Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-11-30
RAILWAY PROGRESS.

j, RAILWAY PROGRESS.
Ao,r the Co,nforts aud Concentrates o.
Irauel Haze Increased.
rGen. Horace Porter. in the Century.l
It is sixty years since the first loco
motive engine was used upon an Amer
lean railway suitable for carrying pas
sengers. The progress of the railway
in this country during that time has
been phenomenal. The earliest trains
were called "a brigade of cars" At
first horses and locomotives were used
INTERCHANGEABLE. The modern railway
car has been evolved from the old
fashioned English stage coach. The
compartment car in England is still the
coach idea, and the nomenclature of the
coach is still in daily use. At an early
day the Americans left the turnpike and
the stage coach to their old uses, and
built the long car with one compart-
ment. The people were very slow to
appreciate the possibilities of the inn
proved locomotive. In Pennsylvania
it was with great difficulty that the con-
sent of the Legislature could be OBJ
tanned to the granting of railroad char
tiers, and the first American road did not
enjoy this right till 1886. The railway
traveller up to 1916 did not possess many
privileges. The dust in dry weather
was suffocating, the sparks from the en-
gipe were binding, there were only
tallow candles at night for light, and
close box stoves in each end made the
Dir intolerable in winter. You were
jolted without mercy; there were no suit
Able hsnd-brakes, and each passenger
used to pick out his own trunk at the
end of the journey. The first great inn
provement was reached with the Stew
ems car-brake in 1851. In 1869 the air
brake controlled by the engine was in
tloduced. In 1871 the vacuum brake
wis devised, and has come into universal
use.
The next trouble was to devise
method of coupling so that cars would
not run upon one another or telescope
one another in case of collision. The
Miller coupler and buffer removed this
and when the Janney car
coupler superseded it, the coupling had
been brought to perfection. Then came
the bell cord, which reaches the engi-
neer and enables the conductor or pas
sensers to communicate with him.
Better even than this was the use of the
magnetic telegraph in dspatcbing
trains. Then the problem WIS in the
invention of of q switch that would pre-
rent accidents like running off the track,
md the Wharton switch came INTO use.
So far the road, the locomotive, the !
'oupli ngs, the passenger car, had been
greatly improved. and the cars were |
'ealy comfortable The next step was
o add luxury to comfort. The steam
boats gave people q berth to sleep in;
Why should not she railroads. To
hink Of the necessity was to supply it.
The road from Harrisburg to Philadel-
'hia fitted up rude sort of berth car
II the winter of 1885, which continued
Muse till l84S, when crude attempts
we're made to fit up cars with berths
ike steamers. 1t was not until Mr.. G..
L., Pullman had an experience of the
iseomfcMt of one of these berths on the
lake Shore road that any real advance
ras made. He set himself to work. to,
make the modern sleeping car, and one
f the persons whom lie was the first to
onvince OF the utility of his plans was
lbraham Lincoln. The Pullman cars
Don became the fashion, and controlled
he arrangements of TIE railways. He
as made q speciality Of this car, andithe.
Wagner Caa: Company is now his only
Then came the still
reater luxuries of travel-the hotel
az, IN. which meals are served while the
rain is in motion, and finally we have
eacksd, the vestibule. car, in which you,
all walk from one end of the train to
nother without going out of doors. The
lectric light makes the interior at night
S bright as day, and the comforts and
onvenienees of travel by rail have
cached almost the, elimination of hu--
nan effort. The use of crude oil in
teadlof coal for the locomotive vet re-
lains, to be effected, and then the acmo.
f comfort and luxury will be reached.
md; this has come about while those.
Tho were boys and girls sixty years ago
re'aow approaching the "sern and yal4
DIV Leaf" of old age.
ABOUT DBODORIzING.