The evening times., 1895-11-11

his railway mail cars for many years past.
despite the fact that large sums were Of
fered for improvements TN the postal cars.
Train robbers bothered the Postal De-
partment not a little, but tue thing that
hurt the. Postmaster General most was the
great loss Of life among faithful and hard
working railway mail clerks. whose hours
are so irregular and pay SO small
When there was a wreck. the mail car
being the frailest car on the train, IL
WIS most frequently the one smashed
to spiinters, and the unfortunate mail
clerks had one chance in q hundred of
escaping even in a badly shattered con-
ditioB.
The death roll OF railway mail clerks for
the past twenty years mounts up into the
hundreds, and scores OF men have been
crippled for life in railroad wrecks be-
cause the mail car couldn't withstand the
shock Of collision as well as the passenger
coaches.
But all this will soon be changed a the
result of much experimenting among the
car builders of Dumber OF the big trunk
lines.
ROBBER AND WRECK PROOF.
The first perfect robber-proof and wreck.
proof armor-coated mail train. warranted
TO withstand almost any kind Of q collision.
with no platforms for outlaws TO stand ON
and no doors OF glass to shoot thrugh. was
put in service by the Post-ofrlce Depart
ment last week.
The initial run of a train of nine
these new cars was made from Jersey
City to St. Louis, beginning last Sunday.
Another new train will 60 into service this
week from New York city to Chicago.
Tue Erie and the New York, New Haven
Il Hartford are now building similar ones.
One OF the noticeably odd things about
this new type OF mail car is the lack of
platforms, and when the new fast mail
made up OF these cars moves out OF the
Jersey City depot of the Central Railroad
it looks like a mighty scentipede Of a car
l54 feet long
The average mail car Is sixty feet long.
Ii is only when the train rounds curve
t.at il is discovered the cars are really
coupled tugether and there is more than
one hong car. The abolition of platforms
increases the speed of the train. for one
thing.
The wind cannot eddy in and about the
platforms, and there Is less resistance II
this mail train than to any other train now
in service But the two NEST important OBJ
jects achieved in abolishing platforms alto.
gether are that of making the cars stronger
and disposing of the great point OF van
tage for the train robbers.
WHAT THE CARS ARE LIKE
The new cars were built from drawings
by E. W. Grieves, superintendent OF the
car department of one of the big roads.
and the Postuffice Department officials
like them SO well that they have approved
them for several of the big trunk Lines. On
the point of strength Mr.. Grieves has tins
to say in his description of the car furnisheu
specially for this article.
THE main 1rane OF the car is formed OF
ten silIs The depth of the framing is
eight inches The outside sills are com-
posed of two pieces Of yellow pine 4xS
inches deep. Between these pieces OF Pima
is an iron plate half an inch thick and
inches wide. This runs back IL feet on
each side of the car. The center stlls are
also covered with similar iron plates run
ming back the same distance In adoition
to these pine sills and iron plates, between
are four intermediate sills. which are 4xo
inches deep, and are made OF Southern
long .leaf yellow pine, which is very strone-
The cars were designed with the ioea
of resisting end conclusions, to protect
the lives of the railway mail CLERKS Iue
end sides of the cars are framed Onto
the longitudinal stills Just described, anu
on the inside OF the end sills is placed
an angle of iron, covering the inside sai
as we'll as the bottom sill, aud at the
top of the car on the end, a large angie
iron is run across from one side to the
other The eud posts, running between tna
framing and the top Of the car, are COW
cred With angle irons.'
From Mr. Grieye's description of the
method of covering pretty much all ths
car with heavy iron plates, aIN making
,...~ tn. fhxa
and sides of extra thickness all around,
it will be readily understood that extra-
ordinary care has been taken to make
these new mail cars the strongest ever
turned out of a railroad shop.
The trucks of the new cars are Inarveis
of strength. of extra weight. and the larg-
est car trucks ever designed The wheels
are ;hirty-three inches in diameter and
steel tired. There is an anti-telescoping
device at each end of the car, and in adj
dition there are regular vestibule buffers.
NOsHow FOR TRAIN ROBBERS.
There are two doors on each side for
the receipt and delivery of mail, but a
train robber could not reach up to them,
and his bullets would not pierce the iron
plates backing up the tough pine used in
the doors and sides of the car.
There is q small trap-door at one end of
the car. but ii would be impossible for a
man II crawl through, and there is no train
ro6tc, ever going to attempt an entrance
that way
The hehting apparatus in the new cars is
in the center of the car, another change for
the better. Heretofore the stoves were In
the forward end of the car and in severe
wrecks the stove went spinning down the
car aisle, scattering red-hot Goals right
and left. The chances of the stove re-
naming in position in most collisions are
much better when 1t is fastened in the
center of the car.
Uncle Sam has done everything possible
to fit a new car with the latest improve
ments In postoffice equipment. The light
is @ feature, for the cars will be lighted
both by gas and OIL There are three tanks
of gas for each car, and twelve handsome
make the car as light as an
electric power house. There will be no
experienced in reading letter
addresses. The only danger the mail clerks
apprehend Is that the light Will be too
brilliant.
The Postoffice Department has made
numerous experiments with mail cans
said one Of the Department officials. The
first yestibuIed cars were mail cars, anil
now we are the first to use them without
platforms at ALL This new plan gives more
room, in addition to the other benefits
claimed for it, and room in a mail car is Of
great consequence"
-
True British Stubbprnness.
Swansea is the proud possessor of one CT
the largest dredgers to be found on our
D,rty of oolliarq from Rbondha