The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-11-08

tablishments in the lower part Of town.
Called first at the car shop of the Des Moines
Valley railroad company. We're cicsroned
through them BY the gentlemanly superintsn-
dent, Mr.. r. E. Smith, who is in military BAR
lance master of the situation, and thoroughly
posted in his business. Found twenty-five or
thirty men at work in the car and carpenter
shops. A new freight car, in comPletsd
state, had just been turned out uponthe track
and another one was nearly finished. A new
and elegant passenger car, No. Of the line,
and the fourth of Mr.. Smiths manufacture at
these shops, employs the labors of = part of
his workmen and will be ready to be placed
upon the road by the 20th inst. These cars
are models of mechanical strength and ele-
gance, are finished in complete style and are
much more substantial and durable than any
the company can get from eastern shops.
They are thoroughly home productions, the
product entirely of Keokuk shops, even the
wheels were cast in this city. Mr.. Smith has
made about eighty-three or eighty four freight
cars and viii add some fifty more to this num-
ber during the coming winter. The shop
buildings are already quite extensive but Cd
ditions and Improvements herein are contem-
plated and an extension measuring l00x36
feet is now nearly finished.
Leaving these shops and their gentlemanly
superintendent, We stop a minute at the lum-
Der yard of our friend Scroggs. Found
Scroggs there; also large amount of lum
Der on shore and still in RATS. NoQso much
as there has been, however, for he has re-
ceived and shipped TO various localities, prin-
cipslly up the Valley road, about six hundred
thousand feet. Then We go to the engine
shops ofthe Valley road. Our good-looking and
courteous friend, Morris Sellers, Master Ma.
chinlst and manager of the institution, sallies
forth to give US greeting and do the honors
ofthe establishment. Mr.. Sellers is at the
top of his profession, and we have an im-
presssion is not surpassed by any machinist in
the country. We found the men under his
control, nearly one hundred, busily at work.
He took US through the various departments.
showed innumerable variety of machinery,
wheels and pulles, and planes, and files, and
cylinders, all moved hy.steam, doing an inin-
itude of labor, by multiplicity of involutions
and evolutions, and revolutions, involved and
intricate, which puzzled and obfuscated US.
The process was confusion worse eonfounded
unto 8our perceptions, but the results were
clear. There were trucks and boita, and
screws, and iron. and brass, aud copper
mouldings and the nsinutia of the nAterials
that 60 TO make up a locomotive.j We have
noticed heretofore an engine. the first o.
Iowa manufacture, perfect in its finish and
immensely successful in operation, which Mr.
Sellers placed upon the road few weeks
since.
he has another in process of construction
which viii be completed by January first
The company propose TO rebuild the machine
ahops next season, making them Of brick
throughout. 1t will be a handsome and sub
stantial structure, presenting river front O.
about one thousand feet. and answering ths
demands of the constantly increasing mechan
ical labor of the company. They will be fit
ted UP so as to be able to manufacture en-
gines speedily and well, and who shall say
this may not become an important feature O
Keokuk manufactures Iowa and Western
roads can be supplied with engines, equal to
any of Eastern make, and thus be saved ths
expense of transportation, amounting to from
one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars for
each engine. Twoprohlems, says Mr.. Sellers
we're presented to the company in the manu-
f.. II how 1r
firstly, mechanical, and secondly, fnancia
success. Would the engine work ? If so
would it pay The construction Of eIowa,
(the first enginel WAS an experiment in solu
ton of the problem, and We are glad that i
solved it happily. The new engine botl
worked and paid. The company found tha
the cost made it preferable for them to max
their own engines, and sgperedSed to this wa
the fnrther considerations Of having an engn
made in entire conformity to their wants AM
wishes. They win henceforth manufactur
their engines, instead Of purchasing them il
! the East.
As We leave these chops for exploratio
elsewhere, let us consider for moment thei
relation to the prosperity of our own city
Mr.. Smith informed us that the monthly wage
Of the workmen in his department amounte
= to two thousand or two thousand FIVE hundre
dollars Mr. Sellers showed us the pay roll
Of his workmen there are ninety-fouf
them) for the month Of October Their r.
ceipts were S5.so6.OO. These workmen q
live in Keokuk. Here are from 1000 I
$4,000 paid monty by this company t
maintain resident labor in this city. It
safe to assume that nine tenths of the amour
named is, within week from the day of pay
ment, distributed among the property holder
and retail dealers of the city. Do our read
ers see how manufactures add to the prosper
ity of city
Our trip didn't end here. but we will res
for the nonce, and claim our readers atter
ticn hereafter.
IT is reported on what suthority We can
not say, that BEAuRRGARD and McOLELLA
Al l. - n-l-