The San Francisco call., 1897-11-14

!, from night until the morning dawns
again.
A dismantiad locomotive is pitiful
sight to behold, and the manner and alac-
rity with which they dismant.e one at these
shops is astonishing. One OF them IN all
its grandeur and strength and power and
speed comes putting into the yard like
monarch that it is, when 10 III one brle1
minute, the fire OF lie is extingulshed
and men and boys are climbing about 1T
and taking liberties they would not have
dared to attempt an hour before. In an
other short space OF time the Old King OF
the road is propped up on trestles and
blocks as harmless, as useless, as helpless
and as forIorn a spectacle as the eye
could see or the heart pity. A group OF
these unfortuuates is presented; their
old fashioned smokestacks and general
appearance of diIapdation is strongly
contrasted in the moo arn structure which
stands so proudly in the foreground, as if
conscious of its strength and superiority
over the others.
Could a technical description Of these
marvellous works be given it would show a
wonderful com bina ton and result OF me-
chanical skill, ingenuity and strength of
men where their energies are massed. AT
first there is not a semblance OF shape or
form. a great iron bulk lies cold, dead
and heavy upon the ground. frame
then appears, a wheel or two. a smoke
stack. ana 10, there springs to life throb-
bing, moving marvel-a grand and beau
tiful creation OF mans master MIND and
master hand!
From the ground up, they build loco
motive here. From the very scrap pile Of
broken and discarded fragments, there
suddenly appears a most magnificent
specimen of those iron monsters which
have given to this century its greatest
progress and prosperity.
Could the spirit OF Peter Cooper, who
drove the first successful locomotive in
the world. from Elliott Mills to Balti-
more in the summer of 1880 stand by the
side of one OF these traffic monarchs OF
modern times, the old mans eyes would
stare in wonderment and surprise at the
improvements made upon his little old
cIanking, low-wheeled contrivance of
sixty seven years ago.
There are nine hundred of these loco
motives in the service Of the Southern
Pacific Company, and just back of Super
intendent SmalPs Office chair there is a
little board two feet by four which tells
him where they all are. In two minutes
he can locate upon the maps OF Califor-
MIA, Nevada, Utah and Texas the exact
where bouts OF each black giant in this
army o: monsters. So can Mr.. Benjamin
We!ch, master carbuilder place his hand
on any one of the cars which carry the
people from Salt Lake to the Rio Grande.
There is wonderful system established
here, and its growth to perfection is one
of the most interesting studies presented
in tins great plant. Your correspondent
dropped into the Office of Charles Bonte
during his rounds and a more charming,
agreea BILE and accommo cd ating gentlema an
could not be found. He has been in the
company employ for over twenty years,
and is Now at the head of the immen Sc
clerical force they employ in the Sacra-
| mento shops. He is the son of the late
! Professor ]. H. L. Bonte, whose long and
! honorable service in the Berkeley Uni
versity has linked his name to the history
of California. Mr.. Bonte accompanied
your correspondent in his Trip through
the shops, and to his courtesy and kind
ness is due the material incor porated in
this correspondence.
| One thing which particularly impresses