Opr #316
St. Louis Mo
Wednesday May 21-1919
Special Work
Arrived at the plant at 7-15, punched my time card, 
changed into my working clothes, and hung around with the pressmen on 
the second floor until the power started, while there the whole talk was 
about Alexander having been fired.  The pressmen seemed to think 
that he done too much hanging around and joking with the feeders 
and had too much to say about the strike and was one of the main fellows 
that helped to get them in [...] get the charter, Smith said that 
Alexander told him that as long as Fisher had the job of foreman, he was 
not afraid of losing his job.  
The power started and I started for the Machine shop as I had some 
parts of a Printing Press up there and wanted to get the machine running 
as soon as possible.  
Noticed that the men in the stereotype room were standing 
around talking.  I said good morning stockholders and I left for the 
fourth floor as I saw Mr. Cook headed for this room. 
During the morning, the sewing machine repairman came over to me 
and said that he was completely disgusted with the job, as nothing was going 
right and he needed a lot of parts and tools to do the work the way it 
should be done, and he was going to tell Mr. Cook to put an ad in 
the newspaper for another man and he would stay until he got 
somebody, I then told him to see Mr. Cook at once regarding the tools and parts 
needed, and he would see that they were procured at 
once, the last few mornings this man has been getting down at 7-10 
and oiling every machine before the power started.  I believe that this is 
George Koagis job, but he don't do it, and the results are worn out 
parts and more work for the repair man, why not insist that 
George do this work and relieve the repair man of doing it, and see 
that the repairman is furnished with the necessary tools to do 

OPR 316 May 21-1919
His ([side margin:] Krooge is supposed to clean and oil every machine twice a day - 2 had this up when there and wrote about it twice.) work properly, and in this way assist him, and he will then be 
able to get caught up with his work and feel more satisfied.  
At 11-15 AM I noticed the typesetter drying his face and hands, I 
walked into his room and he said how I am ready for lunch, I said 
you really have One and One quarter ([side margin:] I have asked a dozen times that they get a time ticket showing how many forms this man gets up a day.  They do not follow his work there.) hours for dinner, that's some system 
you have, again about 4-35 this same man was standing in his room 
brushing his hair and clothes and remarked I am ready to go home.  
About 2 o'clock, the power on the second floor North Building stopped 
suddenly, the reason being that the belt broke and about 40 feet 
of shafting and hangers were thrown to the floor, hangers and 
pulleys having broken in pieces, and the motor belt wrapped around 
the motor pulley.  I learned that nobody was hurt.  If you will refer to 
my reports [...] the first few weeks in the plant I stated that 
I had tightened up a number of bolts in the hanger but had not 
entirely gone over all of them as I had not had the time, if this 
would have been done, the accident would not of happened.
Mr. Cunheim asked me what could be done, and I gave him new orders 
for new hangers, shafting, and pulleys. The old shafting being badly 
bent from the fall it could not be used.  I've [...] two helpers 
and myself started as soon as the material which was about 6 PM and had considerable difficulty in the start as we had to take 
down the [...] supports and Drill them account of the holes in the 
hangers not corresponding to the holes in the supports.  
I assumed Mr. Cunheim and Mr. Cook that everything would be 
ready to start work at 7-30 on Thursday morning therefore figured on 
working until the job was finished.  
Reason for delay being Joe gumels puts in most of his time 
having to had to splice the motor belt in two places and not knowing 
much about putting up line shafts, I had to direct the whole thing

Opr #316 May 21-1919.
Myself and do the lining up, as he did not understand it.  
The shafting being all 2 inch shafting, Mr. Cunheim had very 
much difficulty in locating a firm that had it in stock as they 
claimed it was not standard size, it was necessary to put Key ways in 
both [...] of each shaft and also the coupling boxes, these boxes could 
not be got from any firm bored 2 inch, and it was necessary to get 
1-15/16 and have them bored out, here we were up against it again 
as the boxes did not fit the shafting and did not look as though they 
were bored at all.  Joe Gumels wanted to give up the job when we 
learned that the boxes would not fit, but I made up my mind that 
I was going to have everything ready for 7-30 Thursday and worked 
out a sceme of using the boxes temporary until Saturday at which 
time we could have others or take there dorm and have them bored 
out right.  
About 5 AM Thursday morning I found that the helpers could 
not be used anymore and I told Joe Gumels to let them go home 
as I could do the rest of the work alone, which I did.  
At midnight we had two sandwiches a piece and I ate mine while 
planning how to use the coupling boxes, Gumels and the two helpers 
sat back in the Burlap Pressroom telling stories while I was working 
I went back to them and said come on fellows, I want to get done 
tell your stories after we get the machinery going.
Joe Gumels took too much out of the motor belt and the results 
were that we had to loosen up the motor and slide it forward as far 
as possible and then only with the aid of ropes and clamps was 
I able to get the belt on, when he seen the way I got it on the 
pulley he said, I surely did learn a lot while working with you steady all night.

Opr #316. May 22-1919.
Mr. Cook appeared at 7 AM and asked me how I was getting along, and 
if we could start at 7-30 I told him everything would be ready 
at that time at 7-35 I started the motor and everything seemed 
to be alright I worked over all the boxes after the power had run 
for about half hour to see that none of them were running hot 
found them alright.  
I then worked up which was about 8 AM changed my 
clothes left the shop very tired and sleepy having worked since 
7-30 Wednesday morning until 8 o'clock Thursday morning without 
any sleep and very little to eat at midnight, returned to my room 
went to bed, and wrote my report Thursday evening about 5PM 
and discontinued
This report covers 24 hours of work at the shop.
Yours truly,
Opr #316  
([side margin:] It seems very commendable that this man 
and Gumels stuck to this job all night.)