Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-25
British price is e2,24o sterling, and


the American price e2,7OO sterling;
and in the other case the British price
is eS,250 sterling and the American
price e3.575 sterling. To this, how.
ever, Lord Cromer adds:
"On the other hand the American
firm, Messrs. Burnham, Williams
Co. whose works are known as the
Baldwin works) offered to supply en-
gines differing in certain particulars
from the Egyptian designs and specif1
cations but which they held to be of
equal power and equally suitable to
the work which had to be performed.
Under these conditions the American
prices fell respectively 10 s1,S55 and
| f2,475 sterling, that is to say, 10 per
cent below the British. The reason for
! this great fall in price is sufficiently
| obvious; it is thus explained by Mr..
/ Trevithick. The American firm, he
says were able to introduce their
stock standards. and to advance work
continuously without being hampered
| by, to them, unknown and unnecessary
conditions. an advantage which, in my
opinion, quite accounts for the differ
/ ence in the cost and time of delivery
/ between the two makes of engines.
1T appears, however, that it is not so
much in the matter of price as in re-
spect to the period required for the
/ construction that the American manu-
facturers have had the greatest adj
vantage, not only over British but over
all other competitors. The figures in
I this connection are, indeed, very re-
| markable. On the two occasions given
| by Mr.. Trevithick, when British and
/ American firms entered into compeu-
ton, the former offered to complete the
orders in forty-eight and in ninety
weeks respectively. The American Of
| fers. on the other hand, were for deliv-
cry in eighteen and thirtyfive weeks,
| III the Egyptian designs and specifica-
tons were followed, or in twelve and
| thirty weeks If certain changes in the
designs were allowed.
1T can not be doubted that the main
reason why so many orders for railway
and other plants required in Egypt
have recently been given to America Is
/ that American firms have been able to
execute them with extraordinary
rapidly. For reasons to which l have
frequently alluded in my annual re-
fore dwell at present. railway develop
ment in Egypt did not, for many years,
| keep pace with the rapidly increasing
prosperity of the country. The natural
result ensued. A moment came when
large quantity of material was required
| for delivery in short time and, mas
much as American firms We're in far
better position than others to comply
with the requirements of the govern
ment as regards time of delivery, a
large portion of the orders naturally
went to America"
| With reference to this particular
question of time Mr.. Trevithick for
warded memorandum to Lord Cromer
| IS follows: The Baldwin works are
at present turning out locomotives at
the rate of 1000 a year. or % per cent
more than the combined turn -out of
the four leadiag English firms; viz.
Nelson. 800; Dubs, $50: Sharp
Stewart, 40; and Kitson. $40. Their
secret of success In rapidly and mex
pensively.. constructing locomotives is
their continuous day and night work
system of piece-work, and working to
fixed types and templates. 1t will be
readily understood how great an econ
omy can be effected in the construction
of machines so complicated as locomo-
tives when, by working day and night,
double the amount of work is obtained
cut of the plant and buildings (capi
taD when no schening nor drawings
are necessary, and when complete sets
OF templates and patterns exist
Moreover, under this system, they
are able to make use Of labor-saving
machines and tools specially designed
for the manufacturing of the various
parts forming their standard locomo-
tives, the employment of which would
be inadmissible in English workshops.
where only few engines are con-
structed to the same type.
Thus 1t is that the Baldwin works,
so long as they have sufficient orders
to engage their machinery day and
night, and are allowed to construct
their own standard types, can so sue
cessfully compete with the world in
locomotive manufacture"
I%th regard to the consumption OF
coal by the various types of engines
Lord Cromer reports as follows: 1T is,
however, In respect to the relative con-
sumption of coal that the recent trials
are of special value. The most scru-
pulous care was taken to render the
trials fair On this point Mr.. Trevi-
thick says: These comparisons have
been carried out under exceptionally
favorable circumstances. inasmuch as
the locomotives employed We're typical
of their respective countries in design
and manufacture, and the results con-
jointly signed by representative sent |
out by the American builders and q To- |
connective inspector of the Egyptian
railway administration
Trials were made with both goods
and passenger engines. 1t was found /
that in the case of goods engines the
American consumed 25.4 per cent more
coal than the British engine, while the
latter was drawing 1872 per cent more
load. In the case of the passenger en-
gines, the American was so per cent I
more than the British consumption,
with the same average load. This lat
ter difference represented a 34s I'd per
ton Ohe average price paid last year
by the railway board), an additional
cost of e400 sterling per engine. Major
tombstone, in reviewing these figures,
says: The contrast between about
twenty pounds of coal rer mile in the
best runs of the British engine and
over sixty pounds in the hardest runs
of the American is quite extraordinary.