The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-11
FASTEST THING ON EARTH.
The Big Engine 221 Of the Bos-
ton & Albany.
A Physicssn Runs the big Machine Dat
OF once Hours.
(Springfieid Republican,

the CLEAN rails of the Boston and Al
bany railroad. Ii lie y mighty locomo-
tive, mum bered Cal, beside whose propor-
tions the famous oe9 of the Empire State
express sinks into comparative insignid-
canoe, while the expert engineer, seeing
1t In repose, views its strange mechanism
at first with surprise and then with In
creased respect as he begins to realize the
wonderful possibilities for power and
speed In the massive compound steam
cylinders, triple driving wheels and 9TH
er departures from conventionality which
makes this lection monster thing
UNIQUE among the locomotives of the
| world.
Its like never before has been created.
Whether 1t will be duplicated In the flu
ture depends on how we'll 1t fulflls the
builders prediction of a sustained speed
of 90 miles an hour with a heavy train
over ordinary roadbeds, grades and
curves Thus far 1t has done 70 miles
an hour with such ridiculous ease that 1t
is expected to exceed the estimate OF
mile every 40 seconds rather than to fall
break or other catastrophe while hurt
| ling along at such rate might prove so
| terrible that the driver Of the young but
vigorous steed has had to ''fael' bis way
from day to day, occasionally letting out
a few notches extra on the long stretches
between Worcester and the Newtons, and
REFRESHING the natural yearning to 'let
her go" jus. once against the record.
The only way to give an adequate idea
Of the iron monster which Is being thus
quietly TRAINED to astonish the engi-
neering world is TO compare 1t with the
best type of speedy locomotive that stands
on rails today, and that is probably the
| machine that draws the record-holding
| Empire State express of the New York
| Central and Hudson River railroad odd
$685." The "999' tips the scales at 90
tons, but this Boston and Albany mon
ster weighs SO tons, without its tender,
and l26 tons with that appendage. The
Worcester" which draws the Cornish ex-
press, the English champion of the rails,
| weighs only So l-2 tons. The train with
which t'999' makes its averages of SO. 5S
| NJ lies an hour weighs I43 tons. The
Worcester carries 200 tons at $685. an
hour. 1he new steam hercules has reeled
|
! do much better, with "a train aggregating
| 80 tons. The "999" bad maximum
safety boiler pressure OF 100 pounds of
steam to the square inch, but the Boston
and A bany engine carries 220 pou nds.
| The cylinders Of "999' are 10 by "a inches,
| but those OF its new rival are compound ,
/ % by 81 by 80 inches.
| The diameter of the driving wheels of
either the Worcester, feet 5 inches, or
j the "eg9" z feet : 1-2 inohes, exceeds
| those of the new machine, feet inches,
| but the former engines have but dou BILE
drivers, while the new idea pits three
/ abreast, thus much more than compen
sating in power for what is lost in speed
| by reducing the diameters The three
drivers are atle to carry heavy train oil
| seven cars without reducing speed over
grades that would seriously reduce the
| running average OF '9q9' with its two
| big diameters.
| The special claim of '999' ana the
| 'Woroester" to distinction Is not mere J
to high speed but to the distance for
| when such speed Is maintained. Even
| In that direction the new claimant bopes
| to take first place. The storage capacity
of the big tender was calculated on IA bH
| sis of several hundred miles without re-
stocking; and when she pulls out OF Bos
| ton each afternoon, except Sunday, at
O'Clock for her run to Springfield and
| back she carries $500 gallons of water
and eight tons of coal.
| Allowing Al pounds OF coal TO the mile,
| which is really considerable more than is
required, that permits of II 400 mile rup
| without stop; and the peculiar CON
| stfuction of steam chests and cylinders
| affords the greatest economy in the use OF
| water.
1t Is the unusual proportion OF the cyl.
| inders that first attracts attention, next
to the size OF the locomotive itself. That
on the left differs little in appearance
from the cylinder OF any ordinary big
engine; but the cylinder TO the right Ia o.
dimensions big enough 10 furnish sleep
ing accommodations for u good sized
man VINO was willing to tcuddle up" d
Bit The principle on which the steam
first used in the smaller cylinder is con
yeyed to the larger and again made tc
work its passage is familiar from the con
struction of compound stationary en-
gines, but rs ep lied in this locomotive
IT is distinctly novelty.
1t is possible to use direct steam in this
big cylinder, as we'll as in the smaller,
but the boiler or fra box never was bull
that could furnish olive" steam therefor
foI u longer period than five or six con
secntive minutes, but during those Few
minutes the locomotive, 1t is figured,
wonld come nearer to the 100 miles al
hour point than anything ever bsfor'
turned loose by the hand OF man except {
bullet. A good idea of the powers Of thi
great machine was given one day thu
past week, when the New York train
which runs express from Worcester to
Boston, left the former city 10 minutes
behind time, and in "a miles had mad'
up the lost time with ease, and was conf
peeled to slow down to avoid gettin!
ahead of the schedule.
During that interval 81 miles were
covered in 10 minutes and for a time the
train of seven cars was being hauled u
the rate of 20 miles an hour, with the 10
connective not "exerting herself" The
roadbed over which this run was made IL
in no respect to be compared for goo
EQUALITY with that traversed by the Em
Pire State express in grade, heaviness oi
} rail or curvature. The New York roa
was especially built for racing against
time, mad is several seconds faster TO tn
mile than that between Worcester ant
Boston.
Viewed from little distance this neV
record breaker is very deceptive Will
In motion. The eye and ear. as rule
estimate the speed of a lrain by the rapid
ICY of the putting tXhausts OF the locomo
tive, and as this machine exhansts" onl
| half ~ otran an old -Sfyia 1QcOmOtl VIC