San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-06-14
REPAIRING SHOPS
OF THE GREAT HUNTINGTON
ROAD.
San AntOnio's Establishment Second
to None Located Along This
system.

to None Located Along Inns
system.
One of the institutions that 60 a
great way to benefit the city and at
the same time without attracting
much attention, is the great machine
and repair shops Of the Southern Pa
cific railway. These shops and round
house, under the supervision of Mr..
Ed. Ryan, give employment ~ about
100 men-employing more men, who
receive better wages, than any single
establishment in the city.
The Southern Pacific railway, be-
sides boosting the city by its excel
lent facilities and connections, dis
| tributes among our population about
| 80 per cent of its earnings at this
point, the pay rolls being nearly
$4,000 monthly, or half a million
yearly. The greater part of this sum
goes to the men in the shops.
A walk through the great
shops is pleasant experience,
for which purpose a pass must be
procured beforehand from Foreman
Ryan. or the vlgilant watchmen will
not be slow in bouncing the visitor
not provided with such ali open
sesame. Passing through the great
door you enter the machine depart
ment, employing some forty men.
This department Is equipped with
machinery of the latest type, con-
sisting principally of lathes and
planners, for the fine work. Here may
be seen several dismantled engines.
those iron horses of commerce; sick
steeds who are being physicked by
the skillful mechanics.
The various ponderous machines
excite feelings of interest and pleas
ure in watching their systematic
movements and rhythmic sounds.
Passing on we go through door
aud enter the black smith shop. Here
are seven or eight fires in full blast,
and busily working around these are
twelve or fourteen grimy smiths, all
hammering away at some huge piece
of iron, or fashioning some large tool
or material for car or engine equip
ment. Iu addition to the muscular
power utilized in the shape of several
darkey sledgers, there is an immense
hammer weighing 1000 pounds which
is worked by steam, and tremend-
Gus power it yields, too.
Leaving this interesting room, We
pass through another partition and
gaze on the heart and soul of this i'm
mense establishment. This is the
great boiler and engine that moves
all the machines and supplies the car
yard with steam for the air-pumps.
oil I,f nd
may be called the ruling spirit of the
institution. Having finished our in
spectiOn of the machine shops and its
workings, we pass through theround-
house. This is great horseshoe
shaped ring, built entirely Of iron
and brick, and containing stalls for
twenty-fOur engines, number at
present occupying their stalls, like
horses of burden, whose days work
Is done.
The groOms, who do the work of
this department, may be seen busily
cleaning and frightening up the
steeds just brought in from the road,
and perhaps repairing casual injury.
Over there are some of the men en-
gagged in building fires and raising
steam III some engine that has been
ordered out. Some men are engaged
in filling the sand-bOX, as a prec au-
ton against slippery track. Every
thing being ready the engineer steps
into the cab and the engine, fresh
from the hostler's hands, seems in
spired to new energy as she glides
over the rails. This department en-
ploys about 35 men who are divided
into daV and nipnt forces
Leaving the round-hOuse we cross
the track and approach the boiler
house, when our ears are greeted by
a succession of sounds vieing with the
tabled Babel. A great part of this
unmusical clamor comes from an i'm
mense iron cylinder which is being
revolved by shaft connecting with
the turning wheels in the boiler house.
Inside of this loudvoiced cylinder are
the boiler tubes OF some locomotives
that have been enCrusted with scales
from the condensing water and these
are being rolled and tumbled against
one another as a cleaning process,
which is surely effective if we Judge
from the clouds of white dust Issuing
from the cleaning machine. Enter
ing the boiler house, which was for
merly the machine shop, before the
brick buildings were erected, we are
assailed by another succession of
sounds, this time from the hammers
welded by the boiler makers, who are
engaged in riveting the heavy plates.
Here may be seen several locomo-
tives for which new boilers or fire
boxes have heen ordered. There are
some 30 men attached to this depart
ment, which is equipped with mod
ern appliances.