The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-21
MEGAPHGNES AND VARNISH
A New Scheme Tried With Good Re-
q suits in Railroad Shops.
BOEtOn Globe

Boston Globe.
new use has been found for mega
phones, and use that promises to de-
mind more than all the college football
games and yacht races and stereopticon
exhibitions put together.
1t has been found that they will keep
the varnish from peeling off the side Of
passenger coach. -.-.
OF course, on the face of it, that sounds
little far fetched, but it is matter, Of
pubic record now, and any one who wishes
to find out can go to a certain railroad
company entering Boston and see their
chief plumber, and he will tell them how
1t happened.
When. years ago, 1T was found that
railroad cars could be heated by steam,
and when the travelling public who were
afraid of cold feet and who objected to
stoves in cars for hygienic reasons de-
manded that there be heat by steam, it
was found necessary to provide an escape
for the steam, that 1t might not fill the
pipes too full, and that any water or
steam which remained in the latter
when the heat was turned off would
escape to the ground and not freeze the
system. ...-..4
The high engineers got together, and
evolved what is known as the mo. 2
system Of steam exhaust" It worked
very well, and was very simple. 1t con-
sisted OF a brass plate in the center
of the car floor, into which wrench could
be inserted and crank turned under
meath the car that opened valve and
allowed the steam to escape as it pleased.
That went all very well and no one
thought of changing it until a year or
two ago. 1t was then found that the
escaping steam was no respecter Of
cars and that when it escaped instead
of going off and enjoying freedom like
good steam should, 1t hung about the
car, crawled up the sides, and before it
departed, licked off an inch or two OF
paint.
The car repair men and the painters
|began to complain to their superiors that
nearly every car on the road was being
put into bad way by the steam which
| persisted in taking off the paint On
! both sides, and that something ought
! to be done to stop 1t. Some cars were
almost bald on the sides about the middle
| windows, and others were SCARED from
end to end. .s,e~,--- IVY @s.'.~
! Nothing much was done in the matter
until one day the presidents car, just
| out from the shop, went off on trip
with that august parsonage, and when
4 the trip was over it was found that the
car had to be sent back and get more
paint on its sides, for the steam had
| taken it all off, Then things were
/ DOING the chief engineer was called up
, and the matter laid before him, and he
| was told that he or some of his Eeuten-
] ants would have 10 put an euo 10 Tue
| steam nuisance.
f. Different experiments were tried, the
pipes were put under the trucks and the
steam cam. UP between the cars and got
in the passengers way, and though 1t did
not hurt the Paint, this would not do.
! longer pipe was used, stretching almost
| to the ground, but it only diminished the
| nd
Then one day, so the story goes, the
engineer, who is yachtsman, was toy
ing aimlessly with his megaphone and
smoking a cigar. He did not have any
particular use for the megaphone, so he
began to blow smoke through it, and
occupied himself with trying to make
rings come out Of the big end. He found
that they would not come, and that the
smoke itself spread so before it reached
! the end Of his megaphone that it just
| barely f1oated out, and was entirely differ
| emit from the thick, steady stream that
came from the end of a tube Of ever
thickness when he filled 1t.
He smoked up couple of cigars In his
experiment., and the next day took 8
| megaphone with him when he went tC
! work. He called one of his subordinates
and showed him how the smoke acted, an6
then rugged up the megaphone and tried
steam in it; the steam showed signs Of do
ing what the smoke did, but they Were
only faint signs and nothing definite re-
1 suited. -.
! In a day or two, however, a long meta
Emegaphone had been made in the shop ant
1 attached to a car, the steam was allowed
to escape, and it was found that when il
came forth from the end of the mega.
4 phone that it had none Of it's usual life
and activity, but it flickered an instant
! near the ground and vanished.
There was great rejoicing. Observation
and ingenuity had saved the day.
The presidents car was given nea
coat of paint, and word was sent to hin
that the steam nuisance would be looked
into and abated Immediately, and now al
: the cars Sof that road arc being equipped
with large megaphones, which are located
exactly under the center of the car, ant
which extend very near to the ground
The steam which escapes is condensed a
it descended through the funnel and by tn
time it reaches the ground there is bu
Z little chance for it to creep up and eat tn
paint off the sides of the presidents pri
| 1yot 10 nop A