Evening journal., 1899-09-28
DAILY COLLISIONS.
Ncvel Method of Destroying
Ou,-ofdAte Cars.
oR1WDs wIrEEss TIE sMAsH

OkJWDS WlfEESs IHE S&ASH
WOODWORK GROUND TO sPLTNT-
ERs BUT IRON PARTS PRE-
SERVED - THRILLING SCENES
NEAR DETROIT.
Fifty railroad collisions a day are to
be witnessed free on the outskirts of
DetrOit, Mich, with most thrilling ac-
compartments OF crash, smash and
wholesale destructiveness of every
thing except life. There is a charm
about pulling down that building up
never possesses to the human race, and
so it is not to be wondered at that the
spectacle of whole trains Of railroad
cars being sent whizzing down a rail-
road line to meet in a roaring crash at
the place OF the demolition, and after
life-and-death struggle sink one above
the other in a splintered and demoral-
ized heap, has attracted crowds of spec
tators to the scene Of this curious free
entertainment.
The work of demolishiNg these cars
by sending them smashing together is
being carried on by the American Car
and Foundry Company's Michigan
branch. The company recently re-
ceiyed $4,000 cars from the Lehigh Val
ley railroad as part of a contract with
that line. The cars were out Of date
and could not be used again, and the
only really valuable portions of them
were the iron work, axles, wheels and
other sections Of the metal parts. The
problem that presented itself was how
TO separate these parts from the wood
work without the work costing too
much for the profit involved.
In no other country in the world
but America, it is safe to say, could
such a solution of the problem have
been found as that of making kindling
wood Of the cars by means OF collisions.
The company well knew the resulb of
trains of cars coming together from op-
posite directions at express speed. Why
not construct a collision railroad and
let the sars destroy themselves?
IL was brilliant idea, and has been
effectively carried out. The road was
built with a steep doclivity on either
side OF the hollow at the centre. the cars
were gotten together in patches Of fifty
and given start in their merry race
10 destruction. It provided a spectacle
that could not be equalled in interest
by any scenic show in the world.
Every afternoon the free show goes
on AZ night the remains are ere
mated A bonfire is built under the
ruins Of what was once good rolling
stock, and by the morning all that isl
required is for the workmen to rake
over the ashes for the ironwork that
has stood the FIRE.
The excitement among the crowds
that gather to witness the daily colH-
sions grows with every repetition Of
the spectacle. The first two trains
crash together piling the ruins in
heap, and this heap provides an addi-
uonal obstacle for the next lot Of cars
to vent their fury upon. The second
grand collision is far superior to the
nrst The engines start the cars of
with a great push, and as they whizz
down the inclined railroad they gather
speed, until thousands Of feet Of iron
and metal are whirling along in oppo-
site directions at a speed of eighty
miles an hour. Meeting at this pace
the shock is simply terrific. The
hrst cars are ground to splinters. sent
whirling into the air. to fall back in
unacceptable shapelessness on to the
pile. The following cars are telescoped
nattened out, torn to pieces in the wild
crash of the collision, sent climbing
one over the other, locked in a deadly
embrace that ends at the top of the
wreckage.
Scarcely has the quivering mass of
wood and iron settled down in its last
pose before the whole heap is driven
into itself once more. banged and bat
tered snlintered smaller, smashed fat
ter and broken into half dozen pieces
where it was only broken into one be-
fore BY another whirling tanghe sent
with the force of ten thousand batter
ing rams into the shaking pile.
Then more and more cars, each colli-
sion exceeding in spectacular excite
ment the previous one because OF the