The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-26
AN ENGINE BUILT IN A DAY.
AN ENGLISH FIRM ABOUT TO BEAT
THE WORLDS RECORD.
The Altoona, Pa, Race-It Easily
Wrested the Laurels From the
London and Northumberland
Mechanical Contest.


Wrested the Laurels From the
London and NOrthwestern-Swift
Mechanical Contest.
Stratford, England, Dec. 15.-An Eng
lish car building works, the name of which
must be kept secret for a few days, is
about to engage in an engine building
race.
The worlds record is now held by the
Great Eastern Railway works Of STRAIT
ford, England. This company wrested
the laurels from the brow of the Altoona
works of Pennsylvania, U. S. A, and has
for seven years had standing offer open
to the world to beat its record. This Great
Eastern built an engine complete In ten
hours, and dares any other car works to
equal its achievement
The first performance of this kind ever
attempted was by the London and North
western works of Crewe.
In February, 1888, nearly ten years ago.
the Crewe Company, in an emergency.
built an engine in twenty-five and a half
hours. AT the end of that time it was
run out on it's trial trip and was pro-
nounced satisfactory.
The vast advantages of being able to
build an engine in a day were so appar-
ent to the engineering world that
building contests began on all sides,
Six months later, in the year 1888, the
car works of Altoona, Pa, set about do
ing the same job with the result that the
English record was beaten by nearly ten
hours
The Altoona engine was begun at 7
o'clock Monday morning, and by noon.
after five hours work, the boiler was in
position. After ten hours work the
wheels were under and the cab in posi-
ton; and in sixteen hours and fifty min
utes the work was done and the engine
ready for the trial trip.
1t is generally understood by the Law
man that the work was done from the
metal In its raw state, but this is not
and never can be accomplished. The work
OF getting crude iron and untred steel into
proper state for casting and moulding Is a
TEDIOUS one that requires days of work in
heat and cold. The metal is cast into
certain moulds and worked into perfect
shape and smoothness. These parts are
then ready to be made into an engine,
This can perhaps be best illustrated 10
the non-technical reader by an example
If you were going to construct chair
you would purchase the rungs and seat,
the nails and hammer, and, perhaps 9TH
er portions, such as glue and covering.
Or if you are making a garment, you buy
thread, cloth and fastenings
So with an engine. Certain parts are
made by machinery, and these are manu-
featured or purchased by the engine
building works ready for the making Of
steam engine. 1t is as far from being
built as a bicycle would be if separated
into it's 1913 parts-balls, spokes and others
disconnected.
The Altoona engine that was built in
sixteen hours had the frame finished and
the cylinders and guides lined up. The
sixteen hours practically represented the
time taken to put the parts together and
TO erect the locomotive and make the nee
essary attachments. 1t was, and still is
the talk of the mechanical world which
takes into consideration the improvement
since made in tools.
The third engine building race took place
in 1891 in the Great Eastern Railway
works of Stratford, England for the car
builders of Great Britain smarted under
their defeat They pointed out the fact
that in the CreWe contest the start was
made with bare frame plates lying fiat
upon the ground, while at Altoona they
were attached. but they acknowledge that
it was a victory just the same
The Great Eastern Company of Crewe
got to work at in the morning of Dec.
TO- 1891, to beat the worlds record of en-
CINE building.
Eighty-five workmen were assembled
for the engine and fifty-two for the ten
der. The frame plates laid fiat on the
ground, with only the Spring brackets and
horn blocks attached to them, and it was
eleven minutes before the first rlvet was
put in the frame.
After three hours work, it was thought
advisable for all hands to quit for dinner
Two hours later the engine was wheeled
This was the quickest work of ALL for
the wheels were taken just as they left
the wheel factory, and supplied with axle
boxes, connecting rod and eccentric
sheaves.
five hours the engine was proudly taken
out to be ographed-complete! 1t
waSimmediately on the same day put into
regular work, and has since drawn coal
trains of heavy weight into London, thus
showing it's substantial ility.
The advantages of being able to build
quickly are great in time of war and ex-
cellent in time of peace The business in
terests of any country are furthered ines
timably if it's machinery can be quickly
operated.
1t is not at all improbable that Amer
lean car works will Jump at the chance
to compete with the English builders, and
not improbable either, that certain build
ing car performances at other American
works may be made public.