The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-08-21
TO SPEED TRANSPORTATION.
Many Ways Discovered by American
Railway Commission While in
Russia.
ASSOCIATED Press)

ASSOCIATED Press)
Moscow August 21-John F. Stew
ems and his associates on the Ameri-
can Railway Commission who recently
visited Russia for the purpose of as
sisting the administration Of the Rus
sian railways in increasing their eff
cheney discovered many ways in which
transportation may be speeded up, on
all Russian lines without additional
equipment.
The commission has advised the Un-
tied States government to supply Rus
STA with $500 more locomotives and
10000 more freight carr as o o as
possible. However, it will be consid-
cradle time before this rolling stock
can be manufactured and shipped to
Russia. The shortage Of bottoms on
both the Atlantic and the Pacific will
delay delivery Of the new rolling stock
and additional shops must be erect
ed at Vladivostok before such great
quantities of locomotives and cars can
be put together speedily. .
Meantime Russia must make the
best of its available rolling stock and
locomotives power and the American
engineers are busily engaged assist
ing the Russian railway officials in q
study of the immediate problems.
The Russian roaobeds are in ex-
cellent condition. Virtually all the
lines were well built originally and the
tracks have been kept up, chiefly
through the work Of the peasant wom-
en-, in spite of the shortage Of labor
created by the heavy draft the war has
made upon the male population.
After travelling the full length Of
the Trans Siberian line and inspecting
many of the important lines in Central
and Southern European Russia the
American engineers have found that
Russian railway men r working at
great disadvantage in not having up
to-date equipment for coaling, water
ing and cleaning locomotives.
At nearly all stations in both Europ-
a and Asiatic Russia, engines are
watered by means of eight-inch pipes.
From twelve to twenty minutes is re-
quired for work which is accomplished
in the United States in four or five
minutes. By the installation of twelve
inch supply pipes this delay can be
eliminated.
By the Russian methods t~wenty-four
hours is required to clean a locomo-
tive coal it and get up steam again.
Coal shutes are lacking and the fuel
is transferred from piles to the ten
der by means of steam shovels. Work
that could be done in five minutes with
modern coaling apparatus requires
much time. Then the Russian engine
houses lack the hot water equip
er engines lack the hot water equip
ment necessary for the washing out of
boiler engines as soon as the locomo.
tive comes off its run. Engines are
allowed to cool before they are washed.
Then the boilers are washed with cold
water. Steam must then be raised in
a stone cold boiler before the locomo.
tive is ready to 60 on It's run. With
modern coaling apparatus and faeili.
ties for supplying abundant hot wat
er to cleanse boilers, the American
railways coal and clean IN engine in
four hours, I saving Of twenty hours
over the Russian system.
Oil is used as fuel for locomotives
in Southern Russia but, in Siberia and
Northern European Russia coal and
wood are the fuel. The facilities for
loading wood are also bad and plans
are under way for improvements in
the system. Water is supplied to pas
senger ears by means Of buckets ut
most railway stations. Few stations !
have the hose necessary for watering
cars in a hurry. These have not been
required because engines took water
so slowly and labor was 10 abundant
it was possible to supply the cars
with water by hand while the locomo.
tive was being cared for.
But now even labor Of women must
be economical % much a. possible. .
Women are required In the fields to
mon. They are the baggage
handlers ct most stations and are even
firing locomotives. Wages necessar.
lily have risen with the increased cost
Of living and every possible labor.sav-,
device must DO used.
Because q the l.ek Il skilled labor.