THE FIRST RAILWAY IN AMERICA.

In a paper recently read before the Franklin Institute on Transportation Facilities of the Past and Present," Mr. Barnet Le Van corrects the commonly received statement that the Granite railroad built at Quincy, Mass., in 1827, by Gridley Bryant, for transporting stone for the Bunker Hill monument from the granite quarries of Quincy, was the first railway built in the United States. He presents. evidence which proves that, far from be

An ordinary five-cent doll would look like a giant in the cab, and a clove would seem like a big piece of timber if placed alongside of the small steel across that which keeps together the various sections of machinery. The height of the cab is only five inches and a half from the floor, and it is seven inches long on top. It is four inches wide. A baby's thimble would loom up in imagination to the proportion of a kerosene barrel if it was put side by side with the polished oil cups. These are three-sixteenths of an inching the first, the Granite railroad was rewide each and about a quarter of an inch deep. A gallon of oil would not be exhausted by them in a century and a half. The engine has an inch and a quarter stroke, and is propelled by driving wheels that are three and a half inches in diameter and ten and a half inches in circumference.

ally only the fourth, in order of precedence in the United States. The author, in dealing with this subject, thus states: "Railroads were also first introduced in Pennsylvania. In the year 1809 the first experimental track in the United States was laid out by John Thomson (the father of John Edgar Thomson, who was after-wards the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company), civil engineer, of Delaware county, Penn., and constructed. under his direction by Somerville, a millwright, for Thomas Leiper, of Philadel phia. It was 60 yards in length, and graded 111⁄2 inches to the yard. The gauge was 4 feet, and the sleepers were 8 feet apart. The experiment with a

Other dimensions of this little wonder furnished by the builder were: Connecting rods, four and a half inches from center to center; boiler, eleven inches long; heating room in fire-box, four inches; cylinder box, one and three-quarter inches long; smoke stack, three and one-quarter inches high; side cab windows, one and a half inches high and an inch wide; front cab windows, five-loaded car was so successful that Leiper, eighths of an inch wide; length of poker and shovel, eight inches; length of sandslide from sand box, four inches; coal room in tender, two and a half inches wide and seven inches long. The smoke stack, sand box and dome are gold mounted. The engine can attain a speed of nine miles an hour. - New Haven, Conn., Union.

Some of the English engineering papers make very emphatic denials that a locomotive engaged in fast train service will make a greater mileage between repairs than an engine engaged on slower service. As they are in a position to know what they are writing about, we must accept their views as representing the truth about English fast locomotives, but they do not certainly hold good in regard to American high-speed locomotives. Good examples of how protracted the mileage is between repairs of firstclass passenger engines may be seen in our table elsewhere, showing the mileage of Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives. One engine ran 251,552 miles without being off the wheels, and another ran 41,510 miles in three months.

in the same year, caused the first practi-
cal railroad in the United States to be
constructed for the transportation of stone
from his quarries on Crum Creek to his
landing on Ridley Creek, in Delaware-
county, Penn., a distance of one mile. It
continued in use for nineteen years. Of
the original foundations, some, consisting
of rock in which holes were drilled and
afterwards plugged with wood to receive
be seen to this day."
the spikes for holding the sleepers, may

The Westinghouse Air Brake Co. has. just finished its contracts to equip with automatic brakes the freight cars of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. Another contract of a similar nature has just been made with the Northern Pacific, and the apparatus necessary for the equipping of 1,000 of this company's freight cars has been put in place, and the works are busy turning out 100 sets of brakes a day to meet this contract. Putting automatic brakes on freight cars. has but recently become accepted as good railroad policy, and within the past eighteen months 43,000 such cars have been. equipped on the roads west of Omaha.

TRIAL OF AN ARMINGTON & SIMS ENGINE. A feat which is without a parallel in mechanics was recently achieved at the central station of the Edison Company in New York city. Mr. Edison himself is somewhat of a wag, and with all his mechanical ability and enthusiasm, likes to prove a thing so positively that he knows what is going to be done when he harnesses his lights to an engine. The 121⁄2 x13 inch Armington & Sims engine at the central station has a regulation speed of 350 revolutions a minute, and it was recently determined by Mr. Edison himself to try one of these engines himself and see what there was in it. The particular engine had no special preparation, but was started and once being started, ran for 16 days, 171⁄2 hours, actual time, at its full speed of 350 revolutions per minute, making 8,431,500 revolutions. To give a better idea of what this immense number of revolutions means, had the same engine been attached to a locomotive with a six-foot driving wheel, and been run at the same speed for the same length of time without stoppage, it would have made 30,100.45 miles. In other words, it would have traversed the circumference of the earth, and one-fifth the second distance. The engine was stopped through the disarrangement of a wire connected on the dynamo. The engine was then carefully examined and was found to be in absolute first-class condition, no adjustment was required, the oil-cups were turned down to stop feeding, the engine was cleaned, and when night came on was started again for thirteen hours work. Mr. Edison himself likes to make these tests, so as to be sure that the engine, when sent out, should anything occur, will not be at fault; and he could probably tell some curious in stances where experts have smashed up and disarranged an engine by attempting to do something for which an engine was never made; and when recently asked by an intimate personal friend what he should have done if anything had happened in a case where one engine had been loaded very heavily, and a large institution was lighted up for the first time at a public entertainment, he very quietly replied: "I don't care; it wont worry me a grain. I should have known there was some thing wrong in the mechanical application, gone to work and found it, and had it right the next night.

that is possible, which shows simply that with all his peculiar characteristics he holds all the parties connected with him to the highest standard of perfection, so that whenever he sends an electric lighting plant to South America or the East or West Indies, he will send what he knows, if properly handled, will give the very best light possible.

We have felt a great deal of interest in watching the Armington & Sims engine, and we are pleased to be able to give the above data directly from one of the attaches of the Edison Company, that it is a positive performance, that the engine all these days was in charge of the regular engineer, and that no experts or graduates had anything to do with it or in the manipulation of the figures. It was in charge of sensible men, who are hired to make and paid to make the best thing they can, and give the best account of themselves. We believe that the engine is not extant that has made the same performance as the one mentioned.

A NOVEL LOCOMOTIVE.

At the meeting of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia, held on the 17th of October, Mr. John T. Boyd presented an illustrated description of the Coventry" locomotive boiler, which is probably the latest novelty in locomotive construction.

It was built at the Brooks Locomotive Works, Dunkirk, N. Y., and placed on one of their standard 17x24 inch engines, with 61-inch drivers. The economy of the boiler as a steam generator has not been made public, but while in service on the New York Division of Penna R. R., it has proved to be almost absolutely free from smoke and cinder discharging qualities. The boiler is of the straight-top return-tubular type, is made of Otis steel throughout, and is remarkable in having but two barrel sections, excluding the

smoke-box.

The stack is behind instead of before, and is located over the front end of what might be called the upper crown-sheet, which forms the bottom of the back combustion-chamber, which is directly over the fire-box, the stack itself rising from top of boiler between the cab and dome. The crown-sheets are self-sustained by long stay-bolts opposing the pressure in inside of boiler.

Access to the back combustion-chamber is had by means of a man-hole in the We frequently hear of Mr. Edison put-rear head of the boiler, through which ting an engine through the severest trial exhaust nozzles and lift-pipes are put in.

A letter in Engineering states that some The mud-ring in water-leg is shaped to singular experiments are now being made take the curved sides of the back-head, with a passenger locomotive on the Midand allow the outside s.de-sheets of the land Railway, England. The engine has fire-box to lie straight against the edge of inside cylinders, 1726 inches, and the ring, thereby reducing "scarfing" the four coupled wheels 78 inches in diameedges of the back-head to a minimum, if ter. The coupling-rods have been taken not dispensing with the scarfing altogeth-off, sand-boxes are placed in the smoke

AN UNLUCKY LOCOMOTIVE.

piled up more cross-ties. At Ringgold the pace of the engine began to flag, and several miles beyond the race was over. The Unionists reversed their engine in order to cause a collision with their pursuers, and took to the woods. Then there was a man-hunt by the enraged Southerners. All of the Northerners were caught and taken to Knoxville and there courtmartialed. Andrews had a great deal of money on his person and he offered for his life $10,000, but he and the seven volunteers were executed. The detailed men were not tried and were afterwards exchanged.-Railway Rev.

RAILROAD IN CENTRAL AFRICA. On December 23, 1885, an agreement was made at Brussels, between the independent state of Kongo and delegates of the Kongo Railway Co., of Manchester, England, granting to that company the right to construct a railway to connect the upper and lower Kongo. The capital will be $5,000,000, and subscriptions will be immediately opened in the capitals of the four states which signed the general act of the Kongo conference at Berlin.

One of the most daring exploits of the war occurred on the Western & Atlantic Railway. It was an attempt by a small band of Federal soldiers to burn bridges on that road, thereby destroying means of communication between Chattanooga and Atlanta. The leader was a man named Andrews, of Ohio. He proposed the scheme to Gen. Mitchell at Shelbyville, and was to be paid $60,000 in gold, if successful. Seven members of the Second Ohio volunteered for the dangerous mission. Fourteen men of the TwentyFirst Ohio were also detailed for the duty. On April 12, 1862, Andrews and his men disguised themselves and boarded a train at Marietta, twenty miles north of Atlanta, on the Western & Atlantic road. At Big Shanty, five miles up the road, they uncoupled the engine and three cars from the train while the passengers were at breakfast. The dare-devils then started for Chattanooga. They cut the telegraph wires to prevent information of their act being sent on ahead of them. Then followed what was probably the most exciting race in the annals of the war. The conductor, engineer, and superintendent of the road shops started in pursuit. After running along the track on foot for a good distance, they reached a hand-car, and gathering up reinforcements as they went, they pushed along vigorously after the audacious bridge burners. The latter had been delayed at Kingston by the south-bound train being The recently finished passenger station out of time. When questioned by the of the London & Southwestern Railway, agent here, the Federals told a story about in London, is an immense structure of its taking ammunition to Beauregard. At kind. The area roofed in is twenty-five several places the pursuers found the acres, and contains fifteen platforms and track torn up or obstacles placed across nineteen distinct lines of rails, making an the rails. At Etowah they secured an aggregate length of four miles. engine and a coal car, and got to Kings- space occupied made it necessary to deton twenty-five minutes behind the bridge molish eight hundred houses. It is over burners. Here they took another engine. this railway with its thirty spur lines, Near Adairsville their progress was again that the traveler reaches the southern and stopped by a torn-up track. The pursu-southwestern counties, containing Portsers footed it to Adairsville and turned mouth, Isle of Wight, etc. back the engine of the down-train. Every once in a while they had to stop to remove ties from the track. A mile and a half beyond Calhoun they came in sight of the flying fugitives, who dropped a car to block the way. To the Union men it was now a race for life. They knew their pursuers were drawing nearer and nearer. Their fuel was exhausted and their steam was giving out. The oil-cans and everything inflammable were hurled principal increase has been in Texas and into the diminishing fire. At Dalton they | Arkansas.

The road will be constructed within the territory of the state of Kongo, either on the south side of the river, between the frontier and Leopoldville, or in two sections, one on the right bank of the river and the other on the left.

The

Many of the old roads in the South in existence in 1880, have been since purchased by syndicates and vastly improved and extended. Besides this, many millions have been expended in building new roads, and a wonderful impetus has been given to the development of the resources of the South. The increase in mileage in five years has been 9,323 miles.

The

1

STEAM ENGINEERING.

In the September number of Wood, and Iron were propounded to the engineers of the Northwest fifty questions on steam engineering. Replies were received from a large number of correspondents. The winner of the prize gave the following replies to the queries propounded, which, whether beyond criticism or not, contain many points of interest and instruction: 1. Steam is an elastic fluid, generated by the action of heat upon water.

2. Steam, when separated from the water from which it is generated, follows the law of all other gases, expanding 1 459 of its volume for each additional degree of heat while the pressure remains the same; and the pressure is in inverse proportion to the volume.

3. The temperature of steam is equal to that of the water from which it is formed, and its elastic force is equal to the pressure under which it is formed.

4. Total heat of steam at 212° is 1,178°. 5. Latent heat of steam is found by subtracting its sensible heat from 1,2020. 6. Heat in steam becomes latent when ever there is a change in the temperature; then the heat produces the change, but does not raise the temperature.

12. The "dead center" is the point in the stroke where the crank and piston rod are in the same right line. To find dead center, turn engine in the direction it runs until crosshead is within a short distance of its limit of motion. Mark guide at end of crosshead shoe. Mark some revolving circular part of engine, as disk crank or flywheel, and place one point of a fixed tram in this mark and the other on some fixed object in line. Now turn engine past the center in the direction she runs until end of crosshead shoe passes mark on guide Turn back till shoe reaches mark. Holding tram still on the fixed object, place other point on selected revolving part and mark as before. Bisect distance between marks on revolving part, and turn engine till point of tram rests on central mark, and the engine is on "dead center."

13. To find diameter of cylinder for a given power: Multiply horse power of engine by 33,000. Divide product by the product of cylinder area X steam pressure

piston speed in feet per minute.

14. Rule for finding contents in cubic feet of a cylinder of any given diameter: Multiply the square of diameter in inches by 0-7854, and this product by length of stroke in inches. Divide last product by 1,728, and result is contents of cylinder in cubic feet.

7. To find the amount of water to condense a given quantity of steam: Subtract temperature of hot well from total heat of 15. The diameter of the valve rod steam. Divide difference by difference should be from 1-10 to 1-12 of the cylinbetween temperature of injection water der diameter, or from 1-350 to 1-300 of and that of hot well. Divide first by sec-unbalanced area of slide valve. This last ond. Result is the number of times the is considering the valve as a piston. Steel injection water must exceed its weight rods, of course, will bear being made in steam. smaller.

8. Low pressure is pressure not exceeding one atmosphere.

16. The function of the steam engine crank is to change reciprocating rectili9. To find average pressure in a cylin-near motion of the piston rod to the conder, divide length of stroke in feet by dis- stant rotary motion of the crank shaft. tance that steam follows before being cut 17. The steam engine governor controls off, which gives the ratio of expansion. the speed of the engine within certain Multiply pressure by corresponding num-limits, by regulating the supply of steam ber in some reliable expansion table. Re- to the cylinder, either by means of a sult is average. This is the most expedi- throttle valve in the steam pipe, as in the tious method, provided the table is reli- case of all throttling engines, delivering a able. uniform supply of steam at the pressure necessary for the speed, or as all automatic cut-off governors, delivering steam at boiler pressure at the beginning of a stroke for a sufficient distance to maintain the speed, then cutting it entirely off.

10. Superheated steam is steam which has a greater temperature than that due to its pressure.

11. Formulæ for estimating power of engines: Non-condensing engine-Power (average pressure-counter pressure) X area of piston in inches X piston speed in feet per minute. Condensing-Power (average pressure X vacuum)X piston area in square inches X. piston speed.

18. The most common causes of heating in the journals of steam engines are: Insufficient lubrication, tightness of journals, faults in the alignment, and, the action of foreign substances, such as dust.