A practical manual examines steam shovels as earthmoving machines, distinguishing principal types, constructional elements, and variations among makers. It details transport, erection, machinery, and maintenance, and outlines operating methods, crew organization, tools, and common repairs. Illustrated guidance addresses typical tasks such as widening cuts, loading and unloading, disposing of excavated material, and using dirt trains and rapid unloaders. The text surveys the kinds of soil and rock these machines can handle, notes operational limitations, and discusses applications in railway work, grading, fills, and quarrying. Practical cost, capacity, and efficiency considerations conclude the treatment to aid planning and execution of shovel work.