tionS as much dS two inches apart.
Ihe filing room is presided over by an
expert filler, T. A. Arms. 1t is sup
piled with all the modern equipments,
and contains an automatic saw
grinder, tiler, roller, saw Stretcher, set
of brazing clamps, and an automatic
knife grinder with straight or con-
cave bevel.
Secretary Daily informed us that the
factory is run at full force, and that
they employ thirty-fve men in the
factory and yard. The employees
receive from S1.25 to 81 30 per day.
The capacity of the plant is one car
load of boxes per day. This represents
5000 or 1000 large Eastwood boxes,
containing %, 200 feet of lumber.
IF 25gzz7 The factory can make all
5 ssNStyleS of boxes or crates.
| 81 4 a Besides the bOX-making
the factory fn35 aso ssI P40ss fo ana and
side parties.
The Illustrations we give are those
of four standard grades of boxes which
| the factory makes a speciality of,
| style No. / being without cleatS; style
| No. >, with four square cieatS: style
/ No pla.tc horinOr h- yn lp6