The suburban citizen., 1902-02-15
"Smiler" Harris Watch
r Ohm HART. or "Smiler," as the
By Phil. More.

Ohm HART, or "Smiler" as the
the men called him, for his
mirth-loving nature, stood in
the doorway Of the englne-room
lounging easily against the frame set
in the heavy brick walls and surveying
the scene about the iron mine.
1t was a maze Of tracks, ore trestles,
coal sheds, Stag dumps and ash dumps.
Acres of stacked pig iron filed one cor
ner of the scene, with a Bessemer steel
plant spouting fame and smoke to the
right and a billet and iron mill nearer
on the left. Filling the greater part
of the foreground were huge furnaces,
with stacks carrying off the heat in
long trailing blue clouds.
Behind Smiler were three vertical
blowing engines, which ran continu-
ously all the year to make the blast.
They "chugged" and Jared. and gave
long. waillng gasps and shrieks for
air. They were gigantic, Old'fash-
toned walking beam engines, with the
steam cylinder at one end Of the beam,
and the air cylinder on the other, each
vertical and twelve feet In length.
Smiler, a mere boy in appearance
he was little more than five feet tall
knew every part Of the engines, from
the thirty foot fly wheel to the smallest
lever on the poppet valve gear Amid
the noise he could infallibly detect any
thing gone wrong by the unaccustomed
sounds.
AS Smiler stood resting his eyes from
watching the dizzying, revolving
spokes, piece of coal struck the
ground in front of him. He stepped
80 the edge of the doorway and saw a
man standing on one Of the coal tres
ties and gestlculating. When he had
caught Smilers attention he held up
one finger, which, amid the din and up
roar, signifed What time is it,"
Smller grayely took out his watch,
looked at it, put it back into its pock-
ct and then signaled back, Half past
three" This reminded him that it was
time to oil up, and he re.entered the
engine room. Every inlet valve was
lifting" for air, and the air was
wailing through the outlet valve on
its way to the leader pipe.
Smiler, taking an oil can, began the
rounds, when an unsual noise caught
his attention. There was a snap--then
crash. At the crash he sprang for
ward to the throttle valve on No. en-
gine, and before she had turned over
TO make another complete stroke he
had stopped her.
He thought he knew what had hap
pened, and before investigating he put
the other two engines to their maxi
mum speed that the air pressure might
be maintained if possible To keep the
air pressure or blast steadily on the
furnaces was the most important work
the engines had to do.
Smiler then seized a lamp and a
wrench and ran through the arch into
the compressor room, where the three
air cylinders stool in a row fifteen feet
apart Then he looked down at the cy.
Under attached to the motioniess en-.
gine.
1t was as he had supposed. The yoke
holding the manhole plate and gasket
In position had broken, and the whole
arrangement had dropped intost cy.
Under. Smiler sprang to the " king
beam, slid down the connect & rod
to the cylinder head, standing there a
moment on the immense casting, which
was five feet in diameter.
Without a thought Of danger he
squatted down, stuck his feet through
the small oblong opening and wriggled
through to his shoulders. Holding IN
his arms, with the wrench and lamp in
his hands, he reached out with his toes
and touched the air piston. The en-
gine being at less than mid-stroke this
was third Of the way up in the cylln
der.
Drawing his arms through h,
crouched down and so gained the in
terror Of the cylinder. 1t was like al
oven. The cleaning polished wall
reflected his light He could not toucl
any part; IL was all too hot, and h,
moved his lamp around over the tol
of the piston, looking for the broker
yoke and plate.
A moment after Smiler had dropped
out Of sight Dennison, the boss fur
naceman, entered the engine room ex
eitedly. He had missed the familla
beat Of one machine, and feared a di
minutlon Of the blast.
"SmllerE' be shouted, looking round