The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-05
HOW ENGINES ARE "KlLLED.
The Way the Strikers Fix Things-An Engin.
eer Explains How 1t Is Done.

The Way the Strikers Fix Things-An Engin-
eer Explains How 1t Is Done.
Denver Tribune Republican.
'sTell me how ST. Louis strikers kill so many
engines and render them useless for service, will
you?" asked Tribune Republican reporter yes
terday Of an engineer who was busy oiliDg the
links of his engine in one of the local round
house yards.
The runner looked over his questioner and
asked Are you reporter
Eyes, SIR
''Then I've nothing to say. Besides, am too
busy now to talk anyhow. Catch on to some one
else"
The questioner found some one else in the
"barn' whom he knew, and who would talk.
How they kill engines, heyl Well, the quick
est and surest way is to take this away the
runner replied. laying his hand on the throttle
lever shut the throttle by pushing in the
lever as far as it will go. knock out the lever pin,
disconnect the fulcrum connections with the
boiler head, stick the lever under your coat and
march off with it and the engine is useless. Even
il she is near machine shop it will require
couple of days to replace the lever at a
cost of $l4, as it must be forged and turned, and
the brass throttle ratchet must be cast, filed and
polished. That is much better than TO carry off
connecting rods, as | saw represented recently
in an illustrated paper. 1t would take two men
at least to cart away one connecting-rod, which
you know connects the crank pin of the forward
driver with the cross head, though that disables
locomotive or course.
Several Vandalia trains were killed by the
steam gauges being knocked off, so the dis
patches said"
'If that is all the dispatches said, they didn't
cover all the ground, because the water-glasses
would be left and engineer can run without
the one if he has the other. If the gauges are
knocked out the holes can be readily plugged up,
and new gauges only cost IS cents each. But if
gauges and the water-glass with its filings are
busted, the engine is no good.
ANY attempt to run will end in burning her
6ues and crown sheet. You see where these
parts covered everything is lovely, but with
low water they burn out. I've seen a burnt
crown sheet dropped down from Its braces al
most into the CRATE. An explosion occurs at
such times, wNch tears everything to pieces.
But then the strikers on the Gould system have
burned no engines, and any parts they have car
ried off will turn up all right after the strike"
"Are there other parts of the machinery that
can be taken away to kill locomotives"
'Oh. my, yes Take down the eccentric links
take off the valve stems and your engine is
dead The favorite way, when an engine is on
the road, is 50 put out the fire, open the blow
off cock which You see standing out from the
side of the frebox, under the cab and let out all
the water Then the engine must be hauled to
the nearest tank and filed up before she can be
fired up"
las for killing engines in the round houses,
the strikers remove such of the parts 1 have
mentioned as will require the longest time to re-
place. and very likely at the same time let the
water all out of the boilers