The new North-west., 1885-12-04
LITTLE ENGINES.
MIDGET LOCOMOTIVES ON PLANTA-
TIoNS IN THE SOUTH.
Miniature Steam Tugs That DO Mules
Work In the Coal Mines-Lay Ing .
Wood Rallr aad-yery Little
Grading Done.
New York Sun. !

New York sun.l
sIt does jolt bit." sail a man who was
riding In q cross-town bobtail car when
the car bumped and swayed over tho
track OF an avenue road; "but IL you want
TO have some fun In this line that exceeds
the sport Of riding on log wagon over q
corJuroy road, you should get q job as en-
gineer on a plantation locomotive"
@Where had better applyr we asked.
"Down on some Of the southern planta-
tions for the genuine article. but you can
find counterparts in Pennsylvania and
Michigan and northwestern Ohio. You
don't need any skill beyond that required to
hang on when she wobbleS suppose that
very few people have any idea Of the num-
ber OF small locomotives in use In this coun-
try. They are driving the mule out Of busi.
. ness entirely. The regular plantation loco
motive is a midget besides an elevated rail.
way motor. Thus the elevated motors
weigh from eighteen to twenty tons, while
the midget weighs three, and 1t is used on
rails that weigh twelve pounds to the yard
Tue cylinders are only ten inches long. and
the diameter is a trifie greater than the
breadth Of my hand.
OVER WOODEN RAILS.
"Very frequently these locomotives are
run over wooden rails There is q four.
mile roal at Summerville, s. c., that uses
timbers four inches square inste ad OF iron
People generally suppose that the old-fash-
ioned iron strap laid on stringer went out
OF fa'hon years ago, but lumber road
near Savannah. eight and half miles
long, has that same old strap, and it Is q
mo lern road, too.
In In wing N yVoaI railrnaH fha fiag
notched so that the rail sets down about two
inches into the tie. The inner side Of the
notch is perpendicular. and the outer edge
slants away so that the notch is wider at
the bottom than at the top Then when the
rail is laid wedges are driven in beside it
and under the edgo Of the notch, thus keep.
ing the rails from turning over or spread
ing Sugar maple with the heart up makes
the best rails. Sometimes two-inch strips
Of maple are laid on soft wood stringers
These roads are used for getting out lumber
and logs chiefly. Very little grading Is
done. Cribs Of logs are laid up instead OF
trestles, and the ordinary Irregularities Of
common level land are overcome by block
ing up the ends OF ties with all sorts of logs
and stumps.
CROSSING on sTUMPS
II know of uns road that runs across
low bit Of grounl on the stump OF trees
that were sawsd Off at the right height
The ground under these roads becomes soft
mud when 1t rains. AMI the way these little
locomotives snake train OF logs through
the clearing with the mud slashiny over ev-
erything witain ten ro Is OF the track IL a
caution. Ga the footboari Of such n ma.
chine IL where you can ses joiting.
AS fast as tie available timber Is cut on
one tract OF Ian the road is shifted to q
new one. The engine on the road at Sum-
merville runs from ten to twelve times over
Its fOur-mile raj every day, burns one and
ons-half cords of wood in doing it, and
hauls out Il. 00) feet of logs OF from fifty.
five to sixty ton. IL took the place Of
twenty mules. and u sail 20 pay for itself
every year. Soma OF the little engines burn
less fuel than that Thers is a road three
AMI one-hslf mile long ht Pensa cola, Fla,
on which the engine burns only one-third Of
a cord OF wood In its daily service Of thirty
mile There are no curves or this road.
These little engines are not con fined to
wood for fuel As iumbermen. they burn
wood because the wood costs little or moth.
ing As genuine plantation engines used
for transporting cotton or sugar or sup
plies across the country they frequently
bu IN refuse drs pres Q sugar cane.
IN THE COAL MINES.
AIN diff rent form, but with the same
dIminutive cylnler4. they are used In coal
mines for hauling cars, and burn either soft
or hard coal or coke. In their smallest
sizes they are only ten feet long over all.
Fur use in mines they are sometimes only
four and half feet high and five feet wide.
A few bushels Of coal and q few pals OF
water keep them running all day. One Of
these moles in a coal mine at Brookfield,
Ohio. pulls twenty cars, weighing nearly
three. quarters of ton each. up grade
1850 yards long, that rises at the rate OF
10j feet to the mile And yet any good ath-
letic school boy could jump over the engine
witho ut drawing a second treath. Curl
ously enough these little locomotive, that
com pletely fill the tunnels through which
they run, serve as ventilators. forcing the
air aheai OF them AMI drawn. it in after
them, the same as pump plunger draw
water into a pump AMI force it out again.
AIN the mines. OF cuure. iron or steel rails
are usel. Iron is really cheaper than wood
in any locality. The wood rail need con-
slant car. When 1t Il wet the locomotive
can not draw half load, AMI in the north
it is hard to keep clear Of Ice"