Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-01-20
FRO.v R.EILU.Er C.fRS.

We have long entertained the belief that
as material for both passenger and freight
cars, but more especially the former, iron
possesses certain marked advantages over
wood which must eventually command for
it the favor of practical railroad men ev-
erywhere. Considering their greater du-
rability, iron cars would prove vastly more
economical than the wood, while their far
greater strength and power of resistance
would go far toward preventing many of
the terrible railroad accidents" Ito call
them by their generally accepted name,)
which of late years have become so alarm
ingly frequent. With wooden cars, an
"accident," if serious, generally means
their total demolition, which in many in
stances is effected instantaneously by the
process of telescoping, by which halfa
dozen cars are often jammed over or into
each other, with destruction of life in ex-
act proportion to the number of passengers
to be killed. Under such circumstances
which occur so frequently as scarcely to be
considered exceptional, every splinter of
the shattered woodwork becomes a pom
lard to pierce the lacerated flesh of the
fragment of kindling which, with oil,
paint, varnish and other highly combusti-
BILE materials, soon crackles and roars
above the mass of bruised flesh and bro
ken bones beneath. With iron ears no
such disasters would be possible under
ordinary circumstances. In the event of
collision, or other accident usually destruc-
tive of life, iron cars would, doubtless, be
broken and bent ont of shape but they
would not telescope if properly strength
ened nor would they break into splinters
or burn up. Without accident, such cars
would outast any two of the best wooden
ears ever made, and on the score of econo-
my, therefore, as well as because of the
greater safety they afford to the travelling
public, iron cars should command the APP
proval of railroad men everywhere
The most serious objection that has yet
been advanced against iron cars, is that of
their greater weight. We recognize the
force of this objection, provided it is based
upon an established fact, but we doubt if
this is the case. 1t is generally admitted
that the experimental iron cars already
built have been unnecessarily heavy, and
that many important improvements can
be made in the design of these first at
tempts, which will 90 far toward remedy
ing their defects, and make them lighter
without detracting from their strength and
durability. On the other hand, the weight
ofwooden passenger cars Of the better class
is steadily increasing from year to year, so
that the relative disproporton which now
exists is gradually disappearing. The
Railway Times calls attention to the fact
that many of the eight-wheeled passenger
cars now in use weigh eighteen or twenty
tons each. The new styles of cars for the
accommodation of tirst-class through tray
ell such as sleeping, palace and compart-
ment cars, weigh in some instances as
much as thirty tons, and one of these
coaches now in use on one of the western
roads weighs as much as thrty-two tons.
This shows that, in the opinion of railway
managers, the weight of rolling stock is
considered matter of less importance
than formerly; and, however we may re-
gard the business policy which, in these
days of close competition for traffic, per-
mits in increase in the dead weight to be
hauled we may hope that, since the conf
panies are favorable TO such policy, they
will also encourage inventors to produce
an iron car that at once combines greater
strength, durability and safety than any
ever built of wood, glass, and fancy uphol
holstery.-Ihe Iron Age.