El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-30

~ r ASHINGTON d. c.. Dec. 90
w The recent advertisement OF
/ one of the western railroads
as THE Noiseless Route" indicates the
advance made in railway noise sup
preston. The necessity of all railroad
noises is no longer taken for granted
A study is being made of how much
can be abolished for the good of the
passengers, and the result is well
worth while.
The road REFER cd to is conceDtrat-
ing its efforts upon the comfort OF
the passengers in its Sleeping cars.
Every employe upon these trains is
of trainmen disturb the passengers
The signals are silent ones, given
chiefly by flashing lights. Engine
whistles and bell ringing are prOhib-
tied. The cars are constructed with
special reference to quiet, and are
carefully examined each day to insure
their perfect order.
station Noises Lessened.
Most sleeping cars go out about
midnight and are made up so that the
passengers can go to bed at 10 o'clock.
The cars stand in the railroad yards
which are usually noisy places. Pas
sengers often lie in their berths for
hours, unable to sleep because of the
AlOASC " AAAIAA ouLLOuuQS LnGln. Il HIS
does not come from their own train
but from the opening of valves of
other waiting engines, the switching
OF cars in the freight yard, the han
ding of baggage trucks and countless
other sources. Some of these noises
are unavoidable, but all can be ma
terially lessened as is being demon
strated by the larger railroads.
Many of the engine noises are due
to the engineers pleasure. He is hard
n fr@- o.
cars in the freight yard is the hardest
noise to reduce, although it is usually
unnecessary. The train men look upon
the demands Of the passengers who
want TO sleep as unreasonable and
have made no effort for silence. Now
it is being forced up them and the
Improvement in the last two years
indicates that quiet sleep upon an
American railroad train will be quite
feasible in the near future. The idea
of nOiselessness is being considered In
road construction. in car and engine
building and in the entire system or
operation Of all
Making Work Rooms Quiet.
In the great industrial Shops the
value of noise suppression has also
gained recognition Much of the noise
OF a manufacturing plant can be trans
lated into loss of power and an IN
necessarily rapid depreciation OF
equipment, in addition to the reduced
efficiency of the workers resultant
from the distraction created by the
indirect effect of noise upon their ply
steal health. Machine owners are real
izing that their work rooms should be
as quite as possible. In the selection
of new machinery the answer to the
question, rs it nOisy?" will receive
quite as much consideration as ques-
ton about speed and durability.
Certain operations cannot be per
formed without noise. The hammer
must strike blow, and the saw and
planning knife must tear their way
through wood. but 1t is astonishing
how much even these noises may be
reduced by properly adjusted equip
ment- If the belts and gearing are so
arranged that they do not add their
vibration 10 the noise of the saw bet
ter results are noticeable throughout
the shop.
Machinery designers are now Civ
ING scientific study to noise preven-
ton. The primary purpose of ma
chine Improvement is 70 reduce the
loss of power, and % preserve the life
OF the machine by the elimination OF
The greatest noises OF most
shops are due to frieIon which ac-
tually 1mpairs the value of the ma
chine. Consequently, noise suppress /
sion and durability are achieved by
the same means. Noise is sometimes
speed too high for the adjustment of
the gears
bridgeport Man Makes Discovery.
A manufacturer at Bridgeport. Conn, /
who has been studying the SUBJECT. I
claims that gears running above coo
perlpheral feet a minute are apt to
be pOlSy and those running just below !
1t are not The advantage gained I
by the added speed is more than lost !
IN the effect of the noise and the added /
strain upon the equipment. The text 4
Hotk pat 1900 feet as a limit OF
speed. yet automobile designers run
gear to 1000 feet at times. This is on I
4 low gear and at a maximum engine {
speed. To produce quiet running at +
he higher speeds the gears must be Z
perfectly fashioned. One of the rea- !
sons for the noise in many shops is {
hat the gear speeds are excessive in {
comparison with the accuracy of the
machinery Such speed is an extrava-
rance because of its effect upon the
.ntire equipment
fabrication Reduces Noise.
The system of lubrica ton has much /
O do with the suppression of noise
md friction in many large machine
hops. The newer machines no longer
equire the use of an oil can which
nay be effective or not according to
he reliability Of the man in charge. I
automatic fabrication is a feature of
modern machine construction which
ends towards nOiselessness and also
owards the highest degree of speed
nd efficiency.
mouet Factory Has No Noise
The effect of a continual noise in
ny locality brings about a speedy de-
erioratiOn in the value of property.
Me location of a factory in a resi-
ence district is always objected to by
he house owners for this reason. With
he provision of nOiseless machinery
nd the numerous other reforms be-
ne made in factory mana cement this
bjectiOn viii be materially lessened
I the future
model factory was erected re-
emily in a residence section of Phila-
elphia, greatly to the horror of the
rOperty owners, who had visions or
isturbed slumbers in the early morn
lg and unpleasant grinding noises
throughout the day. No such condi- (
ions appeared. The factory opened Z
4 the morning with no more noise
ian store. The workers appeared /
n time and went quietly to their
laces. All day long a force of eff
ent hands manipulated smoothly run
ig machines which emitted only a
tile whirr of noise not audible across
ne street, or in the house upon the
1jOining lot Yet this factory turns
ut large productions each year. 1t
avs its owners a better profit than
D the factories with noisy. poorly adj
listed machinery which are making
lie same articles in other less Gesira-