The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1905-09-11
SAFETY IN COLLISIONS.
Experiments with New Friction Draft
Gears Show Interesting
Results.


Results.
The colliding OF railroad trains at
an ordinary rate Of speed does not
necessarily mean that one or both
trains need be reduced to kindling
wood and the passengers and train
men be killed, crippled, manned and
burned to cinders, says the New York
Herald. In recent experiment at
East Pittsburg before 500 people a
train travelling 40 wiIes an hour ran
into a train standing still. The col
lision resulted only in coupling up
the train, making a whole train Of
the two sections, which, according to
experience, should have been twisted
into all sorts OF fantastic shapes, the
rail twisted into curves and the train
crew compelled to either jump for
their lives or be buried amid the
wreckage.
II was a trying moment for the 800
people, about 300 Of whom were prac-
tical railroad men from abroad, here
attending the international railway
congress. Most Of them had expe- /
enced wrecks in some shape and they
were dubious about this Westinghouse
exhibition Most Of them kept safe
distance away from the tracks at the
Interworlxs railroad, which is stretch
ed between East Pittsburg and Will
merding "A train Of so cars had been
coupled to locomotive. This train
was divided into three equal parts.
The locomotive took one-third Of the
cars up the track about two miles,
then backed down on the motionless
section at a speed of 40 miles an hour.
1t is doubtful if any but George
Westinghouse and his employees saw
what happened. Everybody else shut
his eyes involuntarily as the engineer
opened the steam whistle, which gave
an unearthly shrek Some noticed
that he also brought the lever back,
giving the engine its full head Of
steam, evidently intending to brush
the obstruction ahead aside, just as
the old engineers did when q COW got
on the track. The maxim: IF you
have to hit it, hit It hard.
The moving train rushed at the
one standing quietly on the track with
terrible momentum. Spectators con.
tinued backing away. Crash-the NOV
ing train bore down on the motionless
cars, and the whole train, both sec
tions, shivered and surged, and tug
ged for an instant. then bounded down
with all its force on the third section ,
standing on the track a few hundred ,
feet away, for the two trains had now
become one. and in spite of the loss
Of shock in the first collision there ,
was enough momentum left to demol. r
ish both trains in the second shock. /
The spectators rushed to see the re- !
suit Of the second collision, having I
been emboldened by the first shock y
and it's result. but the train was too
quick and the whole 40 cars were
coupled together in a twinlzling with Il
lut the splintering Of a piece Of steel y
Dr the chipping Of a piece of cast iron. Il
Mr.. Westinghouse had been vindi =
.ated. The engineer and train crew
in their places unrufied. !,
Hidden under each car back Of the !
.oupling were two friction-draft gears. :
The collision had spent its force on !,
hese and the cars remained on the n
rack; they did nc' crowd one an. II
Ither but kept the train moving in j
he original direction without urging II
backward and all the couplings, or n
'alyes. air hose and mechanism re- M
NAMED intact and at the command Of a
he engineer. n
The fricton-draft gear is a hollow b
aalleahle iron cylinder Of IL inches Ia
q diameter and go inches long. Il j.
ontaIns numerous pieces Of springs. I'd
teel strips. wedges and pins which
old together many parts and cause Il
be whole 70 work automatically with Il
ut further attention from the en- q
ineer after the train IS made up z
he "a steel strips. shaped like a Y. "a
o the work OF taking up the shock q
collision. They are tightly fitted ST
lto grooves and it requires the tre- OF
iend0ns force Of a blow from a steam n