Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-30
THE BURTON GAR WORKS.
Some Interesting Details of the Mammoth En-
terprise-The Machine Shops.

terprise-Thc Machine Shops.
The machine shop at the car works we
presume is much like other machine shops.
The general impression is the same as one
sees the shafting, pulleys and betting
overhead; the benches, lathes and drills
scattered around the room. However,
here are also particular kinds of costly
machinery; such as are only to be found
| where cars are made
The grindstone and two emery wheels
are in the northwest corner of the room.
East of them-in the north end-we notice
nut tapping machine that makes seven
kinds of tops at once. double bolt cutter
for large bolts, large drill, and behind 1t
a smaller drill and brass borer. Two
| larger driils-one 42-inch-are seen just
south of the emery wheels. These drills
are kept busy boring holes through
trough heads, - stransom bars" and other
pieces of iron. The bolt cutters must turn
out 104 bolts for the trucks Of every car
and the body.
Going still further south we notice on
the west side small machine. four-inch
pipe and thread cutter. How easily it cuts
off the end of one of the water pipes used
in the stock cars. And in a shorter time a
thread is cut On the pipa. The price list
of this machine is 5000. Over on the east
| side of the room is the largest machine in
the shop, the ''ten-foou planer." We did
not see it work but it looked formidable
enough to cut shavings off any piece of
| iron. We viii but mention the hand
| punch, the small lathe and the engine
| lathe, as we desire to call attention to the
main work of the shop-that done on the
car axles and wheels.
The are two double car axle lathes"
used here. The axles are forged in the
east. They are of wrought iron and
weigh about $50 pounds each. A crane
and pulleys are used in placing the axle
| into position. Rough work is done
where the wheels are to go on but the jour
nails are turned with greatest care. The
day of our visit small flaw was found III
one of the journals on the axle then in the
| lathe You would be surprised to see that
a defect in a journal no wider than pin s
| head or one-fourth Of an inch long, is
enough to cause the axle to be sent back
east condemned. we can feel easier now
when riding on the cars since knowing
| how careful the buildeIs are to have per-
| feet axles. When an axle has been turned
and its journals found perfect it is wheeled
on a small car to the hydraulic press.
Let us now notice the car wheels. They
are cast in Cleveland, we believe, and
weigh coo pounds each. The double plate
wheel is the kind chiefly used and it is
practically the same as when invented in
| 1850 by Nathan Washburne one
of Superintendent Chamberlain's old
| friends. 1t is remarkable that
| Mr. Washburne should have invented SO
perfect a wheel. Almost everything else
about cars has been changed from what it
was forty years ago. Mr.. Washburne still
lives to enjoy his success.
The wheel is rolled to the car wheel Dor
ing machine. a screw power speedily
raises the crane that holds the wheel till it
can be swung onto the platform. 1t is
guaged, fastened in place under the borer
and then bored out three times, when it is
swung off, lowered and rolled away to a
wooden frame. An iron is driven into the
wheel to ascertain the exact size of the
| hole, for the axle must correspond to the
hole and with all their care no two wheels
are exactly bored out the same. The next
! teing to be done is TO force the wheels on
! the aXleS. One at the time the wheels are
| forced on by the hydraulic wheel press.
When lifted into position by the screw
in the center and arranged, the steam
! is turned on and oil mixed with
alcohol is pumped into the press and
the wheel is seen to move onto the
| axle, forced there by this liquid. Look at
| the guage! 1t marks 10, 20, p, so, 80, 40
tons! 1t could give $50 tons pressure, but
40 is enough to force it to the proper place.
The whole thing is done so quickly you
can't comprehend it. That thing a
! hydraulic press! That able to give l5C
tons pressure! Why it is SO small that
you could easily put the press part into a
| barrel, and the liquid used was surely not
five gallons! But while we are thinking
the wheels ON this axle are being stamped
962 and 96S, the axle is printed pass,
carried TO the outside and rolled upon a
track
Mr. NJ. A Dow has been foreman of the
machine shop since the works started. He
has under him Messrs. d. Munroe, 5.
Drake A. Maxon, II. Hathey, p. Sullivan,
J. Sullivan, L. Neff, II. Noble, l.. Waller
c. O'Dounel, J. O'Donnell, +. McMullen
and Mr. Hamilton.