Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-16
Highest Of all in Leavenng Power-Lates S. Govt Report
R&!aI! R Rak{Rg
ABSOLUTELY PURE
A FRENCH VIEW.
The Danger of American Competition
to European Engine Makers.

The Danger of American Competition
to European Engine Makers.
| From lie Genie Civil.
| That a new country, as North America
must still be regarded from many points of
view, should be able tosupply its own needs
is in itself remarkable fact. This. how
ever, does not seem to satisfy the activity of
| its people, with which Europe will have to
| count in future, on the battle-ground of in
dustry. The news that comes to us from the
United States of an order for forty locomo-
| tives for Russia. placed with an American
| concern. will be received with certain de-
gree Of surprise on this side of the Atlantic,
| especially If, as We are told, this order is to
be followed by more important ones. AL
| ready in the matter of furnishing railroad
material American constructors had taken
possession of the South American market.
and were carrying on formidable competi-
| tion against the English in their own colo
MES, especially in New Zealand and Aus
| tralia, but it was hardly expected that they
| should be seen obtaining foothold in Eu-
| rope. Now, in what concerns more especial
| ly the railroad materials of which we speak
here, this success is not due to the CONNER
cial ability and skill of the Americans, 1t de-
| ponds. above ALL on Industrial and technical
causes. which it is. perhaps. just as well to
recall here.
The types from which modern American
the point of view of being suitable to run
on light roads, often poorly constructed,
with curves of very short radius, in coun-
tries often destitute of material for repairs,
or where it is difficult to make repairs.
The result was locomotives at once flexible
| rough in form. land extremely strong. which in
rev countries and in the colonies have
| shown themselves to be clearly superior to
| European engines in the matters of dura-
| ton and cost of maintenance. Provided
| with distributing springs in all parts and
resting on divided trucks. which. while in
| surfing sufhcient stability, give them great
| fexibilfty, these machines adapt themselves
| in wonderful manner to unevenness in the
| rt ADDED and easily pass around curves of
| very short radius. The simplicity of their
construction and the solidity of the parts
| allow of their being put in charge of men of
| little experience and of the employment of
persons more or less rough and clumsy.
They are besides very powerful and built on
bread lines. yet not weighing too much on
the axles. thanks to the use of divided trucks
that do away with the need for the cute,
framework. These were reasons more than
Suffcient to secure the success of these en-
gines in undeveloped countries and colonies
even though their cost had not been less
! than that of European locomotives.
But as a matter of fact the American
builders are able to deliver complete loco
motives with their tenders at from eight to
nine cents pound. including packing. Why
are our constructors. who have less to pay
Tor labor ana no more for material unable
to produce for the same price? The low
cost of American locomotives, 1t must not be
forgotten does not rise from lack of care in
construction, but because they are studied
and built by makers who never lose sight of
the cost price and who do not sacrifice the
simplicity of the parts to any scientific con-
Sideration. Advance to them means deliver
Ing more and more powerful engines for a
constantly diminishing price; they care lit
tie whether or no they act economically or
present certain guarantees demanded by the
great European companies. Yet the Ameri-
cans now turn out great many compound
engines of type that seems hardly logical,
but which cost little to apply and gives salts
factory results.
The low cost Of American engines arises
from the fact that all the parts are studied
and drawn with a view to their being made
entirely by machinery, and that all the cast
ings are made according to settled models
are interchangeable, and can be used for any
engine of a particular type, dispensing with
rev calculations for each new construction.
The wheels are of cast steel. and very strong
the hearths are of steel, and the boilers of
iron; the stopcocks are generally castings,
and the tube work iron steel, neither cop
Fer nor bronze being used.
American builders do not make engines
and tenders in one piece. the axle weight
would be too great for the light roadbeds
Russia may, from some Standpoints, be
locked upon as new country. and to this
reason doubtless may the success of Ameri-
can engines be attributed. We must not
forget. however, that the Americans are i'm
proving their lines year by year, and are now
able to suit their engines to the new condi-
tions that are growing nearer and nearer to
those existing in Europe, and that their
competition as it enlarges its sphere Of &C.
ton, becomes daily more formidable.