The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-13
THE RAILROADS.


Firing on road engine Is being made
trade these days and Is receiving al
most us much attention from the oper-
ating department OF the railroads as
docs the proper running and caring for
an engine. There Is n science In proper
firing that is Just being worked out,
and to do the Job and do It properly
takes Il good steady nerve and good
deal OF head work. The time when the
fireman would fill his Ilrabox full OF
coal at the approach TO long grade
and then crawl up to the cabin window
and look at the scenery Is past and
gone. and with 1t have gone the great
wreathes Of black smoke that once de-
noted the presence OF train miles
away.
The change was brought about by the
Introduction Of what the railroad men
call the one shovel SYSTEM, and aside
from being great money saver It Is
also saver Of the most expensive ma
Chinery that the various companies are
called on to buy. 1t also relieves many
n community OF the annoyance that It
has been suffering from the vast
amounts Of coal smoke that have been
plotting the landscape for some time.
In the accounts Of fast rtttfs that have
been made during the last few months
n good deal OF attention has been paid
to tho nremen and the work they do.
The pcrsistency with which they stick
to their work and the care they take
In doing 1t Just so has been the occasion
for the wasting Of good many pre-
cious adjectives. 1t. however. Is but n
description OF the work that Is done
when tho fireman knows his business
md performs It faithfully. The new
system Is very simple. 1t means mere
~ tina. one shovel full of coal Is put on
at II time. and this Is scattered around
so that the surface Of the coal Is evenly
distributed over the bed Of rcd-hot
Goals IN the flreboX. This shovel full Is
allowed TO burn out, or nearly 80. and
then another Is put on, the aim being
to keep constantly Il bed OF red-hot
Goals under the boilers. In this system
the hent Is always the best md the
combustion Is the nearer perfect. All
OF the smoke that Is seen either In the
cities from the factories or from the
railroad engines is wasted energy. The
railroad men are renllzing this, and
IRE making use OF every box Of fuel
that Is thrown Into the frebox. The
lleW WI n VI NDulEt lNktS ItlDTe Dl Inc
mans time md makes him work hard
er than he used to do. but he IL paid
better and there IL grenter import
ance attached to his position than there
used TO be. One time he was merely
lnborer. now no Is classcd In the list of
mechanics. On the proper handling of
the ilrcman's shovel depends n good
deal Of both. If the Nrebox Is properly
tended the maximum amount OF speed
cnn he secured out Of the engine. but
II It Is improperly led neither speed nor
strength ia expected.
There Is more to 1t also than this one
advantage. The ron1s hnvc found that
they are saving nbout 50 per cent OF
their conf. When It Is understood that
on nm ordinary run IN engine will burn
from ten to fifteen tons OF coal L may
we'll be seen that tho railroad men nre
looking for every point on which they
can save fuel. There ia another point
also wherein there Ia II great difference
Geen. The tircmer ut one time were
paid ma mere machines to shovel coal
Into the Are boxes. but now they are
considered na OF value to the road, Il
they know their business. and hence the
pay 10 higher. being something like
double what It used 10 he.