Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-02-23
City ano County Antelltgemte.

IRON PASSENGER CARVE had the plea
sure of seeing and examining a sixty-seat
car of this description, yesterday, at the Bos-
ton and Worcester Railroad station here. 1t
is one which several of the railroads centering
in Boston, have united in purchasing, that
their managers may thoroughly test its value
for themselves. AS the Worcester road is one
of them, we may expect tie see it here fire.
quently.
We invite our readers attention to it.
Without pretending to speak with authority
on the subject, we have to say, that in our
opinion, it is sure to become substitute for
the car made of wood. Life is safer in it. 1t
is well known that in railway accidents as in
naval engagements, more are injured, fatally
or otherwise, by the splinters than from any
other cause.
1t weighs, we were told, about three tons
less than one of wood of the same size. This
is saving of much more moment than our
readers may be aware of. Any criticism of
details sinks into insgniicance in the presence
of such facts. We copy some account of its
structure, that our readers may form their own
opinion
GAS foundation, we have an immensely
strong platform, the centre-beam or backbone
of which, running through the entire length of
the car, is formed of four plates or bands of
iron, placed vertically, and two strips OF u
inch plank, in the same position, all well riv-
eted together, forming compound beam.
The stills are formed of three similar plates of
iron, placed vertically also, and extending
completely round the car, the webs formed of
two iron plates, with one inch wood between,
riveted together. The three layers of bands
in the stills extend completely round the car,
without any buttjoints, being overlapped and
riveted or welded
The vertical bands forming the sides or webs
of the cross beams are bent at both ends of
zach beam, and carried along the center beam
and the sill (riveted through both) to the next
cross beam upon reaching which, they are
bent again to form the web of that beam-in
this way firmly uniting center beam, cross
beams, and stills, throughout the whole plat
form, which is thus made enormously strong
and this strength is further augmented by the
manner of connecting the top or house part of
the car with it. All the iron placed vertically
in this platform is 8 to inches wide. In the
upper framing, each of the transverse bands
extends completely round the car, including
and forming part of the platform. They are
placed at distances of eighteen to thirty inches
apart, according to the style of car required
and, at about the same distances apart, they
are crossed by the longitudinal bands-the
whole being strongly riveted together at each
intersection"
Its first cost is stated to be about the same
as a car made of wood but first cost is not so
material, where the gain in other respects,
particularly in incombustibility and durability,
is SO great Wherever iron, ''the king of
metals" can be used, it does away with the
use of wood, and can no more be driven from
its conquests than steam, its mighty ally.
This car is called LA Mothe's Patent Iron
Railroad Car" and was shown by Mr. S. Kerr,
a gentleman interested in the patent, and Mr..
Cundell, who built it at Paterson, New Jersey.
Freight cars are TO be made also of the same
metal. The saving to our railway companies
in their freight department, by using such
cars, we believe, would be greater even than
n their passenger expenses.