Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-12-27
A DICKENS OF A TIME.
Continued from Page Five)

word ABOUT the STOCK OF parts ana
raw material.
From the roof of the wonderful adj
ministration building, which stands
out like state capital, you get
great panorama of the plant. You
can then readily believe that it oc-
cupies 1913 acres with 4,486,6S0 square
feet of floor space in daily use and
production capacity of 1000 cars per
day.
You can appreciate the growth
from $50 employees in 1908 to 1890
in 1916.
1000 persons, more than the entire
manufacturing force of many a COM
pany, work in the administration
building alone. This structure, 375
feet long has every facility for rapid
work, including dictaphones, its own
telegraph and telephone system and
a mail handling department that does
about everything but write the let
tiers.
1888 persons can be fed in the res
taurant at one time.
But this is nothing to what hits
when you cross into the shops. 1t is
a whirl of action, yet all is system.
Parts by the untold thousands are
here, with a value into the millions of
dollars. There are lines of motors.
I never saw SO many crank shafts to-
gether Our guide said 6,O00-Fd
have believed 10000.
There is stock in bins, stock in
yards, stock along the walls, connect
ing rods, frames, tenders, mudguards,
hoods, rims, springs, axles, torslon
tubes, transmission gears shafts,
brake parts, steering rods, pedals-it
is an unending procession.
Every thirty days sees an average
of 1000 tons of steel come in. 1t is
handled by a magnetic crane that en-
ables two men to do work that for
merly required thirty.
There are amazing machines.
You make the round of this plant
and you can understand this COM
pany's immense consumption of ma
terial-1S,000 pounds of solder
annually, 100000 pounds of tin and
lead for smoldering, 100000
pounds of brass andeopper, II 100000
feet of steel tubing and $4,000 tons
of steel
Naturally every operation in the
plant tends finally toward the assem-
bly, conveyor tracks. There are four
of them, each 645 feet long.
We followed the whole operation.
We began at one end where the
frames and rear systems are put in
place. By the time the other end of
the conveyor is reached the frame
has grown into the finished car.
From overhead parts are lowered
by chains. Along the way men are
attaching the parts. The frame is
not in motion all the time, but can
be instantly connected with the links
of an endless chain and sent on its
way whenever desired.
Top quality of workmanship is as
sured by having each man do work
on which he is an expert, if it be only
to tighten bolt.
Lines of motors, already tested,
wait on beth sides of the conveyor.
These are put into place, cantilever
springs are put on, steering mechan-
ism and lighting and starting sys-
TENS are adjusted. Gradually the car
takes form.
Instead of painting the chassis
with a brush, a sprayer is used. 1t
does the work more rapidly, more
uniformly and at lower cost.
The tracks of the assembly lead
directly through ovens in which the
paint is baked. Tenders and running
boards come into their places.
Wheels with the tires on are
brought along on a runway, First
comes a front wheel, then a rear
wheel. You ought To see them put
on the tires. It is lightning. By g
special device, invented by one of the
men in the department, the tire car
be put on wheel in three seconds.
From overhead bodies are dropped
H. 4,
fast.
The car is now ready for its tests
Rapidly revolving wheels in the fiool
engage the wheels of the car, anC
send them at high speed to make
sure that they are operating freely
This is not test under the power o.
the car.
Gasoline and water are then pu
into the car. 1t is pushed off tn
track into another room, till it
wheels are in contact with wheels il
the floor.
With the use of the self starter, tn
machine gets it's first chance to prov
the success of its construction.
1t surprised me the way the motor
started. They were off with rush
There was no hitch or delay. All tn
work had been done right. In fey
minutes the motor was working az
parently almost as smoothly as If
had been a year on the road.
We saw how the cars were shippe,
The export department has a bi
feature in this department. The fir
ished car undergoes preparation b
having its wheels taken off and ia:
tened on the underside of the fran
which forms the top covering for I'll
car.
The top is covered with tar pape
as protection against the element
and all is securely boxed.
Along comes a big crane runnin
in an. overhead groove quarter of
mile long. The operator sits in
small cab not unlike that of a raj