Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-08-07
INTERESTING TO RAILROAD MEN.
Shall the Public be Protected
Facts and Figures on Railroad
Accidents. fZow to Pre-
vent them

bs ssme may occur on some Of our western 8
81 involving perhaps the lives Of some l
If those now reading this article, we con
Iideril very proper time to follow up al
.rticle..we published some two months age, /,
,nti,led- teescoping' with some ideas on
Oscillation" the two being American pro-
iuriions, and, as every railroad man knows
The cause cf tbrse-iourths Of the terrible loss
IF life on our railroads during the past ten
years the former out-rankiug the latter IN
he destruction Of human lie and damage .
10 property, bu. the two 90 closely allied
that the same mechanical invention pre-
vents their occurrence We Gilude 20
Millers Trussed Platforms, Compressed
Buffers aud Automatic coupers-an inyeu-
ton tina, is used on nearly all the leading
lines Of railroad in the counlry-amoug the
uumbsr we name the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific, on which road no loss Of life from
these two classes Of accidents has occurred
siuce their use This IS also the experience
tion-a fact that writes down Col. MlIler,t the
inventor aud ps,entee, As the greatest beHe.
factor living Of the travelling public Of
America, aud also stamps the nauaseueEt
Of these corporations with the seal Of popu
lar favor aud deserving Of popular patronage
aud support. We know OF no condemnation
too severe for those who will 20 on 10 the
| face Of such sacrifice Of human life, the de-
s,ructiou OF property being as nothing, when
the prevention is at hand, requiring but =
triaiug expense. The life of one person
should over-bAlance all money considera-
tions and that the courts may iesch all cor
porA.ions proper appreciation Of this fact
should be the aim Of everyone.
In previous article we gave full de-
scriptiou Of these platforms and buffers
which !, is unnecessary to repeat at this
time bat will come At once 10 the subject Of
Oscillation" which, next 70 ",elescoping,' is
the most important to railroad men, railroad
stock and boudholders &c well ss to the
I travelling public.
Teleseopiug is far the most destructive, in
the aggregate, OF ali the various kinds Of &C
cdents that occur on railroads and oscillA
ton is, il that particular, entitled to the
second rank. First By way Of reminder tC
the engineer aud mechanic, and Of iutorma
ton to the novice in such matters, it ma
here be remarked that railroads, engines sn'
, cars, are mechanical structures, aud ths
their movements aud conditions, on or OF
, the track, 10 safety or 10 danger, are il
strict obedience to, or the csrtsiu couse
quences Of, the application Of welt know
and interchangeable laws, about which, or tn
results of which there is no mystery ia 10
minds OF ski'lfu mechanics: AID further
there is no mechanical resul. attained. eithe
desiguedly or by accident that csuuC. b
couuterscted or prevented by timely an
proper ppIicstIou Of welikn mechanics
principles Railroads, engines and car.
ure bull, and pot in operation, and if n.
goes well aud successful. 1t is practical proc
that mechanical laws have been compile
with 10 their construction; shi.e accidents,
and their consequences, are sure indication
Of too wide departures from the eroi.rsr
requirements Of those laws 10 mAsiug on
combinations, and powerful Eppeas to u
for notifications, which cannot with Pru
dsnce be overlooked or disregarded. Fo
: the sake Of convenience, lie, US divide til
sui sct into four inquiries, viz:
let. What is oscillation ?--of raiIroa
cars
ID. What causes is?
81. Hos does il affect the train
4,h. How is it, or US effect, prevented
These questions are so ably answered {
T a pamphlet from the pen o, Col. Miller
which we have before U.s. that We cop
entire without even his permission.
\ ls,. Oscillation, Of railroad cars, il To
lateral vibration Of the cars Of "a trsin II
motion, each car vibrating independently
?. giving "a kind OF serpenline course to TT
train. The engine Is not affected aid
oscillation, excepting that caused by irreg
ulariiiss in the track, curves, switches, d C.
&c. The cars, however, being Different
constructed, and supported on swim,
bolstered truck, have each al inde peudeo
lateral motion, which, beginning a. the frs
car, increases 10 ths last where a. hIgI
speed It is always dangerous-ss cara ar
COMMONLY constructed and made up int
trains.
-. Oscillation ia caused by either one o
a variety Of eOndiuons, Of road, cars, auC
urAIGs, necessary TO railroAdinR in America
VIZ: curves 10 the track elevation Of quite
rails,-use Of trucks under the cars,-suing
holsters Tor "sWing-uogiou. play" OF
the rails,-Gnd conelng the threads" OF tn
wheels, all Of which are made indispeusa
Bile by the said curves in our American
roads and IL IS increased and made NOR
dangerous by lateral aud vertical crooks il
the raIIs,-by the wtnds,-hy great length 0
the traiu,-by slack in the coupling, b,
down grades, aud by high speed
30. TIE effect Of oscillation is OF Hul
Z consequences to trains at low speed on steel
up-grades where the draft produces suit eien
tension to keep the cars pretty well 10 line
aud on short trains At fair speed, provided
always that the track is in good order; bu
on levels, in long trains, at high speed, AND
, on down grades where the slack in the coup
lings is greatest, aud there is no tension,
the oscillation Of the cLrs is severely slt,au,
dangerously 80 In the rear cars, PARTICULAR
{ en- down grades, or wherever there is litIl
4 or no "tension In such cases, even on
perfectly smooth and sound track, the osci
lAtion becomes 30 rapid and violen'-par
tioulArly at the rear end Of the train-tha
the swing holsters thump heavily against tn
truck frames, and the tiaDRes of the wheel
impioge the rails With such force as to caus
a spreading Of the rails on unsound ties, o
il the ties and rails are sound and stron
and all in good order, oscillation will fore
the wheels upon and over the rails, produc
ing that kind Of accident that, in very man
instances, has resulted fatally TO larg
number Of passengers, and 10 one instane
caused loss, to railroad company in
r few minutes, Of n sum greater than III
8 entire value Of their passenger equipment
. This is the kind of accident that shows n
4 broken rails, wheels or trucks, and tina