The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-18
SAFETY ON FLYING TRAINS.
Reasons Why the Fastest Travelling Onos
Arc the Most Secure.

The National Car and Locomotive Builder
says about the first thought that suggests
itself TO person about TO take railroad
journey is, in these days of frequent acci-
dents, Where is the safest place on the
train' Extremes are generally objections
BILE, and so, as a place OF safety, are either
the extreme rear or forward parts OF pas
senger train. In case of head collision
the engine and forward cars have to furnish
the means for absorbing the moving energy
of the train, and this energy is usually SO
great that one or more cars are wrecked be-
fore its force is spent. In the case of a rear
collision the rear cars must furnish the
means of absorbing large portion Of the
moving energy of the striking train.
Perhaps fully half of this force is spent
In wreckiDg the striking train, and con.
siderable portion of the force of the blow ID
spent in knocking the standing train for
ward. The balance of this force is spent in
compressing the springs of the draft appli-
ances on both trains and in wrecking the
rear part of the train that Is struck. There
fore it is plain that In case Of head or rear
collisions the front or rear parts of the
train, as the case may be, are dangerous
places, and the front more so than the rear,
for the reason stated, and for the further
reason that the forward cars Of a passenger
train are usually lighter aud less strongly
built than the heavy parlor or sleeping cars
that usually make up the rear of the train.
The blow of head collision will do mere
damage to the forward cars of q train than
acolliding blow of equal force will to the
rear cars of the train as ordinarily arranged.
For this reason the very best form of in
surance for travellers is parlor OF sleeping
car ticket, although the rear car of the
train, even II of the strongest construction.
may be destroyed in a rear collision.
The belief is becoming quite common
that the safety of passengers Is not jeopar-
died very much by the higher train speeds
that are now attained. There are good
reasons for the belief. 1t is probable that
the fastest train on a railroad Is the safest
to ride on. OF course the higher the speed
at which rrain runs the greater is its 20
tentiality of self destruction, but as such
can result only from accident safety is
really enhanced by the higher speed because
accident Is more zealously guarded against
on the fast than the slow train, and the
probability of it's occurrence therefore il
largely decreased. The cars of the fast
trains on our railroads and the engines
that haul them are perhaps more carefully
inspected and are certainly more carefully
maintained in the safest and most perfect
running order than are the cars and engines
OF slower aud what are considered less i'm
portant trains.
The most competent and reliable en-
ployees are generally selected to operate
the fast trains, and perhaps the chief ele
ment of the safety of these trains lies in
the fact that not only the men who operate
them, but all the employees connected
with the train service OH the division ol
the road on which the fast train is run
ming, are on the qui vive respecting its
safe aud successful passage. Interference
with it in any way is sure To get the EN-
pIoyee at fault into trouble, and the
knowledge of this inspires all who hav,
TO do with the movement Of trains with
unusual alereness in regard TO the special
ly fast train.
Each of these influences Is safeguard
against accident, and their combined ef
feet is TO make the very fast trains very
safe trains TO travel on