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


these enginesevery working day and at a pinch 1t
can increase the number TO four per diem. That
Is the rate Of output. though OF course, such
gigantic machines cannot be begun and finished
within twenty-four hours. Forty-ave DAYS are
ordinarily required to make a locomotive,
though the task has been performed in seven
days. 1t would take five men a yoar to build
one, If they had TO do every thing, starting with
the raw materials.
OLD IRoNsIDEs.
Philadelphia man made the first locomo-
tive that ever pulled load 1t was the famous
odd lronsides," built in 1882 for the German
town railroad. Up to that time the steam horse
had been generally declared useless for prac-
teal purposes. After this achievement orders
fowed IN upon the inventor. The factory
which he created now sends its locomotives all
over the world. 1t has supplied the engines
for the new railway in the Holy Land from
Jatfa to Jerusalem which was opened for traffic
October last. The line is ifty-three miles
long, extending across the Plain of Sharon and
thence up through the mountains OF Judea.
Such rapid transit is great help to pilgrims.
Thus far the only casualty reported was the
running over Of a camel and its driver.
THE SPEED RECORD.
Six weeks ago the sDeed record Of iocomo-
tives was broken on the Reading railroad be-
tween Philadelphia and Jersey City by an en-
CINE which made a mile in 81 seconds Five
miles were also covered in 3 minutes and 25
seconds. Going at such rate the engineer
does not venture to put his head ont of the
cab window. If he did SO he could not breathe
| and tears would be blown out Of his eyes. On
the stretch OF track spoken of the fastest trains
III the world are run every day, covering miles
| In AZ and 40 seconds right along. mile in 81
seconds signifies "a miles an hour There is no
hal m nhA1 of
soon be reached and exceeded. Better tracks
bigger wheels and higher steam pressures are
essential elements Of acceleraton.
THE NEW COMPOUND" ENGINE,
which has double cylinders for high pressure
and low pressure, represents the most highly
developed type of locomotive thus far pro-
duced Burning anthracite coal it is smoke
less. Last summer, for experimental pur-
poses, one OF these powerful machines travelled
all over the country from Philadelphia to Mon
tana. For great part Of the trip in order to
record observations on various mechanical
points, young expert rode outside on one of
the cylinders. Incidentally to this perilous
performance he met with several small ad-
ventures. On one occasion, having put his
hand inadvertently upon hot rod, he fell off
the engine, which was going at the rate of
forty miles an hour. 1t went back to pick up
his remains, which were found walking along
the track, unhurt. Another time he was
blown off the locomotive by the explosion of
the head OF the cylinder on which be was
riding. Now and then they ran into cows,
sheep and other animals on out-of-the-gay
roads, and he had 20 hold on with all his might
to keep himself from being shaken off.
LIFE TIME OF LOCOMOTIVE.
A good locomotive will travel about 1000 900
miles before it wears out. However. the life of
an engine depends as to its length upon the
-
ought 10 last twelve years. On the Pennsyl-
wanna railroad an iron horse is only good for
from six to eight years, because it is worked all
the time, night and day. This is called .'chain-
ganging an engine. Most other roads keep
their locomotives running only as many hours
out of the twenty-four as one man can labor
believing that they get more service out of their
engines IN the long run by allowing them time
for rest.
SIGNS OF OLD AGE.
When a locomotive gets old it exhibits symp-
toms Of debility palpable as those which
affict a human being under like conditions.
Its mechanism rattles. it '.runs hot" and the
engineer in charge of il reports something
wrong about it every night while every fireman
is attacked by a spell of indisposition whenever
he is assigned to that engine. Under such cir
cumstances choice must be made between re-
building the wornout machine and ''scrapping''
it. Rebuilding costs much that the profit in
it is doubtful II "scrapping is decided on
the engine goes 20 the graveyard and is torn
20 pieces for old metal. For that purpose a
locomotive that cost 1000 is worth only $3.50,
its material being melted up for the construc-
ton OF new engines. The graveyard at the
Philadelphia works Is open space of ground
where scrap iron of all sorts is gathered in what
look Ike heterogeneous heaps. In reality, how
ever, the stuff is carefully assorted each Of the
great piles being composed of a particular kind
nfI Sfa ,}s &c
into the melting pot for whatever may be re-
CURED, according to recipe, each part Of a
locomotive having its particular description of
metal Other heaps are Of ordinary pig iron,
which supplies the fresh material needed Re-
Gently the firm bought in at a bargain a lot of
turrets of old monitors, which are to be con-
verted into wrought iron wheels.
THE MANUFACTURE OF A LOCOMOTIVE
begins with castings Of the various parts which
can be made Of iron in that shape. For this
purpose so-called dummies are turned out
in certain regular forms, the material Of which
they are composed being q mixture Of -four
molasses and sand. The dummies, having
been baked In ovens, are put into the molds
and the molten metal il poured around them
after which they are broken up and the cast-
ings are taken out. In this way it is possible
to produce an elaborate casting. like the cylin-
der OF an engine with all its attachments in
the same piece. Formerly Pennsylvania flour
was used for making the dummies, but the
zinc which it contained spoiled the molds
This was an adulterant, being the refuse OF
zinc factories, which was put in to add weight
Al present the -four is got from the west,
where there are no zinc factories. The iron is
melted in great furnaces and the huge pots
into which 1t is to be poured are kept filled
with burning wood so that no moisture shall be
In them. IL there were any moisture in one Of
these pots when the molten metal was poured
into 1t a tremendous and probably disastrous
explosion would ensue. Accidents from this
cause have cost many lives.
STEEL FOR BOILERS.
The steel for locomotive boilers Is supplied
by contract in the shape Of fiat rectangular
sheets. Before it is accepted the tensile and
breaking strength Of each one is tested. Next
1t is marked of by measure with chalk lines for
rivet holes, which are punched through it by a
machine that does the work rs quickly and
easily as II 1t we're slice of cheese. Then the
sheet IL trimmed to the proper size by q great
steel knife which cuts off the edges like paper
Finally II is turned into a curved shape bv
passing between huge rollers and il riyeted to
other sheets, which make up the cylindrical
tube OF the boiler, by means of red-hot iron
bolts. boiier-making shop is VIGOROUSLY the
noisiest place on earth, but 1t is surprisine to
find how soon one gets used to the clamor. so
that il would be possible to lie down and sieep
amid 1t all. There is nothing like getting ac-
customed to thingS Every now and then q
man 10 Killed in the works by having boiler