Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-08-08
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vi; Il; tsis how" and tho third
speaker who stood facing his two
comp panions. boys of about his own
age, stepped q little nearer rs he
Sspoke
He was q bright, alert boy of 16,
Harry Denton by name, the only
sea: SO: ef 2 2 trusted engineer on the W.
and "A. railroad. A born mechanic
and mathematician, he was easily
the best scholar in our school, while
Shis open, generous nature and fear
lessness made him the leader of the
VILLAGE boys,
His companions were Willis Balyn,
"a quiet, studious boy, the only CHILD
Sofs "a widow whose slender income
barely sufticed to provide for the
two, and, with careful management
TO give the boy such an education as
che wished him to have.
The last of the trio. and the mar
rator of this escapade, was called
saNed" Haviland. His special at
tributes we're love for mechanics
and an aptitude for getting into
scrapes.
It was tho evening Of Fast day,
1868, time when that day meant
far moro than it does in these times
Of peace. A Sunday quiet was upon
the busy village, and only the music
of the church bells could be heard
where we boys stood.
Before the civil war began, Ste
4 venton was as dull place as could
be found in New England, save for
the small repair shops of tho w. and
A. railroad, which were located at
that place, rs it was midway between
the termini. There were excellent
water privileges, but the water pow
er of Mill River was utilized by but
one small concern, wooden mill
that stood close to the railroad
( shops.
The war changed all this The
railroad became great transporta-
tion line, and the rolling stock and
machine shops were more than trc-
bled within two years. a new com
pany bought the mill, added build.
ings of brick and stone, and began
the manufacture of army cloth.
It's contract neccssitated running
the mills night and day, and spec
dy innovation of the progressive
management was small gas works
attached to The mills. AS the rail
road repair shops were often forced
to run over time, arrangements were
made to supply them with gas from
the mill plant. At this time many
roads lighted their passenger cars
with gas, which was stored in iron
reservoirs beneath the cars. In the
station platform were pits furnished
with hose for filing these holders.
At Stcventon the road curves
slightly to the South, and at this
point branch running Northwest
connects the main line with another
village about eight miles up the
river. Near its intersection with
the w. and A. road this branch
crosses the tail race from the mill
and then the river.
An ingenious mechanic in the
railroad machine shops had built for
the directors a dispatch car pro-
PEELED by a gas engine, IT rcscm-
blcd an ordinary platform ear, was
about eighteen feet in length, and
gcared to one of its journals was an
adaptation of the I.cnoir gas motor.
In this engine mixture of gas and
atmospheric air is admitted TO each
side of the piston head alternately,
and the compound exploded at The
right moment by an electric spark
from Ruhmkorff coil. a two ba,
railing of gas pipe surrounded the
platform, with an opening on one
side for ingrcss and cgrcss. Nca,
one end, over the forward or driv-
ing wheels, were the throttle and
reversing levers. The brake was a
steel collar, surrounding a cylinder
Oh the main journal, and by means
of screw could be tightencd by
turning an ordinary brake wheel.
The car, though unfinished as yet,
had made several trial trips and had
worked perfectly, though the bull
der was not yet quite satisfied with
some of its features.
Now the proposition which had so
startled Willis and me was that we
get this car out, fill it's gas holder,
and take a ride ND the branch. lar