Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-09-07
LARGEST OF ALL TRUCKS.
1T DOES ODD JOBS IN VARIOUS
CITIES.
Monster Vehicle Capable of Car
rying Eighty TOns-Sixty Horses
Sometimes Draw 1t.

construction, thirty years ago, done
work IN almost every large city in the
United States, is ss good as new. The
truck itself weighs l6, 900 pounds and
cost over $4,000 to build Since then
| five smaller trucks of similar construc-
tion have been built, the combined
capacity of which exceeds $50, 900
! pounds. The owners of these giant
trucks, who are Philadelphians, con-
troll the heavy hauling business of the
entire American continent. Whenever
a heavy boiler, sugar roll, submarine
or street cable is to be moved in any
I part of the United States one or more
! Of their iron and steel trucks are
shipped to that point
Although when the giant truck WAS
built it was designed to carry but
eighty tons, it is believed that more
than twice that weight might with
perfect safety he loaded on it. By ex-
tending the pole and placing the other
trucks in line it has been estimated
that the longest monolith ever quar-
ried, the one broken from its bed at
the Houghten quarry, Ashland, Wis,
November 18th, 1892, and which is
forty-si1 feet longer than Cleopatra 8
Needle, erected by Vanderbilt in Cen
tral Park, New York, could be easily
and safely transported any distance on
good roads. Thus the question of
hauling huge weights is no longer
problematicsl.
Some description OF this largest of
all trucks cannot but be of interest to
those who have been accustomed to
seeing only wooden-wheeled wagons
and timber carts. The wheels are
three feet nine inches in diameter,
made cf iron and have steel tire two
inches thick and twelve inches wide
They revolve on steel axles six inches
in diameter and stand nine feet two
inches apart from track to track
From the top of the truck to the
ground the distance is but four feet
The fifth wheel, or turning arrange
ment, placed ON the front or forward
axle, is complete double circle six
feet in diameter and revolves on small
spherical steel balls in such manner
that no matter how short turn is
made the load can have no chance to
tip or cant to one side.
The first hauling ever done by this
wagon was soon after the outbreak Of
the Civil War, when a forty eight-ton
boiler for the double.turreted monitor
Dictator was to be hauled from Fifth
and Washington avenue, where it was
made, to the monitor, lying at the foot
of Federal street. The boiler was
loaded on the giant truck and pulled
by sixty horses in the presence of 1000
persons, started safely on it's journey,
and would have reached its destination
without mishap had the pavement been
equal to the strain imposed upon it..
When on Federal street, between
Third and Fourth streets, bit of in
enormous weight, and the massive iron
wheels settled to the hub, pushing the
cobbles away as easily as though they
had been laid in mud.
LUG hOlbCb NtI Z lOuuu W ut luhuC-
quate to pull the wagon over such a
pavement, And the journey was con.
tinued by placing ships anchors in the
street. The anchors, after being
buried, were connected with the wagon
with blocks and ropes, to which the
horses were attached, and the wagon
WAS made to slowly pillow its way through
crushed pavement to the wharf. The
performance demonstrated the fac
that no amount of twisting, wrenchinl
or rough usage could damage the truck
The street alone suffered.
A large truck with immense wooder
wheels made of the best seasoned wooC
adapted to the purpose was made il
Chicago five years ago, and was crushed
to pieces the first time it was loaded
since which no further experiments
with wooden wheels have been tried
The horses which pull this iron trucl
have been trained to the work and
seem to thoroughly understand whs
is required of them. They are neve
strained by overlooking, the rule be
| INK blhb Oht lOt DO lOt thCI WI ih IC
quired. They are hooked up tandem
fashion in strings, and when last weel
the cable for the east side of Marke
street, %, 900 feet long and weighin
forty tons, wound on agigantic spool
was hauled from Broad street an,
Washington avenue to the power hous
at Twentieth and Market streets fort
horses in four strings of ten each wer
used.
The guiding of forty horses throug
tho crowded streets of big city look
like difficult task, but il is not. Th
whole operation is conducted almos
entirely by the voice of one man
} although there are ten in attendance
The lead horses at the forward end G
each string, together with the tw
shaft horses, have been CAREFUL
trained as leaders. It is to them th
; word OF command is given and the
are the first to respond to this con
mand, the others merely following th
direction taken by the leaders Th
two other strings of horses are fsstene
to the iron rounds of the truck, Will
for extra heavy weights the washer
! on the front axles are provided wit
eyelots, to which enormous chail
holding other strings of horses can |
. attached. The horses are hooked Il
, in bunches, instead of being placed
one or two strings, because the turl