Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-03
Are you ready, sir?"
Y-y-yea-yeG, SIR"
"Then 90 ahPaa.n

Then 60 ahead"
The people stood looking on, and quite ready
moves. The big wheels turn slowly, and the
cold and silent engine rolled slowly backward.
For an instant there was laugh. She was
faster, and the laugh died away. AM she's
slowing up. She has stopped. It's q failure.
NO. Tom could be seen turning the reversing
started ahead. Faster and faster on it CANE me-
and rushed past all the people. at 20 miles an
nour. How the people cheered and cheered !!
ahead like good enssneer The ladies' s' WsSea
their haudkerchiefs. and the boys shouted until
they were hoarse. Tom Stayboltt had won the
prize.
The engine ran on about half mile, stopped,
and then came slowly back, and stopped Just
before the presidents pretty daughters. ION
came 70 the window, and took on his hat and
DOW ed politely to the ladies.
"How much pressure have you, Master Engi-
neer ?" said the president.
T-t-tweEty-20 POUNDS, SIR"
Then the school gave three cheers for Tom
and three more for the president, for every one
said IL was far better to do something than to
write the best composition ever seen. OF course
every one wished to know just how 1t was done,
aad to make 1t all clear, the president mounted
pile OF sleepers, and told them the whole story.
You all know that In steam. engine Is boiler
and furnace, or f1re-box. Water Is put In the
boiler. and fire is made In the furnace precisely
as In a tea kettle on stove. The water boils in
the tea kettle, and we see the steam escape. In
escape, and very soon it becomes crowded, and
II still kept locked In, 1t will burst the boiler.
Before this can happen, the engineer opens a
long iron boxes. calied the Cylinders. Here It
meets piece of metal, called the piston, that
ITS the inside OF the cylinder pretty closely. 1t
cannot get past. and 50 IL pushes the piston
as this happens. the valves close OF their own
accord, and the steam escapes into the open air
with loud pun. Then the steam enters the
n q md n fyna h0 ~
ton back again. In this manner the steam
pushes the piston to and fro as 1t tries to escape
from the boiler.
NOW there Is q rod fastened to the piston,
and passing through the end of the cylinder.
Eacn cylinder has one, and these are connected
oy means OF other rods with the great wheels
ton, driven forward and backward. moves the
wheels, and thus 1t Is the escaping steam moves
the engine These rods you can see outside the
ene1ne; the piston and valves are inside, out of
NOV the air is elastic, like steam, and it may
ce used In any engine In place OF steam. II air
ID pumped into tight box like boiler, it may
be locked up or compressed, and II we were TO
go on pumping, we might burst the boiler With
compressed air. Master Stayboltt knew all this.
and he also knew That when an empty engine,
as happened on our ride out here, the wheels
Will turn round, and these move the rods ana the
p1stons and each cylinder works like pump
instead OF letting steam out, 1t pushes air back
ns o9 ~ Is
Master StayDoltt, as soon as the train stopped.
opened the valves. and the air rushed out the
way 1t went In, making the pistons move, and
the wheels turn round. OF course the air soon
ran out, and the engine stopped. This made
no difference to us, for Master Stayboltt clearly
showed that he had learned his lessons well.
and knew how to apply them"
Then the presidents youngest daughter
climbed up into the engine, and gave Tom the
prize watch. The boys took him on their
shoulders In triumph to the presidents car,
called In, and the entire party went gayly home
with the empty engine trailing behind.