Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-09

q Chicago. attains an
: average speed of forty miles an hour. and
from the present outlook 1t will be many
years before this average is increased. IN
| 1856 an average speed of twenty-eight
miles an hour was recorded between the
same cities. 1t is astonishing, all things
considered. how little progress the rail
roads have made in speed. The progress is
so small, comparatively, that one familiar
with the facts cannot fail to be puzzled, or
to have suggested tC his mind the question
whether the system itself is not inherently
at fault-whether it was not begun and de-
veloped on the wrong lines.
The man who stands in the open country
and sees the limited express fit by like an
argry. painting ghost is filled with wonder
at the speed, and thinks it fast enough
The traveller who sits in his luxurious par
lor car and looks out at the stations as
| they slide past his window in long blurred
streak of black and gray finds his exhilara-
| ticn heishten in proportion as the train
| accelerates its onward notion No speed
Is too great for him, provided the road is
| straight and the motion smooth. The
switches click like clock ticks In his ear,
! and he looks with the eye of fascination on
| the landscape, dstorting itself in all direc-
| tiers as though made of india rubber
| People like to travel fast. They enjoy the
| feeling of superiority which comes with
rapid speed. They want to go quick,
whether they are in hurry not.
As to increasing the Speed.
| 1t is an open question whether the rail-
| road has reached the limit of speed con-
sistent with safety. Eminent engineers
and practical railroad men are divided in
their opinions. some arguing that the limit
has been reached. others insisting that if
the curves modified or cut out almost
h~ y ;rJ
| to one-half as fast as at present. Will it
he necessary TO modify the shape Of the
wheels and track? Win the present type of
engine or motor have to be changed to one
where there will be power lost in the
back stroke of the piston? VIII steam give
way to electricity or some other force?
These are the principal points which are
in doubt, and about which engineers drew
radically different conclusions from their
experience. There is now very little If
there is any, doubt as to whether steam
will give way to electricity or some ether
force which produces a better relative re-
suit, with less noise and less wear and tear
on machinery. and is less susceptible to
the weather 1t is no uncommon thing for
fast express engine to slow down speed
in very cold weather. owing to what they
call freezing out the steam"
There is no theoretical doubt that the
rails and wheels can be so modified to
make the engine and train stick to the
track better and reduce the margin of
danger. There is also no doubt. in theory.
that an engine could travel much faster If
some plan of mechanism could be devised
which would do away with or reduce to
the absolute minimum the effects of the
back stroke Of the piston and connecting
| rods. The shrewd railroad managers of
the country have about come to the con-
clusion that the motive power has almost
reached perfection. and that their road
beds are now the real obstacles to great
average speed With curves and the
deadly grade crossings eliminated, who can
tell what may be done? Cities and towns
no matter how small the latter may be-
have rights which must be respected, end
while they are the speed of trains must
suffer.
Curves Are the Trouble.
In England everything is plain sailing
When the roads We're originally constructe ed
they found thickly populated districts on
all sides. In America we built railroads
first and imported the people afterward to
patroniZe them. Over on the little island
everything is fenced in and grade crossings
| are unknown. The engineer pulls open the
throttle, the train starts, and he knows he
will have to lookout for nothing but tower
signals and other trains. American en-
gineers are looking forward to the cstab-
lishment of a similar state of things in
this country.
OF course the real danger in increasing
the speed of express trains driven by
steam does not lie in incidental risks. 1t is
not denied that modern locomotive might
be built which could run I'D to 30, or pos
siby 100 miles an hour, if the lines were
straight. 1t Is the curves of the existing
lines which render any such speed i'm
possible, unless the weight of the loco
| motive and train were also increased far
beyond what the bridges and permanent
way would bear. At the first sharp curve
the one-hundredmile express would fly off
the rails. The necessary relation of these
curves to speed Is accurately known, and
it is that, and not the want of power. or
| novel dangers from wind pressure or boiler
explosions, which sets the limit to modern
train speed.
AS the force tending to throw off the line
a train running at the src ed of $50 miles
an hour would be about six and one-half
times greater than that which steam ex-
press train resiStS a curve when running
at sixty miles hour. it is plain that the
present lines could not be used for the
lightning express. even though the electro
motor were substituted for the steam en-
CINE. The lines must not only be stronger,
but straighter than would be possible by
any modification of their present form.
Fifty Miles IN Hour.
The writer preached the subject of fast
trains recently to one of the shrewdest
civil engineers employed on one of the
roc DIS entering Washington. This employee
has made rairoading life study, has in
spected the railroads of Europe and
speaks by the card. He said:
IF our railroads could spare the money
to elevate their tracks in cities and at
| the work of Strengthening out curves. now
| going on, I. for one, will predict that We
| can make average of fifty miles an
| hour between New York and Chicago.
| say this with the Allegheny mountains al
| most staring me in the face. We might
| lose time going up that range; but engi-
| neers, rule, like to coast, and wouldn't
| they slide down the other side with
| rCadbed minus curves and grade cross
| iIgs. In the matter of cost in making
| improvements few PEOPLE are aware of the
| expense attached thereto. In round num-
| bers road blew in fully S5.00o,00O in
! the latter part Of 1892 and the beginning
! OF 1893. That was before the financial de-
| preston set N. We are now resting on
| our oars We cut out one curve over
| mile long, and the work cost us fully half
| a million Other roads have been doing
| likewise. and with the return of pros
| pc rous period we will surprise the world
| ard especially the English. with the av
cage speed our trains will attain.
Many people will be surprised to learn
| that Germany, and not this country or
| England, furnishes the fastest train in the
| world. The United States comes second
and England third. The German train
| ,,os frop, porlp RI Hamburg djStopca IF