The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-10
Room Biting

teen engines were ready for shipment
BY March Is the entire order was COM
pleted and boxed, being twenty-five
days from .he receipt OF the order. 4
large steamer, the Strathcairn, had been
chartered TO take the engines over an1
was to sail from this side not later than
April 1. When everythings was ready,
except the steamer. :sle encouraging
news was received that the Strathcairn,
which ought 10 have been arriving in
Philadelphia, had run her nose on a
rock and had put into Halifax for re-
pairs, which would take at least a month
to complete. Then there was some hus-
ting on this side of the water. Finally
two boats were secured and, thanks TO
an American firms ability to do what
ali the rest of the world thought i'm
possible, there were engines enough in
Russia to bring everybody who wanted
TO travel to oMscow, even IL thtere was
not much accommodation tor them when
they got there.
Baldwin locomotives are used in the
Spanish service in Cuba. The locomo-
tive is armored and especially built with
steel shutters to the cab, ETC., to with
stand attack Grief for the purposes to
locomotives was put nav be somewhat
mitigated, however. by the fact that she
had not been running long in Cuba be-
fore she was effectively and artistically
ditched by the insurgents. Meanwhile
the American builders had got good
money for the engine.
The business which American locomo-
tive builders have done in foreign coun-
tries during the last two or three years
Of hard times has OF course, been OF con-
siderable assistance to them indivi-
dually. 1t has also been of great help
to the United States In furnishing labor
at period when domestic business
was almost dead. Even these facts,
however, are comparatively unimpor-
tant besides the much greater fact that
locomotives Of American make have dur
ing these two years secured foothold
in countries where they have been COM
paratively unknown, and OF sufficient
numbers to admit Of an intelligent COM
parison being made between their per-
formance and that of their English pre-
decessors. The conditions of roadoed,
which are ersponsible for mny import
ant differences between English and
in most of these foreign count iris 50
much more like those prevailing in this
country than those Of England that the
result OF a reasonable trial may well De
a matter of confident prediction.
INTRODUCTION INTO JAPAN.
From purely technical point OF view,
%txa -
tive builders the most interesting en-
gines which have been built IN this ooun-
try for foreign use are probably those
which have been exported to China and
apan. And the story of their introduc-
tion to those Countries, If it could be
written in full, would be a wonderful,
one In Japan the chief difficulties
which railways have had to contend
with have been earthquakes. japanese
architecture has consisted chiefly Of
bamboo and paper, and when an earth
quake came along it used TO find these
rather disappointing to deal
with But railways cannot be built OF
Bamboo and Paper. They have 70 nave
solid roadoeds and massive bridges with
stout abutnents. These things rejoieed
the soul of the earthquake and. from
time to time, he has had great fun with
them.
In China the obstacles 10 the introiuc-
ton o railways were of another kind.
The first piece OF work that was laid
produced, firstly. plague; secondly. an
eclipse OF the sun, and thirdly. blight
ing OF the rice crop through succession,
while the track was being laid by the
foreign devils" Was It not evident
that the railway caused them? There
fore, the people rose and tore up the
track. killed a native minor official or
two and hunted t.ne foreign devils 20
SUCH an extent as they were a'ole 10 get
Ii them There is every prospect. how
ever, that form now on the development
" Chinese railway system will proceed
"a pidly, and while Russians. Belgians,
Germans, and Englishmen are all strain
ng every nerve 10 catch the trade mat
5 coming, Il is more t1an probable fhat |
American locomotive builders will get
It least their share Of the business.
Recent United States consular reports |
from our consuls in Great |
he growing uneaslness w1ich il felt in |
England over the competition % Arneri- |
an manufacturers IN feds which the /
British manufacturer has /
heretofore coDplacently considered MS 1
wn personal property. Adaptioility 10 /
ne wants o; customer has always /
leeD the American manufacture
trong point For this reason the en-
ines built here in our Own locomotive 1
Works for China OF aPsn bear small re-
emolaase 20 ne grand monsters that
ONE They are rather in our eyes the
reduction OF early times. when men
Ts-e sxDerimsnting IN locomotives: but
hat * because the ap21ese and chinsse
ustomers for wfnOCn the engines are
iult, want these particular machines |
he Englis1 nlsnufactu-er has a prefer
nee FOR making the oriental take .he |
ngines that he sainlses wants 70 1uili.
The English locomotive - as unmis-
ska5ly English al TtenlTsia es a;
'aaring CT0ss Tas JzS,sness charzcts-
) admittedly uaexcesied IN IT'S sp:isgss
y the absorption OF details T7s Jap
ne=e are oy 10 means fools. and their
1ginse-s hsTe pretty accurate kaOE-
.1gz o. Sihat is tsnzn1=d n the COT
-cgctton o: locomotive % fit EEe p
siiar natural Conditions q the country.
hey prefer - submit thei- 1z1 general
s-ita q rezso1a5.e sss1T-
nee thss they E!I ce c9--8e3 oEf caa-
s.enfly from ne beginning. 5g; Taen
ley 5uy n Enzizn5 ta<y have Sgzn5 |
at there = ID assurance tast his zsI
. soa- To American ioco1o1fTe build
=. on &c osasF hzas. ). = s-nnziesiAI
azi kinS . designs a-s re9zre3 - !
;@i- fo-e.Ea customers. - ioz- as <-7ey