The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-08-25
Are Receiving Aid from Amer
lean Engineers
WITH ABOLITION OF ANTIQUATED METHODS AND SOME AEW
MATERIAL, THEY WILL LAST THRU THE WAR
ASSOCIATED Press)

ence) John F. Stevens and his asso-
ciates on the American Railway Com
mission now visiting Russia for the
purpose of assisting the administra-
ton of the Russian railways in in
creasing their efficiency have discov-
cred many ways in which transporta-
tion may be speeded up on all Russian
lines without additional equipment.
The commission has advised the
United States government to supply
Russia with $500 more locomotives
and 10000 more freight cars as soon
as possible. However, it will be con-
siderable time before this rolling
stock can be manufactured and ship
ped to Russia. The shortage of bot
toms on both the Atlantic and the
Pacific will delay the delivery of the
new rolling stock and additional shops
must be erected at Vladivostok before
such great quantities of locomotives
and cars can be put together speedily.
Meantime Russia must make the
most of its available rolling stock
and locomotive power and the Amer
lean engineers are busily engaged as
sisting the Russian railway officials
in study of the immediate problems.
The Russian roadbeds are in excel
lent condition. Virtually all the lines
were well built originally and the
tracks have been kept up, chiefly
through the work of peasant women,
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 inspect
ing many of the important lines in
Central and Southern European Rus
sia the American engineers have
found that Russian railway men are
working at great disadvantage in not
having up-to-date equipment for coal
ing, watering and cleaning locomo-
tives.
At nearly all stations in both Euro
pean 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 IL
inch supply pipes this delay can he
eliminated.
By the Russian methods twenty.
four hours is required to clean a loco
motive, clean it and get up steam
again. Coal shutes are lacking anc
the fuel is transferred from piles tc
the tender by means of steam shovels
Work that could be done in five min.
utes with modern coaling apparatus
requires much time. Then the Rus
sian engine houses lack the hot water
equipment necessary for the washing
out of boilers of engines as soon al
the locomotive comes off it run. En-.
CINE sare allowed to cool before they
are washed. Then the boilers arr
washed out with cold water. Steam
must then be raised in stone colo
boiler before the locomotive is ready
to go on its run. With modern coal
ing apparatus and facilities for sup
plying abundant hot water to cleans,
boilers, the American railways Goa
and clean an engine in four hours, Z
saving of twenty hours over the Rus
sian system.
Oil is used for fuel for locomotive
in Southern Russia but, in Siberi;
and Northern European Russia, Goa
and wood are used for fuel. The ia
cilities for loading wood are also bac
and plans are under way for improve
ments in the system. Water is sup
piled to passenger cars by means O
buckets at most railway stations. Few
stations have the hose necessary fo
watering cars in a hurry. These havr
not been required because engine
took water so slowly and labor wa
so abundant that it was possible f
supply the cars with water by han,
while the locomotive was being care,
for.
But now even the labor of womel
must be economical as much as pos
sible. Women are required in tn
fields to replace men. They are tn
baggage handlers at most station
and are even firing locomotives
Wages necessarily have risen wit