Newspaper Page Text
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the last one drawn in on a curve.
“All the work was conducted under
mv instructions, our very efficient su
*•A * •
pervisor, H. A. Bittier, bavins every
detail of it carried;out just as I desired
it. £
“On May 21st,'.' I furnished him a
programme forchanging the side-tracks
between Atlanta and Chattanooga,
which was promptly carried out.
“The change of gauge on the main
line commenced,, at Chattanooga on
May 31st, at shortly after 1:30 P. M.,
when our last train on the 5 feet gauge
left Chattanooga, with a flag on each
side of the last oar with the words in
large letters, “THE LAST TRAIN,
which gave notice to each overseer
alone; the line to commence the work
of changing the gauge on the main
line.
“That train did not reach Atlanta
until 6:35 P. M. It will be seen, there
fore, that the.men commencing at the
Chattanooga end of the road had an
advantage in the way of time; but to
compensate for the time, I had increas
ed the force at each section in propor
tion to time, length of track to be
changed, etc.
“The work was done so expeditious
ly and with such zeal that by 10
o’clock on the morning of June Ist we
drove the last spike on the main line
16 miles from Atlanta, having also in
the meantime changed all side-tracks
which had retained the 5 feet gauge
until that time, except a few where
broad gauge cars were stored until the
car department could change these.
“The following names are those of
each overseer, the section on which he
operated, the number of his extra
hands, and also his regular force em
ployed on the occasion. The list com
mences at the Chattanooga end of the
W. & A. R. R :
B. F. Collins, the Chattanooga yard
out to the Cincinnati Southern Railway
target. Eight regular hands, none
extra.
H. M. Adams then commenced work
at 136 milepost, on until he met H.
G. McGuffin, the overseer between the
127th and 134th mile posts. His force
included only his regular hands. Mr.
McGuffin’s force numbered 7 regular
hands and 11 extra.
W. H. Higgins was overseer between
the 120th and 127th mile posts, with
8 regular hands and 5 extra.
T. W. Green was overseer between
the li 3th and 120th mile posts, with
7 regular and 8 extra hands.
C. S. Evans, overseer between the
107th and 113th mile posts, with 8
regular and 10 extra hands.
From the 107t.h mile post through
the tunnel our efficient bridge foreman,
T. Jeff Smith, had charge of the work
with the bridge gang, of 8 regular
liands.
A. B. Baker, overseer between Dal
ton and Tunnel Hill, had 8 regular
and 12 extra hands.
J. J. McFarlan, overseer from Dal
ton to the 92d mile post, had 7 regu
lar and 13 extra hands.
A. V. Whaley, overseer between
THE GREAT KENNESAW ROUTE GAZETTE.
the 92d and 85th mile posts, had 6
regular and 14 extra hands.
R. F. Hogan, overseer between the
85th and 78th mile posts, with 8 reg
ular and 14 extra hands.
E. A. Underwood, overseer between
the 78th and 70th mile posts, with 8
regular and 4 extra hands.
T. F. Biddy, overseer, between the
62d and 70th mile posts, had 7 regu
lar and 20 extra hands. He was as
sisted by our former supervisor, Mr. J.
W. Wade, who rendered valuable ser
vice.
J. B. West, overseer between the
55th and 62d mile posts, had 8 regu
lar and 16 extra hands. He was as
sisted by one of his old associates, so
as to work from both ends of his sec
tion.
R. Chapman, overseer between Car
tersville and the 55th mile post, had 8
regular and 8 extra hands. He was
assisted by the hands from the Dade
Coal Company’s road leading from Rog
ers out tolronville. That little branch
road had changed its gauge some few
days before, and our force had assisted
them and they now cleverly returned
the compliment.
H. L. Dobbs, overseer between Car
tersville and Allatoona was assisted by
our very efficient and experienced con
ductor, George Kendrick, who render
ed valuable assistance. This force
numbered 8 regular and 19 extra
hands.
J. A. Templeton, overseer between
the 32d and 40th mile poftts, had 8
regular and 18 extra hands. He was
assisted by one of our old overseers, Mr.
Gibson, who volunteered his services,
for which I desire to express my high
appreciation.
J. W. Bennett, overseer between
the 24th and 32d mile posts had 8 reg
ular and 20 extra hands. He was as
sisted by another of our old overseers,
who did good work.
Thos. Moon, overseer between the
16th and 24th mile posts had 8 regu
lar hands. He was assisted by the
men from the Marietta and North
Georgia railroad, whom the superin
tendent kindly sent to us,.who did
very efficient work, for which I am
greatly obliged to them as well as to
Superintendent Glover, of the M. &
N. G. R. R.
J. T. Griggs, overseer between Bth
and 16th mile posts, had 7 regular and
24 extra hands. He vias assisted by
our old overseer, R. F. Hill, whose
services were very valuable on this oc
casion.
J. H. Griggs, overseer between At
lanta and the Bth mile post, had 8
regular and 2 extra hands. He was
assisted by Mr. T. B. Mitchell with the
construction train hands, and all work
ed with commendable zeal and effi
ciency, and, a 1 though they commenced
so late in the evening of May 31st,
they made connection at 6:00 A. M.,
June Ist, when Mr. Mitchell started
up the road with an extra train and
his force assisted in making the change
as he went along, until all was fin
ished.
At Bartow station, 42 miles above
Atlanta, Mr. Mitchell met Mr. 11. A.
Butler, supervisor, who had started
from Chattanooga the evening before
with the engine ‘Kennesaw’ and three
cars, with the floating gang, and had
worked his way on down, assisting the
overseers at points where they had not
completed the work. In this manner,
as just indicated, Mr. Butler from the
Chattanooga end, and Mr. Mitchell
from the Atlanta end assisted each sec
tion gang until they met at Bartow at
12:10, June Ist.
The last spike, however, was driven
near the 16th mile post above Atlanta,
at 10 A. M., June Ist, and the work
of changing the gauge of the track was
accomplished at that time.
The overseers and the men who did
their work so rapidly and efficiently
are entitled to the thanks of all, and I
take great pleasure in tendering mine.”
By referring to the above it will be
seen that the total force engaged in
changing the track gauge of the W. &
A. R. R. between Atlanta and Chatta
nooga, a distance of 138 miles, was
436 men —the work being commenced
at the Chattanooga end, at a little af
ter 1:30 P. M., and at the Atlanta end
at 6.35 P. M., of May 31st, and being
completed so as to open the road for
traffic by 10 o’clock, June 1, 1886.
But the most expensive feature of
the change of gauge was that connect
ed with the fitting of the cars and en
gines of the company for the new width
of the track.
The Western and Atlantic had been
working to this end for a number of
weeks, and on the morning of June
Ist, had changed enough of its cars to
meet all the current demands.
NUMBER OF CARS CHANGED.
This included, in the passenger ser
vice, 12 coaches, 2 combination cars,
4 baggage cars, 4 postal cars and 3
sleeping cars, total 25; in the freight
service, 298 Green Line box cars, 58
local box cars, 27 stock cars, 147 coal
cars, 15 flats, 11 conductors’ cabs.
All the cars in the passenger service,
by the way, were equipped with new
wheels, axles and journal bearings.
This work was done under the su
pervision of Mr. Wm. Kinyon, master
car builder, and the highest compli
ment which can be paid him and his
force is to mention that there has
scarcely been a hot journal on any of
these cars since the change.
CHANGE OF ENGINES.
In reference to this part of the work,
we quote from Mr. M. L. Collier, who,
though probably the youngest master
machinist in the Southern States, is
certainly one of the best in any of the
States. He has been in the machine
department of the W. & A. R. R. for
20 years —having worked his way up
from being an apprentice to the posi
tion of master machinist.
Mr. Collier says: “On about the
first of June, 1885, I received instruc
tions from Mr. Anderson, our general
superintendent, to make the necessary
preparations for the change of gauge,
which would occur about the Ist of
June, 1886.
Fully realizing the magnitude of the
job, we allowed no grass to grow under
our feet, and went to work at once.
We commenced this undertaking
with a reduced force in all branches of
the machine department, and, after a
general survey of the subject, it was
decided to change our engines by put
ting in new’ wheel centers, which would
make the engines as safe and secure as
ever.
This brought about the making of
new wheel centre patterns, one 58
inches in diameter for passenger en
gines, and one 49 inches in diameter
for freight engines; and we adopted
these as the standard sizes for the freight
and passenger service of this road.
On the 17th of August, 1885, we
made our first driving-wheels, and since
that time have made and fitted up in
their entirety 160 driving-wheel cen
ters, with no increase of force, except
the taking on of one machinist.
We came up to the date of the
change of gauge with 37 engines pre
pared, of which 11 were for passenger
and 26 for freight service. These en.
gines are now running successfully.
This leaves us with 14engines to change,
which we are doing rapidly.
(The editor will here remark that
since the date of Mr. Collier’s letter 7
more of these engines have been
changed.)
We had one engine that it was found
impossible to do anything with. This
was the “Nicffajack,” which has been
in the service of the company ever
since before the war, and we shall, for
sentimental reasons, part with her on
the main line, with regret.
The work of effecting this change of
gauge on the engines was an under
taking which has been accomplished
under very adverse circumstances. In
the first place, owing to the tremend
ous business that was done through
the winter months, I might say six
months, making on an average 150,-
000 miles per month on a road only
138 miles long with about 40 main
line engines, and contending with one
of the most severe winters we have
ever experienced in Georgia, we were
compelled to work very hard in order
to keep enough engines, in running or
der to maintain the efficiency of the
service, stopping five engines at a
time to put in new wheels.
I desire to say in conclusion that I
earnestly thank the employes of the
machine department of the W. & A.
R. R., for their untiring efforts, and
great zeal which they manifested on
all occasions since we commenced this
work.
I also wish to extend my heartfelt
thanks to the officers of the company
for their kindness and courtesy to me
as well as to the men in my depart
ment.”
Mr. Collier’s modesty prevented him
saying that he, himself, perfected a de
vice for removing the tires of the wheels
which proved eminently successful, in
that he frequently removed the tires,
3 inches thick, in from 6 to 10 minutes,
where the expansion allowed on the