, 1890-12-07
SWIFT TRAVELLING.
AGAINST GREATER SPEED
ON RAILROADS.

AhN ANA AAh - " fAAAN hA hoANs
To DO Better win Require Larger Lo-
connective Boilers, Bigger wheels aud
wider Traeks-The Danger L. Great.
MY opinion is that the speed limit Of
the locomotive engine has been reached
with the present gauge of track and
diameter Of driving wheel, said Expert
Watkins-at the National museum. II
have been given to understand on very
credible authority that an engine on one
road has already made a record of 100
miles an hOur-of course over ? very
short distance Of perfectly straight and
level track.
"Jf,that is to be beaten it will only be
done by increasing the size Of the boiler,
to begin with To get a greater capacity
OF boiler IL viii be necessary to widen
the locomotive and therefore the track
II a speed Of anything like 100 miles an
hour is to be obtained in the future the
track must be widened, not by inches
but by feet, aud the size of the driving
wheel proportionately.
Naturally the question Of safety is the
first one brought up in connection with
"A discussion of this subject. and it is
asked, Can trains be run with "a much
security to life and limb at $50 miles an
hour as at hftys My answer to this is:
No. Take a given stretch Of track. in
perfect condition, with nothing in the
way, and a train is more likely to run
off the rail when going at $50 miles IN
hour than when travelling at sixty, But
such ideal conditions are not usually
found in Eailroading
FACTS TO CONSIDER
lyon must consider that there are such
things as frogs and switches which get
out of order or misplaced, as well as a
multitude OF other things more difficult
10 look ont for the more rapidly trains
are going Most important to think Of,
too. is the fact that If an accident does
occur the train that meets with il is
going TO suffer in proportion to the
speed at which it Is going at the moment
of interruption. Two trains each going
at the rate Of 800 miles an hour and
coming into collision would quickly be
reduced 10 kindling wood. if not TO tooth
picks
Another thing worth inquiring abont
is the number of men that are going 10
be required to run one Of these engines
Of the future that are to travel 100 miles
an hour. Jump on board one Of the fast
flying locomotives at Jersey City that
carries you to Philadelphia at the rate
of nearly a mile a minute. Do nothing
but watch the signals rs you pass with
lightning speed through city after city
at grade and cross railway after railway
i~ntercepting. You viii find that it takes
about all your time to catch them.
'How much leisure has the engineer,
then. to look after his steam gauge aud
water gauge. TO see 10 his airbreak, TO
make sure that every part of his mighty
machine is in order. to keep in touch
with the train dispatcher's Office and to
identify amy extra trains ms they pass him
so that no mistake shall be made2 So
tremendous is the strain upon this mans
nerves that rs a measure of economy the
company only permits him TO work four
days each week, and he spends the re
naming three in resting and bracing up
for further contests withspace and time.
PERCENTAGE OF DEATHS.
Trains in England. on an average,
run faster than in this country. Their
cars or carriages are not nearly so heavy
as ours; they have not nearly 30 many
heavy grades and sharp curves. and the
law gives the railway exclusive rights
over their tracks, the infringement Of
which is punished by fines and imprison-
ment. In England one person out Of
every 8 ESQ, 900 carried is killed. To ride
on the railway in France is more than
twice as dangerous, inasmuch rs one ont
Of every 2, 1000, 900 passengers is killed.
Belgium is much safer than England in
this respect; only one out of every 0.0O0,-
900 is killed on its roads. Safest of all
by far are the railways of Prussia, which
only kill one out of every 81. 800, 900
people carried.
There are many advocates in favor Of
making our railroad cars much lighter,
the argument being that it is absurd to
drag a whole row Of houses over the
rails In order to transport n lot of COM
paratively light packages in the shape Of
people. But 1t is very certain that heavy
cars have the advantage to safety in pro-
portion to their weight. You will notice
that the passengers in the heavily built 1
parlor cars always get off with very much
less damage in an accident than do the
occupants Of the ordinary cars, which
are usually telescoped by the Pullman
or Wagner coaches.
Extra heavy weight 10 draw means
extra expense for the railway companies,
but safety for the passengers they carry
means saving Of money in damages in
these daya. OF course You read in the
newspapers about the running of Boyn-
tons bicycle engine at Brighton Beach at
aha rate of amile in thirty-t-o seconds, or
III miles m hour. That may give a no
tion OF the future of ~railrnading as re-
CARDS speed, but | am not myself of the
opinion that the bicycle idea will work
any revolution in the business Of trans
portadon by rail.7-Washington Star.