Telegram-herald., 1889-05-12
INTERESTING SIGHT
HE AICHEs IR0S BORES
sieak ttts Ia Gable Llue Co.-Iss Goa
tFaet - "a - ua- A. Fossrs son
ihs sast Anaosat 81 Labor
otsSn - the Job.

world over for ther great inventive
pofeEs. >cleaUnc men at various
tmes bfousa1 Oul NANNY 4sto audlng
discoveries. aud those people la4s arc
blessed a.lA LIE the present generation
ciHf N..f. lr-rs amt convenience olf
IorfLllAcls LAD lo l.iea would cFer "a
L,-. II tAe good Oid Fuf SAN, could
arse lrom tneir graves aut see WhAt
changes has trau,pred ,.nce Jhe tue
tleF ltHicl at PIFmoGth Rock. tu.r
surprise Would be impo>s slhle t0 aa-
scribe. 30 invention, however. III lc-
cent year, las come llore aWdly O.
tat front than that of cable street rail-
ways. san Francisco, L = sad, H..s The
ursl o. adopt ta.s novel method Cf
transportation, and many years after
other clUes caught the fever, Grand
Rapids included. Ine most recent
cable line, however, ls belng laid an
sioux CITY, a hustUng, thriving city ~
Iowa. iJ Is 90 ue fifteen miles IN length
and ahou, one-hfth of it Is completed.
The manufacturing OF machinery
necessary Tor Use IA a
cable line is an almost new
industry, and consequently has gwen
new employment % thousands 0t
mechanics aud opened avenues through
which capitalists could invest their
money. ln the Michigan Iron Works
GRAND Rapids has one OF the best and
most complete plant, I'D tins country
Tor producing machinery OF tins de-
.crIUtUu, and has at tle head Of the
Institution keen, shrcWd business men.
that thoroughly understand every
point OF this branch OF mercantile
l.ne. Sioux City received bids for
furnishing machinery for the cable
line from Chicago, Sioux City, Phlla-
dolphia, Baltimore, Cleveland and
Grand Rapids, and. OF course, the
latter city came out victorious. The
amount Ot metal 20 be used n cOu-
,tructug themachnery, which includes
everything except rails, boiler and
engine, reaches over seven hundred
tons, aud requires nifty cars 10 trans
port .t. For some time past over fifty
mechanics were employed by the COM
pany, and in order - gain time night
forces were frequently worked. \
large part of the machinery
has been shipped, and as rapidly
as anyI parts are finished they are sent
away. \ few weeks ago the monster
main drive wheel was turned out. 1t
was twelve feet and three inches in
diameter, with seventeen and one
half inch face. The wheel was shipped
through without accident.
Word WAS received Yesterday after
noon at this office that another wheel
was TO be cast at 4:5O o'clock, and that
a most interesting sight was in store
\ representative of the TELEGRAN-HER-
AID was dispatched 10 the scene.
Without going into details or explain
ing the system of making mOlds for
different parts of machinery, the TELE-
GRAM-IiEKALD viii cndcavOr, I'm brief
manner, TO describe the interesting vet
dangerous and exceedingly warm
work OF casting. An entrance
was made 10 the mOlding
room, two huge cupOlas, receptaclcs
erected for heating metal, were noticed.
At the bottom of each were small aper-
lures through which, whenever needed,
the metal heated to LIQUID form passed.
The grImy, horny-handed mechanics
were busy making final preparations for
the casting. Two huge Kettles filled
with heated metal stood opposite each
other with the mold laying i'm the cen
ter. They were placed there so that at
the proper moment their contents could
he easily poured into the mold. Ere
qucntlv more heated metal was taken
from the cupolas, and rs the fiery
liquid rushed from the heated furnace
mvr.ads of sparks shot in all directions
from 10. A. they went INTO the air they
would explode and send forth most
beautiful strelkS of cOlorcd lights. At
q given moment the workmcn took
their positions, and at the signal of the
foreman the immense kettles were
slowly relieved of their contents. The
huge streams of metal soon filled the
hollow cave of the large wheel mold.
I'm a remarkably short time scrcn tons
oi heated metal had passed into the
mold. Ii VIII take at least a week Ia
finish this monster wheel, and when
completed 70 Will be one of tho LARGEST
ever produced IN this State. n Is four
teen feet IN diameter, with n fortv-two
inch band. The main driving gear.
with Cut coCs. which VIII soon he fin
isDed. Is probably the largest ever made
nm Michigan, and the only iron gear
ing of that size cut. Its weight Is
nearly nine tons.
The Michigan Iron Companv. 10
great extent, does repairing Of saw
1ud gr-t ml machinery. uut their
great speciality IS manufacturing veneer
HC machinery 90 CUt veneer around a
."r. y large number OF mills through f
ont tine country are using them. and
owners pronounce them as being even
better than represented. There are
tW1 uf tho machines I'm a mil aA san
pcigo .gaI., one beug tho laIge,a-n the
Nort. II cuts log ton foct eight
inches long and five feet ln diameter.