Smyrna times., 1894-11-21
The Safest Car.

(which is the safest car on railroad
train p repeated an old railroad man,
as he stroked his chin and seemed to
reflect on query. well. the best an
swer l can make is that it is the car
which doesn't run off the rails when
all others do, and which is left on the
bank when the rest of the train goes
through bridge"
You've travelled thousands of miles
by rail?'
Eyes; tens of thousands"
"And been in half a dozen accidents {"
"I've been in exactly seventeen rail
road accidents, but some of them were
hardly worth mentioning"
! And do you locate yourself in any
particular part of the train ?''
mo. When first began travelling
l wouldn't ride in any coach but the
rear one. / had about two dozen rea-
sons why it was the safest car, and for
six or eight weeks l went rolling over
the country feeling as safe as if in my
own brick house One night we lost
too much time at a station and a special
overhauled Us and smashed into the
rear coach. You'll think it funny, but
out of the sixteen people in that car
was the only one badly hurt. had a
leg and two ribs broken and was COW
cred with bruises. When l was able to
be out again l went dead back on the
rear car"
And took the next one to the
smoker, eh?"
That's what l did A dozen differ
ent railroad men had dozen reasons
apiece why that was the safest place,
and for three or four months | rode in
that car and laughed at the chaps who
carried insurance policies. Then my
fond dream Of safety was rudely shat
tered. The engine, baggage and smOk
ing cars passed safely over certain
switch while running at the rate OF
forty miles an hour, but the forward
trucks of my Car caught somewhere
and the car was twisted out of the
train. Yes, sir, it was torn loose at
both ends and rolled down an embank
ment, and not another car left the rails
We had two killed and a dozen hurt
but got off theFar with bad shaking
up. My confidence in the first car was
gone, however, never to be restored
And then you took the middle o
the train ?"
81 did, my son. Yes, sat down anC
reasoned it out to my perfect satisfac
ton that the middle car of the train
was as safe as sitting on the Post Office
steps. 1t was about a year before any
thing happened to undecive me. One
afternoon, when we were busting alOnl
to make up lost time, we crossed the
tracks of another road Just a few sec
Onds too soon or too late, just as yoI
will have il. An express train on the
other road came booming along anC
waded right through US. 1t struck my
car, of course, and what was left Of i
after the grand smash couldn't hav,
been worked over in a wheelbarrow
Five killed was the record, and got
broken arm, a scalp would and gene
raj bad shaking up"
"And after that?"
"After that and up to the presen
date l have no choice. drop into
= seat wherever l can find one and dom
worry about accidents. I've known
whole train except the last coach to g
through a bridge, and I've know
every car but the last to pass safel,
over. In q head-on collision the for
ward coach may be smashed to splint
ers or it may rear up on end and escap
all injury. | was on a train once wher
a locomotive struck the rear car, rOlle
it aside without serious injury to any
body, and then killed or wOulded ever
passenger in the next coach. The ma
who goes hunting for the safest car o
train is throwing away his time. H
may take any car and travel for te
y years and never even be delayed by
hot box; or he may settle down in tn
car of his choice and be killed in rid
of ten miles. once saw twenty-tw
people smashed to a pulp in cOacl
and yet two fellows who were stealth
a ride on the truck underneath got o
scott free. Just buy st-class tick,
get aboard before the train goes, an
leave the rest to providence. If yo
win it's all right; if you lose your hei
can get from $4,000 to $4,000 damag,
from the company"