weeks by men who were used to experimenting, it was found that a
first-class man would do his biggest day's work with a shovel load of
about 21 pounds. For instance, that this man would shovel a larger
tonnage per day with a 21-pound load than with a 24-pound load or than
with an 18-pound load on his shovel. It is, of course, evident that no
shoveler can always take a load of exactly 21 pounds on his shovel, but
nevertheless, although his load may vary 3 or 4 pounds one way or the
other, either below or above the 21 pounds, he will do his biggest day's
work when his average for the day is about 21 pounds.

The writer does not wish it to be understood that this is the whole of
the art or science of shoveling. There are many other elements, which
together go to make up this science. But he wishes to indicate the
important effect which this one piece of scientific knowledge has upon
the work of shoveling.

At the works of the Bethlehem Steel Company, for example, as a result of
this law, instead of allowing each shoveler to select and own his own
shovel, it became necessary to provide some 8 to 10 different kinds of
shovels, etc., each one appropriate to handling a given type of material
not only so as to enable the men to handle an average load of 21 pounds,
but also to adapt the shovel to several other requirements which become
perfectly evident when this work is studied as a science. A large shovel
tool room was built, in which were stored not only shovels but carefully
designed and standardized labor implements of all kinds, such as picks,
crowbars, etc. This made it possible to issue to each workman a shovel
which would hold a load of 21 pounds of whatever class of material they
were to handle: a small shovel for ore, say, or a large one for ashes.
Iron ore is one of the heavy materials which are handled in a works of
this kind, and rice coal, owing to the fact that it is so slippery on