The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-23

the carpet grew. In explanation of his
 work. the blind man said: "The warp, composed of hundreds or | threads, is on the huge spool there at the
 front of the loom. The warp threads
 are those that run lengthwise through
 the carpet. and each of them' before | | begin to weave, must bel passed through certain little guiding eyelets and com
 partments that are called heddles and reeds. To pass each thread through its respective reed and heddle correctly is | the hardest part of my work.
 "The shuttles contain the shorter threads that run crosswise through the carpet am using three shuttles, one of | white, one of red, and one of green. | Each shuttle must go back and forth a certain number of times, then come out,
 and give place tis1 tG another the rsd foEr and the green five. I keep my shuttles In | that box behind me. How do tell thelr colors? Oh, by their location in the oox.
 The white is in the boxs right compart- ment, the green in the middle. and the red in the left.
 "Eyery little while you'll notice that I run my hand across all the threads of the warp and wool. I do that in order | to detect broken threads. When ind @ | fracture, I must gather up the two ends and knot them together neatly. This IS a difficult thing for 8 blind man to do. ITO learn 10 WedV0 tth SO months. To learn to be a fast weaver requires A year. A weaver of average speed turns out yard and half of lcarpet an hour. His rate of pay is ten cents an hour. Thus he earns $15O day, or $9 a week"
 In a room further on were the chair caners Their chairs were screwed tight
 upon stands, and. leaning over these stands, they plaited the straw In neat patterns across the seats with great speed. The work was simple; they said 1t could be learned in day.
 But to get speed-that is the thing" a blind man added Tt takes long time to get speed enough to cane two chairs A day. The pay is 50 cents a chair. I average H a week"
 The main business of the factory is broom making. Guided only a little by one or two men with sight the blind employees sort out broom corn according to its length and quality; they dye 1t green; they cut 1t upon machines; they fasten and clamp and sew 1t on wooden handles; they trim and pack in bundles the completed brooms. To see them at their labor is a marvel; they are so quick and sure of hand, and in the great room
 where they stand in long rows, each at his machine, they have so singular an air of happiness, the big, clean place. full of the wholesome odor of California
 broom corn, TeSOuIlulnB dlWayS Wltl laughter, with gay voices and with sing ing that is very true and musical.
 Six of the men at the factory are. like Helen Keller. deaf, dumb and blind. Nevertheless they work well, though they are a little slow. The overseer. to talk to one of them, gives him his hand, and while the man holds the hand delicately
 in both his own. the Overseer spells in the deaf mute alphabet the words that he wishes to say.
 4 number of the men are good musi- clans. They have comets, violins, man dolins The janitor of the factory. John Boone, tells of one of them an almost in credible anecdote.
 'I will take a new piece of music" |" says the janitor, and I'll read 1t to this
 blind man from beginning to end-'C, A. D, B sharp, E sharp r. G. C. and so | on. When I am through he will put
 his fiddle to his chin. and he will play
 the piece without a mistake"