The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-06
AT THE MACHINE WORKS.
Every Department is Decidedly
Buster.

The pay roll of the Roanoke Machine
Works for the month.of October has lust
been completed and sent into the gen
eral office OF the Norfolk and Western.
1t is tho largest since December, 1890.
aggregating little over $4,000. The
indications now are that tho paw roll
for the month of Novem ber will exceed
$4,000.
This gratifying increase in tho
monthly distributions of this great
industry is good indication of gem
eral revival OF business. Already q
number OF new men have been taken
on. Material is beginning to come into
the yard, and all the departments have
taken on new life and present more
businesslike appearance than has been
observed for many months.
The machine shop is working full
force of men, and tho blacksmith shop
is quite busy with new work. The
frames for two new class &c" engines
are being forged, besides considerable
amount of iron work for the new cars
Nearly every forge is running in full
blast. and the whole iron department.
presents very bustling scene.
The yard has been filled with new
trucks for the cars now under construc-
ton, and as consequence this part of
the work is ahead.
In the freight department several new
car builders have been taken on. Five
box cars and two to four old cars are
being built and repaired each day. This
department is considerably brisker than
il has been for many year.
The passenger department is crowded
with work. The large number OF pas
senger cars now in use on the road keeps
this shop always crowded with cars for
repairs. There arc now in this depart
ment undergoing repairs about ten or
twelve cars.
Mr.. Welz, the foreman, has made
some very substantial improvements in
this department. Among them is a de-
vice for loading engine caps on the
trucks to be token to the boiler shop
Formerly it took about twenty men to
lift cap and place 1t on the hand car,
but Mr.. Well constructed platform
about three feet high, and on this is
placed two skids with rollers on which
the cap rests Two boys can easily load
the unwieldy caps under this arrange
ment. The platform will hold sixteen
A new office will soon be bnilt for the
use of the passenger shop foreman.
Plans have already been made and the
work will begin within week
The grading for the proposed site OF
Mr.. Hanthorn's Office has began. 1t is
expected that work on this will begin
in a short while.
Tho planning mill department., w. O.
Adams, foreman, is buster than it has
been for a year. While the mill is not
running to it's full capacity, everything
is decidedly brisk, and shows marked
improvement.
Lumber has begun to arrive at the
rate of about one to two carloads per
day, and the stock which has been
greatly diminished during the year will
soon be up to it's normal amount.
To say the least, the Roanoke Nj
chine Works will do good business
from now on. THE TIMES has frequently
told its readers that a marked change in
business culd take place, but owing to
financial business matters the Roanoke
Machine Works people could not ar
range matters so as to start full force
of men, and run on full time until quite
recently The indications are that be-
fore the winter is over this industry
will have more than it can do.