The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-21
GIANT SHOPS
Atlantic Coast Lines Bio
Industry Hard
at Work,
BUSY
Between Thirteen and Fourteen
Hundred Cars Will be Turned Out
Done in the Wilmington Shops.
Interesting Information About 1t.

] J. - SiSdllIlC INDUSTRIES IL VII
mington are the Champion Compress
and the shops of the Atlantic Coast
| Line, but about the latter Wilmington-
ians know very little specifically. OF
course, all know that the shops are the
means of the employment of many and
of the expenditure of much money with
the merchants, but very few realize the
expert and enormous amount Of work
| that the shops turnout every year to
| go whirling around the world in the
shape of rolling-stock, which in plain
| parlance mean railway cars. The
shops would be a big benefit to cities
of much greater size than Wilmington
| n consequently their worth should
be rightly comprehended and duly ap-
preciated accordingly. In the Whining
| ton shops is found the very home of the
| Coast Lines mechanical existence. for
the roads other shops, located in Flor
ida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina,
| n this state, are mere tributaries, SO
to speak. In this city is where Ill the
! planning and expert work is done, as
well as the building of all cars. The
scene at the shops is always q busy
one and much work is always being
turned out. AT present there are EN-
ployed in The shops 2S3 workmen and
this force is divided into many classes
of skilled labor. The shops cover fully
five acres of and and are arranged
most advantageously. They are equip
ped with an immense amount of mod
ern machinery, which Represents the
expenditure of thousands upon thou
sands of dollars, and are kept in per-
feet order at all times.
The work at the shops during year
ending the first day of last July was
gigantic in proportion and mainly con-
sisted in the construction of over eleven
hundred and fifty cars. To be exact
there were built 1,136 freight cars, 12
express cars and 4 passenger coaches.
These cars were all constructed on the
most improved scale and We're perfect
boil as to durability and appearance.
The lumber out of which the cars are
made was obtained from Messrs. Bird
gers & McKeithan, of Lumber, S. c.,
from whom the Coast Lin purchases
all the lumber used for this work. The
amount of lumber purchased each yea
for this purpose ranges from six to
seven million feet.
The output the present year, which
Will expire the first of July, mas al
ready been enormous and it is estimat-
ed that the number of cars construct
ed by that time will be between 1900
and 1,400, which is more than four cars
each working day. This does not ouch
the repair work, which is constantly
going on, but means new work entirely.
This year there has not been Il single
passenger car constructed, for the
simple reason that so great has beeI
the freight demand that it was and is
still necessary to keep the shops build
ing freight cars. So the number Of Cars
manufactured since last July and which
will be constructed between now and
the approaching July are all freight and
stock cars and cabooses. In order &c
reach the estimate mad it will be
necessary for the shops to turn out
about 226 cars within the next two and
a half months This number may be
increased as it depends upon how we'll
the cars now in use are preserved, for
every time a car is destroyed another
one is constructed in it's place, so con-
sequently the wheel never turns back
ward.
AS stated above all of the ear con-
struction work for the entire system,
which takes in the Plant line, is lone
in the Wilmington shops. AL the
heavy work is done here and the light
er work at the other shops. The car
building work is not even entrusted to
the large shops at Savannah. The
shops, aside from those here and in
Savannah, are located in Montgomery.
Ala, Sanford, Fla, Florence, S. G., and
Rocky Mount. n. c. When any heavy
work comes to the attention Of these
shops it has to be reported and sent to
Wilmington.
In charge personally of all the work
over the entire system is the assistan.
superintendent of motive power, Mr.. a.
B. Corinth, of this city. and though the
work Is enormous in the planning and
direction it is done as perfect and as rap
idly as any of any road in the country.
The work is never delayed and many
unexpected difficulties have been quick
! ly and satisfactorily overcome under
Mr.. Corinth's direction without the loss
of time or money. The handling Of the
men and extensive work requires a
most competent head, but the Coast
Lin has such in Mr.. Corinth. who IS
always attentive to the work and both
faithful and able in the direction of it.
He is a man of extensive experience in
railroading and commenced his career
with one of the greatest roads Of the
Countrywide Pennsylvania-and has
since held important positions in many
of the largest cities. At the time the
Coast Line obtained his services, which
was three years ago last February. he
was in full charge of the shops of the
t Southern Railway at Knoxville, Tenn
= where his duties embraced the hand
Y ling of 500 men, working in shops Gov
ering an area of los acres.
Each department. of the Wilmington
shops a a foreman who works unde
the direction of Mr.. Corinth. Thes:
workmen are all thoroughly competitor,
; and clever. They are Mr.. T.. E. Muir.
rell. foreman Of the passenger cal
shops; Mr.. j. w. Owens, foreman OF
the planning mills; Mr.. c.. S. Denny
foreman of the paint shops; Mr.. EG
Smith. foreman of the freight car cree.
1 ton shops: Mr.. Oscar Matthews. fore
man of the freight car repairing shops
= and Mr.. Thos. Torphy, foreman of tn,
: engine shops. The almost four hun,
dred men are employed under the in
e structions of these gentlemen. In TIL
s passenger car shops IS men are EN-