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"Oil Room," weighs the amount of oil returned, not having been used, and gives the department credit for it. He then fills and charges, as before described.

The chief benefit of this arrangement is, a great saving of oil. No oil-fillers are in the Mill, hence there is no waste of oil in each room, as there must be under the ten gallon system, with a dripper to each can, and all hands helping themselves freely. The Oilers are also kept in better order by being examined each day by a competent hand; and are not allowed to leak, as under the old system, until discovered by the first or second overseer, from the quantity of oil on the floor. I think that this arrangement would commend itself to every member of the Association as being a great oil saver.

The idea first originated with Mr. Saunders, of Nashua, to distribute the oil in the way mentioned. But the credit of the excellent arrangement of Oil Room at these Mills is due to Wm. A. Burke, Esq., the former Agent, now Treasurer of the Tremont and Suffolk Mills, Lowell.

A. G. CUMNOCK.

Mr. B. SAUNDERS, of Nashua, N. H., said that the system described by Mr. Cumnock originated with him at the Jackson Mills. While they were running 11,000 spindles in these Mills before this system was introduced, the books showed that the consumption of oil was 2,100 gallons a year. After this system came into operation, he believed that they never consumed over 1800 gallons of oil on 21,000 spindles. As to the expense of doing this, he paid a man $1.25 per day to take the entire charge of it. This expense had since been reduced; and when he left the Mills he thought it was done for about 50 cents per day. They had two sets of oil cans, and they were not carried directly away after being filled and wiped, but were retained for inspection, in order to ascertain if there were any among them that leaked.

Mr. DRAPER said that some gentlemen might possibly think he had an axe to grind in connection with this matter, as it was well known that for twelve or fifteen years past he had been supplying oil cans; but aside from that, in regard to the use of oil he would say, that when he first commenced to make the steel-nosed oiler he went to the different mills through the

country, and sometimes found more than three times as much oil used by one concern as another, although similarly situated. It was not uncommon to find nearly or quite three gallons for one used, for about the same number of spindles. His attention has been called to this matter, and he was satisfied that very few persons knew how many leaky oil cans they had. The system of having the cans inspected by some one whose duty it is to see that they are all right when they are filled, is an important matter. An oil can is a pretty important tool; and by having the cans properly filled, the tubes screwed in tight, and reducing the number of places from which the oil is drawn, it will be found that a great saving can be made in the use of it.

A member said that the advantages of Tanks for convenience in measuring the oil when received, and in taking an account of stock, were evident. The quantity of oil on hand could be seen at a glance. In estimating the economy of tanks, however, a good deal of allowance should be made for the additional attention which such an arrangement ensures, from the Agent down, in looking after the oil.

Mr. CUMNOCK said, in illustration of the advantage of having glass tubes in front, to indicate the quantity of oil in the tanks, that at one time he purchased ten barrels of oil, and found that the oil run short of the proper quantity 22 gallons. His tanks were all gauged, so that he could tell to a gallon whether he had the proper quantity of oil; this was a preventive of fraud, and he avoided all risk of being cheated by oil dealers.

A member said, that in regard to being cheated by oil dealers he would state that he ordered six barrels of burning oil, which measured 21 gallons less than it was billed. With reference to the use of sperm oil, he would say that when he was on the Otis Company he purchased some 18 casks. The oil was kept in store at Samuel Leonard & Sons, and sent on as it was wanted. The casks appeared to be in very good order, and there was no sign of leakage except as the result of sweating. When this oil was drawn off, it was discovered that out of these three. casks four hundred dollars' worth of oil had been lost. You roll the casks one side, and you would not suppose one gallon had escaped. Ever since then he had used a tank. He used sperm oil and paraffine, mixed, placed in a vat, which is confined

closely from the air; and for burning purposes, kerosene. The oil is under the charge of one man, who delivers it as the overseers send for it. The only check in the use of the oil is that an account is kept of the quantity used by each overseer, and a comparison made of the quantity used in each room, at the end of the month. The oil has been one-third sperm, and the remainder common paraffine oil.

Mr. SCOTT, in reply to a question as to his experience in the use of oil, said he had been from home for two or three weeks, and had nothing very definite to state. He was running in his spinning room about 700 spindles for a gallon of oil a month. The oil used was that of Messrs. Secomb, Kehew & Thayer; nothing else was used, and most of the goods were bleached. But they were not obliged to throw out, for oil stains, one piece of goods in six months. It was possible that if goods were stained with this oil, and exposed for some time to a strong light, the stains could not be bleached out. There were two or three Companies, whose cloth he bleached, that use this oil, and he had no trouble in bleaching their goods; but previous to their use of it, he had a great deal of trouble from oil stains.

A member said he had adopted a plan for oiling in the weaving room, which has proved to be a very good one. One boy does the oiling of the shafting and of all the looms; and the adoption of this mode had made a great saving in the consumption of oil. By this method the machines are better oiled and better looked after, and the plan has worked so well that he thought he should adopt it through the whole mill. But few weavers have any judgment in oiling. The consumption of oil has been reduced to nearly one-half of what it was when the weavers oiled their looms themselves.

Mr. BENJ. SAUNDERS said he had found it next to impossible to entrust a boy with the performance of such a duty, and have it properly attended to. Under the system he had in operation, they had, as had already been stated, two sets of oilers. These duplicate oilers are marked to correspond with the numbers of the machine; which fact, he thought, was hardly appreciated by the gentlemen present. Nine out of ten oilers that are injured, are injured through carelessness. A girl cannot get oil in a sufficiently great quantity, and she will pound the oiler on the

frame of the machine, to loosen it up. When the man, whose business it is to inspect the oilers, discovers the indentations, he is enabled at once, by observing the number on the oiler, to ascertain where it has been in use; and the person who has used it is compelled to pay for it. The result is, that a girl, after being once detected in abusing an oiler, and compelled to pay for it, takes good care to avoid a repetition of the offence.

Mr. HUSSEY, of Nashua, N. H., said that when he first commenced at the Nashua Company's Mills, he found that they were using about 4000 gallons of oil. The tin-nosed oilers were used, but later the iron tubes were introduced. After seeing what Mr. Saunders had done, his system was adopted; and the result was a saving of about ten per cent. of the amount of oil consumed previously; but it was found to work like most new systems which are put into operation-they always prove the most satisfactory for the first three or four weeks. When he became very busy; and unable to attend to the matter, the quantity of oil consumed increased to nearly the original amount. On motion of Mr. DAVIS, the Association took a recess of fifteen minutes.

The time of the recess having expired, the meeting was called to order by the President.

Mr. SAUNDERS suggested that it might be advisable to have statistical tables prepared in regard to the use of oil in mills, for distribution among the members of the Association.

On motion, it was

Voted, That the Board of Government be requested to issue tables for the purpose of obtaining statistical information in regard to the use of oil in mills.

No more remarks being offered on this topic, the meeting proceeded to the consideration of the subject of the Marking of Webs at the Dresser.

Mr. NOURSE said he thought he had heard something said about the Lowell or Manchester plan for marking Webs. He would like some gentleman to give him an idea as to how the

matter was done.

The PRESIDENT said that in Manchester they had in some of their mills a machine for marking the Webs at the Dresser, which is so arranged that when a given number of yards are

run off, it stops of itself. This machine is attached to the Dresser, so that the girl must give it a turn before she can start the machine. In a mill in which a hundred looms are run, there will not be the difference of a yard in the length of the goods. This machine is also so arranged that it marks the warp in a peculiar manner. It only marks two shades of the warp, and makes a mark which it is impossible for the weaver to imitate. As the mark cannot be duplicated or transferred, it removes a strong incentive to stealing.

Mr. DRAPER remarked that he had seen the plan described by the President, in operation. It was very simple and very economical, and was worthy of attention by manufacturers.

Mr. BLAKE said that he had a plan in operation which marked only one-eighth of the warp. A small trough runs under the lower shade; and through that there is a shaft with a wing to it, that turns up one way and then the other, and the marks are about six inches apart, and the cut is between. The girl is required to cut the thrums and leave them six inches long. Under this system there will be perhaps one piece in twenty, two or three yards short; with the old method, where red chalk was used, the mark would penetrate through two or three thicknesses of the cloth, and the weaver could easily cut off a piece and appropriate it to her own use. Since the adoption of the plan described, a great saving had

been made.

The PRESIDENT observed that in Manchester they carried the method he had described so far that three different mills, manufacturing a similar kind of goods, use a different color for marking; in that way, where thieving has been detected, they could always identify the goods.

In reply to questions from some of the members, he stated that one of the machines used for marking the webs had been rigged so as to make it self-operating; but it was not thought desirable to alter the others. In some cases indigo was used for marking; in others a black mark, and sometimes a red color. The coloring matter was simply mixed with water; it was placed away from the heating and drying apparatus, and conse. quently did not dry up.

Mr. CUMNOCK said that Mr. Burke came to the conclusion that he would weave a whole web on each of the looms, and

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