The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-06-08

have cooled sufficiently to be exposed TO the
open air. Eleven men are employed In this
department and they east tWenty-f0ur
wheels per day. The process Of finishing
these wheels does not differ materially from
that employed In the manufacture Of the
driving wheels, only the car wheels have no
steel tires. While standing with the fore
man watching the process Of casting car
wheels, the reporters attention was called TO
the first mould into which the molten iron
had been poured. What might appropriately
be described as miniature velanic eruption
was taking place there. Light explosions
sent the hot iron bubbling out Of the aper-
tuIe In the mould, a fountain Of the intensely
not liquid rose from the opening. fery
globules filled the air and streams ran down
the sides making at the base small pools that
seethed and smoked.
There" said the foreman, ''she's blowing
on .,.ll N AFRAID that casting will have 10
10 escape somehow and small holes are made
In the top OF the mould for that purpose
Sometimes these holes get stopped, as in
this case, and then she blows on through
the aperture sending the iron all over the
foundry, resulting generally, In a defective
casting that Is broken and melted again. SO
you see, IL requires some attention 10 make
perfect casting"
,. What i the heaviest casting required for
What we call the foot board. Ii weighs
about tfty-fiye hundred pounds"
The writer was next conducted 10 the boil
er shop, where seventy men were busy at
work ON another part of the locomotive. Six
or seven boilers per month Is the capacity Of
this shop, which contains powerful machines
lOr cutting the thick iron plates. and max
ing holes for bolts in the same. In the
blacksmith shop. where all the wrought iron
parts OF the locomotive are made, hity-One
men stood by the furnaces, steam hammers
and anyils, that are required to shape the
various parts necessary for the construction
OF the wonderful iron horse. Some were
forging one piece, some another; here an an
vii rang under the true and busy stroke Of
brawny smith, there the blows OF a steam
hammer made the earth tremble about it.
Leaving the smithy, the reporter and his
guide went TO visit the most interesting, per-
haps, Of all the many shOps-the machine
shop. On entering one sees but a forest OF
belts, extending from the ceiling 10 a multi
plieity OF wheels on the machines below. SO
many belts, so many wheels, one wonders
what power can move them all. Here, then,
with lathes, and planes, and drills, and vari-
GUS other machines, the many parts of the
locomotive that come from the foundry and
blacksmith shop are finished, made ready to
De put together in the construction Of the
wonderful machine. The heavy work, such
as the finishing Of the driving wheels, the
cylinders and the frame, Is done on the
ground h0or, while the smaller parts are fin
ished In the story next above, In this de-
partment, from morning until night, ninety
tWO Iueh WOrk on the body OF the iron horse.
There" said the foreman, as he stood by
the side OF the reporter watching a powerful
plane smooth the strong iron beams Of the
frame, "it requires more labor than one
would at first Imagine to finish the frame. IL
Will take two men a week to get IL ready TO
be placed under the boiler after it leaves the
blacksmith shop"
While all this work has been going on, In
the car shop where 81 skilled carpenters are
employed, the cab has been In process Of
construction. Four men have been busy all
this time in the brass foundry making the
brass trimmings; half a dozen have been
working In the c0ppersmith's shop ON the
copper parts, and In the tank shop another
crew has been employed on the tender. The
frames OF tenders are now made entirely Of
iron, formerly they were made Of wood.
After all these shops have finished each
its part, the parts are taken to the setting up
shop and put together in their proper places.
The frame is laid, the boiler placed upon 1t,
the appurtenances thereto added. and finally
the cab put in place and the finishing touch
given In the paint shop where half a dozen
men are employed.
One locomotive has at last been completed,
more than 800 men have had hand in max
Ing II, and the purchaser feels in his pocket
Tor nine thousand dollar note to defray the
expenses.