Omaha daily bee., 1912-04-14
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bite and. raising its head in the air, II
swings the bite on to the cars.
See. II is taking bite now. 1t has
swallowed a rock which weighs three or
four tons and has carried It with a mass
OF debris. There are eight tons inside It's
square cheeks, but 1t lifts the load as
though II were feathers and, loosening its
lower lip. drops 1t into the car. The mass
falls with a loud explosion and the car
has not finished quivering before the
giant has bitten out five more wagonloads
Of earth and dropped them on top.
Look again. The shovel has taken up
rock too big to pass through it, II
has bitten off more than II can chew.
See how II throws the rock back on the
dump, and. knocking 1t this way and
that with It's cheeks. twists and turns II
so that It may pass inside the shovel.
That rock weighs over ten tons, and the
engine roars and the steam puffs as the
great jaw Jerks and rises and falls. Jolt.
ing 1t down on the car.
Now look once more at the machine and
see the brains which make II move as
though II were human. It all comes from
that white pygmy in blue cotton clothing.
That Is a steam shovel man. He has a
small rope In his hand, and with this he
jerks the machinery which makes the
mighty giant move at a touch.
Wonders of the shoveIs.
We walk on few yards to another
shovel which is taking up wagon loads Of
rock at each mouthful and dropping them
down into the cars with its aliigator-liks
jaw. See how intelligently II works A
the pile grows uneven II smooths out
the rocks with Its chin. 1t turns gigantic
masses with nod OF the head. ard. sink
Ing its teeth deep into old Mother Earth,
takes up rock and clay. two hogshead-
fuls at a bite. and splits them into the
cars. This machinery here Is the wonder
of the world and 1t does its work with
out kicking. 1t never stops and never
strilkfs. 1t is a tool Of the gods, but Z
little man works It with a touch of hi
finger.
One will lead fiat car holding forty
tons in five bites. and We have shovel
which have loaded more than 400 cubiS
yards in a day. Records are kept of tn,
work OF each, and single machines fire.
quently load $500 cubic yards OF earti
and upward In one working month. Il
that amount OF material were loadeC
upon two-horse wagons It would TAX
1900 horses to haul 1t, and estimating
each wagon at forty feet. the Ioadet
wagon train Of a single shovel would III
a roadway so miles Ions.
| As We look take out my watch am
time the loading Of a car. The shove
drops a mouthful Weighing from five Z
eight tons every sixteen seconds. an
the car is filled in little over a minute
In one days work a single shovel Ia
loaded more than 5000 tons. and las
March fifty-one shovels excavated on a
average almost 5000 yards each.
Lesson of the Ant.
As We watch the work one OF the SHOW
els comes to rest. and / remark to tn
man who forms the brains Of the gian
upon the mighty power he Is handling.
Yes" he replies. this machine Is stu
pendous, but 1t Is nothing In compsri
Il WIN AAAal Va al atOAt A2
We have ants here in Culebra whic
drag along leaves four times as big a
themselves and five times their weigh
Their machinery is more wonderful tina.
this and 1 tell you God has man bes
every time
But let Us go on Look at the hill
We are now passing through. The TOP
Of the canyon are of the greenest q
green. and they look refreshing IN cor
trast with the SCARED desert down her
in the cut. See the railroad trains mo,
ing on that level above US. There
another caravan on the level below
others in the cut and high above US al
twenty cars flying away down to Balbol
There is a train at the right, at the lei
and trains everywhere carrying riveI
OF rock. They make Us think of the bat
tie Of Bslaklsva-engines 10 right {
them. engines to left them, engines /
front Of them volleyed and Numbered.
L Unloading tae spoil
Now stop and look at the cars. ID
you ever see such engines before? The
are giants in comparison with those G
our railroads. They puff out great vo
umes Of smoke, but the stiff wind whic