Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-08-07
snces rendered more certain a. :, 49,.

"a. Very high speed. 8
3D. Slack coupling between cars. a
4lh- Down grade, increasing the I'd and b
81 and, when all these are combined, &c
'idsnts will surely occur, particularly II y
there Is, at that moment, check given TO
the train, by q collision or a"shut-oh OF :
steam, checking the momentum OF the tram
at its forws I'd end land BY that means IN q
creasiDg the force of the lateral thrnsis OF \
the rear carl instead Of At the rear END, by >
applying the brakes on the rear car, and
giving ''tension" 10 the train aad checking '
the OSCILLATIONS of the cars, and thus dimin- f
isbiug the danger of dersilment Il may be
asked, do nOs the hsnges Of the wheels ,
prevent them from mounting the rails ?"
Answer, they do where there is not suffi-
cient lateral force e1erIed to drive them
upon and over the rails r Do we not know
that in several instances within our recol-
lection, accidents by jumping sound rails
have occurred aud do we not know that lin
mechanicsl what is done accidentally" Tor
unintentlonallY) mey be done designedly
provided we know what mechanical laws
govern the case. The aauges DO not always
prevent the wheels from mounting the rails
The tread OF the wheel is "consd' 20 that
a pair Of wheels may pass round curve on
wheels inclines them TO seek equalized cir
conferences, and even on a straight line
causes the truck to run in serpentue
course, floating from side to side, frequently .
impinging the rail with the leading wheel, /
so that only one wheel has to be forced upon /
or over the rail - produce 40 accident by /
Oscillation aud as the hange does not
present verucal face Of lue 10 the rail, /
but. instead OF il, Que that slopes a. an
angle Of from thirty to thirty five degrees
from a vertical line, il is but an inclineH
blame like the sides of the rail-head) that
would take a lateral force equal to its gravity
10 cause II, when revolving, TO worm Itself
, on and over the rail for though the plane
is not ute oc'aut, the friction, by iUPlng'
ment OF the rail BY the wheel from lateral
thrust, more than makes up the deficiency
Z in that particular; because the uaDge OF
= revolving wheel, operated upon by sufficient
! lateral pressure, is made 70 involve two
gr ut mechanical powers, to wit the screw
D and the wedge-tbe face OF that ilange being
al inclined pisue under revolution 10 hrst-
e class cars there is n gravity, we will say for
the sa k Of argument, Of about two tons on
each wheel; then, about .vo tons lateral
pressure on the leading pair Of wheels Will
j. b. sufficient TO cause 3 deraiment. Hence,
II when a train, running gBder the coudIuoDs
, above named, has STAINED high degree of
oscillation il becomes only necessary, as |
have before stated, 10 abruptly check the
e momentum Of 10, at its forward end thus
m giving an additional force to tE9 oscillation
,a at the critical momeuA) to cause derau
msut; therefore accidents oil this character
g most frequently occrr wheE trains are sp-
~ preaching q stopping place or station, cross
a irg. bridge .sud this IS almost always on
-. dowa grade where oscillation 10 most VIC
lsnE) sharpe curve, OF wherever u Is desired
q to check the speed OF the train, aud some
II times IL Is done BY accident, as by collision
ct &c few cases lof accidents, as examples
will help US to understand this matter bot
must not mention any Of recent date, as I
G. may work injury where | intend to DO good
rs aud as the reader will remember them, anc
is NAV recall them 70 mind without my Sssis
,r lance | get the following reports from the
newspapers
IS let Case Ind Central Railroad, Jsnu
I'd ar7 z. 1868 The train wss running very
be fast. sud encountered sharp curve, The
engineer shut off, the resr car Was preciPi
tsted over sound rails and down bank
III turning over four tines wounded forty
C. ID Case Almost identical with the FIRST
a TN the u. * NhitNA hhiIFUhG5 uFhA NutAA
/. VALLEY Station, running at high speed, shu
of on uesTi0E station, i've cars were thrown
10 over sound rails, and down 80 foot bank
IA &C. MANY persons were Injured. dc.
NJ % Case.-Tha same as Ist aud ID oC
"a CURED on the Northern Central Railroad, o.
January lglt, 1865.
ls' 4th Case-On the Y. y. Central Railroa
of June l-,h, 1868. the train running on
iu straight and smooth track, was checked D
40 shutting off stee IN, near Oneida station, an
the two rear cars thrown over the rails an
down small bank The rails remained VI
me damaged"
he 5,h Case.-Ou Penn, Railroad, Februar
sr Sd, 1850. The express train g0log wss
and running very tasl a. p. N The enPin
'' broke her Connecting rod near he forwAr
De crank, the rod dropped 90 the track and ra
nd into tho ground, nearly upsettBg the engin
cal and causing q check 70 The momentum
the .rGiu, which threw the three last ca
over s1rnd rails and dsvu the bzIk, KILN
hi two sod wopudiu- fourteen.
oof These 1--we cases. are sufficient. /
led they not show the unayoiia table effect
. oscillation Of the cars under Jbe condition
have named2
'n' 4th. How is it or its elsct prevented
iry Having * planned the nature, cause. Er
our efec. OF OscijIation,' it IS bot necessary
,,, asv much on This division Of tho subIaC
The reader has 20 doubt, already discoyer'
u the prevention IL IS simply "Ieusiou
FOG and there are but two practical ways Of pr
The ducinG IL, VIZ;
Firstly resisting, az the rear end Of Il
train The power and effort Of the engine
'au the irorl end thrreof-by the use Of !
break 90 the rear csr-so that there may
no slack 10 train, and
Secoudly-9g Compression on t
, elastic bu.ters between the cars. as pracllc
in ENGLAND. Fra0ce, sad other parts
70 Europe, by machinery applicable TO the
er, roads. bu. not 10 ours: or By the ssa
nv uriucplss embodied H. the Miller ComPr'
sion Coupler and BuGs., used WIN 1
."MiIler Platform which perfy- 'ns wen
he American roads. and has not. IN a "H !
~ Instance, failed to do It's work surely, safe
iy. proG;atly, and in every aspect satisfactory
ne The hr8t plan-brakeIug on the rear CT
ifu cannot for moment be entertain d
Pc while the lauer-teusion by coupressio
C., between The curs-is free from objections.
ty In conclusions While 10 ell parts
~ Europe, where railroad trains are couple
.ot Up with compression, there are no scciden
rst OF this character in America, where con
gh preston is omitted in coupling cara, sue
re accidents are Of frequent occurrence.
ito Hundreds of lives, aud millions OF dola
OF properly have oseu destroyed in ii
OF passenger department Of American railroad
I'd and most Of n by telescoping aud osciIIatiC
ca, which csn be prevented by the use of Il
ter miller improvement Is not this true
* Tha. it is true, every Railroad man mu
he concede, and in the face of the many acc
"a dents oil over the country is it not big
an time they stopped to think on their respot
IRE sioiliry, Almost daily we see accounts iii
80 the following
BY RAILROAD SLAUGHTER.
lie DISASTROUS COLLISION NEAR P1TTsFoRD, n.
ep ,,or,. ,,raso,, -. .,.r, .,,,,.,. .,