Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-12-14

o. hls iho principal offices and shops
and is thU home of Tho director 'Apl
f. g. MIIuIutNr Hry To was through
letter from the governor general thai
] mot capt MldUiutcr and bad o. long
talk with him about this new rond to
the Rcd sra. Ho had part Doe building
The lime AMID is now lts manager we
FIRST visited the railroad shops. which
De- hero In tho sands of The desert
covering two or tuI.. acres of me
hIcHkeet part of the earth. They are
great sheds. with walls of galvanized
iron and roofs ot iron and plate glass.
There arc locomotives cars and sieei
Ties aud telegraph poles lying outside
and going u D found nll sorts 1i rnlI-
way repair and construction work were
going GA The machlnlsts were mike
turr of vhItce. blacks and yclloWs. rcn-
resautiug % hUIf dozen different nations
and Tribes There Wcru British over
eeCrs. Greek ana italian meohaulcs Nu-
blau blaeksmiths and many Nnnl.'A
boys who were taking sort OF manu-
rl training course in order tlot they
may serve us locomotive engineers un-
der mlcbinists and trarlmDu. The ma
chmcrs is off modern mako ana the
shops are about as wen equipped ms our
shops at Panama
HOW THE DESERT RUINS RAIL
ROADS.
As wc Walked from lathe Go lathe and
from planning machine Go planning ma-
chine. Capt Niluiutcr pointed out
some of thc pcCuiar.tios OF thc wear
and tear which the desert has upon
railway materials.
Here. snid no.. as DO pointed to the
wheel OF uu American locomotive. iu
which was Cut groove $50 deep and
Wide thut / could lHy my three fingers
Don Co. 'is 900 example 81 how The sands
ruin our car wheels. THE desert ls
covered with grains as hard as hiut
They blow over the rails, and as the
cars move they grind cut the steel as
though they were emery powder As "a
result a wheels life is short. and we
have Co cut down lts tire every few
months Moreover. the sand gets into
the bearings and there Us continuous
wearing which necessitates almost
constant repair
How about your sandstCrmst Age
they serious obstacles TO tr8mc2'
AT times, yes. They come with
such violence that they cover the
tracks; they darkeu the sun SO that
when you are iu one you cannot see
your hand before your face They
often spring up afar on. and you can
watch them coming. AZ such times
the sand gets into everything and
AAAAAN ANa va NAaArNAHAA NhAA lfeAt 10 va NA'
machinery.
Another thing we have 70 contend
with. continued the railway manager,
els the extraordinary dryness OF the
air This shriuks everything connect
ca with the road. Our rolling stock
has 20 be- tghtened mp again and again.
one of our passenger cars Will shrink
as much as is inches I'm one wall alone,
and we have TO put in extra boards
to ON up. This is so as 90 an sorts |
OF woodwork.
THE DESTRUCTIVE ANT.
Another trouble Is the white ant"
Capt Midwinter continued "That !
little tormite eats anything wooden 10
chews up the insldes Of our cars and
even attacks the furniture. Where
there rs the least moisture the ants Will
go for the railroad ties, and they win
also chew out the insllcs Of the wood
telegraph poles. They always work
iu the dark, leaving q thin shell OF
wood outside. The result Us that q
tie OF pole may look sound. but an at
once 10 crumbles 20 pieces. We have
TO Inspect the road very carefully at
regular intervals ami watch out for
weak points. We are now using steel
shells as ties. They do not make so
smooth a road as the wooden ties. but |
the ants cannot eat them. We are also |
using steel telegraph poles
AMERICAN VS.. BRITISH LOCO
MOTIVES.
81 understand that YOU have some |
American locomotives, How do they i
COMPARE with those from Great Brit /
aim"
Not we'll" replied the railroad IL |
rector. I'VE have some Of Your en- 1
gines which we bought seven years |
ago We are still using them. but /
most of them have been repaired and I
made over. You people make loco I
motives expecting 20 run them 10 their /
full capacity for four or five years and /
then throw them on the scrap heap.
This is not advisable out here lu the /
desert whore freight costs so much .
and the trouble of getting our rolling /
stock is $50 great We want machln- I
cry that win stand am sorts Of trials. |
including the climate We want q 4
rustproof and rotproof and heavily I
made AN around, We have here not .
only the dry afr and The sand 90 com |
tend with but In the neighborhOod OF I
the Red sea, also the salt air aud the |
alkali water Tho latter ruins our boil |
crs. and more so, in some respects |
than the sand Take q look al this /
English locomotive which has Just /
been sent DOB FOR repairs. Its boiler ls |
run of holes That comes from The |
alkall water
DESERT WATER STATIONS.
~ suppose tho lack OF water is ono /
OF your chief difficulties. ~ Il uotY" /
"fos. This railroad is over 300 I
miles long and the track is laid /
through The sand For about au.- I
third of the distance inland from the .
Rcd sea Tho country is m0untainoue [
fut tho rest is nat There ard mo- /
streams, and wc have 90 rely ou ar |