Steam Shovels and Steam Shovel Work — Text and Context

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In Category - Mechanical Engineering

Authors: Hermann, Edward Adolph Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2014 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Steam shovels Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 20,774

Reading time 91 min

Text sections 9

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #47187

E. A. Hermann's 1894 manual on steam shovels focuses on practical operation, machine capabilities, and material handling, drawing on his civil engineering experience. It contrasts trade catalog descriptions with field-tested advice on excavation, loading, and cost estimation.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

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File: pg47187

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By E. A. HERMANN, M. Am. Soc. C. E.

1894. ENGINEERING NEWS PUBLISHING CO., NEW YORK.

PART 1.--Steam Shovels 1-19

" 2.--Steam Shovel Work 19-41

" 3.--Disposition of Material 41-55

" 4.--Cost of Steam Shovel Work 55-57

Brine, sprinkling earth, 52

Cars, dump, 19, 41, 47 Flat, 42 Loading, 19 Unloading, 42, 47

Cuts, 28, 36, 39 Time for, 17 Widening, 19

Fills, trestles for, 47

Grades, construction track, 34 Cutting down, 28

Gravel train, 42, 45, 50 Engines for, 50 Unloading, 48

Loading cars, 19 Gangs for, 21, 22, 23

Operating, men for, 18

Plow, Barnhart, 43 Gravel, 42

Plowing, cable for, 50 Gravel train, 48 Hauling engine for, 51 Winter, brine for, 52

Railways, construction, 33 Reducing grades, 28 Widening cuts, 19

Railway work, 18, 28, 33

Steam shovels, Barnhart, 6 Boilers, 9 Bucyrus, 4 Clement, 10 Daily capacity, 41 Description, 5 Giant, 12 Invention of, 1 Little Giant, 12 Industrial Works, 10 Machinery of, 5 Marion S. S. & Dredge Co., 6 Number of men, 18 Operation, 16 Osgood, 2 Otis-Chapman, 14 Repairs, 19 Souther's, 14 Thompson, 4 Toledo F. & M. Co., 8 Types, 3 Victor, 8 Vulcan Iron Works, 12

Track, arrangement of, 19 Narrow gage, 47

Trains, dirt, handling, 19, 42, 45, 48, 50

Trestles for fills, 47

STEAM SHOVELS AND STEAM SHOVEL WORK.[1]

[Footnote 1: Copyright by Engineering News Publishing Co., 1894.]

By E. A. HERMANN, M. Am. Soc. C. E.

Part I.--Steam Shovels.

The following article originated in a short paper which was read before a local society of civil engineers, and there were so many requests made for this paper and the illustrations presented with it that the author was led to believe that there was a demand for such information. Believing that a better understanding of the capabilities of these machines will serve a useful purpose in economizing money, time and labor in the execution of work to which they are adapted, the author presents in this article the information learned by a long practical experience in this special class of work. Descriptions of the various steam shovels can readily be found in the trade catalogues of the different manufacturers, but very little has been published on the manner of using them in the execution of different classes of work, and the disposition of the excavated material after it has been loaded on cars or wagons. This part of the subject will receive most attention, and although much of it may seem very elementary to those who have had an extended experience in operating steam shovels, it may be entirely new to the much larger number who have had few or no opportunities for doing work of this kind. It has been the aim of the author to condense the reading matter as much as possible, making it a point to use many illustrations in place of lengthy explanations, thus presenting the subject more clearly than by extended descriptions.

The steam shovel, or steam excavator, is a modified form of dredge adapted for excavating material on dry land. It was designed and patented by a Mr. Otis, about 1840, and like most new inventions the first machine built was a very clumsy affair, but even in this crude state it possessed many advantages for removing large masses of material. Its merits were recognized in its earliest stages, and with increased experience in its operation improvements were soon made which rendered it almost indispensable on all works requiring large quantities of excavation.

It was not until 1865, however, that the machine came into general use. About this time the largely increased railway construction created an active demand for the steam shovel, which demand was quickly supplied by several manufacturers, whose machines vary in distinctive designs of various parts, but the principles of operation are essentially the same in them all.

Types of Steam Shovels.--There are three types of steam shovels: First; machines mounted on trucks of standard gage, transported from place to place in freight trains (or propelled by their own power), and intended for railway work only. Second; machines mounted on wheels of other than standard gage, transported in sections by boat or wagon, or loaded complete on flat cars, and intended for both railway and other work. Third; machines mounted on wheels fitted for transportation over common roads, propelled by their own power, and intended for railway and other work.

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E. A. Hermann opens his 1894 manual by distinguishing it from manufacturer catalogues: his aim is to supply “the information learned by a long practical experience in this special class of work.” The text is built around the premise that a better understanding of steam shovels will “economize money, time and labor.” Hermann’s voice is direct and technical, grounded in the daily realities of railway and construction excavation.

A Practical Engineer’s Voice

Hermann writes as a civil engineer addressing fellow professionals. He notes that his article “originated in a short paper which was read before a local society of civil engineers,” and the tone throughout is that of a colleague sharing hard-won knowledge. He does not extol the machines in abstract terms; instead, he warns that a “small or lightly built machine giving good satisfaction in soft materials would prove an utter failure” in rock loosened by explosives. The language is precise and cautionary, emphasizing judgment based on “previous experience with similar work.”

The Vocabulary of Excavation

Hermann’s diction is that of the construction site: “dipper,” “face of the cutting,” “overhanging material,” “dump cars,” “center ridge flat car.” He uses terms like “tenacious materials” to describe damp clay that clings to cars, and he notes the “hinged sideboard car” whose floor slope is “often not sufficient to permit the material to slip out quickly.” The writing is unadorned but exact, reflecting a world where delays measured in hours directly affect output. Tables of “Capacity Delay” quantify the cost of waiting for empty cars, grounding the narrative in numbers.

Structure as a Working Manual

The book is divided into four parts: Steam Shovels, Steam Shovel Work, Disposition of Material, and Cost of Steam Shovel Work. Each part builds on the previous, moving from machine description to operational technique to logistics. The index lists specific tools and methods—Barnhart plow, Bucyrus shovels, Otis-Chapman models—alongside practical topics like “plowing” and “brine, sprinkling earth.” This structure mirrors the sequence of a real project: select the machine, operate it, move the material, calculate the expense.

Material Handling as a Central Problem

Hermann devotes considerable attention to the “disposition of material” after excavation. He compares dump cars, flat cars, and wagons, noting that dump cars “can be used for scarcely any other purpose” and often “stand idle from six to eight months of the year.” The center ridge flat car, he explains, was an intermediate solution that gave way to the ordinary flat car. These details reveal an engineer’s concern with efficiency and capital investment: the right choice of car affects both daily output and annual utilization.

Readers will find Hermann’s manual most useful as a period-specific guide to the practical challenges of steam shovel operation. The author’s emphasis on experience over catalogue specifications makes the text a valuable primary source for understanding late-19th-century construction methods. Those interested in the evolution of earthmoving equipment or the history of civil engineering will appreciate the concrete detail and the engineer’s unvarnished assessment of what works on the job.

There’s something about Hermann’s patient notes on steam shovels—how he trusted ground truth over glossy catalogs—that reminded me of another quiet manual, the Aviation Book — Themes and Context. Both feel like someone sitting beside you, explaining what the weather actually does to a machine, not what’s promised. I keep thinking: some knowledge just wants to be handled gently, field-tested, and remembered.