The Cook County herald., 1893-09-16
FIRING AN ENGINE.
Some Of the Hardships Of q Eoco.
motive F'ireman's Life.

Some Of the Hardships Of Eooo.
motive Fireman's Life.
His Lot Is Not as Easy as Many Believe
The Amount OF Fuel Required to Keep
an Iron Horse Going - Coal Must
Be Supplied Very Carefully. =
"1f people only knew the hardships
OF fireman's life," said one of the local
leaders of the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Firemen to Chicago Evening Post
I reporter, ''they would not be so apt to
wonder that the men want to strike once
in awhile to better their circumstances.
Their lot at the best is hard one, and
the pay Is poor when the skill required
to be a hremen, the severity Of the work
and the constant strain to which the
men are subjected are taken into &C.
count. Many people, probably major!
ity, consider that the areman's work is
not skilled labor; but this opinion
arises from ignorance of the require.
ments of the calling. An unskilled
fireman could no more fire locomotive
on the road so as to keep up steam
steadily and enable the engineer to
make good time than he could build the
locomotive. Take green hand and put
him on q passenger train, for instance,
and the chances are that the passengers
will turn out and mob the whole trains
crew before the trip is half through;
The Likelihood is that, the train will
come to dead stop half dozen times
Before the trip is ended, and while the
train is running it will be making such
miserable progress that all On board
will have their patience exhausted and
be driven almost to distraction over the
way in which their valuable time
is being tfrittered away. Firemen have
to serve a regular apprenticeship to
the work. They generally begin as
cleaners in the round-house, where they
are put to clean the locomotives after
they come II from long trip. In that
way they get an acquaintance with the
Several parts. of the engine and how and
where they should be oiled. when RUN
ming. Theft next step is on switch eA:
gine in the yards, where they learn how
to fire an engine SO as to raise steS4RP
rapidly and keep ,np constant supply.
This requires good deal Of practice, It
is the easiest thing in the world to Hire
your engine in such way that thoggh
you have big fire Id It it will not BE of
the kind to make steam. Too much coal
is often as bad as too little. II the afe
is too heavy and burns too slowly, thae
Inevitable Consequence will be the loW7
ering OF the supply Of steam to such 81
extent that there will not be enough to
keep the train running, If any, kind Of
q: fire would do, the fireman's lott would
be an easy one. He could then fire up
sit downs comfort tably in the sab and
take 1t easy until the fire burns out. AS
It is., be has to keep firing steadily, add
ing flesh fuel; IT, the flames at intervals
of not more than two minutes. 50 that
while he is on run he hardly knows
what.it is to have chance to straighten
his back. He,is constantly clamberin9
half-bent from the box to the .gangway
and from the gangway to the box,
manipulating a,heavy scoopful. Of coal,
hnd all this time. he has got to keep .
lookout ahead. !forr it is his duty to
watch out for danger as much. as it Is
that of the engineer. In fifteen hourA'
trip he will often shovel as many as ten
tons Of coal Some heavy passenger lor
comotiyes eat,up. about three.quarters
Of ayton every hour they runst kNR
ian ordinary fire is four phf1ve SCOOP
fuls, and it'tnust be put in thh fire BOZ
just so or there will be trouble. ..'EThe
FIRE boz: of:.a locomotive ds peculiar
piece OF workmanship and St requires8o
be thoroughly understood Before it ean
be fed'in such away as to- keep things
running smoothly. 1t is from six to ten
feet in length. according tolthe size Of
the locomotive, and four Of FIVE feet
wide. The Crate is. composed OF NOV.
able" bars 80 placed as te.provide fof
ventilation .,at the sides and ends. II
you have ever watched fireman put
ting"in coat'you may have noticed that
he hardly ever pitches it in straight.
He $urns his shovel. now to this side and
then to that, now tx, this end and then
to that, aiid it is only once in awhile
that shovelful goes straight to the
center: The reason for thatis that he
does not want to put the coa where II
VIII interfere with the ventilation OF
the grate or in such q way as will cause
It to cake. A steady burning and at
the SAME time roaring fire is what is re-
quired, and every thing depends on the
way in which the fael is fed to it. The
amount OF steam required to run an
ordinary passenger engine is1s5 pounds.
and the aim of the expert fireman is."to
keep it,at that fgdte constantly from
the time he starts outon his trip till lie
IS on the last mile Of his run, when he
will gradually let itS'fall so that, when
he reaches the final stopping place,
there will be just about enough left to
run the engine to the round-house, that
hone OF it may go to waste That is
another matter the fireman has*:to look
to,io he will get hauled over the Goals
BY his :superiors. He must be as
economical of fuel as possible. The in.
experienced fireman will @use up far
more fuel tina n his more expert brother
and have no better results for It. He
must keep his; fire So that all the heat
will go to the 5dles; and that no cold air
Qnfnrinrr 4hn 9ro I1xr b. 41,1,..