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Weekly News October 13, 2014Description
Population Shifts in the United States: Western expansion, commerce, manufacturing, computer technology, and immigration have been largely responsible for population shifts in our cities and states since the first census in 1790. Here are some examples:
1790 1820 1860 1930
New York (City) 33,000 123,000 813,000 6,930,000
Philadelphia 28,000 63,000 565,000 1,950,000
Boston 18,000 43,000 177,000
Charleston, SC 16,000
Baltimore 13,000 62,000 212,000
New Orleans 27,000 168,000
Brooklyn 266,000
Cincinnati 161,000
St. Louis 160,000
Chicago 112,000 3,396,000
Detroit 1,568,000
Los Angeles 1,238,000
The 2010 Census lists as the five largest cities: New York at 8,175,000; Los Angeles at 3,792,000; Chicago at 2,695,000; Houston at 2,099,000; and Philadelphia at 1,526,000. California and Texas each have two more (San Diego, San Jose, San Antonio, and Dallas) and Arizona one (Phoenix) in the next five largest.
All cities in the top 10 in 1950 are smaller today except Los Angeles and New York. In some cases this is misleading, as the “rush” to the suburbs following World War II created huge metropolitan areas not counted in the cities’ census figures.
When I first studied American history and politics (electoral votes), the 1930 Census was used, and the top 10 states with their proportionate electoral votes were:
New York 12,588,000
Pennsylvania 9,631,000
Illinois 7,630,000
Ohio 6,646,000
Texas 5,824,000
California 5,677,000
Michigan 4,842,000
Massachusetts 4,249,000
New Jersey 4,041,000
Missouri 3,629,000
Delaware was 46th in population with 238,000, Wyoming 47th with 225,000, and Nevada 48th with 91,000 people (there were only 48 States). New Jersey has always been the most densely populated (people per square mile). California overtook New York as the most populous state in the early 1960s, when each state had about 17,500,000 people. California now counts about 38 million.
Great growth occurred in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys in the early 19th century, pushing New Orleans, St. Louis, and Cincinnati toward the largest of our cities. Places such as Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Miami, San Francisco/Oakland, Portland (OR), and Seattle prospered from river and overseas traffic. The financial health of Detroit (and other Michigan cities) was almost entirely linked to the American automobile.
In 1930, the U. S. population was 122 million. Now it is estimated to be over 300 million. World population has increased during the same period from an estimated 2 billion to nearly 7 billion. While growth has always been vital to the health of our country, population control is almost essential to our future well-being in the years ahead.
Work Report: On Tuesday, October 7, eight volunteers and a visitor were present, as follows: Jerry Lucas (in charge), Ted Kamen, Paul Kratunis, Mark Russell, Dennis Dragon, Ken Ricketts, Tom Marshall, Mac Taylor and his guest Brad Cutter.
On the Model 607, the oil leak from the engine case was studied by Ted Kamen and Dennis Dragon, and the speedometer hook-up was brought closer to conclusion. Paul Kratunis and Mark Russell filled the brake reservoir on the Mountain Wagon and bled the brakes to correct a “soft pedal.”
Jerry Lucas and Paul Kratunis drained the boiler on the Model 725 to replace a leaking blow-down valve. The repair will be completed next Tuesday. New brass slides for the Model H-5 engine are being fabricated by Tom Marshall, and the first sample needs modification. Improvements to the Lionel train layout were continued by Ken Ricketts. Mac Taylor gave Brad Cutter a full tour of our facilities.
On Thursday, October 9, 10 volunteers were on hand, viz: Mark Russell (in charge), Devon Hall, Jared Schoenly, John Bacino, Steve Bryce, Geoff Fallows, Jim Personti, Bob Jordan, Ted Kamen, and Tom Marshall.
On the 607, the speedometer cable and drive that required significant modification was further advanced by Bob Jordan, Ted Kamen, and Jim Personti. Also on this car, it is believed the oil leak is in the seal at the baffle on the front of the engine case, not the usual place. Work on the slides for the Model H-5 engine continued, with Steve Bryce, Tom Marshall and Jim Personti involved with this project.
A coupling on the speedometer drive on the Rauch & Lang electric was repaired by Mark Russell. Assisted by Geoff Fallows, the chair cart was modified for wider chairs by Mark. Locomotive #401 was examined by Jim Personti, Geoff Fallows and Tom Marshall, with consideration given to taking some of the lost motion out of the valve gear (due to excessive wear) on the left side of the engine. This may be undertaken next week.
Tom Marshall conducted another driving lesson for John Bacino, Jared Schoenly, and Devon Hall, using the Model 735. Tom had tightened up the pilot and insulated around the hot end of the vaporizer and had brought the car to the upper garage and lit the pilot before the lesson began. After firing up in good order, each student drove around the driveway several times (two of them for the first time in a steamer), and all handled the throttle well and pleased the instructor. Since there was a vapor leak around the burner forks, the forks were removed after the driving lesson, the old washers discarded, and new annealed washers installed. After “mudding up” again, the burner will be ready for testing.
At the work sessions on October 14 and 16, it will be necessary to “prep” seven steamers and the ’37 Packard for our year-end run on Sunday, October 19.
Although this is not on the FAHP calendar, London Grove Friends Meeting is celebrating its 300th anniversary on Saturday, October 18. FAHP members Ed Paschall and Lou Mandich have asked if we can bring a car or cars. London Grove is 9 miles from Auburn Heights, and they’d like us there from 12:30 to 4:00. If the weather is good, I’d like to take the Model K. At the 250th anniversary of this Meeting in 1964, three Stanleys were there: Weldin Stumpf’s Model 77, Bob Way’s Model 735, and our Model 87. It was an afternoon and evening affair in the summer, and I drove home with the 87’s gas lights, no big deal in those days.
It is with sadness that I report the passing of Lindsay Greenplate on October 9. He and his wife, Marge, were charter members of FAHP and early docents in the mansion. I was an usher in their 1952 wedding, and five years later he became my partner in the travel agency. There will be a funeral service at Ebenezer Methodist Church at 2 P.M. on Tuesday, October 14, with visitation at 12 noon.
