tions with dynamite and loaded them in this shape on cars.
Great, gaping holes were burned through the steel sheets of the boilers and fireboxes, and the cast-iron wheel centers while retaining their general outline were apparently on the verge of melting when the intense heat was subdued. The brasses of the rods, and their steel pins were actually fused together.
A notable incident in connection with the destruction of these engines, was that they were of consecutive numbers—430 and 431—notable, because at that time the company owned over 1,000 engines numbered consecutively, and these were distributed over the various divisions of the road regardless of the numbering. Both were of the class “I,” consolidation type—now known in the new classification as class “H 1,” and both were immediately replaced by two of the same type, building at the time at the Altoona shops.
Another memorable fire in the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was the burning of the round houses and shops at Pittsburgh during the memorable riots of July 22, 1877. In this fire, 104 locomotives were burned. The large proportion of these stood in two round houses, a few were in the repair shop, and a few others stood among the burning cars at various places in the yard. No. 210, one of those in the shops, had just completed an overhauling and stood in the paint shed. The burning away of the supports of the track allowed this engine to fall into a cellar in which a large quantity of paints and oils were stored. In the intense heat caused by these highly inflammable materials, No. 210, received such a roasting that it was deemed unwise to repair it—especially as the boiler was that of a Smith & Perkins locomotive built for the company at Alexandria, Va., in 1853, but placed on new running gears of Mogul type at Altoona, in 1866, and under a new number.
The 103 other engines were taken to the shops of the company, and some to Baldwin’s, and again put in running order, remaining on the road for many years. Some, however, gave trouble from a tendency to leak, but no instance is recalled where any of these boilers exploded.
The photograph from which the accompanying illustration is made, shows the Twenty-sixth street roundhouse (now torn down), about one week after the fire.
The Austrian locomotive and car builders continue to complain bitterly of hard times. The locomotive works, with capacity for 460 engines per year, had orders last year for about one-third of that number, and the number of men in their employ is 44 per cent. less than in 1901. The car works are still less well off; they have reduced the number of their employees two-thirds, and are begging the Railroad Ministry to give them work enough to keep this reduced force on half time through the winter.
A Group of New Ferry Houses.
The accompanying half-tone illustration shows the general appearance of the group of three ferry houses being built by the Erie, Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, and the Central of New Jersey railroads respectively.
West Street Elevation of New Ferry Houses at 22d and 23d Streets, New York City.
As shown, the group occupies a space of two blocks extending along the river front and West street between 22d and 23d streets. A description and the general plan of the Lackawanna ferry house which forms the center of the group was printed in the Railroad Gazette of Jan. 15, 1904, and the first and second floor plans of the Erie and the Central of New Jersey houses are given herewith. Kenneth M. Murchison, New York City, furnished the complete plans for both the Lackawanna and Erie houses as well as for the exterior of the Central Railroad of New Jersey ferry house. The steel work and the interior designs of the latter were made under the direction of J. O. Osgood, Chief Engineer, and A. H. Dakin, Jr., Assistant Engineer. All three ferry houses are of steel frame construction sheathed on the outside with ornamental sheet copper. The roof is of slag and the interior finish is of sheet metal painted and trimmed with light wood. There are no projecting hoods as in the majority of ferry houses, but the boats run directly into the buildings, thus affording excellent protection to the passengers in stormy weather. By means of two suspended transfer bridges the passengers are transferred from the upper deck of the ferry boats directly into the second story of the ferry houses. The ground floor of each of the houses is provided with a large general waiting room, toilet rooms, baggage rooms, ticket offices, information bureaus, etc. The second floors contain a large waiting room and office rooms. The floors of the main waiting room and passenger exits of the Central’s ferry house are of asphalt and the driveway for teams is of creosoted wood block. While the floor of the Erie’s main waiting room is of ⅞ in. maple, the floors of its passenger exits are of ⅞ in. yellow pine, and the driveway for teams is of 3 in. spruce.
General Plan Showing Location of New Ferry Houses.
The Central’s ferry house has one slip and the Erie has two slips, whereas the Lackawanna has three slips; two of these are to be used for the boats running to its Hoboken railroad terminal and the other is to be used for the boats running on its ferry to 14th street, Hoboken. Each house is provided with electric signs bearing the name of the railroad and the name of the ferry. A shed 50 ft. wide and about 600 ft. long made of iron and glass will extend along the front of the three buildings, and the cars which come down 23d street will pass around a loop and
