The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-02-12
"Smiler" Hart's Watch 5
By Phil. Moro.

the men called him, for his
& mirth-loving nature, stood in
the doorway Of the engine-room
lounging easily against the frame set
In the heavy brick walls and surveying
the scene about the iron mine.
It was a maze of tracks, ore trestles,
coal sheds, Stag dumps and ash dumps.
Acres of stacked pig iron filled one cor
ner of the scene. with Bessemer steel
plant spouting flame 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, wailing gasps and shrieks for
air. They were gigantic, old-fash-
toned walking beam engines, with the
steam cylinder at one end of the bean,
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 Smilcr stood resting his eyes from
watching the dizzying, revolving
spokes, a piece Of coal struck the
ground in front Of him. He stepped
to the edge of the doorway and saw
man standing on one of the coal tres
ties and gesticulating. When he had
caught Smiler's attention he held up
on finger, which, amid the din and up
roar. signified "What time is it?'
Smiler gravely 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
t'f-f-f-ing" 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 rnsual noise caught
his attention. There was a snap-then
8 crash. At the crash he sprang for
ward to the throttle valve on No. 1 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 q
wrench and rsn through the arch into
the compressor room, where the three
air cylinders stool in Il row fifteen feet
apart. Then he looked down at the cy-
Under attached to the notionless en-
gine.
It was as he had supposed. The yoke
holding the manholc plate and gaslet
in position had broken, and the whole
arrangement had cropped into the cy-
Hinder Smiler sprang to the walking
beam, slid down the connecting rod
to the cylinder head, standing there q
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 UP
his arms, with the wrench and lamp in
his hands, he reached out with his toes
and touched the air piston. The en-
ginc being at less than mid-stroke this
was third of the way Up in the cylin-
der.
Drawing his arms through he
crouched down and so gained the in
terror Of the cylinder. 1t was like an
oven. The cleaning, polished walls
reflected his light. He could not touch
any part; it was all too hot, and he
moved his lamp around over the top
Of the piston, looking for the broken
yoke and plate.
A moment after Smiler had dropped
out Of sight. Deunison, the boss fur
naceman, entered the engine room ex-
citedly. He had missed the familiar
beat of one machine, and feared q di-
minution of the blast.
''Smilerw he shouted, looking round
20 Smiler! Smilerw Then he went to
the throttle valve and took up the start
ing har.
Meanwhile Smiler gathered up the
broken yoke and reached up to lay it
on top Of the head, showing his hand
Through the narrow opening. The
plate was a heavier piece, and he
shouldered 1t first. It was a severe
strain in the close, hot cylinder to push
1t pp through at arms length. As he
laid it beside the broken yoke he felt
the piston beneath his feet move.
For an instant his heart stopped
haatjn