The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-29

all are approached by narrow wooden stair.
cases, 80 dark that It liz almost Impossible
to see ones way. and In two OF tt1om The
only outlet to the street IL through an orA.
nary door.
Sorting Is First Step.
The factory itself Il a turkeys mausoieu,,.
A turkey spirit wandering from cold stor.
age house TO a feather dustcr factory would
see great stacks and baskets Of the rAimsnt
II himself and all his kindred schttertd about
4 room where girls at at long tables and
pull. assert and select these rehcs OF his
former life, while they comment on their
quality ana other things. The feathers are
first thrown upon tables for the /" sorters :"
to overhaul them. With O paper bag split
open on ono aide and fastened to her hair
with two long quilts. ono standing up above
her head, the other sticking out over her ear.
the sorter 10 . picturesque flgurs as she sep
arates the larger feathers from the small oncs
and the down and throws them into basket
at her side. She hos the factory girl's hands;
they fly like they wero run by st~Rrn power.
but their work does not call for tho strain
and tension that the girl at machine must
endure. Her shop dress is covered with tho
flne barbs OF tho feathers. but she declares
that they DO not bother her. asked several
girls II this feather dust did not get into
their throats and noses and make them
cough, but they all laughed At the idea
Hand Work and Not Difficult.
The sorters work Is all hand work and
Il Is simple. She Is paid BY the pound. She
begins at "a . week and within o month. II
she has any genius for sorting feathers IN her
makeup, she is doing piece work and can go
az high as 50. One cent pound for the
larger feathers Is the rate II the stock IS
good, and sometimes II runs q little higher.
One girl told me that she can /" 90 125
pounds day, and occasionally earns $3.50 a
week; 81 or 81. is her average pay. and her
employer said that none OF his girls could
make moro than 50 a week nd seldom earned
that much From tho sorters the feathers
ara carried to tho girls at the sizing ma
chimes" This machine Ia on interesting con-
trlvance. Little tapes are attached 10 roll
ers thus forming an endless belt. The feath-
ers are placed across the tapes and as each
feather passes the tape corresponding to It's
Size, 1t falls into q basket. The girls who DO
this work make $3.50 and 81 week al
piece work.
The man who claims to be the inventor OF
this machine Is foreman OF the largest fac
tory, He said: twenty-five years ago
when was working a the other factory
and put this machine in there, these people
were across the street from US. Their girls
were sizing feathers by hand at three cents
a pound and had hard work to finish twenty.
I'VE pounds n day; now a girl thinks nothing
OF doing los pounds a day. Tho conditions
and pay arc improving all along the line, too.
In the last few years he continued. Why,
have known girls 70 work in fea ther buster
factory for seventy cents week. years ago! =
After tho feathers are sized they go to
the tumbling machine. largo revolving
cylinder made OF screening. where they are
wet and tumbled until they are dry again.
This separate the barbs. making the feath-
crs lighter and moro pliablc and the buster
less compact and st!fr. One girl attends
10 this machine and gathers the feathers
when they come out. She is neat Bohemian
girl who is paid $3.50 week. She likes the
work and her associates SO we'll that when
she quit once she had 10 come back be-
cause she couldn't bear to stay away. We
are all like big family here" she said. :"
never heard the girls fuss Bit"