The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-09-23
Representing Citizens ASSO-
Ciation On Monday
Company More Than Doubled
Former Capacity
A Description Of The New
lJp-TO-Date Plant

On Monday afternoon, a committee
from the Mt. Vernon Citizens Asso.
citation consisting of number Of bust
ness men of the city, paid visit to the
Mt. Vernon Bridge Co.'S shops, which
have for the past several months been
under process of construction. The
officers of the company requested the
Citizens Association, which had work
ed with a will to secure the $4,000
subscription for the bridge works aft
er the fire last winter, to send a COM
mittee TO view the work which has
been done in completing the new plant
and to satisfy themselves that the
money subscribed by the citizens of
the city, had been well used and to
the best possible purpose in erecting
and equipping the large and modern es-
tablishment The committee acted in
accordance with the request and on
Monday afternoon the visit was made.
First when the shop was reached,
the committee was escorted to the Of
flee where the craftsmen and book
keepers, etc, were busy at their work
of drawing and preparing plans and
drawings of a various nature and fig
uring with a diligence which denotes
the strict discipline necessary in a
plant of this nature. The office Is
equipped with a large fire proof vault
for the safekeeping of plans, drawings
and other valuable articles vital In
the workings of the great establish
ment.
From the office, the party was taken
to the new templet shop where fifteen
templet makers were busily at work
making what Is sometimes called pat
terms but here they are called temp
let's. This is an interesting place to
visit and study. The tempiets are
made of the best pine obtainable and
are constructed by skilled worlfmen
and with the most accurate instru-
ments. Each templet corresponds ex-
aclly with the piece Of iron work
which is to be constructed to be plac-
I'D In It's proper place in the bridge or
whatever the contract might be, The
templets are used two or three times
until they become too frail to be ac
curate and then they are discarded
and new ones made Before the fire
theIe were five men employed as temp
let makers In this shop and now
there are fifteen men busy at work all
of the time, The building is construct
walls being Of concrete aud brick and
the ceiling or roof OF sheet metal, with
long sky light in the center, This
jalliding Is forty feet wide and one
hundred and twenty eight feet In
length.
From the templet shop the tour was
continued into the general or main
shop Here is where the visitor meets
N,th wonders that he never conceived
or before and is amazed at the regu
laiity In which the various appara
fuses and machines are propelled and
operated Machines for cutting heavy
plate iron and sheet metal are In evi
dence. The operation and results Civ
en- by these huge instruments are re-
markable. Large sheets OF wrought
iron are sheared az smoothly and ap
Idrontly without any more effort than
a tailor cuts piece of goods with his
scissors. The punching machine Is
cfen more powerful in appearance
tnan the shearing machine, A thick
piece Of sheet metal 10 placed under
the huge punch aud large periora
ion Is made apparently with the ease
ot pushing an awl through frail piece
OF leather.
Another machine with great power
is the hattening machine. II consists
of number OF huge steel rollers be
ween which the crooked or bent iroI
must pass When II comes through
between the rollers. IL IL sufficiently
Strengthened to be put TO the use fo
which 1t was intended.
Probably the most powerful and use
ful machines In the shop are the al
foists. There are a large number o
these, arranged in such a manner tha
they are not obstructcd by any oi Iec
and can be run on an overhead acl
from one side of the building 10 anoth
or. The remarkable use 10 which thes
HOSTS are brought was well demon