Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-05-29
uAssow


The recent terrible railroad calamity
near Santa Cruz, California, and the
discussion a. to its probable causes, In
the newspapers. has brought up the
question OF the comparative safety OF
narrow gauge and broad gauge railroads.
Tho decision IL In favor OF the broad
gauge. Its greater width. combined
with the greater weight Of the cars. gives
II o moro substantial basis and CORE.
s~pondinsly greater steadiness and
lesser liability to sway and jump the
track. At . lower rate Of speed, how
ever. the narrow gauge road 10 probably
a. safe and steady a. the wide gauge.
The disaster referred 10 occurred upon .
narrow gauge ROAD thrss-foot gauge
and wal caused BY an overloaded s1our.
sion train running ct . too high yet not
unusual rate Of speed in rounding .
sharp curve. Charles Kiernon. who
was an eyewitness Of the disaster, de-
scribes Il u follows:
He was walking along the roadbed
toward Big Trees whom he saw the train
coming. he stepped aside. The oars
seemed to Be rocking very much. The
train was not running at . very high rate
Of sp~esd-hardly faster than the Oakland
local train. Tho an were tipping. but
the passengers did not seem to realize
their danger. for they we're singing and
shouting. He was standing sbou. six
feet from the track - the train passed
him. When the arst car passed him It
swsyed so much that the passengers
were thrown toward the side nearest the
bank. The side OF the car struck the
rock. the railing supporting the seat was
crushed and splintsrsd. and the passsn.
gers thrown and dashed against the hard
rock and crushed between the car and
the smbankmsnt. Thsssoond car jumped
the track and added IL load Of living be-
inss to those who were struggling with
bruised bodies and broken limbs 10 get
out Of the reach Of the cutting wheels
and the flying splintsrs. The train
rushed past. grinding the living forms
against the hard rock. and stopping only
when fully . hundred feet beyond the
place Of the frightful accident.
The train consisted oi'only three cars
and an engine, and was n Of the rssu.
lar trains over the road. although. In
order to accommodate the exeursionists,
the cars were simply open Oats. with
ratings and seats for the oocasion. For
years the Same style Of excursion trains
have been run throughout the summer
season over the Virginia and Truckes
railroad. noted as being the crookedsst
road In the world. yet no such sosidsnt
has ever occurred, or 10 liable 10 oocur.
It Is broad gauge. solid road; no sheep
trail round the hillside affair. and 10 very
strictly and carefully managed, yet
fast enough time ID always made over Il,
faster. generally speaking. than would
be safe with . narrow gauge. A wagon
over plain ground runs moro firmly and
steadisr than . whselbarrow. and any
body can ride In q buggy. yet Il requires
an scrobst to ride . vslooipeds or . by.
cicls. The narrower the gauge Of any
road or vehicle the more liability must
there BE- to swsying and unstssdinsss,
especially at . high or inadequate rate
Of speed. On this subject the sacra-
mento Record. Union editorially remarks
- follows:
The terrible disaster on the South Ps-
| ciAc Coast Nsrrow.dauge Railroad sug.
gests . doubt upon . point hitherto re-
garded a. settled. It has been held by
engineers that Il was safer to mako sharp
curves upon narrow.gaugs roads than
upon those Of broad gauge. But this scci-
dent appears TO have been caused BY too
rapid travel In going round . curve Now
II 10 Of some importance 10 remember that
though there are . great many quite sharp
curves both upon the Western and the
Central Pacific, which are both broad.
gauge lines, NO accident Of this kind has
sver occurred upon either Of them; whereas
. slight increase over the usual speed upon
the narrow gauge seems 10 have been sui.
| icient to throw the cars Cd the track In
rounding the outer edge Of Q curve. The
fact that the train to which the accident
happened consisted Of only three cars and
ths engine. adds significance 70 this con-
alteration. Had the train been . Icing q
1t wsuld not b 30 surprising that II should
have left the track. but under the circum-
stances II appears . reasonable inquiry
whether the nsrroWness Of the gauge may