Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-04-09
Dailp Araue.
1ailroad 1sminiscences and En-
10. nrouamanNa.

h..v;l, laden cars drawn BY animals, he'd 9
long been In use ia aud near quarries and q
mines, and may have been employed (fOr
ell we knowl 70 transport the heavy blocks
Of which the Egyptian pyramids are built
But the 6rst steam locomotive that ever
drew cara and ran on rails 10 any distance
was Stephsnson's "Rocke,," which made
thu run from Manchester to Liverpool, Eng
land. and return. 10 October, 1929 and, in
Dsc.mber, lssO-only thirteen months af
tsrvards-the first experimental locomotive
in this country was running on the South
Carolins railroad, which was incorporated
10 1928. From these beginnings il is won
dsrful TO think VIA, has been accomplished,
aud what advances have been made within
the brief period Of forty years. A careful
computation made in 1870 estimated the
length Of railways then built and in opera
iion 10 all parts Of the world at $4,000
miles, costing for construction and equip ,
meul an average Of about 100000 . mile,
thus creating an invested capital aggregas- !
inY 10 the enormous sum Of twelve ,hous.
and millions Of dollars. OF course, every /
year, every month indeed, mAkes an enor-
nous addition both IN miles and money, aud
the vast extent Of railroad in thiJ country
gives il prominence over all other countries.
The above facts aud figures prove the rail
road interest 10 be not only one Of most
Startling growth, bat Of the very grss,est
importance from = money point OF view.
AZ a natural consequence an interest rep
rsssntiug suoh enormous wealth has ssimu-
lated rts projectors to call in every aid
known, aud to be invented, by mechanical
suRiussFing scientists. But, though much
has been done 70 forward both the interests
Of the railroad companies aud the safety Of
the travelling public, there still remains
more 10 do. A heavy sacrifice OF human
life is one fruit Of railroad travelling, aud
one which entails, yearly, immense peouni.
AIRY loss TO the proprisiors OF the railroads,
not 70 speak Of the diree, and indirec, loss
Nod OAlamily 70 the sufferers and their
friends. Therefore, no who does Nnything
TO mitigA,o these awful experisncss-vhicb
have actually become stAtistieAl-has . right
70 BE- considered . public bsnefAOIor Of no
ANAL worth.
One Of tie mos, fertile accompaniment
Of railroad accidents IN this country has
achieved . world vide noiorisiy under the
nAuo OF "tslssoopiug," = name we'll known
4, ~.aAmwa fbaN a1aaa a
accidents caused BY the running Of cars into
each her, like the joints Of Q tslese ope.
Auy sudden checking Of a passenger car
mGy-Gnd most generally does, under the
ordinary old system OF platforms
(soupsrs and buffers. )-brsak one OF
the platforms; aud, in doing 80, raises the
end Of The oar foot or two above its usuAl
height, and permits j, TO strike the end Of
the opposite car above its main Sill', when
breaking through the wall of The car, i
ruus, crashing seats aud sidings and slaugh
isring helpless passengers, sSomesime
quite the whole Length Of the car. Tbi
tsleSooping Of cars is, however, entirely du
70 the faulty construction and location o
the passenger car platforms and the Arrags
msni Of the coupling and buffing AppSra
tusi ihs platforms being located below To-
sills Of the cars, aud the buffers far belov
the platforms, bringing the point OF oontAo
nsidsrably below the sillS Of the cars, in
stead OF on straight line with them. A.
the coupling and butfing apparatus at il
point Of iunc,urs is thus below the line o
the Eills Of Ihs cars, it will be readily IN
dsrStood that when . car iS torcibly driver
against another oAr,-the point OF resis
tanos being placed below the main point o
the rsSiIiive strength Of the cars, which /
their sills,--the resistance 10 that Of AL an
gulAr or crooked line which is evident &
any one Who will think for q moment, /
very BSasarabiy less effective than that Q
straight line between the two points Q
rssistivs strength. The theory Of this dill
ference in resistance may be ihus explain
cd in practice. Take . wrought iron ma
and bend II in the middle Say 70 az GnRl
Of 45 dsgrsss) and let its 'orook, or vsrte
ofSngle, represent the point Of juucture I
the old style Of coupling and buifIng AppAr'
tus, and its head and point reprssen, III
other ends Of the lines forming the Angl
g. .. the sillS Of the cars, nov put the pOiu
Of the nail upon . piece Of wood and strik
the head With all your skill and strength a
IL TO drive Il straight into the wood, Gnt
what Is the result? Why, even . ligh
blow will break the nail. Bat, let you
point % resistance be in . straight lius be
tween The ends Of the horizontal sills Of tn
cars, aud the result is, that, like = EirSigil
nall, drirH straight, the resistance i
bounded only BY the constructive s,rengh
Of the object which deals The blow aud tina
against which its force is directed, an,
seeing tha, the sill OF . passenger oar is tn
extreme length and constitution Of iu base
and IL BY far the strongest portion Of 1t
build; il stands to reason thu. the eonnsc
ton point, or coupler and bufFing ApparA,u
Of cars ough, TO be in the same lin,
with the sills Of the cars
and attached to their ends instead o
-.as ia the old system, Of hanging down frou
the poin, OF juucsuro Of the aills Of tn
platforms. Bot Is took the. inventive gen
ius Of = great practical engineer to fin
this apparently self evidsn, truth out
and perfect a system Of car coupling an
buthng which should entirely Obvia,e o.
danger Of oars tslescoping in collision
This was Z. Miller Esq, Of New York,
man we'll known to engineers as an inventor
In 1866 Mr. Miller finally perfected AM
patented . oar platform, containing HI
coupling and bufing apparatus, which, a
the bs't practical railroad men Of the dA
OF once acknowledged, rendered train @