The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-02-21

versed in this ranch of engineering to
know that though the Broderick & Bas-
com mpan was the pioneer manufac-
iurer of wire rope in the great West, wire
rope itself Is almost as old as history.
The ancient city of Pompeii had its
wire rope-marvelous rope.
~PoInpciTS wire rope WAS made of bronze
wire From the Investigations of the best
authorities it seems that the wire of the
ancients vas not drawn as in modern
times. but was more of a hand wire. OF
form the rope. At the opening of York
shire College. when Professor Goodwin of
the engineering department lectured on
his visit to Pompeii, in 1896, he described
n piece of wire rope which he had found
In the ruins Of the buried city, rope of
perfect construction and largely similar to
That Of modern manufacture. Professor
piece of rope. and n duplicate. obtained by
Broderick Il Bascom, is here reproduced,
for the first time in the daily press. The
Naples, exemplifying the old adage that
there is nothing new under the SUM-"
Broderick & Bascom wire rope has al
ways held the unexcelled reputation that
1t holds to-day. though necessarily not so
universally, as the progress of this husi-
ness. small in the beginning, but keeping
the city where It has had its home. has
superintendent of the company's factory,
made wire rope by hand in Germany in
the early ~forties. and his superior skill.
given new birth in the men who worked
Will: him and still form the sinew of the
Frederick & Bascom mill, and by the de-
relopment of machinery. lives on and on.
Brcderick e. Bascom's special logging
rope. said to be the most powerful manu-
featured for lumber-camp purposes, has
cleared the worlds greatest forests from
which have sprung her temples.
TO give the reader an idea of the Won
may be well to explain that the rope made
j inch in diameter has a breakage strength
of 10000 pounds. AT the Worlds Fair
yon vii, ,rss see the famous Washington
Toothpick," which is to be presented as a
special exhibit from the State of Wash
ington, This tree Is $50 years old. and
feet at the base. This log was dragged
three miles through the forest by one of
frederick & Bascom's steel ropes, which
was only three-fourths of an inch In
diameter. The accompanying photograph
of the log may give the reader a clearer
conception OF this statement really
means.
In great railroad construction work of
recent years no American institution has
played n more prominent part than this
Bascom contract for steel rope for rail-
road purposes on the Pacific Coast alone
amounted to $4,000. It is interesting to
know that when the demand for steel
railroad rope was at its height. special
wagons were necessary to deliver the
great cables to specially constructed fiat
cdrs. lpT transportation
An old photograph In the possession of
tho Broderick & Bascom Company shows
one Of these wagons. bearing only one
cable. but this cable SO heavy that fifty
six horses were required to pull It through
the streets of st. Louis.
With the waning of the work of railroad
construction. however, has come the
increased demand for cable for elevator
purposes in the modern office building. |
Millions Of feet Of Frederick & Bascom
rope are now in use for this purpose, and
the output is being increased almost daily. |
When an elevator car falls. as elevator
cars sometimes do. # is frequently said
that "the cable parted" But the Frederick
& Bascom cable does not part or break.
Something else breaks and the cable gets
the blame. All records of all such elevator
accidents verify this statement. The |
Broderick & Bescom cable wears on the |
outside, and any weakness after long
service is plainly visible. Some other !
STYLES of cable destroy themselves inside. |
While on the outside appearing strong and |
perfect. Records verify this statement, too. |
The quality Of the Broderick & Bascom
cable is revealed in such st. Louis build
ines as the Century. the CuppIes. the
Union Trust, the Mercantile Club. the |
Commercial. the Rialto and many Others, |