Connecticut western news., 1892-03-24
A WRECKING TRAIN.
HOW RAILROADS OPEN THE LINE
 AFTER AN ACCIDENT

Appliances, and a Tool Car-These Carr Contain Everything Needfui. Accident to train No. l8, englne 48, Engineer A. Jones, Conductor l.. Wat son."
 1t is dispach like the above that the superintendent of railroad dreads most.
 He may have provided a most careful system of signals, may have perfectly trustworthy trainmen and competent switchmen; yet, despite all this, smash ups will occur. trains will collide, tracks will be blocked and traffic stopped some times for hours over his busiest line. It is to prevent the stoppage of busi-
 ness that every railroad keeps on hand several wrecking trains which are ready at moments notice to go to any part of the system, clear away wrecks, tenn porarily repair tracks and to put engines and cars in sufficient good order to reach the repair shops.
 The moment wreck occurs the tele- graph operator at the nearest station sends dispatch like the one above. fol- lowed by numbered answers to the fol lowing questions, which are copied on
 blank at the superintendent office: l. Place of accident7
 2. What caused it2
 & Were any persons injuredf If 80, what
 persons and to what extent2
 4. Is main track obstructed2
 6. Is the track or roadbed much damaged2 6. Is Q side track near the obstruction which can be used to pass trains around7 !. Will section force be sufficient to clear ob- struction? If not. how much greater force Is wanted2
 g. How long will 1t take to clear the track so trains can pass7
 g. Is engine of the track or damaged9 What
 position Is engine in?
 10 How many cars are broken or of the track7
 Il. How many cars are wanted, and what kind, to transfer freight in7 F. How many car trucks are needed7
 l3 Remarks of any nature concerning the accident.
 This is made out in full and signed by the conductor.
 HOW AN ACCIDENT IS REPORTED. Supposing it was a freight train that was wrecked. It is bound west, and
 on account of a broken rail the train
 was thrown from the track, and sev. eral box cars and .tiats' were piled up on both tracks. The conductor would fill out the blank, and when received by the superintendent would read some thing like the following: Engine 48-En- gineer, Jones; conductor, Watson: 1, near Brownville: 9, broken rail: 5. none: 4, yes: 5. yes; 6, no: ', wrecking train; s. five or six hours; 9, yes, slightly; 10,
 seven; II, five; 12, four; l3, approach on southbound track.
 AS soon as this dispatch arrives at the office spare engine is attached to the wrecking train. a gang of men are has tily put aboard, the conductor gives the
 signal and the train speeds away to the
 scene of the disaster.
 The train is made up of three cars. the first flat car with small and powerful derrick and few spare car trucks. Next behind comes box car we'll loaded with blocking, which is of value as tenn porary foundation for cars whose trucks
 have been smashed or torn from under them. In the same car is an ample sup ply of large and small hawsers. chains and canvas covers to protect perishable freight from rain and snow. The tool car is last, and this indeed is a most interesting one. Some are divided into two or three rooms by par titions running from side to side at diff
 ferent points in the interior. In the cen
 ter compartment of three room tool car. where the wreckers remain when in transit. is cooking stove and all uten- Ils connected with q range, and hard by is a small pantry in which is stored
 big supply of canned meats. coffee and
 utensils to prepare hearty meal. Ad- joining is the foreman's room with desk -s,1 E<xv- .,,~I
 keeping'o of reports. telegraph machines,
 batteries and electrical supplies. The latter supply comes in handy at the wreck. Wires are carried up from the car top to one of the railroad wires, connected, and the force is in communi-
 cation with the whole railroad system. COMPLETE EQUIPMENT. Everything which experience has sug- gested as likely to be brought into use in
 removing derailed cars and freight is to be found in these rooms. Along the sides are a score or more jacks" some
 of them so powerful that single man
 can lift to height of several inches | anything weighing from 1000 pounds to twenty tons: there are also wrenches, rope, lanterns, axes, saws, hammers,
 light and heavy; crowbars, torches,
 drills. hatchets and numerous other ap-
 pliances. Some new appliance is being
 added every time the train goes out, and
 all new things introduced in the work
 are added as soon as they are out. 1t is very seldom that any tool is called
 for during the work upon smashup
 that is not to be found in the resources of the car, all of which are accounted
 for by man who keeps record of every piece taken out and returned. | Upon the arrival of the train at the
 wreck the men are put to work in charge
 of an experienced mechanic and fore
 man. With startling rapidity the wreck
 is strengthened out. The locomotive at
 tached to the train is available to fur
 nish power in case any hauling is to be
 done, and if the engine of the wrecked
 train is unharIned and on the "steel," it.
 too. can be brought into similar use. In the handling of costly passenger
 coaches careful work is required: while
 in the case of overturned locomotives,
 which weigh from thirty-tive to eighty
 tons. the work of fighting and replacing
 them on the tracks is no small job Oftentimes a few hundred dollars will
 cover all damages for what looks to
 novice like a wreck involving loss of
 thousands of dollars. In most cases wrecked coaches and freight cars can be
 repaired at d comparatively small ex-
 pense. Locomotives can also be smashed
 on the exterior to quite an extent with
 put costly or irreparable damage.-New
 York World.
 Humps on Their Shoulders
 The civilized world has lately been
 suffering from heavy Valois reac
 tion, and such has been the craze for
 tightness and stiffness that ladies