Clipping:Baseball manufacture; automatic winding machines
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| Date | Friday, January 25, 1889 |
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| Text | Winding base balls by hand is a thing of the past. Machines have been invented to do the work automatically, consequently every ball is exactly like its fellow. Each machine winds two balls at one time. A little rubber ball, weighing three-quarters of an ounce, around which one turn has been made with an end of a skein of old-fashioned gray stocking yarn, is slipped into the machine. Then another, after which the boy in charge touches a lever, the machine starts and the winding behind. The rubber ball is hidden in a few seconds, and in its place appears a little gray yarn ball that rapidly grows larger and larger. When it appears to be about half the size of a regulation base ball there is a click, the machine stops, the yarn is cut, and the boy picks out the ball and tosses it into a basket. When this basket is full it is passed along to another boy, who runs a similar machine, where a half-ounce layer of worsted yarn is put on. The next machine adds a layer of strong white cotton thread, and by watching closely as the white appears on the surface of the gray the beauty of the winding-machine can be appreciated. There is perfect regularity, and no place where the thread crosses oftener than in another. A coating of rubber cement is next applied, and a half-ounce layer of the very best fine worsted completes the ball with the exception of the cover. Each ball when completed must weight 5¼ ounces and measure 9 ¼ inches in circumference. The minute differences in the balls are equalized by the thickness of the cover. Every ball and cover is weighted before the ball is sewed on. The cover resembles two figure 8s in shape and is cut from selected and specially prepared horsehides. There is only one kind of professional dead ball made, the supposed differences lying in the cover and stamps only. The patentees of the winding machines employ about 500 hands at their factor and they have about 40,000 dozen balls in stock. Several cheap grades of balls are also manufactured, those retailing for 5 and 10 cents being made from pressed leather shavings. St. |
| Source | St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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