New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-25
SAFETY IN RAILWAY TRApEL.


Some important suggestions in regard to
safety in railroad travel are made by Mr..
Thomas Curtis Clarke the weI-hnOwn en-
gineer in his fascinating article on The
Building Of Railway" in the June number OF
"Scribner's Magazine" The point that we
particularly have in mind relates to the con-
struction of the railway itself, and not to pre-
cautions to be observed in other directions after
the running CT traiis has begun. One OF the
most lamcntable railroad accidents last year
occurred in the West by the burning OF
wooden bridge which sent an excursion train
with hundreds Of passengers down to destruc
ton. This bridge was over a dry culyert
How it was set on fire has never been ascer-
tanned. 1t may have been malice or it may
nave been the effect of burning prairie grass
in the vicinity. 1t was an accident that
would have been impossible with an iron or
stone bridge and one of its lessons is tho
necessity of substituting iron for wood in all
railway bridges as rapidly as possible.
1t appears from Mr.. Clarke's paper that
there are in the United States 208,749 rail-
way bridges Of all kinds amounting TO 80 3
miles in length. OF iron and wooden truss
bridges there are 1,O06 miles, and of wooden
treSteS 2,127 miles. Hence the work Of sub
shutting the safer and more enduring ma
terial is likely to be slow. 1t may well be
hoped that the destruction by fire of tho
wooden bridges-which in many cases must
unquestionably precede the erection of struct-
ures Of iron or steel-will not be accompanied
by serious loss of life. Mr.. Clarke's counsel,
the result of long experience, is that bridges
cbpnl1 ha built in gpch IN
n shock to trains when passing upon them
from the earth, and that all trains should run
above and not between the trusses. "Most
bridge accidents" he says "can be traced to
derailed trains striking the trusses and knock
ing them down" This is clearly an important
point. His further advice is to replace,
wherever possible all temporary trestles by
wood or stone culverts covered with earth.
Where this cannot be done, build strong iron
or steel bridges or viaducts with as short spans
as possible and having no trusses above tho
track where it can possibly be helped. Cover
these and all new bridges with a solid deck
of rolled steel corrugated plates coated with
asphalt to prevent rusting. Place on this
broken stone ballast and bed the ties in it as
in the ordinary form of roadbed."
Inc advantages Oh tnls ~ StcH dTo oDVlOUS.
The one especially emphasized by the eminent
engineer who proposes it is that there would
be no sudden shock to a train when it passed
from the elastic Garth to the more solid bridge.
Every traveller must have observed the
change This shock is clearly liable to develop
any incipient flaw that may have manifested
ITSELF and to precipitate an accident in the
worst place possible. The steel deck and
stone-balasted ties would make the roadbed
almost as uniform as if laid wholly on the
ground. Anything which reduces the liability
to accidents it is the undoubted duty of rail-
way corporations to rake use Of as fast and
as far as possible. The company that takes
the lead in matter of this kind is sure ia
find its reward in the increased favor with
which the public will regard it, as well as in
the lessened likelihood Of costly accidents.