The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-04-26
Boys MARBLES
MADE BY GIRLS
OhlOFaCtOry Rolls Out $4,000,
600 Clay "PilIS" Each Veal,
STANDARD OIL A LARGE BUyEF

Clay Marbles Also Used Extensively
by Manufacturers Of Rubber, Ink
Salt, Chemicals and Powder-How
They Are Made, Counted and Pae
For.
1t has been estimated by statisti
clans that over 200,000,000 small clay
marbles are used annually by the boyi
of the United States every spring
time. 1t is a known fact that 1875.
100000 of these little clay pills" are
made every year by one clay marble
manufacturer, whose plant is located
in Summit county, o. And these mar
bles are made or rolled by young girls
The clay marble industry of tn,
United States is one that little thought
has been given to. and precious little
is known by people in general as to its
scope The marble manufacturer does
not devote all his attention to the
manufacturing of the game marble
There are various uses to which the
marble is put, and as matter of fact
the size varies according to its intend
ed use. The Standard Oil company is
one of the largest buyers of marbles
and these are used for oil cans. anG
larger sizes are started in graded pipe
lines to clean out the paraffin which
gathers on the side of the pipe as il
flows to the tanks.
A Prosaic Process.
GLOW mo
manufacturers of rubber. ink and salt.
chemical and powder makers They
are also used in grinding the large
stones of the photographer and by rail
way supply people. Puzzle box max
ers are also large buyers of marbles.
The size of the clay marbles as made
in the United States vary from nine.
sixteenths of an inch in diameter,
which is the small ''pill" the boys play
with. to one measuring six inches in
diameter or about the size of a small
cannon ball
The making of clay marble forms
an interesting journey in ceramics.
The method of making all kinds of
marbles is the same with the excep-
ton of the classic" which of course
is made of glass. Clays used in the
marble industry are of a plastic ma.
ture. These clays are cast into a pug
mill, or "chaser," and as the heavy
wheels revolve over the clay it drops
in a pulverized form into a bin be-
meath the mill. 1t is then lifted by an
endless elevator system to storage
bins, from where it is allowed to pass
through pug mills.
The stiff clay is then forced through
the perforated base of the Dug mill.
and 1t comes from the mill in the
form of clay strings, the diameter of
these being regulated by the round
holes in the base of the mill and to
conform to the size of the marble to
be made. These rolls or strings of
clay are pulled from the pug mill when
they are about eighteen inches in
length and placed on fiat board and
then are taken to the clay shops or
where the marbles are made
Nodded by Girls.
The rolls of clay are first placed
evenly in trough" and a workman
cuts the rolls of clay into cubes, the
size being specified according to the
order. The cutting is done with a
saw. and seven rolls of clay will form
over 200 little cubes. and it is from
these cubes that the marble is rolled
After the cubes have been cut they
are placed in an ordinary tin pan and
these carried to the girls who make
the marbles. A handful of cubes is
picked up. and these are placed one
at time in a grooved plaster of paris
mold The size of the groove also de-
pends upon the size of the marble to
be made. When there is one clay cube
in each groove a plaster oblong block
is placed in position on top of the
cubes. and this is pushed forward and
backward until the little clay cube be-
comes round and rolled true. This OPP
Grafton requires very little time, and
then the top block is lifted and the
clay marble in its green state is pick
ed up and a handful" is placed in a
tray. This operation resembles that
of picking up a bunch of grapes
A girl who has acquired speed in her
work can make from 25,000 to 10000
marbles per day. AS there are fifty
rolls to a block, the operator is paid
6 cents per thousand for the making
of the common clay marble. The
finer the grade the order calls for, the
higher the price paid for making.
There is not a great profit in the MAX
ing of the common clay marble. when
the fact is taken into consideration
that they are shipped to the markets
at price varying from 16 TO 20 cents
per sack of 1000 marbles each.
Counted by Weight.
Marbles are counted by weight; also
by the cubic foot. The small clay
marble measuring nine-siXteenths of
an inch in diameter weighs six and
One-half pounds to the thousand and
are colOred at the rate of 100000 every
eight minutes