Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-07

Tide. The strength OF the new al sreel
equipment affords every possible protection
to the passenger.
The most efficient heating and lighting
systems are provided for these cars and
they are heavily insulated throughout with
hair felt. duplex lighting system con-
slsting OF gas and electricity Is provided on
all cars The upperdeck type OF roof and
its accompanying ventilating sashes which
have sent cold shivers down the spinal
columns OF travellers for years past. have
beer abandoned in these cars and the
semi-eiiptical roof has been provided with
ventllators OF remarkable efficiency and
pleasing appearance.
Another department OF the local shona
which takes rank among the foremost OF
it's sort in the country is the very heart
of the yard. the electric power plant, sit
uated Just south Of the machine shops.
from which the electric current is sup
piled to turn the wheels of the large num-
Der of giant machines within the COM
pany's yards
This plant was first put in operation
in 1902, although the equipment today is
far'different from that or the power plant
of eight years ago, new and improved APP
paratus being added every year. Up to
1909 the company mad obtained it's power
from steam engines but at that time
the change was made TO electricity and
much of the old belt power-carrying ma
chinery was thereby done away with
In every detail the equipment of the
power plant is complete. In the boiler
room are placed ten $50 horsepower boil
ers which furnish tine pressure for rum
ming the engines. But despite the inn
mense pressure which is generated here
only four firemen are necessary to OBJ
crate the boilers.
In this department as in all others,
the Union Pacific has installed the very
latest of labor saving machinery, and
here are found not only mechanical coal
and ash carrying machines. but as well
mechanical stokers. BY means of this
highly improved machinery the coal is
first dumped into huge hoppers, then car
ried TO the stokers and Dy these to the
fire. After the combustiDIe part has been
consumed the ash carriers remove what
remains. The smokestaek upon this
building is 200 feet high, but so thor
oughly does the stocking machinery keen
down the amount of smoke that 1t is sell
dom seen belching forth the huge gaseous
masses which are supposed to be typical
of the stacks on such establishments
BY means of the steam which these
boilers furnish there are operated two
500 kllowatt Westinghouse Parsons steam
turbine engines and two ESQ kilowatt gem
orators connected direct to Westinghouse
, compound engines These turbines fur
nish an alternating current and for the
use of the machine, boiler, blacksmith
and McKeen Motor Car company shops
where a direct current is necessary, the
alternating current is put through a 500
kiloWatt rotary converter. In TIE other
s..ops the alternating current Is used.
This alternating current measures 400
volts and is of the three phase. sixty
cycle variety. The direct current is OF
200 volts
Formerly, and IL Is still true of all
shops except the machine shop. the larger
tools were operated by Individual motors.
while the smaller tools were arranged in
groups. each group with it's motor and
. within the power conveyed by belts Very
recently. however. this pan, which pre-
walls generally over the rest OF the plant,
has been largely dispensed with an the
? machine shop. and soon win be IN the
I other shops For II will be substituted
system OF Individual motors. one for
C each tool.
r What is probably the largest air COM
$ pressor In the world is in use In these
e shops to supply the power for operating
the riveters and similar machines II
is an Ingersoll- Rand condenser and haA
e a capacity OF $500 feet of free air per
y minute There is also a smaller machine
y and Ingersoll-Sargent which has a ca
r. pacity Of 1000 feet OF air. TO each OF
q the turbines Is attached a Worthlngtor
J., condenser. water being supplied for use
IA in them through an intake from the Ms
i scarf river.