Indiana's Magic City, news of local factories, Hemingray running two tanks and the pot furnace, lists employees

INDIANA'S MAGIC CITY

Breezy Trade Report and Personals From

Muncie's Glasss Factories.

By Charles C. Mayer.

Four of the six large continuous tanks of Ball Bros. Mfg. Co., of Muncie, Ind., are equipped with 44 machines, employing 88 shops, making fruit jars exclusively. The liners are made on 22 machines with 44 shops in factory No. 1, and another 12-machine tank is turning out practically everything in the wide mouth flint ware line. Fred E. Jewett, who superintends factory No. 1, stated that 156 shops were at work on machince-made ware continually, and that every part of the great industry is running full capacity. Not the slightest hitch has occurred since the beginning of the fire, which was about Sept 15.

Producer gas is used in the four large fruit jar tanks, while the natural gas is still applied on the flint and white liner tanks, although the latter is about to be heated with producers, which are already installed and ready for use. Immediately upon entering this colossal concern the latest improvements and most modern factory equipment arrest the observer's attention. The batch is mixed by machinery of 250,000 pounds capacity, which volume was recently mixed in nine and one-half hours. The batch is conveyed large bins stationed at the rear of each tank by means of machines and a broad belt. Eight men are kept busy feeding the mechanical mixer.

In the white liner department, aside from the gatherer, there is machinery from beginning to end. The machine does the work and the automatic carry-in device deposits the product exactly where it belongs in the lehrs. No time is lost, owing to the absence of boys. Improvement and originality is the watchword in this phenomenal institution, and the untiring efforts of the company and their up-to-date methods, which are seconded by capable managers and a large corps of assistants, are fully appreciated by the army of men employed here.

D. H. Scott superintends factory No. 2, where producers are installed which furnish fuel for everything in this plant. One hundred thousand gross of jars is the estimated weekly output on the four jar tanks. The output is said to be heavier than ever before.

The Hemingray Glass Co. are running two tanks, turning out insulators chiefly, and a 14-pot furnace making a variety of flint ware. Natural gas is used in the pot furnace, lehrs and ovens, while producers make the fuel for both of the tanks. Manager J. C. Gray stated that shipments are light at present and that the biggest part of their ware is being piled up in the warehouse. It is the intention of the company, however, to continue to operate the pot furnace as well as the tank to the end of the season unless it becomes necessary to rebuild the former ere that time. In addition to the factory proper they have a roomy and well-lighted machine and mold shop, where Chas. Arduser has charge.

The Charles Boldt Glass Co. are successors to the Muncie Glass Co., and manufature amber ware, flint bottles for the drug, liquor and condiment trades. A continuons tank of nine rings is in full operation here under the able management of Thos. Holden, who has been with the company since they broke ground 15 years ago. He states that the Muncie concern has never been in better shape and looks forward to an unexcelled season's run. In questioning several of the men the answer was unanimous to the effect that they are doing well. Swindell's patent water seal gas   producers are satisfactorily supplying the tanks and lehrs with gas, while Mr. Holden has a successful method of using oil in the gloryholes. Some of the men said that their oil experiment is better than any place in the country. The insufficient coal supply of last season has caused the management to lay in a mountain of Virginia coal, so that it can be safely said that this concern is fully prepared to meet any emergency that mayv arise in this respect. The Boldt Glass Co. is operating another factory of greater magnitude at Cincinnati, O.

A. splendid set of men are on the bench at the above mentioned works, among whom are Wm. Shively, of Marion, Ind.; Geo. B. Pfeiffer, C. C. Canning, N. B. Elders, B. S. Anderson, who used to work at St. Louis; John J. Allen, the sturdy Dick Burke, Dan Bender, R. Mayhorn, recently from Wallaceburg Can.; W. O. Verner, P. Kilgallon, Wm. Mullery, John McGrath, Clyde Vickery and others. Frank Gibson has made his abode in Muneie in prefernce to Daleville, and is evidently satisfied with the change.

The Magic City Fishing Club, of Muncie, is composed of workers at Ball Bros, plant and the Hemingray. Harry Neurman, Thomas Grundy, PeteBurg, Chas. McCarty and Bert Bechtol are a committee appointed which will spare no expense to make the proposed banquet on New Year's Day a success in every particular. The event will be an elaborate one and will take place at the club rooms, which are located in Industry. Roast pig will be one of the main dishes and numerous delicacies will be served on the occasion to the members of the club and their friends, all of whom are most cordially invited to participate.

Thos Dignan is president of the organization; Chas. McCarty, vice president; Pat Lahey, secretary; Cotton Sullivan, treasurer. The camp life of the club will be of a high order next summer, as they are making arrangments that bespeak praise and admiration, having already planned the illumination of the camping ground with their own electric light plant.

Some of the workers who are making insulators at the Hemingray factory are T. J. Conway, formerly of Martins Ferry, O.; Jos. Elliot, W. Finan, John J. Fitzgibbons, C. A. Carmiehel, Earl Brown, Jas. Burk, Jac. Gillenwater, H. Neurman, Ed Hice, Wm. Lebay, Roy Wood, John Walter and others. J. C. Bartling has been with the company seven years as timekeeper and looks after the payroll. Harry McDonnel [sic] McDonald is night overseer of the works.

Richard Burns is a retired white liner who is now the proprietor of the National Hotel on South Blaine street, Muncie. Mr. Burns' personality and affableness will surely land him at the top, as he is doing a good business and enjoys the patronage of his many friends. "Richey" is one of the most genial men in the business and deserves success.

Another interesting institution among Muncie glass workers is the gun club, composed of crack shots who have been preparing in their quarters for the last two years. Their headquarters is within four squares of Ball Bros. factories, and the boys have no doubt that the social feature of their club is not excelled by any in the country. Clay pigeons are knocked 23 out of 25, as fast as they are sprung from the trap. W. H. McFadden is captain of the club, Mrs. McFadden is also a member, as are Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Thornburg, Mitchell Menard, Wm. Franks, John Norton, Chas. Dupke, Rass Clark, P. P. Wade, Wm. Strang, Dan Darst, W. Getz, Jas. Malloy, L.C. DeWitt, John Parr and a few others. Richard Yohlton, Chas. Parker and Harry Macauley are reported to be in search of matrimonial bliss and Christmas is the time set when they will cease to be counted among the merry bachelors. The friends of Will Wolf have been congratulating him on the arrival of a son a few weeks ago.

A. L. Bingham, inventor of Ball Bros. machines, the automatic cut-off and a liner rolling device, is superintending the stamping department of that company. M. L. Hageman is one of the genial personages of the office force. MArtin Joyce, member of the executive board, was called out of the city for a few days recently on business pertaining to the organization.

Following are some of the gatherers and pressers at Ball Bros.: Lon Tharp, Jos. R. McClain, Fred Rauch, W. L. Fisher, Thomas O'Brien, Homer Crandall, A. H. Carmin, Louis Koegler, M. L. Heath, S. W. Manning, lately of Dunkirk; Thos. Fanning, Cliff Stephenson, Harry Phillips, Chas. Parker, H. Fisher, H. Ruettger, Cyril and Mich. Menard, Wm. Getz, L. Norton, Wm. Yoohler, O. Mitchell, Wm. Franks, Roy Cary. Mich. Kerrigan, H. Morgan, John Sheckay, Peter Wintish, Andrew Joyce. O. W Gundlach, John Mocklar, Joe Hardesty, Fred Davis, John Carrigg, Geo. Cahill, Isaac Gibson, Dan Donnelly, Thos. Dignan, M. J. Clark and four brothers, Thos. Robinson, Gray Orville and a host of others who will be referred to later.

A well known window worker who is going to work at Summittville, Ind., stated that there are plenty of men applying to go to work for the scale, less 25 per cent or some similar proposition, but investigation proved that the number is not nearly as numerous as reported. Others who claim to know all about it, say that the Brickner, at Sweetser has gone to work for market money and balance to be paid after the manner of the proposed manufacturers' organization "if" it materializes, but this report has not yet been verified.