Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1916-12-14

dealer IN this town, who Is one q
the 5000 dealers visiting the great
Toledo plant, recounts his experien
rces in this entertaining letter Il
the editor.
Some action!
Nothing was ever 80 impressive al
our tour of the great plant that turns
out WHY'S Overland cars.
Our Pullmans all parked in the
company yards. There was room
enough, for there are seven and three
quarter miles of track within the
plant.
Each man got card containing a
picture of Mr.. WHY'S and an auto
graphed message from him. Next
thing | knew we were lined up on the
steps of the stunning new admins
tration building getting photograph.
ed.
Elevators shot us to the company's
own restaurant on the sixth floor
There we had a corking breakfast. Al
each plate was copy of the live new
WHY'S Overland house organ, THE
Starter" 1t mapped our days pro,
pram.
Then started our tour of the plant.
Our guides were carefully picked
men. They knew the plant from end
to end, and the parties were small SC
that each member of the party could
have his questions answered.
Nobody ought to sell WHY'S Over
land product without knowing this
plant. You can't grip the immensi-
ty of the proposition till you do.
1t is no piker business.
s25,OOO,OO0 are tied up in the
land, buildings and machinery, not
to say a word about the stock OF
parts and raw material.
From the roof of the wonderful ad-
ministration building, which stands
out like a state capital, you get a
great panorama of the plant. You
can then readily believe that it occu-
pies 1O3 acres, with 4, 4S6, $50 square
feet of floor space in daily use and a
production capacity Of 1000 cars per
day.
You can appreciate the growth
from $50 employees in 1908 to II, 300
in 1916.
1000 persons, more than the en-
tire manufacturing force of many a
company, work in the administration
alone. This structure, 375 feet long.
has every facility for rapid work, in
Guiding dictaphones, its own telegraph
and telephone system and mail
handling department that does about
everything but write the letters.
3SS 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
whirl of action. yet all is system.
Parts by the untold thousands are
here, with value into the million of
dollars. There are lines of motors.
| never saw so many crank shafts to-
gether. Our guide said 6,OO0-pd
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, torsion
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 magnetic crane that en-
ables two men to do the work that
formerly required thirty.
There are amazing machines.
The toggle press, for example, held
us all. This monster, with its pres
sure of 1000 tons, shapes cold steel
like cardboard A piece of metal fed
to it comes out as side frame. 1t
can make 1000 of these in an eight
hour day.
Other mighty machines stamp out
radiator shells, tenders, cowl dashes
and doors.
You take off your hat to the drop
forging machines. Down comes the
hammer and the fiery piece of iron
is beaten into shape. The complete
drop forging of the front axle can be
accomplished with one heat.
Every kind of part requiring streng-
tn was drop forged while we looked
on, axles, crank shafts, brake assem-
bly, rods, brake and control rods,
spring shackles, gear blanks and brake
rod SaoforS