The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-06
IN AN ENGINE can.
The Duties of the Engineer and His
Companion, the StrOker.
From the Chicago Record.

From the Chicago Record.
Down grade, a clear track, an easy sid
ing seven miles ahead No. out of the
way, seventy pounds of air, twenty emp
ties and a caboose behind the fireman on
the foot-board polishing the hand-rail,
and throwing rapid transit kisses to the
pretty girl on the fence; fresh pipe-full
of tobacco, a bright, crisp morning,
steam shut off. the locomotive sliding down
the slant with only the noise of rumb-
ling machinery and the rush of sixty
five tons of metal, and breakfast but half
an hour off, are conditions which fill the
heart of the engineer in the cab with
rapturous love of life and movement. Like
an enormous toboggan the freight train
glides down the incline, swaying and
creaking, jolting and jumping on the
curves, but not a puff or hiss from the
engine. Then comes the drone OF the
whistle, the grinding of the brake-shoes
on the wheels as the air is put on, three
or four impatient yaps from the locomo-
tive, a switch is thrown, and the magnif-
cent machine draws ahead slowly and
with dignity on to the siding.
1t was an old engineer who said, pat
ting the great driving wheel: Electric
motors may take the place of steam To-
comotives some day, but they never will
be as handsome"
He spoke from his heart, for to the en-
g1neer and fireman the locomotive is the
greatest. the most magnificent. the finest,
the most intelligent, and the nearest ap-
proach to a human being in the mechan-
Ical world. The engineer speaks of his
engine as her" He encourages her and
chdes her and sometimes swears at her
when she is cranky"
He protects her from stiff joints with
the finest of RIbrieating oil; she is fed
with the best of coal. and bedecked with
brilliantly polished brass and copper fit
tings. He watches over her with jealous
guardianship and humors and caresseS
her constantly. He is sad when she does
not reciprocate his affection and lauds
her with unstinted praise when she is
This enthusiasm of the engineer is shar-
ed TO some extent By every man who
stands beside locomotive. 1t is fascin-
is myst 'erious. The beautiful proper
lions and massive construction excite adj
mration because they appeal to the eye,
but the rods, pipes, valves, link motion
bell cranks, levers and other parts of its
anatomy are beyond the common under
Yet a locomotive is but two stationary
engines mounted on wheels, which also
carry the boiler, fire box, pump and at
PENDANTS If anything it is more simple
in construction than some of triple expan>
sion or compound Corliss valve engines
which are bolted to foundations in a ma
chine shop or a great factory. There are
thousands of stationary engines equipped
with reversing gears almost identical with
those used on locomotive, and the steam
valve of a locomotive is q simple sliding
The locomotive consists, first, of its boil
err which is sOlidly attached to the two
are bolted firmly to the frame of the
running gear. The back part of the
boiler stands between and over the driv-
ing wheels, and over 1t is the cab, which
protects the engineer and fireman from
~ The furnace. or fire box. is part of the
boiler. in that it is not a separate ana
outside furnace and the sides of the fur
mace are formed by the water legs of the
boiler. which come down to below the
CRATE bars. This gives the rear end or
the boiler shape like a keyhole
The hump or dome on top of the boiler
nearest the engine cab is the steam dome
taken to the steam cylinders through a
nine which passes through the boiler and
divides into two pipes under the smoke
stack, That part of the boiler which be-
gins under the smokestack and extends
to the pilot, or Cow catcher" is called
the "smoke box" and in it is a wire net
ting which catches the sparks and Gin
ders
ders passes up through an exhaust pipe
which does not quite reach the bottom Of
the stack inside OF. the smoke box, so that
the steam, forced out of the exhaust in
puffs makes a strong draft which sucks
the air through the CRATE bars in the bot
tom of the fire box to perfect combus-
ton.
CONVEYS the steam from the dome to the
cylinders is a valve, which is opened and
closed by a rod that passes back to the
engine cab. This IS, the throttle valve.
and when the engineer says that he 'has
thrown her wide OPEN he means that
he has pulled back the starting bar" so
far that the valve IN the dome Is opened
as far as it will go, and the cylinders
are getting all of the steam that it is
possible tG give them
The engineer has his band on the lever of
the starting bar. or, as 1t is commonly
called y the "fhrottley' The lever WHICH
comes up, almost touching ms knee. is the
reversing lever It Is similar in design, but
much more finished in Workmanship and
Of handsomer proportions, 10 the grip
lever in cable car.
At its lower end il is held by a steel pin
TO the frame and moves back and forth.