Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-22

. ANN9'-NN
ing the administration of the Russian
.ailwa,s n l,>f,a.Ing their cth"."acy
have discovered many way in which
Transportation may be speeded up on
all Russian lines without additional
equipment.
Tho commission has advised the
United States government to supply
Russia with $500 more locomotives
and 10000 mere freight cars as soon
as possible. However, it will be con-
siderable time before this rolling stock
can be manufactured and shipped to
Russia.
The shortage of bottoms on both the
Atlantic and Pacific will delay the de
livery of the new rolling stock and
additional shops must be erected at
Viadivostock before such great quaint
ties of locomotives and cars can be
put together speedily.
Meantime, Russia must make the
most of it's available rolling stock and
locomotive power and the American
engineers are busily engaged in assist
ing the Russian railway officials in a
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, l..
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--S Siberian line and inspecting
many of the important lines in cen
tarl and southern European Russia, the
American engineers have found that
Russian railway men are working at
great disadvantage in not having up
to-date equipment for coaling, water
ing and cleaning locomotives.
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 are re-
CURED 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 twenty-four
hours is required to clean a locomo-
tive, coal it and get steam up again.
Coal chutes 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 equipment
necessary for the washing out of boil
Ell engines as soon as the locomotive
comes off its run. Engines are allowed
to cool before they are washed. Then
the boilers are washed with cold wa
ter. Steam must then be raised in
stone cold boiler before the locomo
tive is ready to go on its run. With
modern coaling apparatus and facili.
ties fer supplying abundant hot water
to cleanse boilers, the American rail
ways coal and clean an engine in four
hours, saving of twenty hours over
the Russian system.
Gil is used as fuel for locomotives i'll
southern Russia but, in Siberia and
northern European Russia, coal ana
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 cars by means of buckets at
most railway stations. Few stations
have the hose necessary for watering
cars in hurry. These have not been
required because engines took water SO
slowly and labor was so abundant thai
, it was possible to supply the cars with
water by hand while the locomotive
was being cared for.
But now even the labor of women
must be economical as much as posi-
BILE Women are required in the fields
to replace men. They are the baggage
handlers at most stations and are even
firing locomotives. Wages necessarily
have risen with the increased cost Of
living and every possible labor-savins
device must be used.
Because of the lack of skilled labor.
the inadequacy of repair shops and the
scarcity of metals and other supplies
many locomotives on the Russian rail-
ways are out of repair The American
railway engineers have advised an i'm
mediate extension of repair shops and
the employment of foreign mechanics,
ii necessary, to restore these locomo-
ives service Immediately.
Pig iron is among the needs of Rus-
STA }E,ch officials have reported to
~ oNnortc Worn 4