Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-05-27
POSTAL CAR
NJ is BUILT
OF STEEL
Danger From Wreck and Fire
Reduced to Minimum
With New Cars

As showing the marked advance in
ear building Of recent years, the Erie
railroad had on exhibition at the In.
ternational Railway Congress exhibition
recently held in Washington, d. c., a
steel postal car, which is the first thing
of its kind ever constructed. Railroad
men who have examined it very care
fully, also declare that IL is the best.
That, too, is the expressed opinion of
the postofIice department officials, given
after an inspection by Postmaster Gen
eral Cortelyou, Fourth Assistant Post
master general DeGraw, and those under
whose direct supervision the postoffice
ear services comes.
The new car is the outcome Of the
ideas Of President +. ID. Underwood,
of the Erie, built at his suggestion, and
in accordance with those ideas, by the
Standard Steel company of Pittsburg.
Plans, as prepared, were submitted to
the postal authorities at Washington,
d. c., and met with their entire ap-
proval, IL seeming to meet all the de-
mands in the way Of strength, conven-
ience and-absolute FIRE proof qualities,
while owing to the weight Of the car,
something over 100000 pounds, its rid
ing qualities are as near perfection as
IL is possible TO obtain in car Of this
sort.
The car, whose inside length is sixty.
FIVE feet, Is entirely Of steel as TO its
exterior, and whatever wood has been
used inside fittings as in the mail
racks and sorting tables fire proof
wood, with cast iron trimmings, has
been used. A door midway between the
two ends of the car practically divides
il into two sections, one end being used
for storage, while the other end is for
the sorting tables and letter racks. The
former is entirely closed, but the latter
is well lighted by eight windows, and
n subsidiary door on either side.
For night work an elaborate Pintsch
gas system is provided. The Gold steam
heating system is used, Westinghouse
air brakes and signals are provided and
the ear is equipp.d with Master Car
Builders couplers. The ear is mounted
on Erie standard six-wheel trucks, and
its perfection and finish, both as TO
exterior and interior, has excited the
lively interest Of the representative Of
the foreign railways, who seem to find
in II something so novel that they never
tire Of its inspection.
The doors Of the ears, both on the
ends and sides, are made of ireproof
wood instead Of steel, in order to faeil.
itate the escape of the mail clerks
from the car in case Of accident, which
would make II necessary for them to cut
their way out Of the ear.
Recent additions to the rolling stock
of the Erie also include a steel express
and steel baggage ear, made on prae,
tieally the same lines as the postal car,
with different interior arrangements 20
suit their various uses. These two cars
are also novelties in railroad construc
tion, and in the experimental trips in
which they have been used, they seem
to fully satisfy the ideas Of Mr.. Under
wood, who is also the originator of this
idea for carrying steel construction be
yond the uses to which il has been put
heretofore The baggage and express
ears are both sixty feet inside meas
urement, with total weight of 100000
nonnda each and these. too. ara mount.