MARK TWAIN'S WAY.
When I was living with my brother in Buffalo, Mark Twain occupied a cottage across the street. We didn't see very much of him, but one morning as we were enjoying our cigars on the verandah after breakfast we saw Mark come to his door in his dressing gown and slippers and look over at us. He stood at his door and smoked for a minute, as if making up his mind about something, and at last opened his gate and came lounging across the street. There was an unoccupied rocking-chair on the verandah, and when my brother offered it to him he dropped into it with a sigh of relief. He smoked for a few minutes and said: "Nice morning." " Yes, very pleasant." . " Shouldn't wonder if we had rain by and
t»y." «?£;■ we could stand a little." is a nice house you have here." • " Yes, we rather like it." "How's your family ?" " Quite well—and yours ?" •« Oh, we're all comfortable." There was another impressive silence, and finally Mark Twain crossed his legs, blew a puff of smoke into the air, and in his lazy drawl remarked, " I suppose you're a little surprised to see me over her<sso early. Fact is, I haven't been so neighbourly, perhaps, as I ought to be. We must mend that state of things. But this morning I came over because I thought you might be interested in knowing that your roof is on fire. It struck me that it would be a good idea if—" But at the mention of fire the whole family darted upstairs, trailing language all the way up. When we had put the fire out had returned to the verandah, Mark wasn't there. HOW SLATE PENCILS ARE MADE. In making slate pencils, broken slate is put into a mortar run by steam, and pounded into small particles. Then it goes into a mill and runs into a " bolting" machine, such as is used in flouring mills, where it is " bolted," the fine, almost impalpable flour that results being taken to a mixing-tub, where a small quantity of steatite flour, similarly manufactured, is added, together with other materials, the whole being made into a stiff dough. This dough is kneaded thoroughly by passing it several times between iron rollers. Thence it is conveyed to a table, where it is made into charges, or short cylinders, four or five inches thick, and containing eight to twelve pounds each. Four of these are placed in a strong iron chamber or retort, with a changeable nozzle, so as to regulate the size of the pencil, and subjected to tremendous hydraulic pressure, under which the composition is pushed through the nozzle, in the shape of a long cord, and passed over a sloping table slit at right angles, to give passage to a knife which cuts them into lengths. They are then laid on boards to dry, and after a few hours are removed to sheets of corrugated zinc. The corrugation serves to prevent the pencils from warping during the process of baking, to which they are next subjected in a kiln, into which superheated steam, is introduced into pipes, the temperature being regulated according to the requirements of the articles exposed to its influence. From the kiln the pencils go to the finishing and packing-room, where the ends are thrust for a second under rapidly revolving emergy wheels,. and withdrawn neatly and smoothly pointed. They are then packed into paste-board boxes, each containing one hundred pencils, and these boxes are in turn packed for shipment in wooden boxes, containing one hundred each, or ten thousand pencils in a shipping box. Nearly all the work is done by boys, and the cost therefore is light* *
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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3756, 10 March 1891, Page 3
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622MARK TWAIN'S WAY. Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3756, 10 March 1891, Page 3
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