February 24, 1839 Civil engineer William Smith Otis of Philadelphia was issued U.S. patent number 1,089 for the steam shovel, which was classified in that patent as a “Crane-Excavator for Excavating and Removing Earth.” As designed by Otis, this large steam-powered machine — when mounted on wheeled devices such as carriages or railroad cars — […] … Continue reading 1839: A U.S. Patent is Granted for a Groundbreaking Machine for Major Transportation Projects — Transportation History
Category: The Company
1893: A Newly Built Railroad Bridge in Missouri Passes a Crucial Test — Transportation History
December 27, 1893 A pivotal test ride took place for a newly completed truss railroad bridge in eastern-central Missouri. This four-span truss bridge, crossing the Missouri River at Bellefontaine Bluffs and serving as a link between Charles County and St. Louis County in the Show-Me State, had been built for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy […] … Continue reading 1893: A Newly Built Railroad Bridge in Missouri Passes a Crucial Test — Transportation History
Loading Out: A Christmas Reflection
It's that time of the year. Whether you follow a formal liturgical calendar or don't, if the holiday comes and you're celebrating it, you're getting ready for it. In the construction industry, we live from job to job, and we not only have to prepare for the job to start, but for it to finish … Continue reading Loading Out: A Christmas Reflection
Alemite and Vulcan Try to Get People to Lubricate Their Equipment
The Alemite ad above illustrates the importance of proper lubrication. Vulcan used and specified Alemite grease fittings in products such as the Hydra-Nut and others to help their customers do lubrication and other important maintenance items on their Vulcan equipment. The "outside" of the Hydra-Nut (U.S. Patent 3,938,427.) Introduced in the 1970's to directly replace … Continue reading Alemite and Vulcan Try to Get People to Lubricate Their Equipment
Fifteen Years of vulcanhammer.info
I know I've spent a fair amount of time on site anniversaries this year. Those include the quarter century anniversaries of my two original sites: vulcanhammer.net and Positive Infinity. But I think it would be remiss if I didn't stop and say something about this one. I don't have an exact date when I uploaded … Continue reading Fifteen Years of vulcanhammer.info
Moscow : A Short Guide – Chernov — Mir Books
In this post, we will see the book Moscow : A Short Guide by Vladimir Chernov. About the book To the reader This guide is a short account of Moscow and its principal points of interest for the foreign tourist who is visiting the city for the first time and has a limited time at […] … Continue reading Moscow : A Short Guide – Chernov — Mir Books
Tribute to Sylvia Williams
It's belated, but I didn't get the word about this until another Vulcan employee let me know. Sylvia Williams, Vulcan's office manager and confidant to its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Vernell S. Warrington, passed away 11 February 2022. From her obituary: It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sylvia … Continue reading Tribute to Sylvia Williams
Taking Property is Something You Shouldn’t Do Lightly
In my last post Hard Currency, Soft Currency and Dollar Hegemony I discussed the effects of sanctions and currency restrictions could have to undermine the unique status of USD. In this post I'll take a look at something that is becoming fashionable to believe in this country: the idea that we should seize assets of Russian … Continue reading Taking Property is Something You Shouldn’t Do Lightly
Hard Currency, Soft Currency and Dollar Hegemony
In its dealings with first the Chinese and later with the Soviets, one of the first things Vulcan learned was the difference between hard and soft currency. That was true both in the travel expenses and in the process of selling equipment (and later buying equipment and technology.) Let's start with the Chinese: this notice … Continue reading Hard Currency, Soft Currency and Dollar Hegemony
Forging Practice – Kamenshchikov, Koltun, Naumov, Chernobrovkin — Mir Books
In this post, we will see the book Forging Practice by G. Kamenshchikov; S. Koltun; V. Naumov; B. Chernobrovkin. About the book All machines are built up of parts made of different materials and by various manufacturing processes. Some parts are cast from metals; some are forged, while others are produced by machining on different […]Forging … Continue reading Forging Practice – Kamenshchikov, Koltun, Naumov, Chernobrovkin — Mir Books
vulcanhammer.info 