The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-08-15
RAILROADS AND RAILROAD MEN
The Wreck of the Worlds Largest
Locomotive.
Life Of American and English LOeOmO-
tiEes-NOt One Passenger Killed in
Twenty Years on Mexican
RailrOad-LOcaI Notes.

COnSlQ6raOle prominence mas lately
been given in the press Of the world to
the fact that not a passenger on the
English railroads was killed during the
year 1901. Il may prove of interest to
know that on the Mexican National
Narrow Gauge road, from Corpus Chris
II through Laredo to the city of Mexi-
co, with its branches amounting TO
more than 100 miles Of operated road,
for more than twenty years no passen-
ger has been killed This, IN the face
OF the fact that this road climbs more
mountains, turns more curves than
any road in the United States.
After having oiled their roadbed for
three years for the purpose of prevent
ing dust, the Boston q Albany road
have decided TO abandon the practice
The oil soaked sand and fine ciDdeFs
have been removed and in their place
broken stone is now used The reason
for the change is to be found in the
bitter complaints which have been re
ceived by the company. A particle of
the OiI-laden sand sticks to whatever il
struck Women have protested against
the splatteriDg of oily dirt. Oil Is
certainly a most effective dust pre-
veuter as a comparative illustration Of
oiled and unoiIed rOadbeds will show.
The huge locomotive recently built
for the Santa Fe railway to haul freight
over the Stey Ration Mountain road,
was wrecked on July %. In company
with two other engines the giant loco
motive was taking a very long train
over the mountains. Three times the
locomotive broke IN two When the
last break came the long train started
to back down the steep grade and the
H. III 70 h01
The brakemen, after having frightened
every available brake, were finally
compelled TO jump for their lives AT
ter mad downward plunge of three
miles the train jumped the rails on a
bridge, 80 feet high, near Seymour.
The engine and all the cars plunged
down the canon. The engine is the
largest freight engine in the world.
Mr.. Charles Rous- Marten recently
read paper before the English Socie
ty of Engineers, in which he stated
that large proportion of English To-
cOmOtiVes are 20 years old, and that
some are even 80 and 40 years old.
British locomotives only 20 years old,
he remarked, were regarded as com
paratiVely modern. While the lOngeY-
ity Of these engines certainly spoke
we'll for the material of which they
swere built, it could not be denied that
they were out of date and unfit for
modern railway purposes. The loads
OF the older engines were limited to
five-sixths of that hauled by modern
machines; in other words, six engines
with six separate trains were required
to perform the work of five improved
machines on roads already contested.
Furthermore, the cost of labor and
working expenses we're increased. In
comparing English with American
practice, Mr.. ROus- Marten stated that
our engines we're not expected or even
desired to last more than 10 or 10 years
at the most, and that they were then
displaced by new engines fitted with
modern improvements and possessing
a large margin of power. Although he
deemed the extreme longevity of Eng
lish locomotives distinctly undesira
BILE, he also questioned the wisdom of
using inferior material and workman
ship which, it must be confessed, is
often characteristic of the Am ericsn
locomotive.