Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-09-19
Locomotives and Sand.

following interesting facts regardin
locomotives in general were obtained
The master mechanic doesn't look at a
engine with the eyes of an artist, bU
with the critical gaze of mechanic an
statistician. To him the boiler of lc
comotive is not glittering body G
Russia iron with brass bands around il
In tact, the public never sees locomo
tiye boiler 1t Is a rough, unpOlishe,
mass of steel. Over this is a cImplet
casting of wood, matched like fioorinl
and over all an ornamental sheath o
thin Russia iron with brass bands
called jacket. The casting is to pro
tect the boiler from the cold blasts o
winter, which, blowing Gil the surfac,
of the mass of iron, would tend to chill
it and condense the steam. Indeed, i
is much more difficult, even with th,
casing of wood and iron, to keep uI
steam in an engine on a cold day thar
in warm weather. The boiler of {
standard locomotive, like those built by
the Lake Shore road, for instance, Il
traversed its entire length by IT'S tube:
two inches in diameter leading from the
furnace. These tubes are traversed by
the heat and smoke, and around them
| IN the boiler Is the water. At least il
should be around them, and if it isn't,
the engineer had better climb out for
tall timber and safety. In the engines
on the Bee line these tubes terminate
In the extension fronts. The steam
rushing up through the smoke stack
sucks the smoke and cinders through
the tubes with terrific force. The
smoke sails out over the city to tine In
tense disgust of the smoke inspector
(who, by-the-way has served a notice
on all the railroads in the city that they
must try and abate the nuisance in a
measure), but the greater portion of the
cinders are caught under a slanting
screen in the extension fronts aforemen-
toned. At the end of the trip tn cin-
ders are drawn off through an opening
IN the chamber, and not infrequently
ten bushels or more are taken out.
With ten bushels of cinders flying
around train drawn by all engine that
doesn't catch its own slobberings, what
wonder that a passenger sometimes
gets an eye fulll Some idea of the i'm
portance OF this matter of cinders can
be obtained when it is known that IN a
year about nine carloads of them are
taken from each locomotive at an ex-
pense of from 50 to So a car. They are
mainly used as ballast for the track, al
though the Bee line Is making experi-
ments to ascertain if they contain any
virtue as fuel. In the ordinary loc 0mo-
tives used on the Lake shore line road
the screen Is placed in the dome at the
top of the smoke-stack.
The small boy who draws mis- picture
of locomotive knows that the dome
on the boiler midway between the
smoke stack and tie cab is a sand-box
A tube leads from 1t down In front OF
the drive wheels. When the rapid and
spasmodic putting of an engine indi-
Gates that she Is slipping, the engineer
pulls small lever and fine stream of
sand is deposited on the track. The
small boy aforesaid and the public
doesn't probably realize how much sand
this dome holds and how much trouble
and expense Is occasioned IN keeping 1t
filed. Great care must be exercised III
selecting the sand. 1t must be fine
and contain no clay. The Lake Shore
road gets its sand from along the lake
shore, the best coming from Lake
Michigan near Chicago, and the Bee
line from Lake Erie or from sand
bank ON the line of the /. and st. L..
road. 1t costs the latter line from 80
to 60 cents a cubic yard loaded on the
cars. or about IS a Car. X Is estimated
that at least 400 car loads OF sand are
required to run the Bee line engines a
year. Thus the simple Item of sand
alone occasions that road an expense of
over SO, 200. The sand box on the boiler
of locomotive holds about 10 bushels,
and is replenished at every trip. 1t is
a sad fact that while ample provision is
for sanding the track ahead of the drive
wheels of a locomotive, no sand can be
deposited behind them.
This neglect in the construction of IA
locomotive once caused the absolute
failure of Republican convention In
New Jersey. 1t was to be held at small
town on line of railroad. There was
no turn-table there, and the engine that
pulled the train ran backwards In order
to bring the train back from the conven-
ton pilot ahead in fine shape. AlasI
some Democratic wags had soaped the
track few miles out from the conven-
tion town and the sand from the sand
box did no good for 1t fell
behind the drivers of the reversed ell
gine. The determined Republicans left
the cars, caught the sand In their hats
as it ran from the tube and spr1nkled it
along the rails. 1t was three hours
before the engine was coaxed over the
soaped stretch OF track, and when tine
convention was reached it was learned
that the impatient delelegates from the
opposite direction had gone home The
convention was abandoned.
Another important Item is oil, of
which an engine uses pint to each II
miles of distance travelled. The base OF
this oil is crude petroleum. The Lake
Shore road gives each month a first
prize of SO and second prize of 81 to
the engineers making the best time
with the most economical use of oil as
fuel. Two prizes are also distributed to
the firemen- A pound OF cotton waste
Is allowed each engine on each trip for
the use OF the fireman In wiping the
jacket and shining steel and brass work
III the cab. The machinery proper is
kept clean by men employed at the
round houses and known as hostler5,
The height of fireman's ambition is to
obtain an engine to run and to the dis
grace of the employees be it said, some
tricks are resorted to tog get an
engine away from a man. A man got
an engine to run on the Nickel plate
shortly after 1t was opened. He started
out on his first trip with plenty of oil
In the cups and bearings. When he
stopped he found TO his dismay that the
brasses were cut out. He ran his en-
gine on a side track took the cups in
his hands and went to the master me-
chanic's Office where 1t was found some
wretch had put emery In the oil.
The beginning of hardship is like
the first taste of bitter food-it seems
for moment unbearable; yet, if there
is nothing else to satisfy our hunger,
We take another bite and find it possi-
bic to go on.