The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-06-09
RAILROADS EXPENSES:
Thousands OF Dollars Spent by One Com
pany For Salt Water For Locomotives.

Thousands OF Dollars Spent by One Com
pany For Salt Water For Locomotives.
Tie wonder of many people is fire.
queatly aroused upon noting the enor-
nous receipts Of railroad companies
because of. the comparatively small
dividends the stockholders receive. The
fact is that few realize the cost Of
maintaining these great corporations
the variety Of the demands upon tlelr
resources. Figures show, says the
Chicago Chronicle. that the annual ex-
penditures Of railroad companies for
purposes concerning which the public
takes little thought are enormous. One
of the items Of large expense is the
softenirg of water used in locomotives,
experience having demonstrated that
it is cheaper to install water softeners
than supply these locomotives with
raw water.
On the middle division Of the Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa h'e Railway
system the sum of s27,375 is expend-
ed annually for this purpose, the soft
ener being used at twenty-nine water
stations where the water has been
found unsuitable for boiler purposes.
The locomotives passing these stations
use. on an average, about 999, 600 gal
Ions Of water daily. The water from
nearly all Of these sources contains in
jcrusting constituents-that is, the sui
phates and carbonates Of 4inre and
magnesium, are present in troublesome
amounts. -
The inccusting solids contained in
9o9, 900. gallons ef.watersused each day
in the year amount to over 300
pounds, orssin the course Of year
nearly 500 tons. This amount OF in
crusting material deposited in the boil
er would, in the first place, damage the
boiler plates and cause IN enormous
increase in the consumption of coal.
The removal Of this scale would cost
l,roba bly, from six to ten cents per mile
of distance run.
n At these twenty-nine water stations
water softeners have been erected at
great initial expense. ) TIE smainten-
ance of these softenerS requires the
expenditure of about SIT a day Tor
chemicals and an additional charge OF
about s5S day for services of attend
ants. making a total of $775 day, or
se7,s75 a year.. Tie cost sofsconstruc-
ton Of these water softenerss was not
made public, but If the cost Eof main
tenance represents four per- cent. on
the investm ent, the total mount ex-
pended for water softeners is nearly
100000.
The same experience holds true OF
other railroads. ten water stations
along the Union Pacific 27S0 pounds
of solids are removed from the water
. Of twenty-nine stations along the San
ia Fe system, although. at the ten
Union Pacific stations they use about
fifty per. cent. more water than at the
Santa Fe stations. q
Y The chemical survey of natural wa
|. ters which Is being made by thezhy-
droecononaic experts Of the geological
survey is directed in part toward: the
slocation of available waters which may
be used sfor boiler purposes without
treatment. If discovered and theirslo:
cation made known the saving Of a
tremendous amount Of money will. be
effected. In the. case of railroads&tDe
cost of such. great losses Jas above
mentioned is due largely: toelack Of in
fo-mati ton scencerning the sources OF
water suitable for boilers and they will
become the greatest benefciariess Of
this phase Of the work of the Govern:
ment. -