Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-09-27

~ RASH of the home run king 8
bat against base ball.
voice of the President of the
~ United States, grim reports
of disaster. dance or
chestra's CHEEKY music-all these
things from far away are brought
into our homes by radio.
From early morning, when Farmer
Up to date ''listens-in" to the mar
ket's bids for his crops, until late at
night, when Mr.. d. Y Fan tries to
pick up program from England. the
radio receiving set plays an impor-
tant part in American life. Yet, as
with many another suddenly popular
invention. but little has been heard
of It's history.
We know that we turn a dial on
the front of a set to hear a Newark,
N. j., orchestra, but scarcely realize
that the dial itself Is a native of Jer-
sey, having spent its early days as
carbolic acid and formaldehyde there.
The aluminium condenser plates
bring us speeches from their home
town, Pittsburgh. And the cabinet
OF mahogany stands as a challenge
to us to obtain music as well as wood
from tropical Central America.
Only few years ago the feat of
making wood. metal and wire pull
messages from the air was hardly
more than a hobby OF scientists, but
II has developed into an impressive
American industry. Factories have
sprung up in all sections of the
United States. and more than 3,000.-
600 receiving sets have been made
during the last five years, the Fed
eral Census Bureau reports.
or the 400 radio factories In the
United States. the largest is at Phila-
delphia, where, spread over IL acres
or floor space near the famous
Schuyliill River, men, women and
machines are producing receiving
sets and radio speakers at a steadily
increasing rate. Their task includes
receipt of raw materials, manufac-
lure OF individual parts, assembly OF
sets ana hnal test making
Collection of raw materials is the
first step toward producing radio
equipment. Although a finished re-
celving set can be held on a small
table, there would be required a train
or freight cars three miles long to
hold all the mahogany, gold, steel,
aluminium, brass, copper and other
cruoe materials imported by this fac
tory for a years output of sets.
managing raw materials into fin.
isneo apparatus is the second step in
Taolo set making, SO from storerooms
the visitor stepped into an adjoining
shop, where dia}s and rheostat knobs
were being nodded
Watching the molding Of those little
round knobs recalled afternoons when
mother used to bake cup cakes for ap-
preaching picnics.
The knobs were baked out of
Drown flour called bakelite. The bak-
or poured it Into seven little cups in
shiny steel pan, or mold. Just ais
mother used TO press a raisin atop
each dab of dough. he placed in the
center of each cup OF -four a tiny
brass tube, which eventually would
fasten the knob TO it's shaft Then
he covered the dough" with the
mold's top. and put 1t in the oven.
X * :;
HEATED by the ovens temperature
of 300 degrees Fahrenheit and
squeezed by a hydroelectric pressure
OF 5000 pounds to square inch, the
flour soon melted to a paste. Then the
mold was lifted from oven to cold
press, where the knobs cooled and
hardened, a Ia hot cookies on a win
dow sill.
The baker completed the process by
removing the firmly-baked knobs from
their cups. then turned his hose Of
compressed air into the pan to blow
1t clean and bright for the next bak-
ing.
In the next aisle, workman was
taking baked dials from pans. They
had to be frosted after being baked,
the frosting being white enamel.
which girls at a nearby table rubbed