The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1905-07-07

close ~
he took up his position On the left hafid
side. drew tray Of pisses of cork to
him. and, selecting a short length, set
It against small wheel which was
placed almost against the blade and at
right angles to it. Then he pressed
with his foot upon treadle. and in
stantly a short point moved forward.
pressing on to the other end of the
piece Of cork and thus, holding II
against the wheel.
When secured between these two, h,
removed his fingers, grasped the up
fight handle Of the long blade and
pushed 1t steadily forward, and in the
twinkling of an eye the piece Of rough
cork had assumed a familiar aspect
The pressure of the blade against the
cork caused the little wheel land with
It, Of course, the cork to revolve, and
in Its turn this same spinning allowed
the knife to cut evenly all the way
around the cork. BY the time the blade
had been pushed to the farthest ex.
tremity Of the machine the cork had
been neatly pared all around. Then the
treadle was released and the cork roll
ed away with final spin into the bas-
ket awaiting 1t on the other side. II
was also shown that the machine can
be set to produce any taper desired.
But the most curious part Of the
trade was explained when one Of the
audience. catching sight of basket
eul Of old corks, demanded the reason
Of their presence. From the cork mer-
chants account it appeared that large
trade II done in remodeling old corks-
that IL to say, those used for wine bot
ties are bought in immense qualities,
cut down by the machine into small
er size and sold to the publicans for
stopping pint bottles. Having once
had the corkscrews through them they
~ useless for anything else, and, in
deed, there wot1ld be a heavy fine for
selling them to chemists, with whom a
large proportion of the cork trade il
carried on. but they are used for tenn
porarily stopping the pint bottles TAX
en- out Of the public houses by children
under fourteen years Of age,
The act requires these bottles to be
securely fastened down, and so sealed
the old corks are afforded new lease
Of life. For this purpose not only IN
the old cork put on the machine and
reduced all the way eound, but thin
slice is taken OF the top and bottom
as well. This remodeling Of second
hand corks Is piecework and paid for
as follows: One and one-half pence per
gross for each OF the two cuts and IN
pence per gross for the machine work.
Thus, explained the merchant, he had
to pay 81 pence gross in wages, and
the corks are sold at the rate Of six
pence gross to the publicans. Out Of
the remaining ~ pence he must not
only purchase the old ycorks, but also
find a profit OF course it is possible
to work up an enormous number Of
corks in an hour, for the work is never
checked. Backward and forward runs
the huge blade, the forward movement
cutting the cork, the reverse one grind.
ing 1t in preparation for the next
stroke, and the cutter feeds the ma.
chine with the left hand, while tiever
releasing his hold chi the handle with
the right
Some one suggested the possibility
Of increasing the speed by machinery
but at that the cutter shook his head
Considering the extraordinary sharp
ness Of the blade ana the dangerous
proximity to the fingers when the corl
was put into position, he himself would
take no risk Of that nature, so he aver
red. ...,,
As It was, his instinct told him wher
anything was amiss, and without stop
ping to think or reason over the mat
ter be, would check the blade at once
but to have twenty-six inch blade o.
steel moving by machinery-he woult
rather be excused. 1t was heavy worl
certainly, alternately pushing and pull
ing that blade for hours at stretch
but unless a strictly automatic feet
could be arranged to the machine i
would turn the cork cutting business
into fearfully dangerous employment
The best priced corks are the tin!
ones sold to the chemists for the end
Of hypodermic tubes - minute littl'
atoms that can be cut out Of almos
any scrap of cork. always provided 1
Is Of the best quality. There are no
many cutters who can do such fin
work.-London Globe.
the Neva Free and Frozen.