The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-10-31
The Wessengm.
STRONGER PASSENGER COACHES
NEEDED.

behind Standard Oil. Far the last
twelve months the earnings or thls
company were S36,OO0,0O0. After pay
ing Il big dividend 100000 was adj
ded TO the surplus, bringing that fund
UP to s2O,OOO,OOO.
1t is said that this big surplus has
been amassed for the purpose OF en-
aiding the company to go into tbA man.
ufacture of steel cars. 1t is not Of
as great Importance TO the travelling
public that the Pullman company
should begin the use of steel cars as
that the railways should introduce
this improvement in the manufacture
of their mail and ordinary passenger
coaches. The Pullman cars are al
ready far superior TO the latter, as can
be see i'll almost every railway colll-
sion. They I 20 much heavier and
more strongly built that they with
stand the shock of collision far better
than the others. In almost every rail-
way wreck one reads about where the
mail and baggage cars and passenger
coaches are smashed into kindlinS
wood the Pullmans are very slightly
damaged. The occupants of these are
unhurt IL only slightly shaken up,
while scores of persons in the other
cars are killed. 1t would suit the
travelling public much better to hear
that the railroads were installing a
service of stronger passenger coaches.
The people would prefer to get along
i'll their travels with much less tinsel
and gingerbread work on the passenr
money would be spent on making the
coaches safer. 1t would be much bet
ter if the railroad companies instead Of
Vieing with each other in getting up
fancy and ga~udy-looking coaches
would establish Il rivalry as regard
would establish a rivalry as regards
coaches which would protect the in
mates in times of collisions and other
accidents.
Since writing the above we have
found the following in The Manufac-
turerS' Record in regard to the man
ufacture and use of steel cars and
coaches by the railroads. 1t looks as
if all railway men would be convinced
by this time that there is economy in
steel coaches, to say nothing of the
matter from Il humanitarian point \of
view. If the railways can save money
by using steel freight cars why would
it not be to their advantage to trans
port their human freight in these safer
an dStrOnger coaches? The Manufac-
~facturers' Record says:
A feature among the exhibits OF
rolling stock during the sessions of the
Railway Congress at Washington last
May was a large postal ear built OF
steel. Its general was like
that of similar vehicles OF
wood. but close examination immedi-
ateiy revealed the fact that not only
the sides. but the entire body Of the
car were of metal.
While this was not the first instance
of applying steel for the construction
of railway cars outside of freight ser.
vice 1t was A most striking and i'm,
pressive display of it's use for such
Now. according to a press
report from Philadelphia. the Penn.
sylvania Railroad Company proposes
to use a larger number OF
steel passenger cars. believing then
to be not only safer than wooden
cars. but also more economical
in the long run than the present style
OF vehicles. h successful operation
OF Steel-built passenger cars on thu
Long Island railroad. not to mentor
their use in the New York Subway ant
uDon other underground lines. is sait
to be responsible for the decision t.
adopt steel cars in regular passenger
service. simultaneously comes 9Th
eT report that the Erie railroad ha:
ordered a steel passenger 80" 20 b.
used experimentally before decidins
TO purchase other similar vehicles.
The idea of building railroad cars c
metal is by no means new Forty c,
fifty years ago the Baltimore an(
Ohio Railroad Company used som
box freight cars made of iron and alst
some coal cars built of the same ma
terial. But the employment of irn,
IN constructing such vehicles was no
entirely satisfactory. and when thi
unique equipment wore out it was re
placed by airs made of wood. Then
after many years. the Baltimore am
Ohio was among the first. if not tn,
very first of trunk lines to purchas,
coal cars built of steel and of hug,
size as compared with their predeces
sors of several decades previous. TIL
Pennsylvania Railroad Company els,
bought steel coal cars as did sundr.
other transportation lines. and sucl
equipment has been successfully il
service for some years. 1t has proves
its great value not only in use blu i
wrecks. the steel cars emerging from
accidents only partially damaged Whel
wooden cars were frequently iniuret
beyond repair.
Naturally the indestructibility O
steel cars soon impressed itself upoI
railroad men as we'll as on car Juild
ers. n from their use in freight ser
vice it was but a step to~their employ
ment for the transportation of passen
gers. The loss of life by collision en-,
fire several A ago on the Paris TN
foreground railway demonstrated tn
need Of metal cars for railroads oper