| From the Savannah Morning News |
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| July 17, 1855 |
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| From Colburn's New York Railroad Advocate |
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| Georgia Central Railroad Station at
Savannah {Central (of Georgia) RR} |
| We have few great railroad
stations in the whole country, such as combine complete accommodation
for great transportation and mechanical departments. One of two at
Boston, those at Detroit, Pittsburg, and Baltimore are, probably among
the largest. Of these only the Pittsburg station is new, and laid out in
modern style. Here, even, the engine and transportation houses are at
some distance apart, and do not form one complete and continuous
station. |
| We have many large and elegant
depot buildings, and quite as many great and excellent repair shops, but
we are now speaking particularly of a great and complete station, for
the accommodation of the freight and passenger business, and for
construction and repair of the entire machinery of a great road. |
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To say Savannah, Georgia, is likely to have the most
complete and elegant railroad in the country (besides it also being
one of the largest), may be a matter of some surprise to northern
and western railroad men. ut looking, even with northern eyes, upon
the station of the Georgia Central road, we believe its superior
capacity, convenience, and elegance must be admitted. We look upon
it as a whole, not regarding merely the architectural details of any
one part, or the mechanical adaptation of any particular buildings
to the purpose of the road. This station was originally planned,
something like five years ago, by William M. Wadley, Esq., the
present superintendent of the road. |
| It is located upon a property
of 35 acres of ground, situated in the north western portion of the city
of Savannah, upon New and West Broad Streets. |
| The general transportation
department is carried on in a lot of 1400 by 565 feet in extent. Upon
the northern side of this yard, in the freight house, built of brick in
the most substantial manner, and 800 by 63 feet in size. On this New
Street this building is entered by a large range of wide doors, while on
the inner side, next to the yard are doors through which freight plans
to go on the cars. It is remembered that cars do not stand in this
building, but outside the whole width of the floor, or say 60 feet,
being for storage of freight. There is never any show in the winter at
this station; in fact which accounts for the tracks not being covered
in. |
| At the head of this building,
fronting on West Broad Street, are transportation and general offices of
the company. This front is large and handsomely finished in the Roman
Doric style of architecture. |
| On the north side of the
building is a large court for carriages, and immediately beyond the
passenger depot 400 by 50 feet, not yet completed, but intended to
conform to the general style of the other building. On the extreme south
side of the freight yard is the down freight house, of brick 325 by 40
feet, the tracks being outside. |
| Through he center of the great
yard are six parallel tracks, and on each side and near the outer ranges
of the buildings, are three other parallel tracks, making in all, over
three miles of railroad in this yard alone. These tracks are for
unloading cotton; room for 20,000 bales of which is afforded on this
platform on either side. All these tracks are connected by transfer
tables or sliding sections, giving every facility for moving entire
trains to any point in the yard. |
| The whole of this yard is
surrounded with a high brick wall, except on the side from which the
trains approach. The scales, furniture, tec., of the transportation
building are to be of as good kind as any in the country. |
| The next great division of the
station is the motive power department; this occupies a lot 900 by 625
feet in extent, separated from the freight yard by a street of 50 feet
width but which will be probably closed and included in the station
grounds. |
| The principal buildings in
this department are ranged on the southern and eastern sides of this
yard. They consist principally as follows: |
| One circular engine house of
brick, 250 feet in diameter, and containing 40 stalls or pits, with
water pipes on each track for filling tenders. This building has an iron
roof, around the circle in which the engines stand, the centre being
left open. The floor of this building is laid with brick pavement; and
the inner cornice and roof rest on cast iron columns. |
| Adjoining this building on the
south side is the principal machine shop, 160 by 63 feet, lighted with
large windows on three sides, besides a lantern in the iron roof. This
is certainly one of the finest repair shop rooms in the United States.
It is 18 feet deep in the walls; the roof, as those of all the adjoining
buildings, is of corrugated iron, with round iron tie rods, and is made
by Messrs. A. Whitney & Sons, of the Philadelphia Car Wheel Works. The
shafting, the heavy lines being hung on wall hangers, and the counter
shafting from the roof, is made by Bancroft & Sellers, of Philadelphia.
The work benches are the best we have seen, having a solid hard pine top
of 6 inches thickness for their whole width being closed up in front
with a sloping wood work sheathing, like a grocery counter. This
prevents the collection of old scrap, dirt and rubbish under the
benches. |
| The machinery is not all yet
moved in. Among the heavier tools, we noticed one heavy engine lather of
7 feet swing, by Bement, Dougherty & Thomas of Philadelphia. This lathe
has three "shears," or sides, and will turn the largest object it can
swing. In design, proportion and finish, this pattern of engine lathes
ranks among the very best built in the entire country. |
| In the angle of the machine
shop and engine house, on the north east corner of the former, is the
copper smith's shop, 76 by 51 feet on its longest sides. In the opposite
angle is the Boiler smiths' shop, 62 by 58 feet on its longest sides.
Adjoining the South East corner of the machine shop is a building of
about 75 by 40 feet, 50 by 40 of which form the pattern shop, and the
rest the general office and store room. These rooms are equal in
convenience, light and elegance of finish to any similar rooms in the
best shops in the country. |
| The Blacksmiths' shop, 160 by
40 feet, forms an L to the machine shop. The forges are closely ranged
on both sides. The room is well lighted and ventilated. All the road
iron work as well as forging for engines and cars is done here by which
it can be inferred how actively this department is employed. In the rear
of the blacksmiths shop, a long row of vaults is built into the slope of
the street, giving convenient and excellent storage for iron, coal, etc. |
| Next to the blacksmiths' shop
is the engine house, of ornamental architecture, and about 60 by 35
feet. The engine room is 40 by 20; the boiler room 40 by 13, and the
pattern room, which is in the rear, is about 85 by 20 feet. |
| The engine room is unusually
fine; it is very high and well lighted; the finish of the walls being
hard and smooth, and the general appearance being much superior to that
of such rooms in other machine shops. |
| The engine is of Savannah
build, from the works of A. N. Miller. It is a single cylinder beam
engine, 15-inch bore, and 48-inch stroke. The frame is of the arbor
pattern, of exquisite proportions, and beautifully ornamented with
tracery and gothic details. Were we to say that this engine was built at
the Novelty Works, or at the Boston steam engine works none of our
readers would reject our statement, that it is of beautiful design or
finish. But being of Southern construction, there are many who would not
suppose it to possess any extraordinary excellence. But in the most
practical sense, and with a knowledge of most of Stillman, Allen &
Co.'s, and Tuft's patterns, we say that we have seen no engine of equal
size, and of Northern manufacture, which excelled that under notice, in
correctness of proportions and elegance of design, and few equaling it
in extent and perfection of finish. A Southern built engine was
exhibited in the New York Crystal Palace, and attracted much attention
It is remembered by some of our readers. But although of expensive
construction and finish, its design was not in good taste, nor its
workmanship such as would sustain the reputations of our best builders.
It would be unjust to the Savannah engine to refer to it in any terms
implying an equality with the Crystal Palace Engine. |
| In one part of this Savannah
Engine is one of the best "jobs", we have ever seen. The "side pipes"
are screwed, bodily, into the upper and lower steam chests; right
and left hand threads being cut on the ends of the pipes. To make an
exact joint, and a perfect finish, in such a manner, would not be often
attempted by other builders. |
| The boiler is of locomotive
pattern, and provided with steam and mercurial gauges, and all usual
fixtures. |
| The great chimney stands in
the yard, between the engine house and Blacksmith shop. It is 125 feet
high. Its design is ornamental and most original. Its form is polygonal,
or many-sided, giving it the appearance of a fluted circular column.
Around the base are projecting buttresses, forming cells between them.
These cells have each deep vaults between them, and are appropriated as
privies for the men. Upon the top of these cells, or of the buttresses
which form them, is a cast-iron tank, holding 40,000 gallons. The
outsides are paneled richly ornamented. It must be understood that this
tank encircles the great chimney shaft. The chimney top is laid up in
ornamental brick-work, and is surmounted with a heavy cast-iron cap.
This chimney draws the smoke from all the blacksmith, coppersmith and
boiler shop fires, as well as from the boiler of the stationary engine.
The water pumped into the tank goes to supply the tenders. Every stall
in the engine-house has a pipe and valve for filling the tenders. |
| Extending beyond the
stationary engine-house is a brick shed for storing lumber. This is 83
feet long, and reaches to the carpenters' shop beyond. From the front of
this shed, a roof is carried out on brick columns for 63 feet, into the
yard. This forms a sort of arbor, under which is placed a large Daniel's
planing machine, for dressing sills and caps for cars and other similar
work. |
| The carpenters' shop is the
last building of the entire range. It forms nearly three sides of a
hollow square, its outward faces being respectively, 190, 218 and 140
feet in length. This great shop comprises all machinery and facilities
for building, repairing and painting cars of all kinds. |
| When it is remembered that all
the buildings described are new, and of fine architecture and
arrangement, well lighted, well ventilated, and every way well arranged,
the roofs of iron, and when it is considered that they have not been put
up by piecemeal, but that they form collectively a complete and
symmetrical whole, we doubt candidly, if any other station can be
found in this country which can equal this. |
| There have been already
expended on the entire station, over $300,000. This, with the land and
machinery, will carry the entire cost above $500,000, but even this
large sum has been expended with strict economy. Beautiful and complete
as is this great station, there is not one feature in the whole which
could be properly pronounced extravagant. |
| There are already employed in
all the departments of the Savannah station, over 550 men; at a monthly
payment of nearly $20,000 in wages. As the whole establishment becomes
completed, and all its departments brought into full activity, the
number of employees will not be greatly below 800 men, a fact indicative
of the great business of the Georgia Central road, and of the enterprise
and energy with which it is conducted. |
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