The three gentlemen who were expected appeared at dinner, and the students regarded them with interest. In the afternoon they visited the shops and inspected the tools and machinery. The first class were now at work as carpenters, and the second as machinists.
"As soon as we have decided on the plans, all the students will be carpenters for a time," said Captain Gildrock, who explained his plans with considerable enthusiasm to the visitors. "I intend that the students shall do almost all the work of building the new boat-house, though I shall have laborers enough to do the lifting and digging."
"You have excellent tools and machinery in every department," suggested Mr. Plint, the architect.
"Good tools do a great deal towards making good workmen," replied the principal. "Every student has been instructed how to keep his tools in good order. Of course there is a difference in them so far as skill is concerned, but everyone can grind a chisel or plane-iron."
"One of the boys invented a piece of apparatus by which any desired bevel can be given to a tool at the grindstone," interposed Mr. Jepson, as he exhibited the machine to the visitors.
It was simply an iron plate, taken from a useless invention, and set at the edge of the stone. It could be adjusted at any angle for a long or a short bevel. Some of the work done with it was shown, and the guests said it was as true as could be done by the manufacturers. On a bench near the grindstone, which was turned by steam, were oil-stones of two kinds, one rather coarse and the other fine. Lew Shoreham was putting a chisel in order at one of them.
"That is the inventor of the grinding apparatus," said Mr. Jepson.
Shoreham was a lion for the time, and the visitors were introduced to him. He was highly commended for his inventive power. When he had finished whetting the chisel, Mr. Plint examined it, and declared that it was sharp enough to shave with.
Thus far about all the work done by the students had been in fitting up the shops, though each one had made a dressing-case for his room. In the middle and at each end of the carpenters' shop was a case containing forty-nine small drawers, which had been made by Corny Minkfield, Steve Baxter and Ned Bellows, who were reckoned the best workmen in the second class. They were natural mechanics, though they were rather low in scholarship.