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Surprising The Orientals

Surprising The Orientals image
Parent Issue
Day
27
Month
November
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

An interesting account of a visit to a Chinese arsenal near Fnchan is given ly a correspondent of Oassier's Magazine. He says: "Taking out two drills, I sent them in and immediately was invited to enter. The official was polite, bowing aud shaking his own hands, as is the custom aruong Chinamen, and oiïered me a cup of tea. "There happeued to be several forgings in the room, and as I pressed the drills against theru and pointed to over the wall ho seenied to coruprehend what was wanted, and in a few minutes I was in a large, well lighted machine I shop. I rnight say this extensivo plant was built aud equipped by French engiueers some 15 years a go. "The native foreinun examined my tools witfa great interest and called in several assistasts. All looked puzzled and did not seem to know what they were tor. Walking to a drill press, I took out the flat drill, and, after considerable packing around the shank, succeeded in getting one of my taper shauk twist drills to run fairly true in the spindle. There must have been 50 Chinamen working in the room, and every one had gathered around this press The foreman ordered them off repeatedly, and then, lookiug at me, laughed good naturedly and gave it up. ' 'He brought a pieee of cast iron, but I wanted something harder to drill, so I walked over to a largo planer and took a long extensión tooi, made from 8 by 1% inch tooi steel, and clamped it up to the table of the drill press. He shook his head, intimating that the twist drill could not go through, and the crowd of workmen emitted grunts of approval. "The press started, the lips of the twist drill turned out two spiral chips. The men elbowed me to one side. There was a sea of pigtails bendiug down, watching the inarvelous action of that little tooi. As the chips grew in length the expressions of wonderment increased. "It happened that the chips did not break unril they were about 14 iuches long. Then others started, aud each time tbat they broke off they were eagerly snatched by the men, some burning their fingers, and examined carefully rom end to end. "The dull edges of the drill were shown around and then ground and started again, aud thefact that the drill would cut as well as the first time caused increased amazement and murmurs. I have made ruany tests wiui twist drills, but never before such an appreciative and demonstrative audience. "

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News