The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-22
Sparks From the Smokestaek.


The cannon ball was fifteen minutes
late today.
Passenger Agent Cook, of the c., r.
I. &c p, is in Chicago on business. and
Assistant Paul Hamilton now has his
hands full
There were three extra coaches on the
Peoria train this morning to take people
along the line to sec Logan in Peoria.
No. 3, the Council Bluffs passenger
train, westbound, was two hours late this
morning 1t collided with the rear end
of freight train about eighty miles from
Chicago last night. and smashed up three
cars. No one was killed so far us could be
learned.
A railroad man was talking today
about the accident which bcfel the mn
fortunate John D. Stringer, in the Rock
Island & Peoria yard last Sunday night
He said: These blocks for frogs are new
things, and as far as l am able to learn
they are proving highly satisfactory. !
suppose the Rock Island & Peoria com
pany will put them in as soon as they can
get them" To casual observer rail-
road frog docs not look dangerous. but
those who saw how Mr.. Stringer's foot
was caught concluded that the frog is a
veritable man trap. 1t is next to impoS-
sible for man to extrcate his foot with
out removing it from the boot or shoe,
when once it is caught in a railroad frog.
Mr.. S:ringcr's foot was torn from his shoe
and the shoe was ripped the full length,
but it remained firmly imbedded between
the rails in the frog.
For some time there has been smokes
less locomotive in use on the c. B. & Q.
road between Bcardstown and st. Lous.
1t made one trip TO this city and was such
a queer looking thing that some people
thought there had been a collision
on the road somewhere, and the locomo>
tive had lost the greater part of its smoke
stack Tie locomotive was mentioned in
the ARGUS at the time it was here
Next Sunday one of these engines is to
be placed on the Chicago and Davenport
division of the c., R. |. & p. road. The
locomotive is known as the Coventry, and
is named after the inventor. Charles 3.
| Coventry. The chief merit claimed for
this locomotive is that it consumes It's own
smoke, and the disagrcCable dense black
smoke which is so frequently seen issuing
| from locomotives, is obviattd? The new
locomotive Is constructed on an entirely
different system from others Ii Is not
supplied with any smoke consuming APP
planes or wire screens IN the smoke
stack The boiler is traverscd twice with
the heat, thereby securing better combns>
ton, consuming the finer particles of fuel
and the gases. By retaimins the heat
longer, it is given a chance to radiate and
throw off into the mass of steam and Wa
ter, BY this II steady, even draft is Sc
cured, and the waste Of fuel is reduced to
a minimum. The new locomotive pre-
sents an entirely differentappearance from
those now in use. Instead of having q
large conical shaped smoke stack in front
it has a straight smoke stack, similar tc
those in use on locomotives in England
and Europe, in the rear just in front OF
the cab. The boiler has two sets Of flues,
small ones in the lower part and larger
ones in the upper part. The heat runs
twelve feet through the lower flues anG
then returns by the larger fiues to the rear
where the smoke stack is placed Thus
the heat travels twenty four feet before
reaching the smoke stack. instead OF
twelve feet, as is the case in ordinary
boilers. The heavy cinders and dust no
being able TO rise from the lower small
tiues into the upper large ones, fall into ,
smoke arch in front and can be emptieC
Oh the ground at any time. There is an
other smoke arch to catch the lighter par
ticles of dust and ashes at the end of The
larger flues in the rear end OF the boiler
Thus nothing but light white smok,
passes through the smoke stack in the rea
and no cinders. sparks, or fire are thrown
ont.