Show big plant of the silver arl bros ros iron works wo r S at the corner of fourth west and seventh south streets salt lake city is located one of the largest and most complete enterprises to be found in utah and in its line it is one of the most gigantic works to be found between chicago and san francisco this is the new plant of silver bros iron works company an institution of local renown whose history dates back to 1859 when among the earliest settlers of salt lake lafie valley was wm win J silver a mechanical engineer of ability and skilful in his profession mr silver the founder of the silver bros iron works company started ills his first shop in 1864 in a room feet with motive power only such as nature endowed hand and foot power mr silver who is now alive and an pany As noted in the illustrations representing the new works the new plant is up to date modern in every particular while every facility has been provided for receiving in and discharging the raw and finished material handled by this immense establishment lish ment which chichis chis is located on a spur of the rio grande western railroad the firm having one block of railway track with which to take care of its heavy traffic at times it has as many as twelve cars on the track in one day which are loaded and unloaded according to the nature of the shipments the records for april of this year show an average of one car a day being shipped besides numerous local shipments which go direct to the freight depots and express companies the magnitude of these works are only L ka pi exterior view of silver bros iron works active draughtsman and advisor to the present firm was always noted for his great care and precision in all that he undertook and though in the early days his facilities were limited he managed to turn out the very best of work both in repairs and manufacture of new machinery included in the first mechanism ever made in the west and nd designed sighed de and built by mr silver silv er was the little engine illustrated in this article this engine was the first ever constructed in utah and by the way the first between denver and the coast the old works of silver bros iron works were located on north temple street one half block west of the temple block an idea of the remarkable advancement made since the first establishment of these works can be gained by a glance at the halftone half tone photos ph otos which embellish am bellish this description of the present home of the com realized by a visit to the plant and an inspection spec tion of the various departments where one sees the raw material such as pig iron steel billets steel beams channels and angles worked up into the products it is an interesting experience to start at the pattern shop and follow the designs and drawings until the finished product is ready for shipment at the pattern shop the necessary patterns are made by skilled mechanics chani cs of whom six are employed this shop is equipped with modern woodwork wood work ing machinery which is driven by direct connected motors taking the pattern which is transferred to the foundry we see it placed in the sand and molds worked up from the impression it leaves the foundry department the foundry department of the company would be a credit to any large city in the united states this covers an area of 20 square feet in the center is the shop which is feet on oil the ground maill ma floor and forty five feet between ground the ridge steel roof and the molding floor III fa space fon foil its entire length there are placed heavy steel girders which carry a huge traveling crane having a lifting capacity of 30 pounds and which is capable of an occa dional lift of pounds this monster machine travels back and forth picking un ul and lowering down the different castings casting and molding flasks flacks as they are used by the workmen in the evening it is actively engaged in carrying large ladles of molten metal to their respective molds and lowering the same so that they are quickly poured and the empties return to the cipalo the rapid handling of the metal is one of the most impressive features of the foundry and by this laborsaving labor labo saving mechanism machan ism it now handles fifteen tons more easily and quicker than it could formerly handle its three ton heats this crane is operated by one man the moving force being electricity under the wing at the side of the main crane way is kept the small work which is poured with hand ladles the foundry is equipped with a most modern cipalo of whiting manufacture and has a capacity of nine tons per hour the air blast for this m melting elting furnace is supplied by a no 9 S sturtevant evant positive blower driven by a high speed ideal engine tributary to the cipalo is the large charging platform which has a holding capacity of tons of iron and beneath this is the coke storage room which is filled with ten carloads of foundry coke this coke is carried to the charging platform by means of an electric elevator which has a lifting capacity of four tons and which is 19 I 1 also used in bringing iron to the platform the chipping P and cleaning departments are in the southeast corner of the foundry and are equipped with pneumatic chippers chappers chip pers and r electric rumble rs and grinders are so arranged that steel beams having a length of sixty feet C can an be cut 1 into n to small pieces and in any length and which can be conveniently handled by the electric crane which is very similar to the foundry crane 11 lip MN all lip 4 70 t az T interior machine shop the machine shop the machine shop is the next department that receives the castings here they are machined by whichever machine is suitable for the particular casting the machine shop is a complement of ten lathes of various sizes two large foot planers of the detrick harvey make besides smaller open side planers and a number of gray housed planers which are relieved of much of the necessary planer work by several slotting and shaping machines the most recent machine that the company has installed being a morton draw cut shaper equipped with variable speed electric motor which cuts off the points of heavy steel rails for switches frogs and other rail work with the utmost rapidity and ease the most noticeable and the largest machine in the shop is the inch betts belts boring mill on which can be turned and bored anything up to inches in diameter the large number of drill presses including a 10 foot radial drill have proven inadequate to the work that the company is now doing but it has forseen this and has left space for from eight to twelve additional dit ional r machines two of the most interesting machines in the shop are the grinder and for re grinding and re cor ru gating flour mill rolls and these are the only machines of their kind in this intermountain region towards the upper entrance of the machine shop can be ceen two large cutting off saws which are kept constantly busy in cutting off steel beams channels angles and bars of steel of all sizes shapes and informs forms these machines i boiler shop and forging departs departments I 1 ants the boiler shop and forging departments are located north of the machine shop and are so arranged that the traveling crane has access to these departments so that it can 7 ja WWI 4 t T i J interior foundry deliver material between th the e two places the forging department recently finished and shipped a complete tank in one section this tank was forty three feet long eleven feet wide and four feet deep and was taken from the place of construction and placed on two railroad cars within five minutes after the huge chains were thrown around it this is an exhibit of the facilities the company enjoys for the handling of large boilers etc it is very interesting to see a locomotive lifsted from the track by the crane and carried up the shop some fifty or sixty feet and then lowered to the tr t where it is left for overhauling the blacksmith shop is equipped with six forges and a steam hammer capable of 0 striking an eight ton blow and yet this machine is so sensitively adjusted that the operator can crush a piece of beeswax on a watch crystal without breaking the glass the blacksmith and boiler shops are provided with twenty five pneumatic air rivet ers which are wonderful advancers in the art of modern iron working the yard room is nearly all taken up by a an n immense stock of carnegie steel company beams channels and angles of which the firm always alms aims to keep tons on hand in addition to which there are hundreds hundred of tons of steel bars billets plates and cold rolling shafting etc this thia iron and steel stock is handled by an 85 foot electric derrick the pattern shop offices flees of and store room for patterns are models of convenience and economy of floor space these are included in a five story structure feet in dimension several stories are used for the classifying and storing of innumerable patterns which are turned out by the company and here also is room for the storage of patterns of customers the entire arrano arrangement gement of the plant and construction of the buildings are the conceptions of joseph A silver and james W silver and under their 1 supervision and careful watching they have reared monuments of industry which will have a most important effect upon the present and future of salt lake and surrounding country the company constantly employs between and men the personnel of the silver bros iron I 1 4 1 at the first steam engine built in utah works company includes the names of such men as L S hills james H moyle and john P cahoon the officers of the company are joseph A silver president and manager james W silver vice president and assistant manager L S hills treasurer and joseph fueger secretary |