The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-03-28

Oi the WleelS. The locomotives have
weight of 26.0o0 pounds, exsrtiug a draw
bar pull on level of 4. 100 pounds. sufn-
cient to hanl forty i've loaded ears against
a two and One-half per cent grade. Each
Of the cars weighs empty loo pounds.
aud loaded 3 so pounds The starting
draw bar pull IS limited only By the ad-
hssion VI the locomotive whaeIs 70 the
track, the motors being powerful enough
to slip the wheels with any conditions Of
track. The usual speed is aboG. eight
miles an hoGr, bat Ons oflen sees trains OF
empty ears picked up and run into the
mines At a rate Of filsn miles an hour, A.
the operators do not waste time on the
road Each locomotive hanls 500 tons Of
coal a day. making eleven trips.
IN the interior OF the mine the ar
rival and departnrs Of trains are sehed-
uisi and run as punctGally as passenger
trains on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Each train has driver on the locomotive
and a trainman upon tbs end car
"Fhs ears have frames Of wood with
Low sides. the large humps Of coal being
packed upon the outside, the esutre OF
the car being flied up with small coal.
As loading is eompIsted in the rooms
ths cars are pushed into the cross head
iRgs- A train Of empties enters The er,sss-
De siing and pushes on ahead OF it the
loaded cara. As the train passes alcng
she cross-bs1dinE ths minsrs ia each
room call Oer the number Of empties re-
quired. which are dropped from the end
Of the train and moved into the rooms.
When the train OF enpGies Is disposed Of
the loaded ears are coupled together and
hanIed 70 the main heading, aad thence
oGt the miEe 70 the tipPie.
rDs trolley wires for conducting
electric current along the hsadings with
in Ihe mines are eIrrisd overhead above
the tracks; upon emerging from the
mine th5 wires aro conducted overhead
in = very substantial manner, suspended
from cross wires SIX feet six inches above
the ground. fastened - parallel line OF
pie, Ou either sids OF the track. Sumer-
Ous nOtise O1zrts appear cantioaing
ptssers by .DAngsr-D5n-t Touch the
Wire.r Ths voltage carried by the wires
IS lve hundred, which serves for the troll
ley system Snd fo- lighting. the Latter
being done BY dve lights in series. The
railroad lines extend from the entrance
ofthe mine for about nine hundred feet
70 the tipple, where the coal IS dumped
into the railway ears.
The tipple is = substantial b1iIding.
projecting over q railroad track The
whole method Of damPiug the cars illus
trates how much can be done By utiliz-
ing the force OF gravity 70 economics
human labor. Upon reaching the tipple
the mine locomotive leaves is train OF
forty-fivs loaded cars and returns % the
mine with empties. the down grade being
Sufficient 70 carry the loaded cars b the
dumping places. Five cars al n time are
uneoupled from the train and allowed 10
run down % the ehutes- In doing So
they pass over the scales and the weight
Of each car i recorded. The process OF
dumping Is perfarmsd by the latest in-
proved cross-over tilt. As the car ao-
prOsches the chute, the operator moves
the dumping lever. when immedistsly
the wheels strike a pair Of conczye blocks,
the shock e4using the wagon n dump
lis contents into the chute. The operator
then pulls back the body OF the wagon
and ixes the lever.
"As \ distance OF about twenty feet
from the chute a portion Os the right
hand rail. fOur feet in length, is raised
about six iaches A loaded ear approach
ing the chute passes over this spot aad
depresses the portion OF the rail. which
caGses the whssl blocks AZ the chute 70
swing outward, clear Of the wheels. and
allows the car which has Just been emp
tied 70 pass Onw4ri- The lnaded car ap-
preaching the ebHts strikes the empty
car prUpelliag it down an inclined plane
where it runs for sosus E1rty-ive feet.
the momentum carrying il up another
incliasd plane. This rsvsrses is mo.ion
and switches it into tns siding Tor empty
ears Tlis operation Is entirely anto-
matie. As SON "a the loaded ear has
struck the empty ear snd driven it frOIa
tue chute. the wheels Of the loaded ear
release the E0sT-foos length Of rail,
which rises, and the iron blocks swing
upward into place. catching the wheels
Of the loaded car which in Us tnru
dumps is eoas into the chute. Although
some time IS occupied in describing this
process, it = performed in the mos. rapid
manner. Oftsn a. many a. uine cars are
dumped in Oas miuute. and two hundred
cars have boen dumped in half an hour.
The Bsrwind White Company c0n-
ssrueted lis own lines OF railroad from
Llvstt on the Pennsylvania Rsilrold 10
Windbsr. with branches u the different
mines. The lines are operated by the
Penasy. .VauiS r Glrosd- Th, s=aeks IN
der the tipple are built upon grade 20
utilize the force OF gravity in moving
ears Thirty aud dayton railroad ears
Al placed under the chu1ss aud loaded
within a few minutes The coal drops
into the forward snd of the car, aud a. L
becomes filed the brakeman allows il %
move forward until corspIeteIy loaded.
when il Is passed onward and al empty
car takes il place All these movements
are done by gravity. checked BY hand
brakes Eleven large railroad ears ean
be loaded in one hour. The Company
owns go freight cars. and bas CONSTANT
iy in use vEss number belonging 10
railroad companies
--Tas total capacity s1tpu. Of the Eare-
IA Mines in the Windber District At the
pgsssas time Is 3oo0 tons daily. The
system Of elees-ic nine haaIsgs now