The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-03-18
Heating Cars by Steam.

Chauncey M. Depew, arrested for
manslaughter on the finding of the cor
oner's jury in the matter of the late
tunnel accident in New York city, was
interviewed by Tribune reporter and,
among other hings of general interest,
discoursed on ways of heating cars.
He said;
80 far as heating the cars is concerned,
there is no railroad man in the United
States who believes that, up to the present
time, steam-heating is any better or safer
than the best and most improved kind Of
heating by stoves. Steam heating came into
this state-I think it exists. IL at all, in only
one or two other states-under great pres
sure OF public clamor. The New York Cen
trail road as soon as the law passed which
gave the authority and also assumed on the
part OF the legislature the responsibility,
obeyed the law and adopted steam-heating.
1 have conversed since this accident with
| railway men who were in my Office yester-
day from all parts Of the United States, and
| the ablest and most expert men there are in
the business, and they say that, in the pres
ent condition of heating by steam they are
in constant terror OF what may happen.
1.-THE conditions are exactly these: You
] get stove OF the latest improved pattern.
The coal is put in at the top. The coal is
Theoretically sealed inside. The stove is
anchored down to the floor, so that 1t can
| not be knocked over; and then it is confined
| in an iron or zinc pen, with an iron door.
| The car is not heated directly from the
| stove, but from hot water, which runs
| through pipes all around the car, and the
water is heated by the stove. The only &C
cident that can possibly occur is that the
stove in a collision shall be 80 smashed as
| ~, Nnll ioi.
rare in proportion to the number of trains
that are run and the number of people who
travel. They are so rare that the accident
companies all make fortunes out OF insuring
men for 5000 for twenty-five cents. The
New Haven road, for instance, in think
eighteen years, has had no accident from
stoves, although it carries y, 900 900 people d
year.
Now against your chance that there may
DC collision, that in collision this stove
may be smashed so as to set fire to a car
| you have on the steam heating this other
chance. The steam comes from the boiler
| and the pressure in the cars is controlled by
valve. The steam in the boiler has 18(
pounds pressure, and the inhaling OF it will
kill human being in ten seconds. IL the
valve should break and the whole force OF
the steam in the boiler go through the train
In thirty seconds there would not be a per
son alive in any one of the cars, and the
| lTdln WOulu up dJ Juc ucAb oIabiou POI
feet, SO far as the train was concerned, but
loaded with corpses.
Fortunately no such accident has oc
cured as yet wit loss of life, but in my owl
car abort a month ago a steam coil burst.
fortuHately was in the rear, and 30 got GU
| immediately. If that had happened at night
and had hee i in bed would have beef
found there dea, in the morning from inhal
ing steam. o.n.raI Aaro, word tb
switching of a car q u to train in som
way broke the valve or IN rvhich TO-
into Wagner sleeplng.c a force If IT. wa w.,
tunately, no one was, and tn, 'Ste.glass mir IL
snch that it broke all of the pl. 'nch thirL
rors, which are quarter of an tue Var
the plate-glass windows, and took an i,
nish off the car. If any one had be a..
that car, he would have been dead in
seconds
:" In an accident on the Lehigh Valley
road some passengers, l was informed, were
found in a car dead, though the car was UNI
injured. They were sitting in their seats
as il nothing had happened. They had in
hailed the escaping steam"