The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-09-11

(From the Detroit Trburre.l

(From the Detroit Trihune.l
Now is the season when everybody
in Detroit who can frame what seems
10 him a iustifable excuse shuts up
shop or drops whatever task he may
be engaged upon and goes % the ball
game. 10 sit in the broIling sun and
shout himself hoarse. The cries -
the peanut vender. the Jolly Of the
ooacher and criticism Of the specta-
tors merge in one confused hum e
voices, which ever and anon IS bro
ken by the sharp crack Of the bat as
the leather il driven far out into the
field.
Every ball player has his preferences
ana Superzitions in the selection o. q
stick, on the skillful use Of which 1e-
ponds the extent OF his earnings, and
when once he has decided upon i
particular ba7A he guards il with tx-
IRENE jealousy. To cater 10 the wlims
and ldiosyncrasie If these public Idols
IS an industry that taxes the resources
OF the oldest and most experienced
workers in wood.
feW DeLrDlters are ware Of he x
istence III Pontiac # q real bat "a
tory, which carries the largest stock
Of squares las ths billetS from which
the sticks are TUNED are called, NJ
any similar institution in the wprlc.
These Pontiac bats have q reputation
al over the United States for being
everything thai 4 ba~ should be and
have penetrated tyen to the Philip
phineS, where the mattress watch NTH
childish delight los Americanos at
their national sport.
The wood from which these sticks
are made is of the finest growth white
hickory ard ash, straight grained and
tree from knots. It comes mostly from
Michigan and Ohio, though every part
Of h United States where desirable
g are GROVE contribute more or
less. Each year finds the acreage Of
hickory and ash rapidly diminishing,
making the task Of the buyer pro
portiOnateIy harder.
The logs employed in the manufac-
ture Of bats are from six to twenty
eight inches thick. Lengthwise they
are cut in multiples Of thity-e!ght
inches, called bolts. Approximately
VI H1dtA1NS osV NNIA
On hand and during the busy season
are transformed into bats at the rate
of over 1000 a day.
Such parts Of the bolt as are eft
over are usually large enough to use
for handles of which the factory makes
even more than il does of bats. Han
dies for pickaxes hammers sledges
hoes, forks and in fact all kinds Il
tno1c. n yn +r7~r,nI n,~ .1111-.,a- n zgr,n
rate business Itself
The lathe which takes the squares
and shape them into the rough sem
blance of the finished product consists
of a number of chisel-like knives
which takes off q little here, nor
there and in an incredibly short space
Of time give the ungainly billet the
lines of a home-run getter. A turn on
the sand belts, as the rapidly revCls-
ing rOughened belts are called. makes
the bats smooth as satin to tie touch
They are then taken 10 another room,
where they are given Il cOat Cf filing
This Oat may be of green Dlac.-,
brown or antique according TO the de-
sired specifications.
Some of them are burned in the
flames of Il torch, while at the SAME
time the brand IL burned in THIN
they are carefully ~shellacked. Finally
they are put in Individual paper bags
and packed in craees. a dozen to lie
crate. Every step of the process is
accomplished undr the supervision Of
expert operators. many of whom have
spent a lifetime in wood working.
The factory turns out three stand
ard styles Of mems and boys bats. In
addition Il request is often made TO
figure on a specially designed bat
for some original idea he wants cal
ried out. There as many odd notions
in the bat business as can be found
in almost any line that one might
mention.