Omaha daily bee., 1891-02-19
IT Was ASSAYED PURE LEAD.
But IL Turned Out to Be the Finest
Kind Of Silver.
A REMARKABLE TEST or METAL
An Expensive Error that Will Re.
suit In the Abandonment OF
Union Pacific Test Depart.
mcnt-Rail Notes.

The testing department Of the Union Pa.
chc system will soon be a thing of the past,
About March the Office OF superintendent
OF tests will be abolished and all the attaches
let out on the cold world. The expense ac.
count of the shops at this point will be
| thereby diminished by about S25, 900 an.
nually.
The test department was organized by G.
ii. Mckibben about four years ago, during
the Adamsl administration A complete set
| OF chemical apparatus was secured and
| several machines for testing metals for
tensile strength, torsion, etc, were put
| In position. This machinery was of the most
expensive sort. When Mckibben was made
| purchasing agent II. b. Hodges was an.
| pointed To succeed him, and the department
| is still under his charge.
Several expert assistants were appointed
ana all kinds of supplies purchased for the
ehtire system were subjected to all sorts of
tests.
Soap purchased for the use of the men in
the shops was subjected to u chemical test,
and IL the result was not entirely s,tjs jsfactocY
the whole lot was returned to the dealer
When paint was purchased a sample was Sc
| lected at random and tested If not in ac-
cordance with the requirements IT was re-
turned, ana so on ad iniinitum with supplies
! of every nature. Coal mined along the road
as well as that furnished for consumption,
was analyzed to ascertain the amount of
carbon it contained; oils of all kinds were
subjected to a severe test TO see that some
INSCRIPTIONS contractor did not palm off
adultorated material on the unsus pecting
officials.
The most important work of the depart
ment, In the eyes OF the chief, was the an
alyzing of the water taken from the different
points of supply all along the road This was
subjected to tests to determine the amount of
soma matter in solution, When it was found
that the hues OF an engine became encrusted
with ''fiakes,' the water was an ayaed by the
chemists to determine why this was thus
and sample, properly labeled was deposited
among the archives of the laboratory
to. TO- shoW the amount of alkali,
locality contaned aaa ana mater the in ontns that
was operated with the same water, but the
engineer, by consulting his note book, might
calculate how much crust was deposited each
moment while he was running from one sta
tion to another.
About three hundred bottles, containing
samples of water properly labeled, are ar.
ranged on the shelves IN the water labora-
tory, and there are also number of sections
OF boiler fiues, neatly arranged in rows show
ing the style Of scales the various kinds of
water deposit The display is very imposinp
and in the language of the circus man. as
alone worth the price of admission
The most interesting department. to an or
dinary mortal, was the display of soap.
Neatly arranged on shelves were speci-
mems of soap of all kinds among
the number beng several well
known brands. Each of these samples was
labelled and the men in the shops had the
extreme felicity OF knowing Just what per-
centage of alkali, fatty acids, and numerous
other ingredients We're con tanned in the SOAP
they USE The oiler, as he poured Oil in then
Journal boxes OF the cars before train time
felt that he was using a something, the exact
composition of which was known, and had no
fear that the repulsive looking stuff might
possibly be nitro -glycerine or some other hell
ish compound.
The fireman on the engine could amuse
himself by figuring out the number of cubic
feet OF gas contained in each shOvelful of
black diamonds as he tossed them into the
seething furnace; the engineer rested secure
In knowing just how much of crust
would be deposited on the flues of his
engine on run. In fact every man on the
system knew the exact composition of every
article he used.
In the metal department specimens of boiler
iron were tested to show amount of pressure
necessary to break it; springs were tested for
the same result; engine and car axes were
subjected to breaking test; tin, antlmony
and lead were subjected TO "a chemical test to
determine their purity.
Apropos of the latter case, good story is
told of a recent testof metals. The purchas-
ing agent bought car load OF lead from the
Omaha and Grant smelter and car load of
metal in bars was delivered at the
shop. bar was taken at random from
the car Dy the ex pertS In The test department
and subjected to a severe chemical test to see
If the smelter people were trying to foist
adulterated lead on the railroad. The test 4
proved satisfactory, however, and the metaS
was pronounced to be lead, 9Sper cent fine
In day or two the smelter people missed
a car load of silver bullion and proceeded at
once to trace it up They found the bullion
in the foundry at the shops being made up
into castings, labeled ''9S per cent iead.''
The workman said he thought it took lots of
heat to melt the stuff"
The force in the department was decreased
when the general squeeze came in the fall,
aud is still running with the decreased force
In the chemical department there are two
assistant chemists and q boy and in the test
ing department are three expert mechanical
engineers anda porter.
General Manager Clark took rather a
prosaic view of the matter and con cluded
that the men would be Just as happy if they
were ignorant of the exact composition OF the
soap they used, and the foreman OF the
foundry will hereafter endeavor to distin-
guish between silver and lead
Numerous stories are afoat of the opera
tion OF the department, but the silver story