The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-26
SPEED OF TRAINS.
An Inch Of Iron Flange the Protection
Against Disaster.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
Passengers I'm a modern train" said ].
l.. HUM, of Altoona, Pa, an old railroad
engineer, have little or no comprehension
of the speed at which they are travelling.
They may be making seventy, even eighty
miles an hour. as they do on some. of the
great Western limited trains, and yet the
do not realize il. The wonderful roadbeds,
perfectly ballasted and with steel rails
weighing 10 pounds to the yard contribute
to this, while the well-built fifty-ton vesti-
buled Pullmans hat these trains are made
UP of insure their sticking to and running
smoothly on the rails no matter what
speed the train may attain. There used to
be one exception, however, and that was on
the Pennsylvania. There the passengers
got an idea in former times of what it real
ly was TO travel fast. From Harrisburg
going west and from Pittsburg coming east
the Pennsylvania makes a steady and con-
tinuous ascent until Cresson. the little town
that marks the crest of the Alleghenies.
is reached. Going east or west the ascent
here changes to a descent. and on this
descent the time necessarily lost in maxi
ing that long climb has to be made up.
The perfect roadbed, heavy rails and cars
make any sort OF running possible. and the
trip down the mountain side used to be OF
d character TO inspire awe in man, woman
and child. / remember taking il once when
the diner was. contrary 10 custom, on the
rear Of the train. We were minutes late.
and seconds count on those limited trains.
We fairly hurled ourselves through the
gathering darkness. and even those great
cars rocked like a storm-tossed rowboat
Through cuttings, down grades. over
bridges we went at an ever increasing
speed. l had just sat down to dinner when
q deSpairing shrek OF the brakes an
nounced our approach TO a fine young
curve near Johnstown. Round IL we few.
and the diner being last we played snap the
whip. Our wheels ground against the outer
rail and every blessed thing in that car
seemed TO sail into air. / remember a plate
Of tomato soup had just been set in from
Of me. / didn't get IL, but the lady across
the aisle did. She didn't seem 10 like II as
well as j thought L was going to. Every
thing on the right hand tables went info
the aisles or across TO the left hand tables.
Everything on the left hand tables tried 20
get out of the Windows"
when We struck the straight again"
continued Mr.. HUM, land the train be-
came steady, those lefthand windows
looked as though they were the net behind
whose protecting meshes James Owen
O'Connor used TO give his version of Ham
let Tha wa fourteen years ago. and the
improvements since have made 2 Repetition
of that performance impossible. Now. no
matter how fast they take the mountain
side, the train holds steady on the rails.
But in the engine IL il different: there the
full force Of the speed expends itself: there
| the brunt of the danger and discomfort is
borne. The drivers occasionally lift from
the rail on a curve. so headlong IN the
speed. and the engine sways In a most fear
ful and awe-inspirins manner If you are
unused TO x you SIT tight and trust yourself
l to Providence. for you never expect 10 see
another lay. The amateur. as the great
: iron monster reaches for an acute curve