Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-02
ODD FACTS ABOUT BARRELS
Over 3oO,ooo,oOO of Them Manufac-
tured and Used Annually.
from the Chicago Chronicle

FROM the Chicago Chronicle.
The introduction of improved machinery
In Its manufacture has made the American
cooperage business the largest in the world
There are upward of 800 600 600 barrels ana
circular packages manufactured I'm This
country annually, and the demand increases
SO that this output must be steadily broad
cred in order TO keep pace with the growth
ol the business. The largest consumption
OF barrels is In the cement business which
approximately demands 3J.oOOOOO a year
for the trade. while flour comes next win
a demand for %, 800, 900; fence stanles
bolts. nuts and nails require 10 600 600 ana
sugar 100000. Roasted coffee. spices.
ciockery and fruits and vegetables use up
ABOUT o'Vo,ooo barrels year each, whIlo
the glassware trade. baking powder COM
panies, distilled liquor manufacturers ana
candy. tobacco and cheese packers are big
users OF barrels, averaging in each trade
from 1Vcooo TO 3ooOOOO barrels. The con-
sumption of barrels for molasses OIL lard
ana pork Is also enormous. while dry paint
glue, snuff, oatmeal, screws, castings and
general hardware articles annually increase
the demand on the cooperage supply
While the amount of expenditure for bar
rels can be closely estimated for a given
year, II Is not possible to say how MANY
barrels are In actual use. The life of a bar
rel Is put down at one year by the trade
but that is far from true. The great ma
jority of barrels have as many lives as a
cat. They begin sugar or flour ba rreIs
and are then sold to the farmer for shin
ping his produce to the market. 1t NAV
be they are returned to him several
times, carrying potatoes or pickles to
market in the first trip and then cab
bage or lettuce in the next each cargo
being lighter in weight than the previous
one, owing to the weakened condition of
the barrels.
Finally the barrel may serve out its life
work as a garbage receptacle and be
burned in the end in some tenement
house to keep out the winters chill Thus
1t may be said that a barrel serves a moro
userul career than almost any other
manufactured article and its life is much
longer than season.
The demand for barrels is steadily in
creasing because modern machinery has
made 1t possible to make them for the
trade cheaper than almost any other
form of package. That it is the most
convenient form of package has long
been acknowledged. The ancient COOP
er's art was a Skilled one, and the work
Of cutting out the slaves and then as
sembling them required long practice and
forms in fraction of the time what
hand labor did so slowly and clumsily.
The modern veneer machines have been
instrumental in reducing the cost of bar
refs. Hand labor Is eliminated here to
such an extent that the work of feeding
the machines constitutes most OF the re-
auirements of the operators: The slaves
are cut to the required thickness by the
machines and then pressed into shape by
hydraulic pressure until they are ready
for the assembling machine.
A feature of barrel making in this
country is the grading of the circular
packages so that all the lumber brought
to the factories can be utilized One class
of barrels must be absolutely water
tight without flaw of any kind in their
slaves Barrels made for OIL. whisky and
paint trade must not only be fawless
but they must have a resistance power
equal to a lateral pressure of 500 pounds.
In order to secure this the slaves must
be put to a rigid test beforehand and
they must be cured, there will be no
danger OF shrinkage and damage when
put into use. Lumber used for this work
must be carefully selected and IT must be
cured by natures slow but sure process.