The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1890-10-24
FIRING AN ENGINE.
Some of the Hardships of a Loco
motive Fireman's Life.
His Lot * Not Easy a. Many Believe
The Amount of Fnel Required to Keep
"a Iron Horse Going - Coal Must
he Supplied Very Carefully.

The Amount OF Fuel Required to Keep
aH Iron Horse Going - Coal Must
he Supplied Very Carefully.
'If people only knew the hardships
Of frcman's life" said one of the local
leaders OF the brotherhood Of Locono-
tive Firemen TO a Chicago Evening Post
reporter, they would not be so apt 10
wonder that the men want 20 strike once
in awhile TO better their circumstances.
Their lot at the best is hard one. and
the pay is poor when the skill required
10 be a fireIen, the severity OF the work
and the constant strain % which the
men are subjected are taken into ac-
count Many people, probably major
ity, consider that the frcman's work is
not skilled labor, but this opinion
arises from ignorance of the require
ments Of the calling. An unsEillcd
fireman could no more fire a locomotive
on the road 50 as 10 keep up steam
steadily and enable the engineer TO
make good time than he could build the
locomotive. Take green hand and put
him on passenger train, for instance,
and the chances are that the passengers
viii turn out and mob the whole trains
crew before the trip is half through.
The likelihood is that the train VIII
come 70 a dead stop half a dozen times
before the trip is ended, and while the
train is running it viii be making such
miserable progress that all on board
viii have their patience exhausted and
be driven almost to distraction over the
way in which their valuable time
is being ,frittercd away. Fircmen have
70 serve a regular apprenticeship 10
the work. They generally begin as
cleaners in the rOund-houSc. where they
are put 10 clean the locomotives after
they come in from a long trip. In that
way they get an acq uaintaucC with the
several parts OF the engine and how and
where they should be oiled when run
ming. Their next step is on a switch en-
ginc in the yards. where they learn how
10 fire an engine SO as 10 raise steam
rapidly and keep up constant supply.
This requires good deal OF practice. II
is the easiest thing in the world 10 fire
your engine in such way that though
you have big fire in IL il viii not be OF
the kind 10 make steam. Too much coal
is often as bad as too little. II the fire
is too heavy and burns too slowly. the
inevitable consequence viii be the low
ering Of the supply Of steam TO such an
extent that there viii not bc enough %
keep the train running. II any kind Of
a fire would DO, the fireman's lot would
be an easy one. He could then fire UP,
sit down comfortably in the cab and
take it easy until the fire burns ont. A.
it is, he has TO keep firing steadily, add
ing fresh fuel 10 the flames at intervals
of not more than two minutes, so that
while he IS on a run he hardly knows
II =
his back. lie is constantly clambcring
half-bcnt from the box to the gangway
and from the gangway 10 the box,
manipulating a heavy scoopful of coal.
and all this time ne has got to keep
lookout ahead, for IL is his duty 70
watch out for danger as much as il is
that of the engineer. In fifteen hours
trip he viii often shovel as many IS ten
tons of coal. Some heavy passenger To-
cOmotives eat up about three-quartcrs
of a ton cvcry hour they run.
"An ordinary fire is four or five scoop
tuls, and it must be put in the fire box
Just so or there viii be trouble. The
fire box of a locomotive is a peculiar
piece Of Workmanship and it requires to
be thoroughly understood before it can
be fed in such a way as to keep things
>
feet in length, according to the size Of
the locomotive, and four or five feet
wide. The CRATE is composed Of NOV
able bars so placed as to provide for ]
ventilation at the sides and ends. II /
you have ever watched a fireman put
ting in coal you may have noticed that /,
he hardly ever pitches it in straight.
He turns his shovel now to this side and
then to that, now 70 this end and then
to that, and it is only once in awhile !
that shovelful goes straight 70 the
center. The reason for that is that he
does not want to put the coal where it
will interfere with the ventilation OF
the CRATE or in such way as VIII cause
it to cake. A steady burning and at
the same time roaring fire is what is re-
quired, and every thing depends on the
way in which the fuel is fed to it. The
amount of steam required to run an
ordinary passenger engine is l35 pounds,
and the aim of the expert fireman is to
keep it at that figure constantly from
the time he starts out on his trip till he
is on the last mile Of his run. when he
viii gradually let il fall 50 that, when
he reaches the final stopping place
there Will be Just about enough left to
run the engine TO the roUnd-house, that
none Of it may go TO waste. That IS
another matter the fireman has 10 look
to, or he viii get hauled over the Goals
by his superiors. lie must be as
economical of fuel as possible. The in
experienced fireman Will use Up far
more fuel than his more expert brother
and have no better results for it. He
must keep his fire so that all the heat
Will go 10 the ilues, and that no cold air
entering the frc-boX can get to them
until ii has been thoroughly heated and
rendered incapable OF cooling them of.
His fire Is not the only thing that the
fireman has got TO attend 10, however.
In the short intervals between his fir
ing up he must assist the engineer in
keeping the engine thoroughly oiled.
When there is no automatic bell he
must keep the bell ringing while APP
preaching ali crossings and all sta
tions."