Daily camera., 1897-04-23
A FORT ON WHEELS.
An Express Car That Is a Perfect
Arsenal
One Train That Is Safe from the At
tacks of Road Agents - A
Safe Carrier of Mil
lions of Dollars.

The best guarded treasure train in
the world is made up of eight express
cars and an arsenal, which Is roll
ing fortress. This train is run as spe-
cial between Chicago and New York,
over the Michigan Central and New
York Central railroads.
No attempt has ever been made to
molest this train, which pulls out OF
Chicago every night at OBS, carrying
cargoes of currency, gold, silver and
valuables that generally exceed 1,O0o,-
900 in value.
The arsenal car has been feature
of this express train for six years, and
was build by the Michigan Central to
the order of the American Express
company. The arsenal is hooked on
behind the messenger local car, which
is next to the engine of the train. The
crew of the arsenal is composed OF four
men, who carry strapped to their per
sons six-shot 4S-caliber revolvers, and q
belt with so extra cartridges.
In addition to these, each guard car
ries what is known as riot gun, being
six-shot repeating gun, discharging
cartridges made up Of 12 buckshot.
The car does not differ materially
from an ordinary express car in ap-
pearance, but it is of special construc
ton. The idea is to carry in this car
a guard for the entire train. The car
is bullet proof, lined with steel plates
half an inch thick. There are doors at
either end of the car. There is in each
of these "Deek hole" through
which a gun can DC ranged and fired.
On either side of the car is steel pro-
lection foot wide and extending from
the level of the window-sill to the roof.
At each end at the side of this arrange
ment a port hole is provided, so that
rifle may be used TO sweep the side of
the train, front or rear, or to shoot from
the side hole in any direction. There is
again within the car a bomb-proof
chamber, to which the guards could re-
treat in the event of determined and
organized attack.
This bonb-proof room extends above
the roof of the car, and in the cupoll
formed there is room for two men
armed with riot guns, who, through ap-
ertures made for the purpose, keep a
constant watch upon the top of the
train.
Or racks built in the bomb-proof car
are six extra riot guns, small caisson
containing ammunition and rapid-fir-
ing Hotchkiss gun, which would, when
brought into action, annihilate brig
ade of train robbers.
The engineer, fireman, brakemen
and conductor of this train and their
crews are men selected for their known
bravery, and they carry heavy revolvers
and cartridge belts.
There is but one manager on the
train All the cars are sealed except
the local car, which contains two safes
that weigh 5000 pounds each. One of
these safes can be unlocked only at one
place between Chicago and New York.
The other. which is called the local, is
opened at some six or eight important
cities en- route.
The valuables are placed in the safes
at Chicago by an agent, who locks the
safe and then removes the combination
dial. At the points where the safe is
to be opened the local agent appears
with a duplicate of the dial, and works
half of the combination. The messen-
ger knows the other half.-N. Y. Jour
nal.