The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-05
NORTHERN PACIFIC'S LINE.
Roadbed in Good Condition--Fast Time
Made--The Company's Rolling stock.

1ACoMA, OSC- ~ ID Aic
trick to run mile minute any more"
General Manager Mellen, Of the Northern
Pacific, remarked today while discussing
the speed of modern locomotives. ''The
fastest time ever made on the Northern
Pacific was in Minnesota. when sixty
two TO sixty-seven and half miles per
hour clip was kept up for twenty-seven
miles, and it was done with freight en-
CINE at that.
''When coming into Pasco the other
day." Mr.. Mellen continued, ''our speed
indicator showed over sixty miles an hour
What was our speed on that straight piece
of track coming into Pasco?" he asked of
Chief Engineer Kendrick.
''The speed recorder showed sixty-two
miles" replied Mr.. Kendrick.
at is a good piece of track" the gen.
eral manager went on, "and You can run
over it as fast as you can make your
wheels go round. Still, / believe in
steady giant and always on time. do not
believe in reckless. break-neck speed.
Safety and on time pays in the long rum"
Mr.. kendrick said:
Tho track ia in good condition for business.
All along the line the roadbed is in fine condi-
ton OF course, up In the Cascades, where the
needed and arc being made We are filing In
as many bridges as possible, that being the
policy. Already thirty miles of bridges and
tTestles have been filed in.
Mr.. Melien was asked if electricity as a
motive power was being considered in any
form by the company. He said:
No. bat have great faith In electricity, espe-
ciaily for short runs. and il may soon be avail
able for moving large tonnage At present,
however, good modern locomotive, handled
by good engineer, with good Washington coal
to burn, In the very best motive power.
Then the conversation drifted to equip
ment. Manager Mellen considers the
Northern Pacific the best equipped road
in the country. and gave some rolling
stock statistics off-hand as follows:
Freight cars, 1900; coaches, including bag
gage, express and Pullman cars. 800; iocomo.
tives 600: modern rotary snow plows, 6; com.
mon wedge-shaped snow plows. 25; miles of
road operated, including Wisconsin Central
leased line, $40.
An order for 100 specially designed logging
cars. to cost $500 each, has been placed at the
company's Edison works. south of the city,
The 2oo cattle cars which were built during the
past year at Edison, were for the purpose OF re-
placing partially destroyed or WORKOUT cars
The company aims TO replace at its repair shops
all cars worn. Sometimes one part of a car has
TO be built over. For the present, owing to most
OF the finishing material having to be bought in
the East. the Northern Pacific will attempt to
build no coaches at this end of the line Wash
fngton fr timber. next to white oak, is the peer
oil all woods for car building purposea
Train robbers were taken up next for
discussion and Mr. Meilen was asked WHY
the company did not construct a burglar
or robber proof car. He replied: "If men
want to hold mp train they are going to
get into the cars. 1t would be difficult to
make burglar proof coach that would at
the same time answer all the conveniences
and Injuries OF modern American passen-
ger tain service"
Manager Mellen had said that MANY of
the company's locomotives had speed re-
corders attached, and he was asked TO ex
plain the distinctive features of speed re-
corder. He told of one which he had in
his car aud expressed a willingness TO ex-
plain its workings TO callers. A belt
attached TO the axle of the car is the first
feature of the device. The belt is mathe-
matically correct to nicely ~ regards the
other connections and as the axle turns it
acts by virtue OF n rotary movement upon
quicksilver IN tube and the quicksilver
in turn operates dial, and by means of a
pointer like the hands of a clock the
speed is indicated. There is also another
attachment which shows how fast per
mile each mile of road is covered. Mr..
Nellen continued
But IL is not necessary TO have q speed recorder
To tell how fast a train is running. You can do
that with your watch A mathematical Gallon.
iauon proves that as many rail ticks as you can
count In twenty seconds indicates the number
OF miles per hour you are running. Tho stand
ard rails used by nearly all the roads of the
country are thirty fest long, and every time the
trucks of the csr pass the rail Joint there is
. eliek- Count the clicks Tor twenty seconds
ana yon VIII know how many miles per hour
your train Is running / frequently test the
speed recorder by the rail ticks
Mr.. Mellen was formerly telegraph
operator and newspaper correspondent.
At enc time one of his chief ambitions in
life WAS to become as expert telegrapher
- James A Bradley. now editor and pro-