The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-11-29
THE BUSY PORTLAND COMPANY.
what Is Going on at the Works Of a
Great Industry.
The New Management OF the Works
and what It Is Doing.
Great Rotary Snow PIoughs for
Western Roads.

The recent Reorganization of the Portland
Company was an event Of unusual interest
and Importance to this city. Since the first
| locomotive was turned out Of its works in
| 1S48, this company has been an important
| agency in promoting Portland's prosperity.
To-day tits employing 42o men, highly skilled
workingmen such as are the best of citizens,
and is dsburslDg ten Thousand dollars every
| fortnight to these workingmen. A large
portion OF this money goes at once into the
channels Of trade in Portland.
1t is worth few hours Of any mans time
| to visit the extensive works Of this company,
| go through the six large buildings which
nearly cover the twelve acres Of the plant,
see the huge machines that handle great
| masses Of iron as the housewife handles
| dough, and learn how the officers and EN-
ployes Of the company manage to earn from
sources scattered all over the nation the ten
thousand dollars and much more which must
be had every two weeks to support the 400
employees, maintain the plant and give suit
able returns TO the owners.
OnO hdob OCbAh thC VAuCCs AOI W ~
over the works without the company of Mr.
Charles r. MillkeD, the Treasurer and
General Manager, would be to miss an in
sight into the admirable system ana harmony
of all the various forms Of work going on.
Very likely as you enter the Office Mr.. Milli-
ken will introduce you to Mr.. Geo. f, Morse,
who has been with the Portland Company
for many years and who can tell you with
scientific exactness whatever you may wish
to know about the past business Of the con-
cern. Or Mr.. Milliken may introduce you to
short Irishman, who looks every inch
Canadian, and who, you will find is very
proud of being the postmaster at Orangeyille
Ontario.
Let us pause and talk moment with the
postmaster who seems so out Of place In
these great machine shops. A moment with
him will enable us to appreciate better the
interesting things that Mr.. Milliken is about
to show us and tell to US. The postmaster Is
Mr. e. Leslie, and he is the inventor of one Of
the most useful and wonderful Of machines.
Everyone has heard Of those terrific snow
storms that sweep over the western prairies
and along the foot hills and passes of the
lNOChy 1uuuubdlncs duu COfCL buC cdlLu WITH
huge drifts Of mingled snow. ice and sand
which the intense cold of those regions soon
converts into masses almost as solid as the
firmest ice. Trains have been imprisoned
days and weeks by these drifts, and passen-
gers and trainmen have perished of cold and
starvation before the drifts could be broken
through by rescue parties.
The genius of the Ontario postmaster has
invented the machine which conquers these
drifts; and the Portland Company is to-day
engaged in anufaeturing several Of the
famous rotary snow ploughs which have re-
Gently been the wonder of travellers npon
the Northern Pacific and other western
roads. The rotary snow plough Is long car
shaped structure carrying on its forward end
huge conical disc of steel fitted with large
knives so adjusted that when the plough is
put in motion and the steel disc begins to re-
volve, the knives will cut into the opposing
drifts, gouging out the snow and throwing 1t
out through sluiceway. The disc cuts a
pathway large enough for the traffic of the
railroad, and throws the snow not to either
side but out through the sluiceway much as
water is thrown out Of hose. The force
with which this snow Is thrown is something
marvellous. Mr.. Leslie has pictures show
ing the stream of snow going twice as high
as the the tallest telegraph pole and falling
three bundled feet from the machine. The
Northern Pacific, 1t Is said, has been forced
to settle not few suits of settlers who have
had their chimLies knocked over, their
windows smashed and their houses other
wise injured by the powerful deluge of snow
thrown by the snow plough.
Other machines, including several locomo-
tives, are building in the Portland Company's
works, but Mr.. Milliken will show none
more interesting than the great snow plough.
Having first been introduced to Mr.. Samuel
Peters, Superintendent of the company's
works. we will go with Mr.. Milliken and see
the stages by which great machine like "a
locomotive or snow plough is built up.
OF from the Office of the General Mana
ger is the drawing room. where
seven draughtsmen and designers are trac-
ing delicate curves and straight lines in fg-
ures that seem to the observer to be plans Of
wonderful Iabyrinths. Or perhaps one Of
the men is contemplating with satisfaction a
blueprint wherein are set forth all the di-
mensions and proportions of machine,
even to the minutest detail. This drawing
room is very important part of the works.
The capita ist. perhaps he is railroad king
or pulp-mill magnate, comes to Mr.. MILL
ken and tells him he wants to contract for
the construction of certain machines. The
contract Is made and the capitalist leaves
the Specifications" or general description
Of the machine he wants. This general de-
s;ription is turned over to the seven men in
the drawing room. and they proceed to build
the machine in lines and curves on their
drawing paper. They not only build up the
machine as whole; but they make draw
ings IF all its parts. even to the minutest
rivet. These drawings are constructed on a
uniform scale, so that the founders, machn-
lists or woodworkers may take the drawings
and with no other direction construct the
parts. The draughtsmen and designers are
highly trained, educated either In the COM
pany's office or in technical schools.
While Mr.. Milliken Is telling us some in
teresting facts about this branch of the work
Mr.. ID. G. Bryant, foreman of the pattern
room, steps in for the drawing Of .one OF the
castings to be used in one of the rotary snow
ploughs. Mr.. Bryant receives roll Of
drawings, and as he goes we will accompany
him TO the pattern room. Much OF the iron
used in the manufacture Of machinery has to
be cast III moulds of sand. In order to make
these moulds it is necessary TO have wooden
pattern made exactly like the proposed cast
ing so far as form is concerned. 1t is more
work to make these patterns than to build
the moulds around them after they are made.
From the designs which Mr.. Bryant shas
brought from the drawing room the pattern
makers build up wooden counterparts Of the
future castings. After the moulds have
been made these counterparts are carefully
stored in brick. fire-proof building, fer
future use In case it may be necessary to re-
produce the castings. AS may be imagined
company like this will accumulate large
number Of patterns in the course of thirty or
forty years; and the pattern storehouse Is a
safety deposit vault for very valuable me-
chanical securities.
The pattern makers have just finished
pattern for one OF the parts Of one Of the
snow ploughs. II has been sandpapered and
vanished until it is as smooth as glass. and
the pattern makers are entirely justified in
the pride which they seem to take in it, As
- -, tt.r, ia faE IN fha fnnuHrv A.