Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-03-08


 The writer preached the subject of fast trains recently to one of the shrewd- est civil engineers employed on one of the roads entering Washington. This employee has made railroading a life study, has inspected 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 crossings, to say nothing of com pleting the work of strengthening out curves. now going on, I, for one, will predict that we can make an average of 50 miles an hour between New York and Chicago. 1 say this with the Alle- ghany mountains almost staring me i'll the face. We might lose time going up that range, but engineers, as a rule, like to coast, and wouldn't they slide down the other side with readbed minus curves and grade erossingsl In the mat ter of cost i'll making improvements, few people arc aware of tho expense at- taehed thereto. In round numbers our road blew ill fully $5, 900, 900 i'll the latter part of 1899 and tho beginning of 1893. That was before the financial de- pression set in. We are now resting on our oars. We cut one curve over mile long, and the work cost us fully $500,- GOO. Other roads have been doing like wise, and with the return of prosper ous period wo will surprise the world, and especially the English, with the av- craze speed our trains will attain.
 s'Many people will bo surprised to learn that Germany and not this coun- try or England furnishes the fastest train in the world. The United States comes second and England third. The German train runs from Berlin to Hamburg, a distance of ITS miles, in BOA minutes, an average outside speed-that is, not counting stops, of over 52 miles an hour. The Empire State express on the New York Central road runs from New York to Buffalo, a distance of 40 miles, in 620 minutes, and its outside speed aver age is nearly 51 miles an hour. The fastest English train, that comes third on the list, is called the west coast f1ier' and runs from London to Edinburgh, distance of 400 miles, at an average out side speed of 50 miles an hour.
 ''The farther we go west the slower the train service becomes, thing not looked for on account of the miles and miles of track trayersing prairie land. The Burlington roads best train aver ages about 36 miles an hour. That on the Milwaukee road, the limited, can only reach an average of 34 miles an hour. The Denver limited, on the North western road, has to hustle to score an average gait of 29 miles an hour.
 ''Very few of the fast limited trains in this country pay for the expense of running them, and it is an open secret that the limited between this city and New York, the limited between New York and Chicago and the Empire State express between New Y York and Buffalo and the Chicago limited on the New York Central road cost their respective roads good deal moro than they bring in, but they are great advertisers for their respective roads.
 ''The advantages of fast train service on we'll built and we'll equipped railroads are not confined to the carrying of pas sengers swiftly from ono point to anoth- CT. They are felt all through the operat- ing department of road and exercise an important disciplinary influence The running of such extraordinary fast trains as the Congressional limited and the Empire State express has had wonder ful effect in increasing tho vigilance and efficiency of all the trainhands. The schedules on which such trains are run require the most arbitrary enforcement, and they consequently keep the men all along the line traversed constantly on the alert. Each man is made to feel his full share of tho burden of responsibility, and the never eeasing admonitlon to watch for the flier' reduces to mini mum personal inolinations to be slack or negleotful The telegraph operators have suspension of 30 days staring them in the face for tho slightest delay to the limited, and similar penalties are imposed on other employees.
 Besides this stimulus to duty the fast trains serve as an incentive to the men to strive for promotion. Conduct ors, engineers, fremen and other hands on tho limited get more pay than do the men employed on the trains of subordi- nate grade. That the 'fier, in it's ge- nerio sense, is actually an improving in- fiuence in railroading is evidenced by the remarkable careers of the Congress sional, the Royal Blue and the Empire State express. These are the fastest trains in this country and have been running several years back, and, with one unimportant exception, havo met with no mishap. These trains pass through year after year without sim gle mishap, and I believe it is all from the discipline put upon the employees by tho fast service The men take pride in the fast trains. "-Washington Star.