Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-16
the engine, and Jerry Smiths Mogul, I'll

sensation, and everyone turned In wonder
to look at him. Some of the ladies wanted
to know what the boy meant by "Jerry
Smiths Mogul," and the gentleman with
them explained that it was heavy freight
engine of the "Mogul" pattern run by
Mr. j. Smith.
The President called Tom up to the plat
form, and for a moment or two there was
a whispered conversation between Tom,
the head master of the school, and the
President. Everyone looked on with the
greatest interest, and wondered what
would happen next.
Tom seems to have convinced the two
gentlemen that he knew exactly what he
was talking about, for the President smiled
and shook Tom by the hand, and then
stood up and said to all the people:
"When heard Master Stayboltt say
yesterday afternoon he could run the en-
CINE, resolved to give him chance.
therefore ordered a train to be got ready,
and I now invite the school and all then
friends to 60 TO the station. We will take
the engine out On the line, and Master
Stayboltt shall try for the prize by running
the engine a mile without wood or water.
The engine has never been used, except on
its trial trip, and there is not a quart OF
water in the boiler or tank, nor pound OF
coal or so much as match, on the tender.
The proposal was received with the
greatest enthusiasm, and the entire COM
pany, ladies and gentlemen, teachers,
boys and all marched down to the station
and took train of cars they found all
ready for them. A heavy Mogul" en-
CINE backed up and took the train over to
the repair-shop yards where the new en-
CINE stood. Several of the Directors got
out and examined the engine, and declared
there was no fuel in the tender nor drop
of water in the boiler. The train was
backed up to the front of the engine, and
it was coupled on. Every one got on board
and the train hauled out of the yard, and
took the main line, with the empty engine
trailing behind. As for Master Stayboltt,
they put him on the engine and made him
ride there all alone.
Tom didn't care /; in fact, this was Just
what he wanted The train ran at speed
for about ten miles into the country. Then
it stopped, and everybody hurried out to
see the performance-or the failure. The
road just here was perfectly level, and
there was switch and siding. The train
was uncoupled from the engine, and run
into the siding, out of the way, and flag
men were sent up and down the line to
stop all trains that might interfere with
the show. The people gathered around
the cold and silent engine, standing in
crowd on the grass by the line. Tom still
sat IN the engine, ard when everything
was ready the President said that Master
Stayboltt might now try for the prize.
The idea of that boy making an engine
go mile It was very silly in him, and no
doubt he would now be properly punished
for his vain boasting.
" Are you ready, sir @
Y-y-yes-yes, sir.
Then go ahead,
The people stood looking on, and quite
ready to laugh at the poor boys failure.
All, she moves
The big wheels turn slowly, and the cold
and silent engine rolled slowly backward.
For an instant there was laugh. She
was going the wrong way. She moved
faster and faster, and the laugh died away.
All she's slowing up. She has stopped.
It's failure No. Tom could be seen
turning the reversing bar. The engine
gave one loud whistle, and started ahead.
Faster and faster On it came, and
rushed past the people at twenty miles an
hour. How the people cheered 1t was
wonderful. Tom was looking straight
ahead, like good engineer. The ladies'
waved their handkerchiefs and the boys
shouted until they were hoarse. Tom
Stayboltt had won the prize.
The engine ran on about half mile, and
then came slowly back, and stopped Just
before the Presidents pretty daughters.
Tom came to the window, and took off his
hat and bowed politely to the ladies.
" How much pressure have you, Master
Engineer % said the President.
T-t-twenty twenty pounds, sir"
Then the school gave three cheers for
Tom, and three more for the President, for
everyone said it was far better to do some
thing than to write the best composition
ever seen. OF course every one wished to
know just how it was done, and to make
it all clear the President mounted pile of
sleepers and told them the whole story
&c You all know that in steam engine
is a boiler and furnace, or fire box. Water
is put in the boiler and fire is made in
the furnace, precisely as in tea-kettle on
a stove. The water boils in the tea kettle,
and we see the steam escape. In the en-
CINE the steam is locked in and cannot es-
cape, and very soon it becomes crowded,
and if still kept locked in it will burst the
boiler. Before this can happen the engi-
neer opens valve and permits the steam
to enter two oblong iron boxes, called the
cylinders. Here it meets piece of metal,
called the piston, that fits the inside of the
cylinder pretty closely. 1t cannot get past,
and so it pushes the piston away to the
other end of the cylinder. As soon as this
happens the valves close of their own ac-
cord, and the steam escapes into the open
air with puff. Then the steam enters the
other end of the cylinder, and drives the
piston back again. In this manner the
steam pushes the piston to and fro as
1t tries to escape from the boiler. Now
there is rod fastened to the piston, and
passing through the end of the cylinder.
Each cylinder has one, and these are con-
nected by means of other rods with the
great wheels of the locomotive. You now
see that the piston, driven forward and
backward, moves the wheels, and thus it
is the escaping steam moves the engine.
the piston and the valves are inside, out of
sight. Now the air is elastic, like steam,
and it may be used in any engine in place
of steam. If air is pumped into tight
box like boiler, it may be locked up,
or compressed, and if it 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 is dragged along
the rails by another engine, as happened
on our ride out here, the wheels will
turn round, and these move the rods
and the pistons, and each cylinder works
like pump. Instead of letting steam out,
1t pushes air back into the boiler, and very
soon the boiler is full of elastic compressed
air struggling to get out. Master Stay
boltt, as soon as the train stopped, opened
the valves, and the air rushed ont the way
it 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 Stay
boltt clearly showed that he had learned
his lessons well, and knew how to apply