, 1891-02-20
A THING OF THE PAST.
Something About the Union Pacific
Testing Department.
Why General Manager Clark De-
cided to Abolish 1t.
Bars of Pure Lead Which Proved
to Be Silver.

The testing department Of the Union
Pacific system will soon be n thing of the
past. About March the office of su-
perintendent of tests will be abolished
and all the attaches let out on the cold
world. The expense account of the shops
at this point will be thereby diminished
BY about $25, 900 annually.
The test department was organized by
Q. II. McKibbon about four years ago,
during the Adams administration. A
complete set OF chemical apparatus was
secured aud several machines for testing
metals for tensile strength, t%orsion, etc
we're put in position. This machinery
was OF the most expensive sort. When
Mckibbon was made purchasing agent
H.. Is. Hodges was appointed to succeed
him, and the department is still under
his charge. Several Expert assistants
were appointed and all kinds of supplies
purchased for the entire system we're sub
jected to all sorts of tests.
Soap purchased for the use of the men
in the shops was subjected to a chemical
test, and if the result was not entirely
satisfactory the whole lot was returned to
the dealer. When paint was purchased a
sample was selected at random and tested.
If not in accordance with the requirements
it was returned, and SO on ad ip6pitum
with supplies of every nature. Coal
mined along the road, as we'll as that
furnished for consumption. was analyzed
to ascertain the amount of carbon it con
tanned; oils of all kinds we're subjected to
a severe test to see that come unscrupul-
Gus contractor did not palm off adul-
terated material on the unsuspecting off,
cials.
The most important work OF the depart
ment, in the eyes of the chief, was the an
alyzing OF the water taken from the differ
ent points of supply along the road. This
was subjected to tests TO determine the
amount of solid matter in solution. When
1t was found that the hues of an engine
became encrusted with fakes the
water was analysed by the chemists to de-
termine WHY this was thus" and a
sample, properly labeled. was deposited
among the archives of the laboratory to
show the amount of alkalI. etc, which
the water in that locality contained, and
the engine 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 station to another.
About three hundred bottles, contain
ing samples of water, properly labeled. are
arranged on the shelves in the water
laboratory, and there are also a number of
sections of boiler lues, neatly arranged in
rows, showing the styles of scales the
various kinds OF water deposit. The
display is very imposing and in the
language OF the circus man, SIS alone
worth the price of admission"
The most interesting department, 20 an
ordinary mortal. was the display of soap,
Neatly arranged on shelves were speci-
mems OF soap ofall kinds, among the num-
Der being several well known brands.
Each of these samples we're labeled and
the men IN the shops had the extreme
felicity Of knowing Just what percentage
OF alkali, fatty acids and numerous other
ingredients were contained in the soap
they use.
In the metal department specimens of
Sorler iron were tested to show amount of
pressure necessary to break it; springs
were tested for the same result: engine
and car axles were subjected to a breaking
test; tin, antimony and lead we're sub
Jected TO a chemical test to determine
their purity.
AprOpos Of the latter case, a good
story is told of Il recent test of metals.
The purchasing agent bought a car load
of lead from the Omaha and Grant smell.
ter and a car load of metal in bars was
delivered at the shop. A bar was taken
at random from the car by the experts in
the test department and subjected to a Sc
we're chemical test to see if the smelter peo-
pie were trying to foist adulterated lead
on the railroad. The test proved satlsfac-
tory, however, and the metal was pro-
nounced to be lead. 9s per cent fine. In
a day or two the smelter people missed a
car load Of silver bullion and proceeded at
once to trace 1t up. They found the bull
lion in the foundry at the shops being
made up into castings labeled ''98 per
cent lead" The workman said he
thought it took lot of heat to melt the
stuff"
The force in the department was de-
creased when the general squeeze came in
the fall, and is still running with the de-
creased force. In the chemical depart
meut there are two assistant chemists and
a boy, and in the testing department are
three expert mechanical engineers
and a porter.
General Manager Clark took rather a
prosaic view of the matter and concluded
that the men would be just as happy if
they were ignorant of the exact compost
ton of the soap they used, and the fore.
man of the foundry will hereafter endeav-
or to distinguish between silver and lead.
The COmpany's Electric Plant.