St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-01-22
ST. JOHNSBURY DAY
Commercial Club Found Great I'M
prOvements Under Way at
Fairbanks Scale Works.

ings, that consumes 100000 fee
of lumber per year, that casts about
five tons of copper and. so tons o.
iron per day, producing scales which
range from a balance that will weigt
one thousandth of grain to scales
of 400 tons capacity, that has speni
thousands of dollars in new buildings
and plans to keep on rebuilding un-
til it has practically a new plant, Is
what the men of st. Johnsbury who
visited the place last Friday found al
the plant of E. and T. Fairbanks &
Co.
The visit was arranged by the Com.
merciaI Club as part of the Get To-
gether Day program and while the
visitors put in all the day light there
was after their arrival at the plant
they were not able to see all of it.
Then at six O'Clock they met at Py-
THAN Hall where they enjoyed fine
banquet served by the Pythian Sisters
and listened to a good program of
after dinner speaking by local talent
and John w. Titcomb of Lyndonville
The first get together move was voted
a success.
AT Fairbanks Shops
The business men met at the Y.
M. G. A. building and went in body
to the Fairbanks shops where they
were met by President Brooks and
given over in parties of ten to
guides who conducted them through
the plant First the visitors were
shown into the small scale depart
ment where the small grain and
cream testing scales were assemb-
led. They were also shown the city
scale testing room where the Tobin
Bronze Gold Plated Test Weights
are kept These are prepared by
the government and are used only
to test the test weights used by the
company The test weights are
touched with the hand as the mois-
ture from the hand would affect
their accuracy. They are handled
with tongs covered with cnamois
skin. In the Precision room are the
sensitive balances which will accu-
rately weigh a thousandth of a
grain. They also havk apparatus
for testing the capacity of liquid
containers which determine to- a
small fraction of a drop how much
the measure contains.
No complete account can be
made of what was seen nor will
this be a complete list of the scales
at the plant. The
party was shown the Spring Dial
scale which allows rapid weighing,
bath room scales, abbatoir scales,
grain scales. These
scales are built with two compart-
ments and while one is being filed
with grain from a shute the other
compartment is discharging the
grain it has just weighed. The au-
tomato parts record every load
that is weighed. The compound
scale is a heavy scale
used for weighing heavy articles
being moved about by cranes or 9TH
er lifting machinery.
New Styles of Scales
A pattern of computing scales
which the workmen are perfecting
was also shown. This firm has new
er manufactured computing scales
but now have pattern superior to
any computing scale made else
where and the plant will soon be
a computing scale
that will enable it to enter that
The scale that the company ex-
poets will be of the greatest inn
portance in the scale business is
scale, a springless, frictionless, dial
this was recently purchased of a
Swede who claimed he had a vision
from Heaven how to make it and
also of the price he should receive
for it. 1t can be said however that
It took him several years to perfect
MS vision from Heaven and appar-
emily his celestial authorities did
not have the latest quotations on
patents The company is building
4 large four story building with a
basement in which these scales will
De manufactured.
Other scales noticed weTe Ce-
nent Testing Scales, Woolworth |
scales made especially for the use
If that firm, parcel post scales
which have bar showing the price
'or the different zones, a tea scale, |
he old style grocery or counter
scale for which there is still great |
n demand than the company is |
lbte 10 keep up with. The army and |
lavy scale was interesting because
t showed how compactly a weigh
ng machine could be packed for
transportation. The Dormant /
cales which have a platform level
With the floor of building
Lllow very rapid weighing. Then
he imense compound beam track
Gales. were of interest. These are
he scales from SO to 400 tons or
100000 pounds capacity. The par
y was shown one track scale in
'peration, the accuracy of which is
determined by a test car which the
-arious railroads are having built
or their use and do their own
estih& The scale shown has a
90 ton beam and the operator
the scale and then placed
five pound weight on the track
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