The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-02
LITTLE ENGINES.
MIDGET LOCOMOTIVES ON Pt ANA
TONS IN TIE SOUTH.
Miniature steam Tugs That Do Males
WORT in the Coal 9Iines-Layins u
wood Railroad Very little
Grading Done.


iNcw York SUM-
"Is dos i3i5 a bit" sajI man a47 was
riding in cros5-town bobtau CIR vaea
tho car bumped and swayeI over thu
track O. an avenue road; "bus IL yoI want
- hlYs soma ful IN this line that exceeds
the port Of riding Oh log wagon over "a
c0rlUct. road. you should get job :ls est
giuasr o. plantation locomotive.
"i'he.a uaI / letter apply!' We asked
"l}sws uu some Of the southern p,an-a-.
.ioas fos tlas genuine article. but yoa can
Ga3 roGHtcrrarts in Penn yIyauia saaG
Michigan auI EortHwo tern Oai3 You
trt nge any Ell beyond that require -
aaag GA wien sas wo1JIes. suppuas that
very ieU p55ple havo any idea Of tie mum
af " staail locomotives in use in This co;:a-
~ taay are driving tho mu!e cut Of ugsi.
s entirely. Iae Ie2ular plantation iocJ
motive IS Is midget besides IA elevated rail.
way motor. Iau5 tb3 elevated motors
Weigh from eighteen to twenty tons, while
th3 ul5get weighs three, and it IS used on
sasi, that weigh aweIva pounds to the yasJ.
Tue cylinder ara only ten Inches long, uad
tao diameter is a tri1e greater than tia
breadGl III my hand
OVER WOgDEN RAILS
Very requantIy these locomotive, arc
run over wooden rails There is a four.
mile road at Sunmeryjlle, S, C., that ,lsa5
tlmbars four Inches square instead Of iron.
beopts general} anpp3 C that tue old-fash-
Toned iron strap ta!l OBJ a triaser wen, ous
Of fashion years ago. hut q lumber road
near Savannah, sight and oaa-haf mIs5
long, uas tsat same old strap, ana il Is
faol=Fn road too.
"ln laying wood railroad the tics are
noJca3i So Goat TIE rail sets down about two
inches iIJo tho tie The inner side q the
- fIsa a.Es-
lanis away so thab the Notch is wider at
tAo bottom than at tho top Then when the
rail- Is Iaii wedges ara driven in beside is
and uadsr the edge OF the notch, thus keep.
llg ,ha rails from tpvaing over or sprsal-
iJg Sugar maple with tho heart up makes
tha hest rails. S3metiru3g Jwo-inch strip
Of maple are laid on sofa wood stringcrs.
Ehssa roads are used lor getting out lumber
and logs chiegH Very it'll, grading IS
done Cribs OF logs are laid w instead o.
trese'as, and tie ordinary irregularities Of
common level land are overcome by block
lHs MS she ends Of ties with all sorts of logs
-u tuIaps
CROSSING ON sTBNPs.
Il s05" OF oHa road that runs across
a1w lit OF groulb on taa stamp OF trees
hat were aw9d of at the right height
Zoe GROUND under these roads Becomes soft
mud wser j. railz, and tho way ,ha little
locomotives snake a train Of log through
fla clearing with tao mud sla5hiax over o7r
alyaaiaE within ten 10 Ia OF the tracs ] a
caution On tho ga5t1oarl II sua5 ma
chine wHera you can se2 j3itil-.
a. fast as tae available timber is cs5 Oh
ore tract OF lani the road is slifaa3 10 &
gsw one, The engine on the road III SUM
aarviIa runs from t5I 90 twelve ti1,5 avsT
is f5ur-niia raj every any, burns cue and
ana-A8l- C0rli at wool il doing it, and
aaa.a aa u aJJ feet Of logs Of from fcty.
two - SKY ton. 1t took tno Iaaca- Of
lwa,t5 HpI35. and is said 70 pay for Itself
every year Some of the little engines burn
less iusi tl2a taA1. There Is a road thre8
AM oas-hsII milo long at Pensacola Fla,
oI w ich The engine burns only one-thirI Of
u corr oc W soi Ia It's daily service OF thirty
mic TheTe are no carvs3 on this road.
"Easse little en- sj12i aT5 not confined to
WOO for fuel As lumbormen, they burn
wood because the wood costs little or moth
Ing. As genuine plantation engines used
tnr TRANSPORTING cotton or sugar or sup
plies across the country they frequently
burn refuse dry-prassel sugar cane.
IN THE COAL. MINES.
"Ia a different form, but with the same
ttmuutiva cylinders, they are used in coal
G1lae7 FOR hauling cars, and burn either soft
uE hard coal or coke. In their sEIall9 st
,
Fu' use in mines they are sometimes only
sous and q half feet high and five feet wide.
IS lsW bushels OF coal and q few pals OF
water keep them running all day. Oao OF
cleso Dli8s in a coal mine at BrouS3al},
0aia, pulls twenty ears, Weighing nearly
.lree quarters Of ton each. up grade
$50 Yards long, that rises at the rate Of
- Zee, 10 the mile. And yet amy good ath-
tstic scAOol boy could jump over tho engine
yitao ut drawing a second breath. Curl
vzly enough thesa Iittlo locomotives, that
completely I'LL the tunnels through which
tasy ruH, serve as ventilators, forcing the
cir aheal o. them ami drawing it il after
them, the Same as pump plunger draws
water into pump AMI forces it out again
"la the mines, OF course, iron or steel rails
ara u.el. Iron is really cheaper than wood
IN any locality. The wood rail need con-
slant care. When it is wet the locomotive
caa nst draw hal' a load, and in the north
s. Is hard 10 keep clear of ice"