The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-04-14
SPEED ON RAILWAYS.
THE FLleRS ON AMERICAN, GERMAN
AND ENGLISH LINES.

Curves and Grade Crossings the Great
Drawbacks In This Country-Limited
Trains DO Not Pay Expenses, but They
Benefit the Service In other Ways.
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 life
study, has inspected the railroads of
Europe and speaks by the card. He
said:
"If our railroads could spare the |
to elevate their tracks in cities |
and at crossings, to say nothing of COM
plotting the work of Strengthening out
curves, now going on, /, for one, will
predict that we can make an average Of
90 miles an hour between New York
and Chicago. say this with the ALLIE
ghany mountains almost staring me in
the face. We might lose time going up
that range, but engineers, as rule, like
to coast, and wouldn't they slide down
the other side with roadbed minus
curves and grade crossings In the mat
ter Of cost i'll making improvements,
few people are aware of the expense at
tached thereto. In round numbers our
road blew in fully So, 900, 600 in the
latter part of 1892 and the beginning of
1898. That was before the financial de-
preston set in. We are now resting on
our oars. We cut one curve over mile
long, and the work cost us fully $780,
900. Other roads have beon doing like
wise, and with the return of a prosper
Gus period we will surprise the world,
and especially the English, with the av-
erage speed our trains will attain.
MANY people will be 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 17S miles, in 204 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 440 miles, in
I
age is nearly 81 miles an hour. The
fastest English train, that comes third
ON the list, is called the west coast fiier'
| and runs from London to Edinburgh, a
| distance of 400 miles, at an average out
side speed of 90 miles an hour.
1.-THE farther we go west the slower
| the train service becomes, thing not
| looked for on account of the miles and
miles of track traversing prairie land.
The Burlington roads best train aver
ages about SO miles an hour. That on
the Milwaukee road, the limited, can
only reach an average of "a miles an
hour. The Denver limited, ON the North
western road, has to hustle to score an
average gait of 80 miles an hour.
Every 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 York and Buffalo
and the Chicago limited on the New
York Central road cost their respective
roads good deal more than they bring
in, but they are great advertisers fol
their respective roads.
1.-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 one point to anoth
err They are felt all through the operat
ing department of road and exercise
an important disciplinary influence. Tit
running of such extraordinary fast train
as the Congressional limited and thu
Empire State express has had wonder
full effect in increasing the vigilance ant
! efficiency of all the trainhands. Tit
schedules on which such trains are rui
REQUIRE the most arbitrary enforcement
) and they consequently keep the men al
along the line traversed constantly OF
the alert. Each man is made to feel hi
full share of the burden of responsibility
and the never oeasing admonition tt
watch for the fier' reduces to mini
mum personal inclinations to be slacl
or neglectful The telegraph operator
have suspension of 80 days starinl
them in the face for the slightest della.
(: to the limited, and similar penalties ar
: imposed on other employees.
Besides this stimulus to duty tn
fast trains serve as an incentive to tn
n men to strive for promotion. Conduct
ors, engineers, firemen and other hand
5 ON the limited get more pay than do tn
0 men employed on the trains of subordi
nate grade. That the 'fiier, in its &c
! neric sense, is actually an improving in
fiuence in railroading is evidenced b.
the remarkable careers Of the Congress
0 sional, the Royal Blue and the Empir
State express. These are the tastes
. trains in this country and have bee
running several years back, and, wit
one unimportant exception, have me
with no mishap. These trains pas
through year after year without sir
gle mishap, and believe it is all froI
the discipline put upon the employees
by the fast service. The men take
pride in the fast trains. "-Washingto
Star.
WASHERWOMAN TO A POET.