The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-22
OUR BIG INDUSTRIES.
The Business Good Among Builders
of Steam Engines.
WORK IS STEADY EVERYWHERE
Providence Productions Find Ready Sales
West and south-Four Years of Pros
perity at the Locomotive works-Bet-
ter Wages at the w. A. Harris Works.

If the advocates of free trade and pau
per labor still believe that the Republican
policy of protecting home Industries and
American wage-workers is crushing out
business and reducing the revenues of the
laboring men, they should take day off,
visit the factories and workshops in this
State and convince themselves OF the ut
ter fallacy OF their pet theories.
Rhode Island industries are prosperng
and Rhode Island wage workers are find :
ing steady employment with satisfactory
remuneration for their toll. The great
chimneys are pouring out their clouds OF
smoke, the workshops re-echo with the
music of the hammers and the songs of
busy machinery; there are no strikes, no
labor troubles and the employees are put
ting away something all the time against
possible stormy days, as the increased de-
posits in the savings banks, during the
last twelve months, attest.
Among the busy hives OF home industry
is the w. A. Harris Steam Engine Com
pany's plant in this city. There it was
ascertained that the outlook for engine
building for the coming spring and sum
mer is extremely good. During the last
three or four weeks the company has had
more inquiries from people desiroas of
purchasing engines than it received at any
time within the past five months.
More inquiries have been made concern
ing the compound type of engines than
for the other classes of work, which indi-
Gates that the owners of mills and the pro-
jectors OF enterprises in which steam
power is required, are becoming educated
up TO the fact that coal costs something,
and that there is a way whereby its con-
sumption may be economical.
The first cost OF a compound engine is
more than double that of the ordinary
type Of non -condensers; but then the saw
ing in the expense account Is double OF
nearly so.
The west is making good inquiries for
engines for milling purposes, the cotton
goods manufacturers are being heard from,
likewise the paper makers Of the east and
the electric lighting companies of the
south. Wages are better at the Harris
works, skilled laborers are receiving more
they did three and four years ago. The
business of making engines of low speed.
comparatively speaking, for electric
lighting companies, has received a decided
impetus, and engines making 75 revolu-
tions per minute are being turned out for
that purpose, the requisite speed for the
dynamos being secured by putting smaller
pulleys on the line shafting.
Among the contracts just filled or about
TO be completed for shipment were found
the following ON the Harris Co. IS books A
600 horse power compound for the Charles
ton Light and Power Co. of Charleston,
:. &. n 600, horse power compound for lhe
Georgia Electric Lighting Co. of Atlanta,
Ga. 600 horse power compound for the
Freeman Milling Co. of West Superior,
Wis. a $50 horse power straight for the
Highland Park Manufacturing Co. of
Charlotte, y. c.; 400 horse power COM
pound for the Atlantic White Lead and
Oil Co. of Brooklyn; "A $50 horse power
straight for the Standard Oil Co. Mt
Bayonne, n. j.; $50 horse power ice
machine and compressor for the National
Manufacturing Co. of New York 10C
horse power straight for the Saturday
Globe of Utica; an ice machine for the DE
La Nergne Refrigeratiug Co. of New York:
$50 horse power condensing and 75 horse
power straight for the Brooklyn Cooperage
Company; $50 horse power straight for
the McColl Manufacturing Company of
McColl, 5. c.; "A l25 horse power straight
for the Reliance Mill of this city: two
engines, one of 800 aud the other of $50
horse power, both compound, for the
Haverhill Electric Company Of Haverhill,
Mass: 60 horse power straight for the
Collier Machine Company of Pawtucket,
and one of 125 horse power straight for
the Youths Companion building in Bos-
ton.
The same works are turriing out small
types Of engines for the technical schools
in various parts of the country, which is
quite IA feather for any engine builders
cap. The more recent contract work
and by this is meant this winters produc-
tions, Is IA so horse power straight for the
State Agricultural College at Fort Col
lins, Col, and one of about the same
power for the University of Vermont at
Burlington, and n l25 horse power triple
expansion for the Perdu University at La
fayette, Ind.
At the Rhode Island Locomotive Works
the outlook for the summer and fall work
indicates that there will be n fair business
done there. IL is not thought that there
will be a rush of business for some little
time, still there will be steady and better
work for the l,075 hands the company en-
ploys later on in the present year. The
condition of the railroad business through
out the country l. much more healthy,
which means the declaring of dividends TO
the stockholders and the purchasing of
new rolling stock, and the Rhode Island
Locomotive Works will surely get its
share of the new work Of construction.
The West is making better inquiries for
locations than the other sections of the
country. The South is not doing much
just now, but will be looking up new con
tracts, it is thought, later on. The COM
pany has Just finished an order from the
Boston and Albany for twenty seven en-
gines. -Four were Of the consolidated ty pc
and of 10000 pounds weight each, the
Others averaging 100000 pounds each.
There are now being built Tor the Wabash
road some ten-wheel freight, eight wheel
passenger and six-whcel switching en-
gines. The Wheeling Bridge and Termi-
nal Company has contracted for several
Forney type locomotives, for passenger
service. such as are now run for that pur-
pose on the New YORK, Providence and
Bostol railroad For the New York, New
Haven and Hartford are being built n
number of large passenger locomotives