0
,9
THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: JUNE 2(3, 1010.
FROM FACTORY TO JIM PILE
A Moving Thine of Ttw Yean and
Much Trouble.
i
STORY OF THE LOCOMOTIVE
Ah fftrmplar f tha Mtnml raea
t Modern Ufa Jre
the COM, Pathm of
tha Kad.
Three-Quarters of a century aro, hn
Matthias IJaldwin had made a aucceM with
hm locomotive, "Old Ironflden," ha con
ceived tha Idea of a dlalinct American loco
motive factory. He wa what waa known
In that day aa a "far-acelne man." and ha
knew It. Dimly in Uia distant future he
aaw a time when there might be a demand
for a new Jocomotiva every week, and
against the advice of friciida who cried out
overproduction" his factory wa deilfned
on a ca!o that worked to full capacity
could turn out fifty each year.
Now the works that stlli boar his name
turn out fivo complete locomotives every
working day in the year and enjoy that
condition, deaf to tha heart of the manu
facturer, of being so swamped with orders
that cuHtomers must order months ahead.
Yet this plant has not by any means a
monopoly of construction1.! there are others,
and, as some of the larger railroad sys
tems liave erected shops of their own, the
total output of American engines Is nearly
o.OtiQ per year.
Where do they all go and what becomes
of litem?
They go everywhere that men have goods
to movo by land; one of the grandstand
plays of our ex-president was to ride the
"cowcatcher" of an American locomotive
In Africa. They arc well known lu the
'Flowery Klngilom," In Siberia, Australia
-and even haul pllRrlirs ulong the enures
of Unlll-e and to Jerusalem.
One formerly well acqimlnted with the
motive power of any railroad will mim
many or the engines aftr an Intervul ot
ten years even as old laces have disap
peared and new ones sprung up in the
personnel of the road Where have the old
ti. glues gonu?
'ineir history Is In a way pathetic, as in
any case where death relentlessly touows
Ufa.
The HealniilnB,
When It first rolled out of tha shops as
Dcrfect as skill and fidelity knew how to
make it, it hud a reasonable expectation
ot life of twenty-one years, recorded In
Uuia, but the life ol the locomotive is meas
ured more logically by achievement than
by length of years.
There is none ot the formality of launch
ing a ship, but much of the superstition
iu starting a new locomotive over the roud
The "breuker-ln" of new engines, the man
who trains them for the road, with the
roundhouse mascot, lu this case a collie
has mounted the pilot, even as a navigator
Of the sixteenth century stood at tho bow
at his ship to inveke tho good will of Nop
tune during the life of tho craft,
standing on the threshold of life, sur
rounded by the men who built it, our loco
Diotive gave promise of a mileugu life of
iou.uuO miles. Unlike the errant box car
thut will wander over a continent, the loco
motive wears its life away in a very re
stricted sphere. Its active life will be passed
in Journeys back and forth over luo milud
uf road.
Hut "wear and tear," th? Inevitable to
fehich man finally yields, begins with its
first motion. By the lime he has run a
llstance equal to tho distance round the
anh the trucks- are worn out and must
be renewed. Minor lesions, sui as worn
brasses and burned out grates, conin under
the head of "running repairs," and are
remedied without Interfering with regular
trips; but by tho time the second pair of
trucks are "all in" the driver tires t."
grooved from the constant grind on the
rails, and at a point 23 degrees ahead of
tho stroke there is a place worn flat. Thus
Cur the "first aid to the injured" and
llmple remedies of the round house, have
Wept the engine in service, but now It must
to to the hospital and have its tires turned
true and smooth. Three times the tires
must be turned before they aro worn out
Mid replaced with new ones.
In tho early duys of railroads an obvious
metaphor Rave the engine the appellation
f "iron horse," and It is like that animal
In more than transporting goods and men,
for both to tender the best service must
nave good digestion. By the time the
Wheels need new tires it is very dyspeptic,
and must have a new firebox and new
tiucs that it may assimilate Its food of
ton) and water. If Its life Is passed where'
there are not of the best quality, its diges
tive apparatus must be renewed the third
Umo before final dissolution. -Almost
Sentient.
But little stretch of imagination is needed
to regard it as a sentient thing and to
think thut after the second overhauling, it,
like a man past GO, begins to wonder how
ind when it will all end.
It now begins to feel the breaking down
Incident to old age, and Is more often
beset by ills that will not yield to tho
tnlld cures uf tho roundhouse. It spends
one-fifth of the time in the hospital while
keen-oyed men under the urge of economy,
begin to calculate closely if It Is paying
Us way. Twice It has been relegated to
the rusty sidetrack for incurables, but a
rush of business has put it back on the
roud. where, with light loads and en refill
handling to humor Us Infirmities, it
wheetes painfully over the truck where it
opoe hauled sixty loads or the fust express
on time, even as a decrepit old mair shuffles
over the scenes of his early manhood.
Cornea a day at last when, no longer able
to move itself, a switch engine shunts it
to the "Junk track" for the last time.
A Well Hprut Life.
During the life now closed of our locomo
tive has traveled nearly 1,000,000 miles; it
has turned 3G.00O.0U0 gallons of water into
steam, and In doing bo has consumed 17,500
tons of coal. It has done a great work
In life, and has been expensive In its de
mands for maintenance. Fastidious aa to
uppearance, $i75 worth of waste has been
used on its complexion, and the grooming
lias cost an item of $10,000 more.
Tho more delicate parts of the machinery
have used 1,000 gallons of refined oil, while,
the Jouruels of truck and tender, "swim
ming in grease," have used twice that
amount of crude black oil.
Its "doctor's bill" hus been a big one; 7
cents for every mile that It lias run, an
aggregate of about four times tho first cost
of the entire machine.
National pride prompts tha digression to
say that the American locomotive, like the
Amcricau voman, is the best on earth and
the most faithful Long ago soma one said
that the American engines were inferior
to the foreign; he repeated It till he came
to bclitvj It, and the Yankee was too busy
Improving bis machine to stop and correct
the error. It is but little to say that tha
American engine is lu every way superior
to the foreign, but It Is a fact. In addi
tion to hauling a greuter tonuuge, the
American, both in mileage and years, U a
longer-lived machine. The superiority may
be in the handling, for, while the foreign
trains is in charge of living machines, the
American Is rtu by living men. .
Our locomotive was left on tho "Junk
track." but that is not his final place. As
wugle follow the hunter the Junk dealer
las kept this trglue lu view during lu
lt Illness, looking to the time whn It ' r , A ... . n.mnf
cadaver would find a place in lis d ssect- LUIJUjI 3 LAItM DAIILKI
lug ruout t. 1st Ulobf-l'einoorit. I
Along the Auto Row
Considerable interest has ben aroused
among many local Chalmers owners from
tha faot that Chalmers "30," entered as
No. t In tha Olid den tour still continue
m the only car In tha contest with a per
fect score.
It. R FrederlcVson Automobile company,
local agents for the Chalmers, are receiv
ing detailed and accurate advice In con
nection with the tour and are receiving
numerous inquiries regarding the same.
Deliveries for the 1HU Tearless cars,
which hava been displayed In the show
rooms of tha Uuy L,. Smith company have
commenced. Tha first 1911 model to be de
livered in this territory was taken by a
woman in Lincoln.
Tha new home of the Paxton-Mitchell
Auto Repair company la nearing comple
tion. When finished the new garage will
be one of the most complete repair plants
In tha city.
Among tha nsw entries In the auto field
in Mr. Workman, formerly In tha type
writing business in this city. Mr. Work
man Is representing the Chase Automobile
company, manufacturers of trucks.
Omaha now has the distinction of having
mora garages, devoted to repairs and
storage exclusively than many cities of
larger size.
The Sweet-Edwards company has Just
received a shipment of Parry touring cars.
SINGER'S MELODIOUS MELON
Apprnarhlna; Division of ft lewlng
Machine Company's "Jack-
. . pot.' .
Stockholders of the Singer Manufacturing
company will hold a special meeting June
16 at Elizabeth, N. J., to authorise an
increase of $30,000,000 in the company's cap
ital to a total of $60,000,000. The new capi
tal will be distributed as a stock dividend
at 100 per cent to the old stockholders.
The company now has upward of $.10,000,000
of surplus and the management has de
cided that It Is advisable to capitalise it
for the benefit of the shareholders.
For years the Hlnger company has paid
enormous cash dividends. In 1898 It paid
30 per cent In cash. In 1SU9 100 per cent and
amounts ranging from 7 to 25 per cent on
the $30,000,000 capital from 1900 to 1909.
The Singer Manufacturing company was
organized In 1S04 to toko over the sewing
machine business of I. N. Singer & Co. In
1907, tho Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing
company was acquired. -The present com
pany has two plants In New Jersey, one
In Scotlund and one In St. Johns, Quebec.
It owns lis Iron mines and timber lands,
from which it draws material used in the
manufacturing of Its machines. Chicago
Hecord-Hcrald.
Deiign Which He Consider! Worth
While After Test.
WORKS ON IT FOR. SIX YEARS
Invention Mill, tt Is Claimed, Revo,
latlealae Conditions la the Mat
ter af Commercial
Traffic.
There has been a great deal written and
said sbout the Edison storage battery, the
Invention that promises to mske over the
commercial automobile situation. A few
years ago, when Mr. -Edison first put out
his battery, all sorts of things were claimed
for it, by those too, who hardly knew any
thing about It. Ot lata there has not been
so much discussion of It, but at this time
those Who are interested in it contend it is
really accomplishing what waa hoped for
It. A man connected with an automobile
company that uses tha Edison battery only
has this to say about it:
"Tha perfection of tha Edison storage
battery has brought about conditions which
should go a great distance toward solving
tha problem of commercial transportation.
When Thomas A. Edison launched this In
vention six years ago It was the best stor
age battery which up to that time had been
produced. It eliminated the drawbacks
that Interfered with the successful opera
tion of the lead battery, the only type then
In popular use.
"In his first Invention of a storage bat
tery Mr. Edison made a radical departure
from the working principles of all former
batteries. He started fresh, forgetting
everything that hud hitherto been done.
Ho decided that batteries in which lead
was the active material had too many In
herent defects ever to realize the full prom
ise of electricity as a motive power for
vehicles.
"Mr. Kdlson's first battery was a suc
cess. It was tried out and tested by dis
interested persons. It was lighter, cleaner
and cheaptr. The greater Initial cost was
more than offset by a lower cost of upkeep
and operation. It gave greater output for
the same weight, did not deteriorate when
left uncharged and was not injured by
overcharging. Those who tried It were de
lighted with the results. Over 250 auto
mobiles equipped with this type of Edison
battery aie. now being used , for delivery
purposes by. Dome of the largest firms in
New York and vicinity.
"So much for the first Edison battery.
The results would have satisfied almost
any one else, but Mr. Edison saw a great
future In the application of the storage
battery to the problem of transportation.
He also saw that his battery could be Im
proved and that It must be improved to
solve that problem. So ho set himself to
work to Improve It.
"ltlght here he did another characteristic
Edison thing. He ordered his first type
of battery withdrawn from the market.
He closel the big factory, scrapped the
machinery and started after that perfect
storage battery he saw ahead of him. It
was useless to point out to him that the
then present battery was a commercial
success, and the profits from Its sale
would pay for all the costly experiments
required and that when tha new battery
was ready would be time enough to with
draw the old. Mr. Edison said 'No,' con
fined himself to his laboratory! and after
six years of persistent toll. In the course
of which J.00O experiments were made, he
brought forth tha new storage battery.
"The perfected Edison storage battery
Involves tha use of an entirely new vol
taic combination In an alkaline electro
lyte In place of tha lead-peroxide com
bination and acid electrolytic characteris
tic of all other commercial storage bat
teries. This not only secures durability
and greater output by the given weight of
battery, but eliminates a long list of
troubles and diseases Inherent In tha lead
acid combinations.
"In tha Edison battery the active ma
terials are oxides of nickel and of Iron
respectively In the positive and negative
electrodes, the electrolyte being a solution
of caustic potash In water.
"Tha retaining cans are made of sheet
steel. This can Is welded at tha seams by
tha autogenous method, making leakage
or breakage from sever vibration Impos
sible. The walls of tha can are corrugated
so aa to give the greatest amount of
strength with a minimum weight. Tha can
is electroplated with nickel and a cl-a
union of the nickel and steel la attained by
fusing them together so that they are prac
tically one metal The coating of nickel
protects the steel from rust."
The arguments presented by the adhe
rents of the Edison battery are these:
"Every part of the Edison cell Is manu
factured by specially designed machinery.
All the parts are strong and dur.iule. All
active material manufactured both rickel
and Iron Is tested beforo being used In
commercial cells and frequent tests are
also made of the Internal contacts In tubes
The pockets and tubes ur securely fas
tened and the plates thus formed aro prac
ticully Integral.
"The battery requires little attention and
care and therefore lessens the expense for
labor lu a garage. In a solution of caustic
potash and water only water need be added
to keep the electrolyte In the right condi
tion. Caustic' potash solution does not af
fect Iron in any way, but rather prevents
corrosion.
"The baUery. weighs about half as much
as a lead battery for the same outp it, l ut
In addition to this it saves about SO per
cent of Its weight in the construction of
the truck itself. Tlat is, a true built to
carry an Edison sixty-cell battery would
save not only 500 pounds In battery weight,
but about 250 pounds in the weight of the
truck over tho same truck built to carry
lead cells.
"Electric wagons equipped with the Edi
son battery have been successfully mar
keted for the last six years, during which
time several hundred have been placed iu
the hands of users. These are all In opera
tion today and still owned by the original
purchasers.
"These electric wagons have made good
records for nconomy, durability, low cost
of upkeep and general all arcund efficiency.
In the delivery service of leading depart
ment stores, dry goods stores and express
companies these electric wagons are ex
tensively used."
ENTER BRASS HAMMER FAD
Artistio Burning of Wood Relegated
for a New Idea.
MANY PRETTY THINGS ARE MADE
Every. Kaark la m Boost for tho
Deaaty of the Hammered Thing;
Beaattfnl Effects ot
Llabt Inflection.
Now cornea the hammered bras fad to
take the place of burned wood and e ther
passing things. Pyrography they called
called the burned, wood art. but there I
no high-sounding synomym for hammered
brass. It is Just brass with a dent in it.
A few years back, if a woman couldn't
burn wood or didn't burn wood, she was
quite passes in elite circles. In fact, burned
wood was to some extend a card of intro
duction to the higher class of feminine
citizenship. But now, burned wood has
taken a back seat and hammered brass Is
the rage.
It is now about a year since the brass
idea became popular. Since then it has ex
tended until brass hammering seta am as
much of a staple as coffee pots were a
quarter century ago. Various ornamental
pieces are made out of brass.
For Instance, the woman with the brass
bee bussing In her bonnet buys a plain
brass Jardiniere for $2 or $3.W'lth a ham
mering set, which retails all the way from
$1 to $3, she works over that Jardiniere
until ' In Ita finished faddish condition It
would be worth $20 or so If she hadn't
saved the price of the hammering by doing
It herself. Every stroke of the hammer
makes a niche which reflects the light In a
different way, thus creating a very pleas! :g
effect. Of course, more or less skill. is re
quired In finishing the work, but after ol
an unskilled blow makes Just as much of a
nick and is likely to reflect Just as pretty a
light as though the blow had been skilled.
A brass worker, who has acquired a rea
sonable amount of skill can take a plain
sheet of brass and bend It Into a lamp
shade, a match box or a flower pot. The
coat Is trifling so long as you do the work
yourself.
Art shops, picture shops, depar ment
stores and many other places keep brass
hammering seta for sale, and the fad Is
now growing at such a rate that sooner or
later hammered brass will become exceed
ingly common unless, perchanc. In this
meantime somebody doesn't come along1
with a still newer fad and put the brass
business out.
I.Htle Knocks.
Some men can get desperately homesick
having to stay liom evenings.
Polite society is where Its members are
most impolllo to everybody else.
The reason a girl can be sure a man
loves her is If he doesn't say he does she
can say he did.
There's hardly anything so offensive to
a man who wears loud ties as the loud
socks some other fellow wears.
Nothing makes a womnn more sus
picious of another than for the latter's
cook never to try to borrow anything.
New York Press.
m
CARS THE 'PEOPLI
E TABJCSiW ABOUT
LrDydSiil
Thc
Httdson
7
lc&rlii
ONCE AGAIN, AND MORE DECISIVE THAN EVER
CHALMERS CARS ARE TtiE BEST CARS IN TJE
WORLD AT TuEIR PRICE
CHALMERS "30", $15j0. CHALMERS "43", $2750
r. f ar
si t'
Wo Have Arranged for Emmodiate Deliver. e
of These Desirable Cars
s
No car we make this statement advisedly selling
for less than $1,500, can stand comparison with the Hud
son, point by point. There is a completeness in its con
struction and an elegance of finish which satisfies the
most critical.
Examine these cars carefully before buying. If you
do not feel that you are an expert judge of a motor your
self, then we wish you would enlist the services of some
one who is.
The public wants, a good car and at a low price, if
possible but above all a good car, the price is not the
first consideration.
The Hudson Motor Car Company is distinguished
from other makers of high quality cars through the fact
that it offers a good car at a low price; and it is distin
guished from other makers of low priced cars from the
fact that it offers unusual quality at "a low price.
From one great division of automobile manufactur
ers we are set off by our price, and from another great
division we are set off by our quality.
We are proud of both distinctions.
The Hudson la not only sure and strong, luexjieusive lo keep,
but la big, handsome, comfortable. It in the best looking ear in its
vhuut. It has good lines, showing clever design and careful propor.
t iuning. No ear rides any easier few an easy. Aoto the foot room
' u front the big, 18-inrh Meeting wheel the ruke of the steeriug
l"'"1 Uie curved acceleration that fits the foot. These refiuemeuU
re most appreciated when making a long drive. It la like riding la
palace car Instead of a day coach. Come and see the Hudson ; put
it to any teat you see fit. We have a car at your disposal subject to
the most exhaustive demonstration. Can you ask for anything more?
Chalmer's quality means perfection, and as evidenco
of what we have accomplished in the city of Omaha, wc
point with pride to a list of seventy satisfied customers of
Chalmers cars. Get a copy of this list. Ask any number
of these people what satisfaction they are deriving from
their cars and the average monthly cost of upkeep, and
compare the net result with any competitive statistics
that may be offered for your inspection.
Judged by price alone, you might as well buy some
other car as a Chalmers $1,500 is $1,500 no more in one
bank than in another; no more in bills than in coin; no
more in your pocket than in another man's. It's when you
begin buying something with your money that the sense
of value enters your mind.
Your $1,500 is worth more than another man's $1,500
if at all only because you are able to buy more with yours
than he can with his.
When you buy a Chalmers "30',' your $1,500 becomes
worth more than any other $1,500 invested in any other
car. Careful investigation will convince you of this fact.
Please remember that you are not buying a price
or an advertisement, you are buying a car Therefore ex
amine the car on its merits.
Chalmers will be your first choice.
nil
M
IP
r.
mm
mm AUTO
LE CO.
HUDSON
III si
CHALMERS PIERCE-ARROW
LICENSES UNDER EkDEN PATENT
2044-G-8 Farnam St.
y
THOMAS
Omaha. IXJeb.
V 7 UJ
mm.
n
IN
s
Soma of the Important Victories the Oakland
"40" Has To Its Credit
Morgan Hill Climb, Logansport, Indiana, April
2, Oakland won, time 1)9 seconds, defeating nine other
cars.
Fort George Hill Climb, New York, April "JG,
Oakland won in $2,000 touring ear class, time 4G 1-5
seconds.
Giant's Despair Hill Climb, Wilkes-Barro, Pa., .
May 31, Oakland won in the $2,000 class, time 2:11
4-5 seconds.
Mt. Vernon Hill Climb, Mt. Vernon, New York,
, June 5, Oakland won,' time 25 1"5 seconds, defeating
24 entries, some selling as high as $4,000.
Hooposton, 111., Climb, June 9, Oakland won in
both $2,000 and $3,000 class, time jWyJ, seetrarl' v''"
Porter Hill Climb, Clevelandohio, June 0, Oak
land won in both the runabout ad touring ear classes
at $2,000, time 55 4-5 seconds
Fort Ancient Hill CliniV, Cincinnati, Ohio, June
20, Oakland won in $2,000 class and in the free-for-all,
defeating five other cars selling as high as $4,200,
time 1:17 15 seconds. )
Algonquin Hill Clhlb, Chicago, 111., August 5,
Oakland won first andsecond place in the $2,000
. class. - f - '
Paris, 111. climb, May 19, Oakland wins free-for-all
standing start, time 20 3-5, defeating Palmer-Sin"
ger sixty, time 27 4-5, Buick sixteen, time 29 3-5.
Dunkirk, X. Y. climb, June 4, Oakland makes
best time, 1:05 1-5, defeating Buick, time 1:09, Cadil
lac 1:10, Marion 1:10, Thomas Flyer 1:09 2-5, Over
land 1:13, Pullman 1:15. '
Oakland "3
0" Victories
Giant's Despair Mountain, AVilkes-Barre, Pa.,
June 14th, Oakland thirty, wins first event, time y '
2:17 2-5 lowering record 17 seconds., Oakland de
feated Ro thirty, time 2:211-5; Maxwell thirty,
time i:55, and Maxwell Model Q, time 3:012-5.
Yale hill climb, New Haven June 7, Oakland
thirty wins the class event, defeating its nearest
competitor, the Hudson, by 12 seconds.
Belvidere Hill, Baltimore, June 18th. Oakland
thirty wins first place for car selling from $800 to
$1,250. . -
v..
Compare the Oaklands hill-climbing record with
that of any other car, regardless of price.
You cannot make any mistake by buying a
winner. Demonstrations any time, any place, any
where. Make us show you. 4
Stato Distributors
er Implement Co.,
OMAHA, NEB.
umne
Local Doalor:
clnlyre Automobile Co.,
2203 Farnam Street.
Phone Doug. 2406.
Prompt,
Clean and
THE
The Ikm
You Want
io Read
BEE
Mirror of
Events
Automobiios for Hire
DAY OR NIGHT
Repair and Storage Station 16th and Howard.
Phon-Dou(la 3278; A 3247.
Gato City Automobile Co,