A job for Eppy, worker spider: The technological

Oct. 10, 1967 - A job for Eppy, worker spider: The technological revolution may have arrived or it may still be just around the corner but a spider called Epeira Diademata is holding its own in the workshops of British industry. Yesterday a factory team went out on their annual hunt for specimens of Epeira Diademata, known in the business as Eppys - for their spider work force. Vickers Ltd. the York precision making firm, use the threads which Eppys spin for sight markings in instruments such as theodolites. Photographic printing and vacuum deposition of metals on glass have taken over from spider's web in new instruments but the Eppy is far from redundant, it's thread o.0003 in. thick is still needed for repairing older equipment. Mr. George Key, 59 year old foreman of the Vickers survey instrument shop, introduced two apprentices to the art of Eppy hunting on Strensall Common, near York. Unfortunately, female Eppys, the unpaid, non-union labour which produces just the web needed were not looking for employment. So Mr. Key took a work Eppy from a small box and showed the apprentices the way to capture it. Back at Vickers he set the Eppy to work and demonstrated the art of catching its thread on a two pronged varnished fork. Mr. Key said: It was disappointing not to find even one spider today. There are still many instruments that use its thread. Photo shows David Douthwaite, a 19 year old apprentice instrument maker, spider hunting yesterday

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Apprentice Apprentices Catching Demonstrated Deposition Disappointing Firm Foreman Fork Introduced Markings Metals Needed Precision Produces Pronged Redundant Repairing Showed Specimens Spider Spin Survey Technological Thick Thread Threads Unfortunately Unpaid Vacuum Varnished Workshops

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