St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-03-29


THE car contained a bad quality of
sand. Some of it l used in the sand
boxes of the engines, but it was not SER
viceable, so had it scattered along the
right Of way" The railroad paid the
snelter company $50 a ton for the
dad sand."-( New York Sun.
Automatic Coupling.
The bill recently introduced in Parlia-
ment to compel the adoption on British
railroads of the American automatic
coupling system is opposed by some Of
the companies on account of the expense
involved. committee of engineers have
sailed from Liverpool to study the sys-
TEN on our railroads. 1t is said that it
would cost the Midland Railroad Com
pany $10,000,000 to make the altera-
tons necessary and the superintendent
OF that company is with the party which
is coming here to make Investigations.
The Midland is one of the most enter
prising and progressive of the British
railroads. 1t was the first to introduce
American cars, including dining and
sleeping cars, into England, and it has
just opened the door to American loco
motives. Twenty freight locomotives
are building for this company in Phila-
delphia ami Schenectady, and the Ameri-
can and English types will soon be test
ed for the first time under the same con-
ditions of service. The probability that
the American locomotives will be deliver
ed for about twenty per cent. less than
they would cost in England brightens
the prospect that we have opened new
market for these manufactures.
Coupling cars by hand is dangerous
work. The number of men in this coun-
try who were killed or injured while
working the link and pin, the common
form of coupling, became appalling as
the railroad business expanded. In 1892
over $40 men lost their lives and several
thousands were injured. These facts III
duced Congress to pass law in 1898 re-
curing all companies to put automatic
couplers on their freight cars by January,
1898. 1t is already evident that the
large increase in the use of power brakes
and the introduction of automatic
couplers on freight trains are diminish.
ing to an important extent the number
OF accidents to employees.
Most trains are still coupled bv hand
in Great Britain, largely swelling the list
OF casualties among employees, which
reach an average of about 500 killed and
over 1000 injured every year. 1t may
cost our British friends large sum tc
make the proposed change, but money
invested in reducing the dangers of rail
reading both to the general public ant
to employees is we'll spent New Yorl
J Sun.
Novelties on the Rail.
Nine. PATHS wedding breakfast in
saloon carriage is by no means an unpre
cedented exploit, although it may hav,
some claim to originality as hnishin,
to hymeneal rites. Last autumn NJ
Nagelmakers OF the International Sleep
ing Car company took large and fash
lonable party from Paris to one of hi
hotels on the Belgian frontier and CAV
them ball in the train on the homewar
Journey. The Americans are preparing
to go one better" this spring; for it
advertised that theatre car will be al
tached to the Pacific express, so tina
travellers can beguile the tedious evening
by witnessing performances of sue
popular pieces as require no great seem
effects. BY way Of commencing the e,
terprse, it is notified that the car will
used for divine service on SUNDAYS witt
out extra charge London Chronicle.
; a western railroad is about to ador
an interesting experiment in the way
lighting its passenger cars. Each car
) supplied with separate electric plan
including dynamo and storage batterie
. The motive power is to be derived fro
/ the car axles in motion, and the ira
. will have an electric equipment equal
! 1900 candle power. Even the LOGON
e tive headlight will be supplied from til
e source.
9 The passenger department OF the Ce
:. trial Vermont railroad has begun the u,
p paration OF its Summer Homes" DO,
tor the year 1899 which is to be ma
v larger and more attractive than ever
# is a work that has done much good
!. attracting the attention of the tour
If world to the varied beauties and attrf
d tons OF Vermont and has been OF lar
I benefit to the state while increasing [
Al business of the railroad.