The Portland daily press., 1888-11-22
A VERY BUSY PLACE.
Where Locomotive and Marine iron
Is FORGED.
Maine Iron Workers Competing With
Pennsylvania iron Kings.
A Visit TO the Works OF the Eastern
Forge Company.

was blowing 10 call the men 10 work after
their MONDAY hour Of recreation, the PRESS
reporter turned down the side track that
leads from the Grand Trunk main road to
the noisy shops Of the Eastern Forge Compa-
ny at East DeeTing. He had not gone far
when he came TO side-tracked cars loaded
with old boiler iron, worn out car axles. OBJ
solete wrought iron locomotive frames,
pieces Of dllapidated marine engines, rusty
chains and all manner Of old iron. chiefly
such as can be purchased OF railroad and
steamboat companies. On one car was the
IRON locomotive tender that once thundered
over the steel road Of the Burlington & La
moille railroad. A little further on the
heavy Jarripg thud Of the huge steam ham
mers became audible, and on going nearer
the rattle Of iron In the scrap shop was
heard. Here, then, in the three departments,
the scrap shop, the forge and the
machine shop. a hundred sturdy men
ply with busy hands from morn
ing until night, and quite often,
now that business Is brisk, lesser crew
works from the setting to the rising Of the
run. The side track mentioned terminates
at the extreme end Of the scrap shop and as
1t Is elevated and the shop Is on low ground
the cargoes OF old iron are easily dumped up
on the benches In the building at doors near
the caves. In this shop from ten TO fifteen
men are employed. One man works pow
erful steam machine that cuts the pieces in
to any size desired. The others stand before
row Of platform scales on each which are
placed small boards. On each board they
place 400 pounds Of iron In an even o5long
pile. These masses Of iron are next taken 10
the forge, a building by itself about 30 feet
from the scrap shop. placed In roaring blast
furnaces where they are allowed to remain
until the separate pieces become white hot
and stick together, then they are taken out
and forged into slabs about four feet long,
ten inches wide, and two inches thick.
The sound Of escaping steam, the loud
thud OF steam hammers on the white hot
iron and the roar of the furnaces made such
din as the PRESS man entered the forge, ac-
companied by Mr.. John Monroe, the accom-
pllshed superintendent of the entire works,
that 1t was extremely difficult to make one
self heard while conversing The forge Is
an iron building, supported by forty-eight
iron columns. The sides and ends Of the
HNAANt1o ScAoA9b VI AoOAo3 OnC VI VI WHICH
can be opened. allowing the air free access
to the entire building. Four boilers supply
the steam that moves The huge hammers, and
fans the furnaces.
''You see," said Mr.. Monroe, eve make
chiefly car and locomotive axles, connecting
rods, steamboat shafts and other parts Of ma
rine engines and locomotives" While he
was speaking, man opened the door Of one
OF the furnaces, and the dazzling light, so
bright that 1t was painful to look at,
gave evidence OF the very intense heat In
side. Then the arm Of a derrick was swung
around. and the graphing hooks placed un-
der a long piece Of glowing iron, which was
forthwith taken from the furnace and
put upon the anvil. As the steam hammer
began pounding the red hot iron, the report
er asked, What are they making there?"
THAT is connecting rod for the new
steamer that is to be built for the Portland
Steam Packet Company. In the first place,
you understand, the scrap iron Is forged In
to slabs. Then, two, three or more Of these
slabs are welded, and then forged into the
desired shape. Those long shafts in yonder
pile are United States lighthouse spindles."
"How much does your largest steam ham
mer weigh?"
"Our most powerful and weightiest steam
hammer Is the one near the centre Of the
forge. 1t weighs six tons, and Is known as
six ton upright hammer"
While the PRESS man stood looking at the
great hammer piece of white hot iron sbout
Is inches long that had been cut OF a loco
motive axle, was put upon the anvil and the
hammer set in motion. IL fell with heavy
thud. causing sparks TO fly for thirty feet In
all directions and fattening the hot iron con-
siderably. After the fourth blow another
piece OF locomotive axle was taken from one
OF the furnaces by the united efforts Of two
workmen who used for the purpose a huge
pair OF tongs about twelve feet long. aud
placed upon the first piece. The two were
welded and forged into a slab while the
sparks flew rapidly. At one anvil men were
forging railroad car axles, at another steam
boat shaft and so on.
Leaving the noisy forge the superintendent
and the reporter passed by a pile Of hot
slabs on one side that were rapidly cooling
in the frosty air, and lot Of red hot car
axles on the other, to the machine shop
where skilled machlnists give the finishing
touch TO the rough forms as they came from
the forge The first machine that here at
tIacted attention was giant -four headed
plane made by William Gleason, OF ROches-
ter, N. r.. 1t was smoothing the huge mag
net yokesIOf dynnmo. At another machine
man was working upon a steamboat shaft.
I'VE are kept very busy these days" said
the suDerintendent, and besides doing other
work we are shipping slabs to Pennsylvania.
One would hardly believe that we up here
In Maine could compete with the iron kings
OF Pittsburg and the Alleghanny Valley, but
nevertheless 1t is fact that we do, and to-
day we are shipping slab iron into the region
Of the "iron city," something that we never
did before. But our works are now very
conveniently arranged. Ten men can handle
"a tons Of iron per day In the scrap shop.
Then 1t Is kept moving; made rapidly into
slabs; we forge what slabs we require and
ship the rest away. We consume from ten
to fifteen tons Of coal per day, and keep four
engines moving, one In each Of the shops
and one with which to load vessels on the
wharf. You will remember that the works
were burned last December and that put us
back some, but by Apri! the whole establish
ment had been rebuilt and was running
with much better Arrangement that enables
US to do twice as much work as we formerly
did"
The forge Is certainly a very busy place.
The Changing iron, the pounding hammers,
the roaring furnaces and the cries Of the
lOngshoremen are unmistakable signs OF a
fiourishing and profitable enterprise.
Railroad Notaa