Clipping:The manufacture of baseballs
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| Date | Saturday, December 23, 1882 |
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| Text | “Base balls are like human beings—you never know what's in them until you cut them open,” said Al. Reach, the old time second baser, as he placed on of his professional league balls before a circular saw, and after some little trouble halved it. “There! What do you think of that? A great deal of science and hard work is required in the manufacture of balls. For instance, the ball known as 'Reach's professional,' adopted last week by the American and Inter-State associations, is patented. In the center is a round piece of the best Para gum. Then there is the best stocking yarn. This is stretched first by machinery to its utmost tension. Then it is wound by hand so tight that it resembles one solid piece of material. The winding is done by single strands at a time. This makes it more compact. A round of white yarn is now put in, and the whole covered with a rubber plastic cement. When this becomes hard it preserves the spherical shape of the ball, and it prevents the inside of the ball from shifting when the ball is struck. You have seen some balls knocked egg shaped the first blow they are struck. Well, with this cement covering that is impossible. Then comes more yarn, and finally the cover. The covering for all good balls is made from horse hide. Long experience has shown this to be the best. Cow or goat skin will become wrinkled and wear loose. Why, there is as much change in the making of base balls in the last ten years as there is in the game itself. The sewing on of the covers is done by hand, and the thread used is catgut.” No one man makes a ball complete. One person becomes proficient in the first winding, then some one else takes it; another man will fit the cover, but there are very few of the workmen who become proficient in the art of sewing the cover. A dozen men in the course of a day will turn out 25 dozen first-class balls, and as a rule they made good wages. Some manufacturers put carpet list in the balls, but it can easily be detected when the batting begins, because the ball soon loses its shape. Of course, for the cheap balls, such as the boys begin with, not so much care is exercised in the manufacture. They are made in cups, which revolve by fast moving machinery. The insides are made up of scraps of leather and rubber, and then carpet listing is wound around the ball. It takes a man about ten minutes to turn one of these out complete. The professional ball weighs from 5 to 5½ ounces, and is 9¼ inches in circumference. All the other balls used by the professionals and high class amateurs are of the same proportions. It is calculated that about 5,000,000 base balls are made each year, and these are not extravagant figures when it is considered that upon every vacant lot in the large cities and upon every village green in the country there are crowds of men and boys banging away at a ball whenever the weather permits. And yet people say the national game is dying out. Cincinnati Daily Gazette December 23, 1882 Buffalo Club finances The treasurer of the Buffalos has prepared a statement of the earnings and expenses of that team for 1882, and as it is of interest, in that it shows the nature of the income and disbursement of a nine, we give it in full as follows: Receipts Cash on hand November 22, 1881........................... $ 2,678.21 Stock subscriptions.................................................. $ 135.00 Home games (League)............................................. $17,636.66 Foreign games (League)........................................... $ 7,989.20 Exhibition games...................................................... $ 4,756.01 Exhibition game (Metropolitans vs. Buffalo)........... $ 100.00 Ground privileges..................................................... $ 524.05 Uniforms................................................................... $ 242.50 Interest...................................................................... $ 105.00 Total.............................................................. $34,166.63 Disbursements Salaries..................................................................... $14,771.62 Visiting clubs............................................................ $ 5,107.05 Traveling expenses (including umpires)................... $ 4,985.16 Expenses................................................................... $ 940.15 National League dues............................................... $ 100.00 Ground rent.............................................................. $ 1,000.00 Uniforms.................................................................. $ 39 4.23 Employees at games................................................ $ 228.50 Cash on hand........................................................... $ 6,640.52 Total............................................................. $34,166.63 Cincinnati Enquirer December 24, 1882 |
| Source | Cincinnati Daily Gazette |
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| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
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