The Tupelo journal., 1906-10-19
Gentle Woman Who Is
an Expert Machinist

py diversion from the humdrum ana
monotony of homework, and she en-
joys 1t. She takes as much pride In
turning out a perfect shafting or set
! of pulleys or some intricate part OF
an engine as any housekeeper Would
in making good cake or in doing
| choice bit of embroidery work.
Mrs. Peters can fire the boiler, keep
ing up the proper amount OF steam
and water, and can run the engine.
And more than that, she could put 1t
all together again without any trou-
BILE were it to be taken apart for her.
Threading" piece of steel, JOB
requiring accuracy and speed at the
same time, she does with as much
| ease as threading needle for sew
ing, although the operation Is indeed
very different.
In making shrinking fit" where
in casting must be heated to a GER
tain temperature to avoid bursting, a
job in which all machinists often fail,
she has no trouble. This Is job that
is common in all large engine works.
AS one watches her at her work he
is impressed by the scene of the big
machines responding with surges and
groans to the delicate touch of these
skillful feminine fingers.
Since it has always been believed
that good machinists must have nat
ural talent to be able to develop the
skill successfully, it makes this wom-
| oil wonderful
| None of the timidity and fear that
| woman has, as a rule, around machin-
| cry, is seen in Mrs. Peters conduct
| in the shop. She pursues the work
| with a confidence that Is associated
| only with an expert knowledge of the
| business.
| That Mrs. Peters Is the only woman
| in America with the pluck to tackle
| this sort of a business is probably
| true. She does the work, not because
| she is compelled, but because she finds
real enjoyment in the handling OF ma
| chinery. There seems to be actual
affection in her gentle touch OF the
| cold steel machines over which she
presides in the foundry.
1t must not be inferred because Mrs.
Peters has proven her adaptability to
such a calling that she is lacking in
| the charms and accomplishments that
go to grace womankind. The feminine
side of her nature is equally interest
| ing.
Possessing a good education, she
can converse intellgently upon most
any subject, and can play the piano
| and sing with considerable ability.
Her husband declares she has the
| most perfect health of any woman ne
| ever saw. He says her unusual LABOR
| has not tended to detract from her
womanliness, but that her heart is as
| full of womanly tenderness and SYM
patty as it was when she became MS
wife.
Mrs. Peters, when asked how she
| happened to learn to work in the shop,
replied with a modest. smile:
We'll, we had no children, and |
would get lonesome at home. AS my
husband and / always were compan-
| ionable, l spent much of my time in
the shop to be with him. l began to
use a hammer and wise occasionally,
and then l got to trying my hand at
making things just for fun. Pretty
soon l found l could turn out some OF
the simple jobs that came in without
my husbands instruction. Naturally,
I felt an exultant pride over my
achievements. and wanted to do more
difficult things all the time. Now, my
husband tells me l am safer in some
of the difficult work than any other
machinist in the shop"