Chapter 3

It might be supposed that work done so rapidly would not be well done, but it is the best built prairie road I know of on this continent. It is built almost entirely free from cuts, and the work is at least 20 per cent. heavier than would ordinarily be made across the same country in the States, on account of snow. 2,640 ties were laid to the mile, and the track ballasting kept well up with the laying; so well, in fact, and so well done, that as 100 mile sections were completed schedule trains were put on 20 miles an hour, and the operating department had nothing to do but make a time table; the road was _built_ by the construction department before the operating department was asked to take it. The engineering was organized in divisions of 30 miles each, and as each was finished the parties moved ahead again to the front, the engineers usually finding men sitting on their shovels waiting for the work to be laid out for them. It was as much as the locating parties could do to keep out of the way of the construction. The roadbed was built 14 ft. wide in embankment and 20 in the very few cuts there were, there being no cuts of any moment except through the Coteaus and the Saskatchewan crossing, and these have since been widened out on account of snow, so that the road can be operated the year round and the bucking-snow account cut no figure in the operating expenses.

The country is a virgin desert. From Winnipeg to the Pacific Ocean there are a few places that might attain to the dignity of an _oasis_--at Brandon, Portage la Prairie, etc.--but it is generally what I should call worthless; 100 miles to wood and 100 feet to water was the general experience west of the Moose jaw, and the months of June, July, and August are the only three in the year that it is safe to bet you will not have sleighing. I burned wood and used stakes that were hauled by carts 85 miles, and none any nearer. It is a matter of some pride that both the engineering and the construction were done by what our Canadian neighbors kindly termed "Yankee importations." However, there was one thing that in the building of this road was in marked contrast to any other Pacific road ever constructed, that is, there was no lawlessness, no whisky, and not even a knock-down fight that I ever heard of the whole season, and even in the midst of 12,000 Indians, all armed with Winchester rifles and plenty of ammunition, not one of the locating or construction parties ever had a military escort, nor were any depredations ever committed, except the running off of a few horses, which were usually recovered; and I think there were but two fatal accidents during the season, one man killed on the Grand Coule Bridge, and another from being kicked by a horse.

The track was all laid from one end, and in no case were rails hauled ahead by teams. Two iron cars were used, the empty returning one being turned up beside the track to let the loaded one by.

The feat in rapid construction accomplished by this company will never be duplicated, done as it was by a reckless expenditure of money, the orders to the engineers being to _get there_ regardless of expense and horse-flesh; if you killed a horse by hard driving, his harness would fit another, and there was no scrutiny bestowed on vouchers when the work was done; and I must pay the tribute to the company to say that everything that money would buy was sent to make the engineers comfortable. It was bad enough at best, and the Chief Engineer (J.C. James) rightly considered that any expense bestowed on the engineering part of the work was a good investment.

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THE OSGOOD MAMMOTH EXCAVATOR.

In the accompanying illustration, we present to our readers a mammoth excavator, built by the Osgood Dredge Company of Albany, N.Y., for the Pacific Guano Company of California, for uncovering their phosphate deposits on Chisholm Island, South Colombia.

In order to bring out more clearly the principal problem involved in the construction of this machine, we shall state first the proposed method of its operation. This is as follows, viz.: The excavator is to dig a trench thirty feet wide, down to the phosphate rock, and the entire length of the bed--about one quarter of a mile--dumping the earth of the first cut to one side. The phosphate is taken out behind the excavator. On reaching the end of the bed, the excavator is reversed and starts back, making a second cut thirty feet wide, and dumping now into the cut from which the phosphate has just been removed. In this way the entire bed is traversed, the excavator turning over the earth in great furrows thirty feet wide, and giving an opportunity to simultaneously get out all the phosphate.

As will be seen, the main problem presented was to turn the car around at each end of the cut in a very limited space. To accomplish this, the car is mounted on a fixed axle at each end and on a truck under its center of gravity; this is somewhat forward of the geometrical center of the car. The frame of the truck is circular, thirteen feet in diameter, made of I beams curved to shape. The circle carries a track, on which a ring of coned rollers revolves, which in turn supports the car. By pulling out the track from under both ends of the car, the whole weight is balanced on this central turntable truck, thus admitting of the car being turned, end for end, within its own length. This method of turning the car, and the size of the machine, are the principal features.

The car is 40' × 13', with arched truss sides. The track is seven feet gauge, the spread between tracks 20 feet, the height of the A frame 38 feet, length of boom 40 feet, swinging in a circle of 30 feet radius, and through two-thirds of the entire circle. It has a steel dipper of 46 cubic feet capacity, 1 inch steel chains, 10" × 12" double cylinder hoisting engine, and 6¼" × 8" double cylinder reversible crowding engine. The drums are fitted with friction clutches. Owing to the great distance at which the dipper is handled, its size is reduced, and because it swings on the arc of so large a circle the capacity of this machine is only one-half of that of the No. 1 excavator built by the Osgood Dredge Company. Nevertheless it will do the work of from 75 to 100 men, since its capacity is from 800 to 1,000 cubic yards per day, the amount of rock _uncovered_ depending, of course, upon the depth of earth overlying it. The excavator will dump 30 feet from the center line of the car, and 26 feet above the track, which is laid on the rock. Total weight about fifty tons. The crew required for its operation consists of 1 engineer, 1 fireman, 1 craneman, and 4 to 5 pit men to tend jacks, move track, etc.

In the illustration the boiler connections are omitted, also the housing for the protection of the crew. The design is characterized by the evident care which has been bestowed upon securing simplicity and durability.--_American Engineer._

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THE OSGOOD EXCAVATOR.

At a recent meeting of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia, Mr. John C. Trautwine, Jr., exhibited and described drawings of a large land dredge built by the Osgood Dredge Co., of Albany, New York, for the Pacific Guano Co., to be used in removing 8 to 15 feet of material from the phosphate rock at Bull River, S.C.

The more prominent features of the machine are the car-body, the water tank, boiler and engine, the A frame (so-called from its slight resemblance to the letter A), the boom, the dipper-handle; and the dipper, drawings of which were shown and described in detail.

Before the excavation is begun, the forward end of the car (the end nearest the dipper) is lifted clear of the track by means of 3 screw-jacks. When the machine has excavated as far in advance of itself as the length of the boom and that of the dipper-handle will permit, say about 8 feet, the car is again lowered to the track, the screw-jacks removed, and the car is moved forward about 8 feet by winding the rope upon the drum, the other end of the rope being attached to any suitable fixed object near the line of the track. The forward end of the car is then again lifted by means of the 3 screw-jacks, and the digging is resumed. The machine cuts a channel from 25 to 35 feet wide, and deposits all the dirt upon one side. If necessary, it can dump earth about 25 feet above the track. The miners follow in the wake of the machine, getting out the phosphate as fast as it is uncovered. When the machine reaches the end of the field it is lowered to the track and the screw-jacks are removed. Shoes or skids are then placed upon the track, and the wheels of the turntable are run up on them. This lifts the end wheels clear of the track, so that the car and machine rest entirely upon the turntable. By now blocking the turntable wheels and winding up only _one_ of the ropes, the car body and the machine are swung around end for end. The digging is then resumed in the opposite direction, the temporary track, upon which the machine travels, being shifted to one side, so that the second channel is made alongside of the first. The earth removed in cutting this second channel is dumped into the first channel, the phosphate (as stated above) having been first removed.

The dipper is of plate steel, and holds 1¾ cubic yards of earth when even full.

The machine is manned by an engineer, a fireman, and a dipper-tender, besides which from five to ten laborers are required. These look after the track, etc.

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CAPSTAN NAVIGATION ON THE VOLGA.

On several of the large rivers on the Continent, with rapid currents, cable towage has been introduced in addition to the older methods of transporting merchandise by sailing and steam boats or by towage with screw or paddle tugs. A chain or wire rope is laid on the bottom of the river bed, fixed to anchors at the ends and passed over a chain pulley driven by the steam engine and guided by pulleys on the steam tug, the tug lifting it out of the water at the bow and dropping it over the stern and winding itself with the barges attached to it along the chain, the latter being utilized as a rule only for the up journey, while down the river the tugs are propelled by paddles or screws, and can tow a sufficient number of barges with the assistance of the current. The system has been found advantageous, as, although the power required for drawing the barges and tugs against the current is of course the same in all cases, the slip and waste of power by screws and paddles is avoided. The size of the screws or paddles is also limited by the nature of the river and its traffic, and with cable towage a larger number of barges can be hauled, while the progress made is definite and there is no drifting back, as occurs with paddle or screw tugs when they have temporarily to slow or stop their engines on account of passing vessels. Several streams, as the Elbe, Rhine, and Rhone, have now such cables laid for long distances in those parts of the rivers where the traffic is sufficient to warrant the adoption of the system. While this has been introduced only during the last 16 or 18 years, a similar method of transporting merchandise has been in use in Russia on the river Volga for upward of 40 years. Navigation on this river is interrupted for about half the year by the ice, and the traffic is of larger amount only during part of the summer, while the length of the river itself is very great, so that laying down permanent cables would not pay; while, on the other hand, the current is so strong that towage of some sort must be resorted to for the transport of large quantities. The problem has been solved by the introduction of the capstan navigation or towage.

There are two kinds of capstans in use, one actuated by horse-power and the other by steam engines. A horse capstan boat carries according to size 150 to 200 horses, which are stabled in the hold. On deck a number of horse gears are arranged at which the horses work. The power of the separate gears is transmitted to a main shaft, which is connected to the drums that wind on the rope. The horses work under an awning to protect them from the burning sunshine, and are changed every three hours. Eight and sometimes ten horses work at each horse gear. The horses are changed without interruption of the work, the gears being disengaged from the main shaft in rotation and the horses taken out and put in while the gear is standing. The horses are bought at the place of departure in the south of Russia and resold at the destination, usually Nishny-Novgorod, at a fair profit, the capstan boat carrying fodder and provender for the attendants. The capstan is accompanied by a steam launch which carries the anchor and hawser forward in advance of the capstan. The latter has a diameter of as much as 5 in., and is two to three miles in length. The anchor is dropped by the tug and the hawser carried back to the capstan, where it is attached to one of the rope drums, and the boat with the barges attached to it towed along by the horse gears described above winding on the hawser. The advance continues without interruption day and night, the launch taking a second anchor and hawser forward and dropping the anchor in advance of the first by a hawser's length, so that when the capstan has wound up the first hawser it finds a second one ready for attachment to the rope drum. The launch receives the first hawser, picks up the anchor, and passes the capstan to drop it again in advance of the anchor previously placed, and carries the hawser back to the capstan, and so on. A capstan tows twelve or more barges, placed in twos or threes beside and close behind each other, with a load of a million pounds, or about 16,000 to 17,000 tons. From Astrachan and the mouth of the Kama the capstans make during the season from the beginning of May to the end of July in the most favorable case two journeys to the fair of Nishny-Novgorod; after this time no more journeys are made, as the freights are wanting. At the end of the up-stream journey the horses are sold, as mentioned before, and the capstan towed down stream by the steam launch to Astrachan or the Kama mouth, where meanwhile a fresh lot of barges has been loaded and got ready, a new supply of horses is bought, and the operation repeated.

Besides these horse capstans there are steam capstans which are less complicated and have condensing steam engines of about 100 horse power, the power being transmitted by gearing to the rope drum. The rope drum shaft projects on both sides beyond the boards of the boat, and for the return journey paddle wheels, are put on to assist the launch in towing the clumsy and big capstan boat down the river. The steam capstans tow considerably larger masses of goods than the horse capstans and also travel somewhat quicker, so that the launch has scarcely sufficient time to drop and raise the anchors and also to make double the journey. We do not doubt that this system of towage might with suitable modifications be advantageously employed on the large rivers in America and elsewhere for the slow transport of large quantities of raw materials and other bulky merchandise, a low speed being, as is well known, much more economical than a high speed, as many of the resistances increase as the square and even higher powers of the velocity.

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STEAMBOAT EQUIPMENT OF WAR VESSELS.

The larger ships in the navy, and some of the more recent small ones, such as the new cruisers of the Phaeton class, are fitted with powerful steam winches of a type made by Messrs. Belliss and Co. These are used for lifting the pinnaces and torpedo boats.

We give an illustration of one of these winches. The cylinders are 6 in. in diameter and 10 in. stroke. The barrel is grooved for wire rope, and is safe to raise the second class steel torpedo boats, weighing nearly 12 tons as lifted. The worm gearing is very carefully cut, so that the work can be done quietly and safely. With machinery of this kind a boat is soon put into the water, and as an arrangement is fitted for filling the boat's boilers with hot water from the ship's boilers, the small craft can be under way in a very short time from the order being given.

Mr. White is fitting compound engines with outside condensers to boats as small as 21 ft. long, and we give a view of a pair of compound engines of a new design, which Messrs. Belliss are making for the boats of this class. The cylinders are 4 in. and 7 in. in diameter by 5 in. stroke. The general arrangement is well shown in the engraving. On a trial recently made, a 25 ft. cutter with this type of engines reached a speed of 7.4 knots.

About three years ago the late Controller of the Navy, Admiral Sir W. Houston Stewart, wished to ascertain the relative consumption of fuel in various classes of small vessels. An order was accordingly sent to Portsmouth, and a series of trials were made. From the official reports of these we extract the information contained in tables F and G, and we think the details cannot fail to be of interest to our readers. The run around the island was made in company with other boats, without stopping, and observations were taken every half hour. The power given out by the engines was fairly constant throughout. The distance covered was 56 knots, and the total amount of fuel consumed, including that required for raising steam, was 1,218 lb. of coal and 84 lb. of wood. The time taken in raising steam to 60 lb. pressure was forty-three minutes. The rate of consumption of fuel is of course not the lowest that could be obtained, as a speed of over 10 knots is higher than that at which the machinery could be worked most economically.

The trials afterward made to find the best results that could be obtained in fuel consumption were rather spoiled by the roughness of the weather on the day they were made. The same boat was run for 10 miles around the measured mile buoys in Stokes Bay. The following are some of the results recorded:

_Table F.--Report of Trials of Engines of H.M. 48 ft. Twin Screw Steam Pinnace, No. 110._

Date August 4, 1881.

Where tried Round the Isle of Wight

Draught of water / Forward 3 ft. ½ in. \ Aft 3 ft. 6½ in. Average boiler pressure 104.81 lb. Average pressure in receivers / Starboard 16.27 " \ Port 16.54 " Mean air pressure in stokehold 1.4 in. water. Vacuum in condenser, average 26.72 in. Weather barometer 30.37 " Revolutions per minute / Starboard 240.75 \ Port 251.95 lb. Mean pressure in cylinders / Starboard / High 45.33 | \ Low 16.16 \ Port / High 43.16 \ Low 15.3 Indicated horse-power / Starboard / High 18.20 | \ Low 16.32 | Port / High 18.13 | \ Low 16.17 \ Collective Total 68.82 Speed by log 10.18 knots. Force of wind One. Sea Smooth. Quantity of coal on board 1 ton. Description Nixon's navigation. Consumption per indicated horse-power per hour 4.17 lb. Time under way 5 hrs. 30 min.

_Table G.--Report of Trial of Engines of H.M. 48 ft. Steam Pinnace No. 110._

When tried August 3, 1881. Where tried Stokes Bay. Draught / Forward 3 ft. 1 in. \ Aft 3 ft. 3¼ in. Average boiler pressure 55.52 lb. Vacuum 25.12 in. Weather barometer 30.35 " Revolutions per minute / starboard 165.54 \ port 161.55 Indicated horse-power[2] / Starboard / High 5.05 | \ Low 5.53 | Port / High 3.75 | \ Low 4.02 \ Collective Total 18.35 Speed of vessel by log (approximate) 7.404 Wind / Force 4 to 5 \ Direction Bow and Quarter. State of sea Rough.

[Footnote 2: In consequence of the seas breaking over the boat, a large number of diagrams were destroyed, and, on account of the roughness of the weather, cards were only taken with the greatest difficulty. The records of power developed are therefore not put forward as authoritative.]

In connection with this subject it may perhaps be of interest to give particulars of a French and American steam launch; these we extract from the United States official report before mentioned.

_Steam Launch of the French Steamer Mouche_.

Length on low water level 27 ft. 10-1/2 in. Breadth 5 ft. 11 in. Depth to rabbet of keel 3 ft. 3-1/3 in. Draught of water aft 2 ft. 1-1/2 in. Weight of hull and fittings 2,646 lb. Weight of machinery with water in boiler 3,473 lb.

The boat is built of wood, and coppered. The engine consists of one non-condensing cylinder, 7-1/2 in. in diameter and 5.9 in. stroke. The boiler has 4.3 square feet of grate surface. The screw is 21-2/3 in. in diameter by 43.3 in, pitch. The speed is 7 knots per hour obtained with 245 revolutions per minute, the slip being 19.7 per cent. of the speed.

The United States navy steam cutters built at the Philadelphia navy yard are of the following dimensions:

Length 27 ft. 7½ in. Breadth 7 ft. 10 in. Depth to rabbet of keel 3 ft. 11¾ in. Displacement (to two feet above rabbet of keel) 5.96 tons. Weight of hull and fittings 4,675 lb. " engine 1,240 " " boiler 3,112 " " water in boiler and tanks 2,696 "

The engine has a single cylinder 8 in. in diameter and 8 in. stroke of piston. The screw is four bladed, 4 in. long and 31 in. in diameter by 45 in. pitch. The following is the performance at draught of water 2 feet above rabbet of keel:

Boiler pressure 90 lb. Revolutions 353 Speed 7.8 knots. Indicated horse power. 53

These boats are of 1870 type, but may be taken as typical of a large number of steam cutters in the United States navy. The naval authorities have, however, been lately engaged in extensive experiments with compound condensing engines in small boats, and the results have proved so conclusively the advantages of the latter system that it will doubtless be largely adopted in future.--_Engineer._