Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-14

swung BY machinery to enormous anvils, where
hammers Weighing several tons and run by
steam perform the functions Of so many titanic
blacksmiths. II is a marvellous thing TO see how
different portions Of the engines mechanism
are turned out in this way as prettiiy ~ IL they
were cast in the shapes desired, workmanship
OF the utmost deiicacy being accomplished by
the e1ertion Of gigantic forces. After every
few strokes the bar Ia turned, that the
crushing blows shall make il square. Or, If an
axle IL being wrought In this fashion, the ham,
mer has q semi-circular strip cut out of its fiat
bottom, SO that II shapes the bar into cylindri-
cal form This kind OF work severely taxes the
physical powers of those who perform 1t. Two
men must hold each bar and turn it on the
anvil by means Of long steel handle, which il
fastened to the bar when the latter comes from
the furnace by attaching it with a blow Of the
hammer At every stroke of the hammer they
experience 9 tremendous jar. Consequently,
though the men who are engaged in this labor
are strong and hearty looking, not one OF them
Is sound. All of them are badly sprained or
ruptured, so that they are obliged to wear
trusses and other such devices. The work re-
quires great skill and commands from $40 to
$50 week for capable operators.
STEEL WHEELS.
Steel wheels also are made by the steam
hammer provided for the purpose with die for
forming them into the proper shape. Every
where in the factory electricity and hydraulic
power are employed An electric crane runs
up and down the greatest Of the shops, which
cover many blocks. To pick up an entire loco
motive bodily is small affair for 1t. II readily
carries weight Of 100 tons at the rate Of 200
feet minute, and sets it down gently A. II
1t were a six-weeks baby within one thirty
second OF an inch Of any spot that may be
desired. After all the parts of an engine have
been made they are assembled in the erecting
shop and are put together. The boiler is put
upon the cylinders, the different parts Of the
frame are attached, the wheels are fastened on
beneath and the cab Is added by carpenters
The boiler is sheathed with wood, which. being
non conductor, keeps the heat in. Over this
sheathing shest-iron coat is put.
PUTTING ON THE cowcArcHER.
One Of the very last finishing touches to
locomotive is the putting on of the cowcatcher.
This is purely and simply limerick, being Of
no use whatever. 1t does not catch cows so as
to preserve them for future use, nor does it
throw them of the track in a benign manner.
On the contrary, such an animal Is usually
Knocked to pieces by a fast train, its internal
economy being distributed over the front part
OF the engine. When an engine is finished at
the factory it is pulled by little locomotive
out OF the erecting shop to tracks outside which
connect with the Reading railroad. If it has
been manufactured for a railway at consider
able distance it is shipped as freight, being
towed dead over the rails to its destination,
with all its movable parts packed away in the
tender, lest they should be stolen. II the loco
motive Is to be delivered to a customer not far
away it gets up steam and does its own running.
A man Is sent with every engine to set it up,
fire 1t and start it agoing All engines are
made with convertible parts, so that if an en-
gineer in Oregon should telegraph that the pis-
ton rod OF locomotive No. 1902 was broken
duplicate certain to fit with absolute exactness
could be forwarded immediatply
ENGINES OF ALL KINDS
Ever so many kinds of locomotives are turned
out at the Philadelphia works, from the clumsy
looking but powerful Mother Hubbard" to the
Dirt Burner" which will burn ANYTHING,
even brickbats, if only the stuff has little
coal mixed with it. The factory also produces
electric engines and soda engines. which get
their power from the expansion of gas gener-
ated by sulphuric acid dropping into an air
tight tank partly filled with marble dust A
locomotive costs from IS, 900 to S11 900. accord
ing to the elaborateness Of its parts and the
number Of driving wheels. Fancy engines are
made for almost any price, to suit the tastes of
purchasers. Companies in South America want
silver mountings on their locomotives, which
are expensive The fire boxes OF engines de-
signed for service in South America are COM
monty made OF copper, because iron is quickly
eaten up by the chlorines and other chemical
world
CONTRACT LABOR.
This factory in Philadelphia employs $500
men, divided into day and night shifts. In
wages $4,000 week is paid. The system
adopted is in one respect unique. all the work
being given out to foremen of gangs, who act
as contractors. Any responsible workman can
obtain contract from the company to do GER
tain jobs In such a case the contractor agrees
to furnish such and such product at stated
price, employing what men he chooses. II is
always his own interest to give the best pay he
can. because otherwise his good men will be
hired away from him by other contractors
Necessarily, he does all he can to get the most
and the best labor out of his employees If
what he turns out is not found satisfactory he
is obliged to replace it at his own expense. 1t
is wonderful to see how busy everybody is in
the works. No one is idle for a moment
There is a project to test the relative speed
of English and American locomotives by rae
ing them on parallel tracks at the worlds fair
at Chicago. RENE BAcHE