29t) 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Ape. 



OUR WOOD-WOBKING DBPAB.TMEJMT. 



A GLIMPSE AT BEE-HIVE MACHINEHY. 



«S announced in a previous issue, we 

 herewith give our readers a view 

 tlirougii tlie central portion of our 

 wood-working department where all 

 our hives, sections, frames, and ever} 

 article made of wood, i)ertaiiiing to apicul- 

 ture, is manufactured. Tlie room which 

 you see is 44 x Oti feet, and there is scarcely 

 a belt to be seen ; and where one does come 

 up into the room it is boxed so that there 

 may be no danger to the workmen or small 

 boys engaged in picking up sticks. All the 

 shafting and pidleys are in the basement 

 below ; and nobody but experienced men go 

 down to oil, or^ to put on and take off the 



the room, you will notice a large pipe. 

 Along the latter, at different intervals, are 

 openings through which the hot air is al- 

 lowed to escajjc. The large pipe from 

 which this iiot air comes, communicates 

 with a smaller exhaust-fan. This is con- 

 nected with a cojI of steam-pipes, aggregat- 

 ing GOU feet in length. The iron casing in- 

 closing said steam-pipes has a duct commu- 

 nicating directly outdoors. The revolution 

 of the Ian causes a current of air to blow 

 into the open-air duct, througn the coil of 

 hot steam-pipes, thence through the fan, 

 and tinally into the large tin distributing- 

 pipe whicli we have already described. 



In spite of all precautions we have made 

 for the protection of our men, we have had 

 a number of serious accidents. Somebody, 



A VIEW IN Oi\E OE THE KOOMS OF OUK NEM' lUTIhDlXC 



belts. Although there are a great many 

 saws running, contrary to wluit you might 

 expect there is little "if any inconvenience 

 from sawdust flying in the room. 



We have previously stated, that a 52-inch 

 exhaust-fan is located in the basement. 

 Connecting directly with this is a 14-inch 

 galvanized-iron pipe, and this i)ipe commu- 

 nicates with every wo((d-working machine 

 by means of a smaller pipe. Thus the saw- 

 dust and shavings, as fast as made, are 

 carried directly into the boiler-furnace. 

 The men you see there at work have things 

 not only arranged as safe as possible, but 

 all small particles of dust are removed 

 from the atmosphere oi the room by the 

 apparatus we have described. In addi- 

 tion to this, in cold weather, pure hot air 

 is blown into the room. 



Near the ceiling, in the central part of 



perhaps, has growai a little careless, and the 

 whizziim' saw bc<'omes less and less danger- 

 ous to him until he has allowed his finger to 

 get too close to the saw. The result is the 

 loss or mutilation of one or more fingers. 

 Percliance he tries a new experiment by 

 letting a block down over the saw. Before 

 he knows it the saw has snatched it from 

 under liis hand: and then, quicker than a 

 has) I, his fingers are drawai against its 

 teeth. Sometimes a stick tumbles on to a 

 saw, the sjieed of which shoots the stick like 

 a bullet. If no fellow-workman stands in 

 its range, all well and good. We mention 

 these facts to show yon how accidents may 

 liappen. and that all of you who have to do 

 with saws may be careful. 



Having given you a general description of 

 the way in whi'^h our wood-working depart- 

 ment is constructed, let us now proceed to 



