Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-10
"A Stroke In Mechan-
ical Engineering.
Q 900 ooeeses {
lorisinni ]


were friends. Elrod was nm educated
man who never secured more thar n
competence. Bnnnon was n self made
man, manufactures. and got rich.
Elrod's son Henry, ns boy. had n
mechanical shop In his fathers cellar
nnd showed considerable aptitude for
mathematics and mechanics. When
his father died. leaving him nothing,
Henry persuaded Mr.. Damon TO give
him subordinate position In his
works. Bnnnon. who considered both
took Henry into his service under pro-
test. rcmarking that the boy would
never get beyond the bottom round Of
the ladder. Henry did well enough
till his employer caught him making
love to his daughter Mary Bannon.
whereupon Mr.. Bannon discharged
him.
The morning Henry stepped out OF
the office building at the factory TO
hunt another job he saw a group of
men. foremost among whom was Ban
non. looking up ut the great smoke
stuck. Joining them and lnqulrlne
what was the matter. he was Informed
TINT tho stack was leaning TO one side.
Indeed. nm engineer had just deter
mined that ut the top 1t was forty-nve
inches out of plumb.
Here wns serious matter From
nil appearances II scaffoldlng must be
erected about the stack. the stack must
bc taken down and another built In It's
place. Indeed, 1t would he fortunate
If the chimney did not fall on the fac
tory buildings beneath II, destroying
them. with much valuable machinery.
Bannon was very much troubled. His
engineer told him there wns no way
by which the stack could be straight
encd. and before leaving the spot lie
gave orders for the erection of the
scnfrolding and the subsequent taking
down of the chimney.
Elrod went away. trying TO concen-
trate his mind upon getting another
position. But the chimney. or. rather,
some method OF STRENGTHENING 1t, had
got into his head, and he could not
get 1t out. He thought all dry and
toward evening took pencil and pm
per and began to figure. At midnight
he went TO bed, but could not sleep. so,
getting m. he went over his figures
to see that they were correct
The next morning. after having slept
only couple OF hours. he went to the
Bannon works. Carpenters were Just
beginning to erect the scaffoldlng
around the stack. Henry went into Mr..
Bnnnon's office. Bannon supposing
that he had come to protest against
his dismissal. frowned.
"Ar. Bannon." he said. ~ don't think
1t necessary to take down the stack. L
have plan for Strengthening It,"
Bnnnon looked Mt him as general
would look Mt corporal who was
about to Inform him how to save his
army.
"If you wish 1t, you are welcome to
It," Henry added.
still there was no word from Ban.
non. He was considering whether the
young man hnd lost his senses.
1.-THE base of the stack continued
Henry. who gathered confidence the
moment he entered upon his pinn, "be.
Ing square, sImplIfles the problem The
stack leans to tho east foftysflve Inches.
i would removes tenEhndS II .hnlf inches
of brlckworieintt thesbase onlthes6the
three ssid&s.fl l wosildh Insert In 1.-THE
sphcesylest Blocks ;of sSSv9ods OF equal
size %tMssrhstlng the thee sides OF ythe
!stTNeti cisoh ,tlei blSflSS.s /, Between the
'BiHtlSs' sNohld SDuffdS bplck }picrst six
inSlf!sf liigIliS feaslhg "a :spase lfour}nad n
.lInif I ifi5Aiest .betweenf' the tops} Of the
nieiS agNiftheibttt6mso fhel,indermlncd
brlS i s4SH,lifS II can. reduce sthe
height f:tlie blockslby' four and aIhaif
INCHES SthejgaPtwill be reduced by this
amount 'atias ,thcastack will yccr to the
.westS fotfy-nveS Inches Mt the arc de.
scribcd at'tlfe top where the radius Che
chimney is 100 feet"
Bannon's eyes were fixed on the
speaker during this statement with
growing interest. lie had forgotten the
lesser In the more important matter.
He continued to stare for few mo
ments after Henry had finished, then
asked:
with the enormous weight (nearly
400 tons) on the blocks, you can't cut
them down and get out the surplus"
Il have thought of that" Henry re-
piled. Il will burn them out"
1t seemed as II 400 tons had been
taken off Bannon's mind.
"Where are your figures?" he asked.
Henry produced them and waited
while Bannon went over them again
and again.
Come" said the latter when lie was
satisfied; you shall have charge OF the
work"
After the successful removal of the
bricks and the insertion of the blocks
Henry Elrod marked off the space to
he burned out. set the blocks on fire
and kenf Ihnm hilt.l,lnor nvnnIv IL onn