Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-07-04
HOW THE BASEBALL is MADE.
The Sphere Is Weighed and Measured
Five Times,

Five Times.
Only two factories in the country
make haseballs officially recognized by
organized leagues. and one OF these
factories is the Victor in Springfield,
Mass. II turns out about 400 balls
lay or 100000 every year, and ahcat
0ne-fsth Of these are the regulation
league balls The remainder are the
heaper sort which may be purchase.
tor from . cents III TO dollar
The naEing OF the league ball is
very careful and paiastaAins process
II begins as small globe of India
rubber about one inch in diameter. y
gew layers OF coarse yarn are wound
around this. and then il goes TO the
winding machines. The bal! is then
wound with foar-ply blue yarn about
Is thick as ordinary coarse Irvine. At
frequent intervals ii is soaked in =
ement solution and put aside TO dry
This preserves the share Of the ball
ana the solution holds it more firmly
tos e. her
Z In the course of winding the hall
-0tS iEIoiEu iIdh. N4A1'ta1 H..-i-'t7'
and each workman tess il FOR size AMI
weight heio-e passing il along. Tho
machines ere necessary 10 make the
winding even and tight. and there ara
different machines. according 10 the
size Of the van used AMI the size
which the bali has attained. These
machines Insure 'ight. fran. regular
winding ana : pc;fec. and symme;r:-
cal shape. Care is also taken thar
the bail be wo:nd TO jus; the proper
size. The r-cc2ss by these machines i
conducted in secret il = licked roc@
by trusty wc..l-,c1.
After the ball has reSeiTed its wind
ing of blue and white yarn. its trea.-
ment in the cement solution and Its
drying oIt. it IS wound again. and
this time with thrce-ply blue and two
ply white. and again it is dipped in
cement. The purpose is 10 lay
rough. strcag foundation and then
build up ON it. filling in the uneven
places and gradually making the per-
feet ball ready for the market.
The ball is completed. so far as its
shane and form are concerned. when
the winding is finished. But next comes
the delicate work of putting on tho
cover. The best CT horsehiGe is used.
and ii comes TO the fact0ry as nearly
perfect as it can be procured. Covers
of every grade are cut from single
hide. and the man that can cut the
most high grade covers from the hide
is considered the best man. They are
cut oat BIZ hand one a. a tine and az
thrown into a box together 10 be sort
ed ont afte:yari. Before they are cu'
the hide is stretched. and before the
cover is put on the ball. it IS damp
ened and stretched again. This pre-
vents the ball from losing its shape
and the cover from becoming loose.
The ball l.; then put in clamps and
The ccror sewed on. Cotton thread is
used. Tor its frietioaal strength is
greater than SIX Or linen and there
fore it viii stand the we3r ard teal
better. Each hall IS sewed h. hand,
ana tren il is pat into a machine
wl:ch iroas down the rough edges.
Then ii is taken 20 another machine,
rsned again and polished. and after
it is stamped and wrapped up in It's
sue Paper AID ,infoil il is ready for
the market.
The bal! when finished MIST weigh
just fvc ounces. be nine inches in cir
cumfercnce ard three inches in diane
ter. 1t is weighed and measured five
tines in he process OF construction.
The cheaper bail is made in nuch the
same way. bat inferior material is
used and not NEARLY 50 mach care TAX
ea in the process.