The Harvester World: Volume 3, number 9, September 1912

              The Harvester World

aooved up to Chicago a few of the girls moved too, but gradually this department has taken on foreign girls, and the practice has extended to other works. The first women to work in the canvas room at McCormick works commenced in 1904. In Hamilton and Auburn, for example, you will find high school girls and English speaking women who make a good living witli the little tack hammer. The story of a day's work is told by one of the canvas room employes, Carrie Betts, as follows:
"The principal operations are boring slats, tackiiig, riveting and stenciling of wind brakes, making binder covers, aprons, putting up of sections in envelopes, put¬ ting rivets in one-pound boxes, repairing of canvas, and various other jobs of which a little at a time is all that is required, and only at long intervals.
"The slats are delivered to our department in large quantities — usually several thousand at a time, tied in bundles of 200 each, and are bored in lots of from 4,000 to 6,000. This is done on a large power machine, one slat at a time, and works automatically, there being a hole bored in each end of the slat, and six holes for the ones used on strap end of canvas, the other four at intervals across the slat being used for straps. They are then delivered to bins and taken from there in smaller quantities by the girls, as they need them, they putting them in boxes handy to their work.
"The canvas is delivered to our department in rolls averaging KX) yards, covered with burlap. The burlap is removed by the foreman as the girls are ready for it. He then puts an iron bar through the center of the roll, and this is held in place by brackets at each end of the bar at the back of the tacking cylinder, aud swings in a horizontal position. The first end of canvas is then pulled under the cylinder and up over front, and fastened onto little iron pegs. The tacker then pushes the cylin¬ der. This rolls the canvas around it, at the same time unrolling from the back. She then cuts the canvas the desired length and stretches it, this being done by a handle on the side. Around the cylinder, at various points, are grooves for the slats, in which the tacker slides them from the side, a slat in each groove and under canvas, being sure to put in six-hole slats at the ends of the canvas for straps. The tacker is then ready to begin operation. She punches holes in the canvas, directly over the holes in the ends of the slats. In these she puts rivets with leather washers attached. The pre¬ paring of these takes from one and a half to two hours
and is usually done the latter part of the afternoon. Then the canvas is tacked across each slat from side to side, the cylinder being turned as each slat is finished. The tacker then pulls the cknvas loose from pegs, and rolls up each one as she takes it off, and so the opera¬ tion is repeated.
"The riveters then take the canva^ and do their share, which consists of riveting slats, straps and buckles on the canvas. This occupies their time, except while making up stock, in the way of putting rivets in straps, etc. This making up of stock is done while sitting down. The riveters stencil catalogue number and name of canvas on each one.
"The inspector gatliers the canvases and these are put on the table and looked over one at a time and imperfect ones laid to one side until repaired. After going through the inspector's hands, they are then ready for shipment.
"The wind break frames are delivered to this depart¬ ment from No. 2 plant and are tacked, stenciled and the canvas cut for them by the same girl. This girl spends a part of her time in repairing of canvas where slats have been removed that have been broken from various causes, and are replaced by new ones. The hemming of the end of the canvas is done by one of the riveters.
"The drilling for binder covers comes in bales and will average 1,000 yards. This is sewed in strips of about 100 yards long by a two-needle machine, making a double row of stitching, and is then put on a long table, measured and cut the desired length and marked for patches. They are then hemmed and patched and pulled back on the table for grommeting, the grommets being put in at points where patches are and ropes tied in. The covers are then rolled and stored away or ready for shipment. This girl also makes aprons for the No. 1 and No. 2 plants. These aprons are for use in the factory and are bought by the men.
"If the girls get tired, they have the privilegeo£lyfug down in a nicely eciuipped rest roorn." „:'
" Want to buy a mule, Pete?"
" What ails him?"
"Nothing."
"Then what ye selling him fo?"
"Nothing."
"I'll take him."
These Girls are from Pelaod—they are a part of the secret of the good quality of our Osborne Twines
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