New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-28
LETTERS FROM TIE PEOPLE
RAILRoAD DIsAsrERs-ppEvrNrron

RAILROAD DISASTERS
To ne Editor Of TIE T,ibsne.
SIR: Your article of the 23d, on Railroad
Accdents" is very opportune It Is high time that some
thing should be done TO lessen those ghtful accidents
1t is also impossible to fix the fault In any particular
department Of ralroading think, therefore, that
justified In saying, the doctors do that il is com.
plicaton Of disorders You will doubt agree wthms
hathe true wayto avoid the greater calamity
is to make OF the best materials In the most skilled
manner in all the different departments connected with
railroad For instance, let the cars he butt OF thin
homogeneous iron,7 strengthened with ornamentaly
rolled sections Of iron such would have double the
strength and not onehaf the weight Of the present
cumbrous Then, instead Of eastrOn wheels lot
have caststee wheels Or aany rate cassteel ties and
let all the parts in the machinery Of the locomotive bs
made OF pneumatic Steel less caTbonlsed 20 suit
the tensile torsOnal and other strengths wanted the
several parts. Mr. Ramsbotom OF CTewe, the London
and Northwestern Railroad, England, has introduced
pneumatic steel into the building Of his locomotives and
he says the steel far superior aud more economical than
wrought iron. In France they have introduced
steel boilers their locomotives, and, from actual
tests, have proved that steel boiler Will
evapOrate given quantity OF water with onehaf the
more homogeneous you will easily understand il much
stronger and Of course less liable to explode than boil
ers from wrought iron made in the common do
fectiye way Then with respect TO steel rails Robert
and 29 and zee hare no better al6orit" says "If
railway companies consult their interests they viii
lay down tough Bessemer that pneumatic steel rails
al their main lines. and IL the public value their safety
they will insist upon those lines Of railway being for the
future laid with steel rails in place Of ron Then he says
the 29th that steel rails cheaper at three times the
cost OF iron rails than the iron rails would be- II well
known that iron rails are homogeneous, and Il is also
known that II two bodies impngng against each other
two bodies heterogeneous the resultant Is eecri
cty;' tben electric current has magnetic action
In direction cutting its at right angles. HOW many
accidents could be traced to this action compound
OF fbrOus and crysaiZed IRON such as our iron rails
present will not pretend 20 guess A. But with
respect 20 the manufacture or pneumatic steel, me
English Free Trader has efiec,ua.ly played upon the
oreduy Of the Americans BY raising "CaQ0edr IN
the shape Of iron ore not being adapted ior the
men know that we have as good iron ores
in this country they have in any other part OF the
LyiOtrl world" L. English red henatite not oxeeptedD
Those English Free-Traders will tell you that the pneu'
matte steel process experiment in England Yet
thew put up new conyerters in England every day ana
send us thousands OF OF STEEL IN the shape OF ras
tires &C. that ought % make ourselves put tnen II Is
10 their interest to throw cold water such enterprise
IN this country long the Americans viii allow tho
Summer OF 1866 when visited the iron and steel works
OF England and Wales several samples OF IRON ores;
black magnetic oxides and red and brown hemattes,
an OF which were considered hrsclass oreby English and
Welch metallurgsts, and they admitted that they bad
such ores they would make Iron equal 70 Swedish We
must forget that they have no magnetcs in England
SO. think, II railroad companies wonld use mora
steel and less rOn would have less accidents and the
only thing that will bring them to sense OF their duty
ages whenever an accident does occur.
W. O., IT., PofisriLe, Pa