Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-03-12
The Changes Of s. Years
In Sheet And Tin Making
CBy Edw ard DUN mer)
written for The Maiority)

| have been thinking that it would
De interesting reading to my fellow
|Vorl1men to note the comparison of
lin, Slate and Sheet making of to-
lay and SO years ago, the time l was
.or,Alng at The colo rolls when kid.
In those days it was all II hour
,lifts, when in truth they did lot &C
yuahy work more than hours COM
pared with the way they are working
IN our mills these days. Inc roller
IN those days HAD to cut his own iron
FOR his day work. The heater had
20 wheel mis- own coal and ashes to
and from his furnace, clean out the
bottom of his furnace and make a
new bottom with coal. Then the
heater had another job on hand be-
fore he started heating, he had to car
~ iron from the forge, enough for
The days work on his mill. The roll
er cut the iron enough for the day,
neat at a time as it was called for
during the day. There was what they
calico in those days a Jack Box
which worked on an eccentric fixed
on the spindle next to the finishing
rolls. This had pair of knives in il
with gauge where the roller cut the
iron. The catcher caught the iron as
it was cut by the roller and piled it
up for the dauber.f The dauber char
ged all the iron himself. No one
there to put it on the peel at it is
done today. The dauber had to wheel
nis coal and ashes just as the heater
lad to do.
Our tine to start to work was s a.
n, but when the crew got through
getting things ready to start rolling
it was after o'clock. Then they
worked two heats of 80 bars or packs
for each bar was a pack and then
they shut the mill down for lunch
Another two heats, they shut down
again for dinner. Then another two
heats and the days work was over
And everybody on the Grey felt bull
| ly. There never was heard a com.
plant of beinf played out or having
the cramps. From rs to 80 boxes con
stltuted a days work of II hours. o.
in other words 28 or IS hundred
pounds finished work.
When 80 boxes were made; every
body in the mill would be talkine
about it being a big turn.
| What about it today, boys? With
the average at least about 10000
pounds finished weight!
In those days the roller took care
OF his own mill. He was in reality
the mill wright of his mill. The crew
changed the mill when it was needed
to do SO. For they never changed
only when they had break down OF
a bad roll. There were no cranes in
those days, and to change the rolls a
box or spindle or housing or as
they were called in those days Stan.
dards.' The housings were open
housings and was wedged down to the
bedding; and was never moved until
they broke. When the rolls were
changed, they were pried up by bars
and showed out through the housing
all done by bar and planks. VI
!! What If the old people of those days
should make a trip to our mills OF
today, and see the improvements in
their trade, with our big cranes, and
our big housings, rolls, spindle and
boxes. They would surely have sur
prise. The nec1Rs of our rolls of TO-
day are many inches larger than the
body of the rolls in those days. The
diameter of the necks of our rolls to-
day runs from "a to 20 inches, while
the diameter of the rolls in those days
were only Is inches.
More next week if you like it, BY
- CnHE OLD MANI