The Boy With the U.S. Census

the little carving that had been given him by the mountain lad and put it away carefully in his grip. Examining it closely as he did so, the boy was

mmon pocketknife, and was yet as fine and delicate as though carved with a set of costly tools. He made up h

the first meal, when, by chance, they found themselves on opposite sides of one of the small tables in the dining car. The usual courtesies of the table led to conv

in the census?" aske

k in the Bureau. As a matter of fact, I'm just

y, that's exactly what I'm doing.

istant special agent, to

art in that way,

that work on the manufactures will last three or four months

than the manufactures end, and I heard that they're going to put on a few population enumerators from those who have

boy shoo

east not in a city, and I'm going to do the

going to be?"

lder boy replied; "that's my home t

alk from here!" e

go and see my sister down in Florida. She married a fellow who's busy reclaim

ce for it. It would be worth watching, too, just to see how they got at that work. I should think they would find them

t; tackling a fair sized reptile with ba

used to them that you don't mind them. It's very seldom that you ever hear of any one being

us enough, too!"

ied the older boy with a laugh. "When both sides wan

bout the a

aller chaps most of the time. I don't suppose there's really very much dan

answered Hamilton. "I shouldn't think the big ones would

ned down there, it's not so much the bite that the hunters are afraid of as the stroke of the tail. It doesn

do they c

etimes he isn't. That's where the fun comes in. Of course, if you can get the boat right up to where he is, close enough to slip the noose over his jaws, you've got him all right. There's

t out of the boat and wa

just

rticularly good to m

're all right. If you slip up, you want to jump out of the way about as lively as you know how. But he'll never come after you, or mighty s

are they c

into all sorts of alligator leather bags. Most of that stuff is imitation, but still quite a lot of it is real. It's plenty of fun catching the little 'gators, because even the smallest of them can give you quite a nip and a reptile three feet long is a handful. I did well enough out of it, beca

have seen more of him than merely as a traveling companion. But as the other lad was going out to San Francisco, there was no likelihood of their being th

through various other buildings, adding no little inconvenience to the work. Accustomed to the New York structures, towering tens of stories into the air, the two-story red brick building of the census looked small to Hamilton, though comfortable and pleasant to work in. I

d the immense importance of this great fun

him, "that you are desirous of coming to the Census Bureau as on

boy's reply, "that is,

nderstand you received a high rating, and that you have had a good deal to do with figures.

have," answ

f taking this work up?

I like

is chair, put his fingers together in

ou are sure you w

in his decided way. "I loo

d, "but if you 'know,' there's nothing more to be said. I'm going to put yo

Clan-" beg

el

m I goin

give you plenty of work. You'd better start for there t

g that his superior deemed the interview

ew leader. He found Mr. Burns to be a typical statistician, to whom figures had a meaning beyond themselves,

said abruptly. "When wil

. "Right after lunch, sir, if

nt answered, "take it along and you c

ave you to give me,

en to instructions by writing them. You'll find a

go ahead, and if I find anything I don'

ge telephone conversation, two minutes; average value of my time for six minutes, eighteen cents; average cost of 'phone for t

realizing that his new chief had the question of the v

n the filling out of such a census schedule from financial statements of a group of factories. The written instructions, however, were thoroughly characteristic of the man,

ng field in which to work. By far the larger number of people with whom the boy

I can do for you," and when the boy mentioned the principal items of the schedule, the manufacturer spent a good ho

e date 1681 was the tombstone of my direct ancestor. I think you'll find most of the New England stock proud of the United Stat

ew of that old type left. There's not ten per cent of the peop

ntry. It's the cities that influence the progress of the nation. We talk about making these foreigners over into our idea of what Am

ork, where my folks live, the old New Yorkers seem ent

brought about the display of wealth, and to the large number of Southern Europeans are due the colors, the lights, the music, t

Hamilton, "and I'm glad," he added, as he closed his portfolio, "that th

he "town and gown" hostility of some university places, New Haven was inordinately proud of its college. Of course, even in such a town, there was quite a proportion of foreign-born manuf

se remarked to Hamilton when the boy had

ith a laugh, "because I hear a dozen times a day the complaint that no one c

figures the government wanted. Another was in a small Chinese place, where they made little trinkets to sell to tourists in the "Chinatown" districts of the larger cities, representing them to be imported articles of value. Another was with a small place run

lowed to go over it before he left the town. This was the great sporting gun works. Hamilton was passionately fond of sport, and ha

he end of a long day, after he had turned i

sted is larger, showing that the works you went to took more time. Your schedules are better. This takes a little over one-fifth more of my own time than I had figured at first

with the characteristic raising and lowering of

al offices of the company on the outskirts of the town, about a mile from th

with regard to securing the figures for

agent surely?" said the man

r. Burns is the special agent,

have come himself," the man said; "yo

swered steadily: "Yes, sir, I believe I am younger than most of the as

ent has men of that stamp all over the country, the statistic

work began, Mr. Arve

of water without mentally figuring the nutritious percentage in the f

ton l

le that way,

to return to the point. You didn't tel

my saying so, Mr. Arverne-he spoke of it as an opportunity for me, since it was the larges

r eyed the

onfidence in you, he knows what he is talking about. This is a country of young m

waiting. Several minutes passed, while the m

ut difficulty. We keep very complete books. I am not so sure, Mr. Noble," he con

our books differ?" a

-we keep it as an entirely separate department here-turn up instantly the payments for the week in which that date occurs, but in order to separate that one day from the week, reference will have to be made to the

. But in nine cases out of ten, an average for that week is usually struck, figuring in some cases by the days and

it is better to have all the details carried out to the full. Howeve

trouble. The hitch usually comes just at the po

t deal of material, mill-supplies and fuels, but if we include those w

ctive departments?" asked the boy.

of draughtsmen working on new models of rifles and mechanisms and on machinery to enable us to make the new types. We make al

n-productive," co

em so," was

opportunity to explain some of the workings of the Bureau; "it seems to me more satisfactory to cons

our own use!" obj

o use them yourselves, you make them yourselves. If you leave

would

ou'd seem to be paying wages, without getting anything for it. It seems to me that even if you do use the

e business manager, "but that seems a

have to pay the manufacturer his profit. Instead of that you make the profit y

these departments might be called productive, although not directly productive. You

answered, "because I've been doing

gested; "perhaps you can tell me where that i

reply; "it is reported a

this afternoon I will have the schedule ready for you." Then, seei

the works. In quite a number of places I have been shown through the plant, sometimes because I had to get figures from managers of different departments, sometimes because I had a few min

nager shook his

ned by it. And in any case, there are some portions of the works where visitors are never allo

ly I haven't the right to say so. I'm only asking as a favor. At the same time I have seen special reports on selected industr

e members of the Board, Mr. Nebett, is here to-day, and if he

o showed him into a waiting-room. In a few minutes the door opened, and a k

Arverne," he said, "and he tells me

"Yes, sir, I'm very anxious to see part of it at any rate. I can see that it's a h

me about your writing up a special repo

ecial bulletins on selected industries, and that perhaps I might have an opportunity to make use of some informati

can come along with me. I like to go through the works every once in so often, and perhaps I can tell y

uld," bega

reet to the first of a huge group of buildings. Walking through the yard the two came presently to a long structure running al

to leave the building, but Hami

incipally?

te

steel?" pers

fferent

working his eyebrows, as was his habit whe

steel, carbon steel, and soft steel, with a small proportion of other forms. We do that for the very reason you mentioned, that they are used for different kinds of work. Nickel steel we do not use

s stored in bars and rods. Do you buy it that way, or

t a profit except on a large scale, and, anyway, this is too far from

hed to a bundle of steel rods by a wire, "that you say here,

a chemical, and not a scrap of material is used until it is found to be fully up to the specifications. There

"I'll show you what h

bars were cut into certain recognized lengt

own,-once, twice. He turns it over, brings the drop-hammer down again, once, twice, and the piece is shaped. It has rough edges all round, of course, and so he takes it, while it is still glowing red, to a more exact die, and brings the drop-hammer down once, and turns it over, then brings down the hammer again once. Now the shape is almost perfect but for that fringe of metal all rou

ee those glowing lumps of steel come out of the furnace and with the few strokes of the drop-hammer, fall a few seconds later, the shaped part of a rifle. Some of the machines were m

ter they would cool more rapidly than in summer, and those near the door more quickly than those in the inner part of the forging house. That wo

nealing done?"

e is to heat them again all to the same degree of heat, then le

boy, as he stepped into the next buildin

lled in the morning, when they are cold, and there are pyrometers to tell when the right heat

rometer needle swung around and pointed to the degree

hose little

aces sets them when an oven is up to the required heat. Then, you

ll, that is the only part a bullet touches, and it must have to be exact. I've often thought of that, how the t

ure absolute steadiness. As soon as a barrel is taken from the boring machine it is put through a test, to determine whether it is correct in size to the one-half of one-thousandth of an inch in diameter. If it is not as exact as that, it is set a

eavily built, and looking almost like a log cabin of the old type, made of great ti

world is this fo

m into the inner chamber. A long row of gun barrels was the first thing the boy noticed, the barrels all lying in slot

ke the old percussion cap is right by each of those charges of powder

ebett," was

ssed from one part of this little building to the other, that each of these percussion caps w

sed and fastened the heavy door, "and you, young sir, don'

ar, and though Hamilton had been half e

after all," he said

ded, "one of them did burst." He pointed to one of the gun barrels rent at the side. "Once in a while," he continued, "they

tting in an awfully hea

st accident," the other explained. "We do use a very heavy charge because our guns sell all over the world, and in some countries-England, for instance-the test is ex

med to have gone through the wars. From the thick wood huge gashe

ed; and when the formula was given him for each of the d

at stood that test could stand anyt

law they did, the good ones, being nickel steel, would just make a hole in the barrel,-not fly to pieces. But, as a matter of fact, any barrel that has been through that 'proof-room'

nnealed. Thus, for example, in a receiver for a gun stock, one machine worked a bevel edge on it, another bored it to the size of the gun barrel, accurate to the thousandth part of an inch

n in surprise, "that every one of these fifty or

im to a number of

ces for all of them. It must fit into this one, it must not fit into that, which is a thousandth of an inch smaller. If too big, you see it won't fit into either, if

ork," said Hamilton. "But there is

hat?" aske

have been nothing but steel. And all the guns I ever saw had that bluish look, as gun-metal has. For e

annon and big guns generally. But you're right about all guns having a bluish tinge. That is all steel

s intensely hot, but not hot enough to catch fire. The pieces of finished steel were buried in this charcoal, and every few minutes the men in charge would draw

k instead of machine work it is not a bit better in its results than

blued were alternately covered and released from the superheated charcoal, the effect of the

so that the man in charge can put in a number of certain parts of a gun and leave t

ng handled separately, if there is ever so little difference in the metal, the bl

ried Hamilton, who was becoming a little tired from his lon

o at all. A gun has not only got to sh

milton, "can you tell whether a

and his son has just entered the works. He does it this way-here, you try," and he handed a barrel to Hamilton. "Rest the barrel in this crotch," he continued, "and look at the window. You see there is a piece o

s and adjusting the sights until every weapon carries

e could not get the direction, then he caught the line. But the reflection

et that straight," the boy s

ly through the barrel by means of a brass rod. It takes a certain amount of pressure to push the lead slug through the barrel. Such slight variations in diameter of the bore as one-tenth of a thousandth can be readily detected, for if the barrel is smaller at any po

down fine, Mr. Nebett

the barrel experts have had their turn, the

hey?" aske

ints. They have two sets of dummies, such as were used for testing the parts. One must fit, the other not, and so any fau

more

a gun could be made not only to shoot but to sh

" asked the boy,

all the parts have passed. Then he turns it over to the crack shots. They fire half a dozen shots at a target, then look at the target through a telescope. Those men know that they can hit the bull's e

gun has been fired

dred guns a day, and each one

guns,

. Down in this little room," he continued, "a man stands all day shooting down this gallery, forty yards range, and each target is brought back and measured. In a circle with a fifteen-inch radius a boy coun

ns throw as ev

catter' of a barrel will work out. Every barrel, of course, is stamp

idges, too, don't y

turning up the edges, or 'cupping' them, as it is called, drawing them to length, inserting the primer pocket and heading-the filling is done in a building perpetually closed to visitors. We think too much of our visitors," he added with

designing room, and finally returned to the business manager's office, where they found the schedule awaiting him, filled out in a

cope at target which he has fired at with new guns to test

trouble in showing him around, "it has been one of the most interesting afternoons I have had in all my life

r, "if we were making military rifles, but ninety-f

bout your

t said, "The Hague tribunal

olio under his arm, bu

idges do you pu

n a day," w