New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-24

This thought may well serve as an inuoo"S
ton to record Of the great manufacturing
interests associated under the name Wes'ing
house, their work. which is challenging the
attention Of the engineering world. and the IN
fluence they are exertlng In our time
1t may be well enough here to ask the yves
ton: What is 1t that has given US moderns our
principal advantage over the ancient world? Is
Il art or literature Of which we can afford to
boast? What artist can we compare to Michael
Angelo? With Shakespeare as the sole exception
Homer and Horace are still the rivals OF our
greatest modern poets And some folk Will tell
you to-day that Shakespeare is "old fashioned
No historian have we superior to TacituS or
Polybius. No orator has been the equal OF
Cicero. probably the greatest who ever uttered
speech. In this connection Wendell Phillips, In
his lecture on the Lost Arts" took much OK the
concelt out of our national character.
What has made the difference? The answer Is:
Steam and electricity the tireess slaves of the
world. These only were lacking for the ancients
to have outrivalled the nineteenth century. But
in this particular the degree Of Improvement at
which America has arrived Is unparalleled and
astonishing. and in this age of material prog
ress in the expectation Of products to the great
commercial centres of the world, in enterprise
industry and invention, this country has placed
itself in the front rank-and in that foremost
rank stands the name Westinghouse, name
concident with engineering progress and ad-
vancement This name does not signify single
line of activity. 1t represents many enterprises
enterprises that not merely an aggregation
OF corporations nor manipulaticns OF companies
They began with modest dimensions and
steadily grew until they reached their present
proportions and commanding position
Under the egis of George Westinghouse are
associated the Westinghouse Air Brake Com
featuring Company. the Westinghouse Machine
Company. Westinghouse. Church, Kerr q
Co. the Sawyer-Man Electric Company
the Union Switch and Signal Company. the
r. D. Nuttall Company, and several other con-
Germs with Offices all over this country and
branch companies all over the world.
WHERE THE WONDERFUL AIR BRAKES
ARE MADE.
A little over thirty years ago the device known
as the Westinghouse air brake. which has made
possible the speed. safety and economy of rail-
way operation invented.
With the Westinghouse automatic air brake.
operated by little valve in the locomotive cab,
all the brakes can be instantly set and the mo-
ton OF train of fifty or more cars running at
forty miles an hour. arrested within distance
Of $50 yards Cess than e-fourth the length OF
the train. thereby avoiding wrecks, saving lives
and securing safety.
The automatic action is secured by keeping the
pipe extending throughout the entire length OF
the train constantly filled with compressed air
1t Is by reducing the pressure OF the air that
the engineer controls the motion OF the train.
Under each car is placed reservoir and the
wonderful Westinghouse triple valve. In case
of accident the pressure in the pipe and reser-
voir is materially reduced causing the triple
valve to act. allowing the air to rush from the
reservoir to the brake cylinder, which in turn
applies the brakes.
The Westinghouse air brake first used
experimentally on the Pittsburg. Cincinnati and
St. Louis Railroad in 1SGo. and in the same
year experiment was made on the Pennsyl-
vania road with train OF six passenger cars.
These experiments resulted in the widespread
adoption of the appliance, the creation of
new industry, and revolution in the operation
of railway trains. Year by year the business
OF manufacturing Westinghouse Air Brakes
grew with tie growth OF railway enterprise,
American and foreign. and when changing con-
ditions came the famous inventor was
ready to meet them.
In the year 1883 a great difficulty presented
itself to railway men. Engines were getting
bigger and trains especially freight trains,
heavier and longer In a long train, If the air
brakes suddenly applied. the foremost cars
would be stopped six or eight seconds before
those in the rear and, with the loose couplings
used on freight cars, this difference would be
sufficient to cause a dangerous shock.
Experiments costing thousands Of dollars were
made in order to provide a set Of air brakes
that would operate simultaneously on a train
Of thirty or forty cars. Added to this difficulty
was the necessity of any brake working
in harmony with the old one. Mr. George West
inghouse against a very general and active
competition. successfully solved the problem
He improved his brake and retained com
mand of the field which he had first entered.
Then modern raroading as we know 1t to-
day, really began. Long trains became longer.
heavy trains became heavier, rails and rolling
stock were constructed on an ever-increasing
scale, speeds increased. and many things that
were hitherto impossible now became realities
because every locomotive engineer could have
his train under perfect control.
Then improvements came on apace. In 1881