The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-07-09


Atlantic coast, OF Pennsylvania ash, and white wood
from Ohio. The panelling is OF white WOOD the bodies
OF his coaches OF ash the running gear OF hickory the
hubs of elm, and the spokes and felloes oil oak lie
works up average of 100000 feet OF each suh an.
nualy, which is principally purchased after each piece
.roughed out" TO be worked up in his establishment
eventually When received the timber after first care
full inspection, is placed in the yards admit free
circulation OF air around each piece and then remains
until sufficiently dry TO commence working on it, Ii is
then brought into the saving room, huge apartment in
which various kinds OF machine saws where il is
cut up into the necessary lengths breadhs and thick
nesses 1t is then packed carefully in apartments for the
second seasoning. each piece beng carefully inspected
as il is being laid awsy-lhose in which the has
developed an imperiecon being condemned IL IS kept
in bulk for the second seasoning about two years when
is usually dry enough TO be worked 1t is next trans
erred TO the machine room in the basement of the prn
cipal building, where Daniels planning machines and
mortsng, tenoning, boring, hung, saving machines,
&C., leach worked by two men, work each piece
up into the parts they to occupy in the construction OF
the finished coaches, leaving little margin OF wood
on each TO allow for any possible remains OF
"spring" there may be in the timber, which is
taken of by the mechanics, whose business of put
ting the work together | shall presently describe.
After this working, the pieces or coach parts are
packed in six, story wareroom, % by 80 feet, for
still third drying final testing OF the complete
ness of the previous seasonngs. The ends OF each
piece and the insdes of the hubs painted they
laid away, TO prevent "ar-cracking" OF in
this every piece, being placed in it's appropriate
receptacle, again inspected TO that the working TO
which it has been subjected has developed flaws If
any should be found, the piece is instantly condemned
On the highest foer OF this last mentioned building the
weight OF the prepared timber is usually about hun
ded tons the reader may understand why the esah-
lishment necessarily exhibits in its appearance the
strength OF ancient castle may here mention that
the spring blocks used all OF carefully oiled hickory
and that the spokes principally purchasedn Newark
New Jersey, where they GOT out by Blanchards ma
chine, and dried for year before coming into this
tablshmen TO remain seasoning for about three years
before being put the road in the coach-whee The
hubs all of the elm OF pasture trees, which will rarely
furnish more than four feet OF suitable timber to the
stock. The wood OF trees thus standing isolated is far
tougher than that OF the forest tree, which is not
pleely exposed to air from every direction. After the
spokes driven into the hubs, the wheel is put into
machine which rapidly cuts the "tangs and shoulders
on the spokes The ieoes (prepared 'n the rough" in
the nerlo are put on the shoulder and dressed by
chinery They rest in the seasoning rooms, before
fered to, always two years before being pu, into wheel
In those rooms BY by sees the perfect anatomy
OF the omnibus; for each part OF the wood work is so
arranged there as in minute the foreman take down
every stick required go into the finished coach There
all the parts OF quite hundred omnibuses slowed
away, ready to be thus taken down by the foreman
of the "body shop who, orders received selects
them and responsible that every part delivered to the
workmen under his direction is perfectly sound The
painting OF the ends of the pieces of all description prac
tsed here has been found TO efeclually check ar-sp
ting and thus saves the house the half OF foot in the
length OF the various pieces, which elsewhere is usually
lost through neglect OF this precaution.
But to resume my description. After the wheels are
finished they are kept for months without putting the
tire, TO be certain that the slight shrnkage (hady per-
ceptbe with the naked eye,) common after the final
working, shall have taken place the iron goes on
Thus they obyate the toe failure of such work
sent South. Judge, from their method of seasoning
that any effort to work wood into coaches which shall no,
have been kept seasoning for years be likely TO
prove defective for in all where the sun had ac
to the seasoning pieces they found 10 be split
for Rch or two In such the cracks occurred in
the last seasoning, and compelled their condemnation
do not know another similar establishment in which the
last shrnkage OF the wheel is attended TO; yet by so
doing, Mr.. s. makes his work last an average OF more
than year longer than common without, repairs All
wheewrights know that every time the tire is put on
wheel it becomes more "dished"-thus decreasing its
strength. As before remarked, when coach is ordered
the foreman oil the finishing shops selects and nspects all
the pieces, and then they removed TO the body shops
consisting OF huge room IN the shape OF T. floor
being lis by IS feet, and the other 100 by 30 feet In
putting them together the panels, which very thin,
for they bear no strain) painted the inside and
covered with canvass by means OF glue They are
carved by steamng process The work in this depart
! coaches
the OF being put together much lighter than
those made year ago, though inches OF length
OF allowed for coach passengers instead of IA
inches heretofore The London legal standard was re.
Gently made l6 inches So ahead OF John Bull in The
commodous arrangement OF the omnibus. The present
light model on which this vehicle is here built is the re-
suit OF series OF experiments conducted for years in
which the purpose sought 10 be accomplished was TO dis
pense with weight much ossibe, without impairng
the strength Of the coach in any OF its parts
The smthshop, which is in the basement, is better ar.
ranged than any before II is 200 by IS feet
and contains - FORCES, which blown BY power.
blower-thus enabling them the anthracite coal
To each OF these furnaces a separate class OF work is
assigned The iron used comes from Salisbury Connect
cut from whence the government obtains the gun barrel
material worked up in armories. II is all OF that
quality. | noticed that in making the axles small bars
"faggoted' together TO obtain greater toughness
The steel used here is made at the celebrated iron
works in this State Ii sells in this market at IS
per higher than the best imported In other words
purchasers this market prefer il any tina, is made in
Europe. In this apartment the trip-hammers, ma
chimes for cutting and punching iron. and the machine
for drawing the springs, With this last invention two
men do more work than formerly was accomplished at
any ten fires. II apers, cuts punches, and "sots" the
steel plates, and, in doing. works eccenrcaly. Mr..
Stephenson, who does his engineering deserves
great credit indeed for the perfection to which be has
brought this beautiful piece Of mechanism One OF the
LII II al. fa autKn lraA