Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-10-15
SUCH WILL BE THE ROCK Is
LANDS AT MOLINE.
.S15,0O0,O0O Is THE COST
Army of 5000 to Find Employment
Repair Work for the Entire System
of $4,000 Miles of Road to be
Done-Very Rapid Construction in
Process.

railroad shops in the world" is what
the Rock Island system designs its
new plant to be which is now under
construct.ol at East Moline. ILL.,, and
which will cost, when completed, $15,-
000,0 900.
The scheme embraces the construc-
ton and operation of shops for the re-
pair work of the entire system of near
ly $4,000 miles of road, replacing the
smaller shops now scattered through
out the west, and also for the construc-
ton of all it's locomotives. freight and
passenger cars, which will call for the
employment of an army of 5000 men.
| The machine shop is said to be the
largest locomotive repair shop in the
world. 1t covers about six acres. An
important feature is the large proper
ton of floor space for boiler and tank
work, it being 33 per cent. of the total
area, while at Topeka it is only 26 per
cent. and at Reading * per cent.
| The buildings now nearly complete
are the machine shop; blacksmith
shop, 465x99 feet; store house, 500x100
feet and three stories high, and round
house, containing thirty stalls and
having a mean diameter of 400 feet 6
inches. Besides these there is in
course of construction great power
house, with capacity to develop
5000 horse power. The power will
be used TO generate electricity for
driving the machinery of the shops
and also for pumping water from the
pumping station located on the banks
of the Mississippi river at Water
town, two miles distant.
An immense quantity of concrete
has been used in the construction of
this power house, the total being
1929 cubic yards and weighing
5,747 ,034.5 pounds.
The pumping station has capacity
of about $4,000 gallons per diem. In
addition an artesian well has been
sunk for drinking purposes, which af'
fords an abundant supply.
A complete sewer system is being
constructed, with capacity equal to
5 that of city of twelve thousand in
/ habitants.
finished as quickly as possible. The
: great main building will be used as a
, machine, boiler and erecting shop, for
repairing constructing and erecting
locomotives and boilers.
} Six great cranes will be included in
the important machinery equipment of
this shop, the largest with lifting and
1pp r1Y,rr nit ~ h tah
can pick up and handle the largest Of
the monster locomotives now in use on
the system with perfect ease. The
blacksmith shop will be equipped,
among other up-to-date machinery,
with three great hydraulic hammers,
among the largest in use. In all 275
machine tools will be installed to as
sist in the work Of the shops.
other buildings now under way are:
Brass foundry, laboratory Zone of the
best equipped in the wesD, refined oil
house-capacity 100000 gallons
crude oil house-capacity $4,000 gal
lons-foreman Office building, gen.
eral office building, big supply plat
form, pattern store house, pumping
othtioi, lOW dnu uiSH bSlFlcc tduhS.
Next year will also see a number of
large buildings erected to complete the
scheme, including, besides the yards
with fifty-eight miles of tracks. which
will be practically the division head
quarters, two coal chutes, each $50
feet long; shop for the construction
and erection of passenger coaches,
500 feet long; freight car construction
shop, same dimensions; passenger re-
pair shop, freight car repair shop, pas
senger paint shop, freight paint shop
general paint factory, saw mill, plan,
ing mill. lumber sheds, etc.
Not the least wonderful feature OF
this plant is the rapidity with which
the construction is being carried on
On April last the wreckers and grad
ers first began to clear away the farm
houses and to prepare to level the big
tract Of sandy farm and swamp land
and two days later the stakes were sci
for the big machine shop. An aver
age of 600 men is employed in the
grading and construction work.
The army Of employees and theil
families, when the shops are in oper
alton, will create quite little civ o.
themselves.