St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-07
THE OMAHA SHOPS.
A Trip Through Them DisclOses
Curious Things.

A representative of the GLOBE put In
several hours a day or so ago in going
through the shops of the Omaha road, stu
ated at the foot of Webster avenue, beyond
the Short line crossing at West Seventh
street. A visit to these shops is well worth
any persons while who is interested at all
in the industries of great and growing
city. While not as extensive, perhaps, as
other shops Of the kind i'll the West, they
are as well equipped as any In the North
west. There are now employed in the diff
ferent departments 165 men, and their
wages range from 49, rs to So per day. OF
course, the apprentices are at first given a
nominal figure and are increased as they
become proficient in the business. Under
the escort of Engineer c. NJ. Douty, peep
was taken into each department, from the
foundry, where all the castings are made,
through the storehOuSe, oil rooms, black
smith shop, paint shop, boiler room and
round house, to the machine shop, the lat
ter being the largest building Of the num-
Der. In the rOundhouse there are stalls for
twenty different engines, and thirty-three can
be accommodated altogether in various
quarters. The engineers and firemen are
not included in the number mentioned as
composing the employees, as this class Of
attaches are on the line of the road most OF
the time, and are only about the shops
when coming with their engines to the
round house, or when coming to run the
machines out for trip.
THE BLACKSMITH SHOP.
In the blacksmith shop the occupants
were making myriads of sparks fly in every
direction, like rainfall Of miniature stars,
as they played upon the red-hot iron with
their hammers, while to one side an enOr-
nous steam hammer was pounding away
and a curious sort of pOunderouS machine
was turning out complete bolts at regular
intervals. In the boiler room great ma
chimes were shearing off rods of iron with as
much ease as pair of sharp scissors can
cut paper. The machine shaft is where the
largest number of men work, and it is here
that the most intricate work is done. Down
one side of the glass-roofed building are all
kinds of latheS and drills, which are boring
holes of every description through iron and
brass. With these machines various pieces
are made to fit together with the utmost
nicely. At drill one man is engaged III
turning down the tire of palace car
wheel-a paper wheel with tire of steel
fitted closely to it. The tire is turned per-
fectly true throughout it's circumference as
by so being the wheel will wear much longer
and it insures an easier ride to the passenger.
Beside this is a like machine, but On a
larger scale, and it performs the same ser
vice for locomotive driving-wheels that its
smaller neighbor does for the car wheel.
THE TOOL ROOM.
Near these machines is the tool room, a
wire Enclosure in charge Of two wOrkmen
who repair and make tools and who issue
them to the machinist. For instance a
workman wishes some particular implement
of his calling; it is necessary for him to 90
to the tool room, his want is at once full
filed and the tool charged against him
until it is returned. All tools are required
to be returned before p. m. This may
seem somewhat like red tape, but the plan
works with little delay and is found to be a
saving in the wear of the tools and inSures
more careful usage. On the oppo-
site side of the machine shop
are half dozen locomotives for repairs.
No engines are built by the company, but
it does it's own rebuilding and repairing. A
locomotive will run eight months or year
with ordinarily good usage before it is nee
essary to send it to the shops, and the aver
age life of locomotive is twenty years. Of
course parts Of the machine will be utilized
long after this period. In fact there is an
engine boiler now in use as part OF con-
struction engine which was at one time in
use on the New York & New Haven rail
road at period to which the memory of the
oldest attache runneth not back. About
the yards are piles of iron and car-wheels
in numberless PROFESSIONALLY looking
wheels, but worth sum which is sur
prise to the minitiated observer. But to
gain all the information which is to be
cleaned about this branch Of industry one
must make visit and see for himself. 1t
needs but the asking at the office to go
about and see all that is to be seen, and it is
well worth the time spent.