The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-06
THEY JUGGLE
WITH COALCARS
BIG MACHINES HANDLE THEM
LIKE MATCHBOXES.

One That Dumps Thirty Cars of Coal
an Hour-Latest Type Of Industrial
Giants Which Is Loading Vessels for
the United States Steel Corporation
But Little Breakage of the Coal.
Philadelphia, Jan. COZ all the
time-saving and labor saving appli-
ances which are enabling the twentieth
century American to do his work more
quickly and more cheaply than it was
ever done before, none perhaps are more
remarkable than the ingenious Gear
bumpers or car dumping machines,
the function of which is to quickly
transfer the contents Of railroad cars
ships. There are in use in this country
half a dozen different styles Of these
machines, each excellent in its way,
but representing step in the tevolu-
ton of this class of machines, for the
development of the car bumper, during
the comparatively few years it has been
in progress, has been very rapid one.
The fundamental principle of all car
bumpers is the same. Each different
loaded coal car completely, or at least
sufficiently to allow it's contents to
either fall directly into the open hold of
vessel or into a huge metal pan sus-
pended from the machine and from
which the fuel slides thru chute into
the vessel. The latter method is en-
ployed in the machines of most recent
design because of the fact that it re-
duces to minimum the breakage Of
the coal.
Handles Thirty Cars an Hour.
Probably the character of the car
dumping machine and the scope of its
work may be best outlined by giving
brief description of one of the most
successful Of the machines recently
erected apparently installed by the
United States Steel corporation, COM
monty known as the steel trust. This
machine is guaranteed to transfer ff-
teen cars Of coal an hour to vessels,
but experience has proven that nearly
double that number of cars can be
handled under favorable conditions.
Cars to be unloaded are first run
down an incline and, upon being cut
loose, run into a kick-up track. AS the
! car passes under an overhead tank the
system the car is brought under the
cradle of Che machine AS this cradle
tips the car is clamped to the track.
The tipping of the car sends the coal
into pan, which also tips correspond
lngly, thus preventing any excessive
breakage Of the coal.
AS the pan fills it is lowered back
into horizontal position, and thus the
coal is transferred gradually to the yes
sci. The cradle has also been mean
while lowered back into position, and
loaded car pushes the empty one out.
The door In the pan thru which the
coal passes to the chute which conveys
1t to the boat opens automatically when
the pan strikes the chute. The end of
the chute is telescope, and may thus
be adjusted to any vessel. The car
bumper proper is operated by an engine
16 by Is inches. This tips the car and
by l6 inches hauls the car into the
cradle, and the telescope apparatus is
operated by an engine of by inches.
Steam is supplied from a 150-horsepoW-
4 9r water tube boiler. ID. .E.s--..7-r s
4 +.'-' Cars Tossed in the Air. 80 -
On the occasion Of a test recently
made, the machine above described
raised a loaded car, transferred its con-
the track all within the space of one
minute. Another new type of car
bumper very similar in design and
mode of operation to the one just men
toned, is claimed to be capable of
handling car a minute continuously
if operated at its highest speed; but
the maintenance of any such rapidity
Of operation for any prolonged inter-
val is impracticable from the fact that
it would be a physical impossibility
for the laborers in the hold of the yes
sci to distribute the coal rapidly enough
to keep the hatch clear for the almost
continuous stream of fuel from the car
bumper.
Next to the scheme for reducing the
breakage of the coal by arranging for
the tipping Of car and pan simulta-
neously, SO that the movement of the
coal is gradual one, probably the
. most important of recent improvements
in car-dumping machines is found in
an arrangement whereby the backward
justed as to permit of the car from
which it has just been loaded being
turned completely bottom side up, so
that every vestige Of the contents may
be discharged. The car is held to the
track by heavy chains. In these latest
approved styles Of cardumpers, not only
| is every movement of the coal during
it's entire period of transference a slid
ing one, but every movement of the
mechanism is positive and every strain
is in the direction Of resistance. Even
the passage Of the coal thru the chute
? is gradual one. To be sure, the chute
is almost perpendicular, but it is kept
so full of coal and the telescope end
> shortened so gradually that it is i'm
5 possible for any Of the coal to descend
: with rush.
l Two Good Records.
Some very remarkable records have
been made blythe car-dumping machines
in the loading of vessels. On one oc
casion upward of 5000 tons of coal
: were placed aboard a steamer in seven
and one half hours The Hooking Val
ley railroad attained, with the aid of
l one Of these machines, coal-loading
E record Of 4O3 tons an hour for eleven
l hours. In the interval mentioned there
was dumped total of 165 cars, or ,432
TONS. A still better record-432 tons
r an hour-has recently been established.
; On this occasion total of It's carloads
+ of 4,756 tons of coal were placed aboard
q vessel in eleven hours working time.
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.
New York Press.