, 1872-10-21

up when standlng SILL 1ne imPtosen gia4ua'oI
staarn into The cylinders. There are many other
;ynnrovements, that deserve mention, but our
snace viii not permit us to refer to them,
There is no important machine, upon the I'M
best improvements are found in all engines, no
matter where they we're built. This prevents. in
great measure, the engine OF one maker from
acquiring character Of it's own. Said dis
other day, tsRemove the builders plate from an
engine, and, if there were no exterior adorn-
ments, which were familiar to me as peculiar to
any makers engine. I doubt not would be una
bic to tell you where it was built" 10 be sure,
Engineers have their fayorite engines, but not
one in twenty can give you any technical reason
for his preference. The Baldwin engine ,is pre-
ferred by some roads, because all engines, Of q
class, manufactured by these works, are dupli-
Gates, so that an engine is eaaily repaired.
cause there is little caat-iron used in
their construction. Engines are generally built
upon order, and the purchaser generally orders
the engine to be made after his own ideas. But
all roads agree that locomotives Of their own
construction are superior to those made by reg
u1ar builders The reasons assigned are, that
they are more careful in selecting material, and
that, instead of the various parts being manu-
factured by men skilled only to make one piece
Of the engine as is the case in large locomotive
NDIkH, Lu4Y are I1AQ9 Huu uLLbQ ny EAPOAAe4@~~N
machinists skilled to manufacture all parts OF
the engine. And this leads us to the Question,
VIII the various roads ultimately manufacture u.
their own engines7 In this there is much al1-
ference Of opinion. Some roads Say they can
build engines cheaper than they can buy them !:
others say they can not, and the general con-
clusion seems to be that where ROAD s com
PEELED to have large repair shops and employ. q
large number OF experienced nacnn1sts, II can
build its OVID engines cheaper tha9 they can u, po
1,r% 1,%~ko v1rf
regular locomotive works is done mainly
paratively smali. The Pittsburgh & Fort
Wayne Road are building all their OWL engines,
But this they would not do, we're they not com
PEELED to carry on repair shop. All the roads
are constantly building engines, but it is done
mainly to keep employed the men they are COM
PEELED to employ to do the repairs. =
statemenfs Ms tents REP regarding the ron Horae, which
have been CLEANED mainly from practical rail-
road men.
Tho average cost Of the 'tIron Horse is
81, 600. The prices vary OF course, with the
os9 81 ha ana 9s oo TSued sFG st
others valued at S., 600. The prices OF engines
have been increasing, rather than decreasing,
with the improvements that have been added to
them. Perhaps this is the case with all valuable
Horse Is $1,000 900 pounds. This does not dimin-
ish or increase, as he retains, unlike most horses,
the same weight from year to year. The average
life OF an engine is Is years; that ia to say that
the machinery proper vii, BY annual repairs last las
for an Indefinite period The boiler generally
lasts about Il years, while the valve has to be
renewed every year. The " Iron Horse" will
travel, on an average Of 80, 600 miles year, or
750, 900 miles in q lifetime. The iron horse "
costs it's owners for food and care, about 20 cents
per milo run, and for repairs about cents NO
engine on any well regulated road travels longer
than year without being taken apart and given
a general housecleaning, as it were, just as
tailor rips mp an old garment, examines eSely
CT, his legs are removed, his ribs exposed, and
his stomach thoroughly cleansed, his outside
clothing is repoished, his cheeks repainted. and
he is brought out as new and perfect as when
be first rode the track
The manufacture OF locomotive engines in
Chicago, is matter which is possessed Of much
importance. It vas begun by ScoYeu sons,
but, from lack Of capital and experience, they
we're compelled to suspend operations. The
great number Of railroads in,the West makes it an
Imperative necessity that there be large and i'm
portant locomotive works in the West. Chicago,
with her splendid system Of railroads, her con-
convenience to all the raw materials used in the
building Of locomotives, must Jet become great
in the building Of locomotive engines Ptoml-
the past week, that locomotive works must
be established somewhere in the
West, and that no place possesses greater natu-
raj advantages for the successful carrying on OF
the work than cbicago; It is difficult to under-
themselves in this matter AL the raw material
ia at our doors, and there exists not one diff
Guilty in the way OF the establishment OF locomo-
tive works in Chicago which shall rival any
Eastern builders. We trust something may be
done in this matter before another year passes.
The career Of the 81 Iron Horse" in Chicago has
been one of the most remarkable on record.
The time made has never been beaten, and the
money won in the race has made Chicago nota-
bic as the place where the per cent Of profit is
large. When the idea Of bringing the Iron
Horse" to Chicago was first agitated, there were
men who froTned at it, and shook their heads
with all the wisdom Of ignorance. It was said by
them that the railroad would ruin the country
trade OF Chicago. Perhaps it is well for these
gentlemen that their names we're never given,
for they would assured1y have become synonyms
for all things absurd and ridiculous
The first railroad company in Chicago was the
Galena d. Chicago Union Railroad. It was Or
ganized April s, 1s47. The late John B: Turner
first ten miles Of the road had been completed,
aud the first locomotive west Of Lake Michigan
had been put upon the track.
The 81 Iron Horse" began Its race in Chicago
on the morning of the 10th day Of October, 1848,
but little mora than 24 years ago. The engi-
neer, to whom was given the honor of holding
the reins in the Inauguration Of this wonderful
race, was John Ebert, Esq. This gentleman is
still resident Of the city, and ne shall refer to
him again before the close Of this article. The
engine Was aptly termed the " Pioneer" and was
one Of the first built at the chops Of Matthias ".
Baldwin These shops were established in 3ss2 1872
She WAS secondhand engine, aud
vas purchased BY the dslena ;1aso, company n Nag
York. Her cylinder was 11x18. She had two
driving wheels % inches in diameter an1 qs Me'gh g
citizen, although now So years old, is still doing
service as switch engine for the G. d n. ".
Road, into which the Galena road was merged
few years ago. She has been partly rebuilt, but
is still the same quaint aancy 1o9king machine
she was the morning OF the 10th OF October.
184s. when she began the wonderful race Of the
.Iron Horse in Chicago" Would it not be
showing her proper honors for the city to pur-
chase her, and place her on exhibition, as the
lead~horse Of the great train OF 1899 iron horses
which daily run out Of the city,
By the report Of the Superintendent Of the
Galena d Chicago Union Road, made April S,
1849 TIE learn that 'the Company have On hand
one secondhand locomotive, which is in good