Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-13

Mines would freeze and everything be put
on the blink. Some winters there are az
many as seven or eight openings q day.
At other and colder times the fireboat
smashes through the ice occasionally just
to give Mr.. Taylor and his assistants an
excuse to draw their pay checks
The Star man watched an opening from
the platform around the engine house. II
was done to oblige little tug that zone
could see far down the river bringing
along a craft that looked suspiciousiy ike
an old canal boat. When the tug was
still quarter mile away 1t ptped up three
short blasts, and Mr.. Taylor 1erked his
whistle cord to notify the men below.
They scurried out to the ends OF the
bridge where the draw Joins the station
airy structure and waved their hands
affirmativelys
Mr.. Taylor graSped the reversing lever
and showed it oyer. turn on one of two
iron wheels In front of the throttle and
tug at the throttle. and, with muff1ed
chatter, the wedges lifted. The signalmen
waved again and Mr.. Taylor turned the
other wheel and opened the throttle wider.
The engine snorted a couple of times like
a disgruntled water buffalo-did you ever
hear disgrunted water buffalo?-and
kicked out at the main shaft. Washing
ton city swung around to the southwark
and the two ends of the draw slipped past
the bridge structure, opening two wide
lanes of water. When the draw pointed
at right angles with its ordinary position
Mr.. Taylor stopped the engine and await
ed the passage of the tug. freight train
purified and sizzled in Impotence at either
end of the Long bridge.
Slowly the tug entered one of the pas
sages. and as its bow passed below The
Star man the draw began to swing back
the way 1t had come. closing up behind
the tug as it cleared the bridge and
whistled for the other viaduct up the
river. AS the ends of the draw Tapped
over the bridge proper Mr.. Taylor slowed
the engine. His touch on the throttle was
as light as that of a pianist when the
measure has pianissimo written under it.
slight movement. and the great heavy
draw swung six inches. Another touch
on the throttle and the draw stood still.
Still another touch. and 1t moved per-
haps three inches more to the right. The
signalmen waved assent. and Mr.. Taylor
locked the draw in position. A spin on
the wheel and the edges lowered into place.
A pull at the lever and the rails were
locked safely in position. ready for the
passage of the two snorting freight trains.
1t was a pretty thing to watch the
operation Of this ponderous yet delicately
responsive mechanism.
II have to be very careful in closing"
said Mr.. Taylor. IF l jam her in too
fast I'm sure to smash things up. and
somebody else will be holding down this
job
Up the river at the Highway bridge
everything is done by electricity. The
mechanism of the draw is practically the
same as that controlled by Mr.. Taylog.
but Mr.. Menke can perform his duties in
glad attire. as the illustrations will show
He has no coal to shovel nor greasy ma
chinery to monkey with. All he has to do
IS look wise. keep his wires and motors
and other electrical apparatus with out
landish names in shipshape and operate
the draw with a controller like that used
on the street cars. Big motors driven by
electricity turn the shafts and cogwheels
and respond to the slightest twist of Mr.
Menke's wrist. 1t is a nice clean job. He
gets all the openings that MIR Taylor
does, OF course. but no snorting, smoke
putting engines whiz along beneath him
and shoot bitumnous smells and cinders
into mis- Office windows