The Washington times., 1901-07-21
American aud English Engineering

d
sulting from an investigation made by
the London Times of American mann
featuring and engineering enterprises. il
tends to show that distancing al
the other nations of the earth in this
line. The authors name is not given
but he is understood to be an English
engineer who visited this country in 1893
and spent some time in the States in
which are the chief engineering centres.
The tone of the book is throughout pro-
American to a somewhat remarkable de-
gree. as may he seen from the following
paragraph, which occurs in the in,ro-
duction:
Since England built up her indus
trial supremacy race has
arisen Probably ethnologists do not
give it place in their classifications,
but for industrial and economic pur-
poses ii is a new race: just the An
gio-SaXon was new race when it
founded our Empire. We in England,
who are proud of our relationship
with America. are fond of speaking of
this new and. industrially, most puis-
SAINT people (who really should invent
new title for themselves ''of the
Anglo-SaNon race" This is true so
far that the stiffening of the peo
pie comes from Anglo-Saxon ances-
try. But the blood has been blend
ed by crosses from all peoples of the
world. and, moreover, the environment
of the race during its infancy and
later growth has been so different
from anything that has attended the
progress OF any other nation. that the
character of the people is sui generis
a race apart a fact which would be
more apparent to Englishmen were it
not Tor the common tongue. The his
tory of our industrial success in the
past may interpret much of the pr,s-
ent success of America. Our CONNER
cial supremacy has been built up
largely by foreign immigration. What
reislous persecution and political op-
preston abroad did for us in the past,
doing rir
in this present day. II is producing
people 50 versatile, far-seeing.
and so enduring in-effort that the very
forces cf nature seem to take more
plastic shape in their nervous hands"
considerable part of the book is so
taken up with technical matters as 10
have little interest for those not directly
concerned in manufacture or engineer
ing The process of mining iron and
manufacturing steel is described in de-
tail. and so are various other manufac-
turing processes. The difference between
American and English made locomotives
Is described as follows:
The most conspicuous difference
netween British and American loco
motives is in the general finish Those
produced IN this country are really
haaShlhcent examples of mechanical
engineering They are fit as an |
AMERICAN railway engineer once said
to hang on lady's watch chain If |
they were only little smaller More
over, they are admirably kept up. The
average American locomotive is not
quite lllS" this. Compared with its
English brother il is a sorebre thing
with no unnecessary expenditure on
ornamental finish: unless. indeed,
IN some cases it is .;uperfuous-
ly ornate. British locomotives ap-
pear substantial. compact and
convey the impre ssion of being
wen Sroomed. American engines
are impressive from their height
ana size generally. but they seem TO
English Ei1e & eyes ungainlly and iu-knit
Inose who know their power and i'm
Hense capacity for hauling loads can
not but respect them. If there is no
sacrifice made 10 appearance in shane
or bright work and polished brass
the working parts are excellent fits
and are interchangeable with similar
parts on other engines, being made
with special tools of precision. \ char !
acteristic Of The modern American To- |
comotiNe is its remarkably easy run
mng. BY the kindness of the executive
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany ! was able to ride on tive engine
of the Chicago Limited Express
train celebrated throughout the rail-
way world, and can bear testimony TO
ITS smooth running at very high
speeds, IN this respect unequaled so
Tar as my experience goes.
From what has been said it will be
gathered that, in competing with Brit
ish-made locomotives in neutral mar
kets, the American system gives the
maker considerable advantage in the
matter of price. So far as Great Brit
am ana the United States
cerned- IL may be said that each type
is well suited for its respective field
but when we come to those neutral
markets where locomotives ;i.e most
likely to be imported We see that the
British maker, who sticks with British |
pertnacity to his own home ideals. is
likely to go to the wall. New coun-
tries-our colonies. for instance-have
railways more approximating to the
earlier roads of America than to the
solid constructions of our own land
i wliSfere~l
In the past British makers have shown
what might be described as obstinacy
rather than pertinacity. They have
been apt TO think themselves masters
of the situation and tell their custo-
mers exactly what they proposed to
supply rather than consult their wish
es We make only good engines; turn
out nothing but high-class work they
have said That is what consider
good. substantial locomotive: and IL
you want anything else you had bet
ter go elsewhere Foreign customers
have taken this advice, getting. per-
haps, an engine not so bright. not so
good looking. not economical in
fuel. but one which may have cost
less and which undoubtedly hauled big
loads over roads that were different
from our splendidly laid and tunneled
lines as New York street is to
Partisan boulevard"
The difference between American and
English workmen is thus pointed out:
1.-The Baldwin works never stop day
or night. The day shift works ten
hours and the night shift eleven hours c
In this way standing expenses such as I
rent, taxes rate interest on capital, are | h
practically halyed. Nearly all the work =
is pieccwork-the men Will have it so
the night and the day men being part ! u
ners. IL has been frequently suggested n
that double shifts should be worked @
in this country, and occasionally this
has been done under pressure Of ex-
cessive demand. The objection to the
principle has been that II is impossible
to bring home to any individual work.
man the responsibility for bad work II
or neglect. The difficulty of foremen !,
is also raised. Ii is said one foreman . =
will not supervise the work of another; Il
and in short. the friction would be so g
great that the plant must be failure. II
The answer to this is that the Bald !,
win Locomotive Works and many 9TH
er establishmt nts in the United States o.
that have tried ii for years find il e,
perfectly successful; but. / must con- 6,
fess, the spirit of the shops is quite a,
different from that whicn prevails in 81
Great Rritain--I wish could say p
which formerly prevailed without re- a
serve. but / fear / cannot. Though Il
matters have improved and the British | :,
artisan has learnt much wisdom since va
the strike of two years ago, ii would Is
be untrue TO say that the same desire | r:
to tura out work quickly and cheaply | NJ
exists in Great Britain as IL does in -
America. II was curious thing TO see g
the Baldwin shop engines running dur Il
ing the dinner hour. and a large num- d
Der Of the machines at work. The ex- al
pediency of such a practice may be a -
matter of opinion. but there can be no Va
doubt to the spirit shown by the ! m