Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-17
GREATER SAFETY IN TRAINS
ArmOr-Plated Osn Designed TO Lessen the
Danger Of Travel
MOVE TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
Long Line of Hope EncouraEeru from
Early Days Down 70 the Present
Time-sOme Protection for
Postal Clerks.

ne-Some protection for
Postal Clerks.
The appalling lists Of dead and the heavy
iosses suffered by railroad companies in
INC wrecks OF the last few years are the
real causes of the appearance OF the ALL
steel passenger car. which has only been
satisfactorily developed within the last
year. All-steel cars are by no means new.
however Tho big coal companies have
used them for carriers for several years as
nave the railroads for freight Steel proved
Jus emctency fee this service as Il has I'm
others and the wonder is that the ail-steel
passenger car has been so late In arriving.
Had even the combination baggage car
next TO the locomotive in the wreck OF tho
Twntieth Century Limited been all-steel.
railroad men now say, the loss of life
would have been greatly reduced. In this
instance train Of the most expensive and
luxurious palace cars built Of finely grained
and supposedly ireproof wood on steel
frames was twisted out OF all resemblance
OF shape In the holocaust that followed
the derailmcnt OF the locomotive Yet IL
nll those cars had been OF steel and had
como through the wreck unscathed, 1t is
perhaps unpleasant to think of the effect
OF the terrible concussfon TO the passengers
inside. Try and imagine the shock which
would follow a 10Oo-ton mass flying through
space at the rate of a mile a minute II
that mass left It's travelling rails and
brought up against an abrupt obstruction.
Should the all-steel car remain intact after
such collision, as IL is said IL would the
passengers inside would probably be jolted
more severely than a battleship's crew
after the cry. 'stand by to RANT" Perhaps
In "a fat,t
with each ticket pneumatic rubber suit
or padded sleeping bag to take up the jar
In case Of collision. Who can tell?
But railroads must make time. and the
public must ride The day will never come,
probably, when the big transportation COM
panies will cease to compete for public
favor nor the hour arrive when the public
Will refuse to ride on the fastest train that
travels.
Managers Get BusV.
The casualties OF the wrecks that stain
railroad history a brilliant red have really
had more effect upon the corporations than
the people, All the public needs to take
another chance after a terrible disaster
Is bit Of encouragement and while 1t
looks an easy task, the railroads have been
forced to work to keep the peoples con-
idence in the safety OF their respective
the electric switches have contributed their
share; the parlor car and sleepers theirs.
Then, from airbrakes down to fire extln-
guishers, long list OF devices have come
to stay-anything to help quiet alarm while
the great heavy trains are eating up dis
lance at the rate of a mile a minute. and
often much faster.
Fire, probably more than the shock OF
collision, has been the danger against
which construction companies have had TO
contend and the electrical devices put on
the old wooden trains only added TO ,the
danger Of conhagratlon. Something that
would not burn and something that would
not break was wanted. Some armored OBJ
ject-built like battleship on wheels--
seemed the only structure to stand the
wear and tear OF the new service. The
engineers turned TO the same material that
the marine architects had used to build
their ships, and the all-steel cars finally
came into existence. Weight has always
been the argument used against the
theories advanced for the all-steel car here
tofore, and II was only in the last year
and a half that the first really practical
model was produced. Today, outside OF
Manhattan's subway, the few all-steel pas
senger cars in service can be counted on
the fingers OF one hand.
Fatalities in the Mail Service.
To the executive heads OF the railway
mail service who have long been united in
a demand for better safety conditions for
employees aboard fast trains, is due not
a small part OF the credit for securing the
all-steel coach. These men were supported
by the families and friends OF the en-
ployes. but say they always found strong
opposition from railway lobbyists, who
have opposed various plans for steel cars
on the ground OF weight unwieldiness and
expensive building. Heavy losses In 1902
and 1903. however, brought the long fight
to crisis. Figures furnished by the rail-
way mai service for the ten years inciud-
ing 1885 and 1904 show that lo2 men have
been killed. $50 seriously injured and 1000
slightly injured In tthe mail cars alone,
In 1903 It is said. twenty-five were killed,
OF whom eight were burned to DEATH and
in 1904 twenty-one were killed, OF whom
three were burned to death.
Following the activity OF the railway mail
service, demands that could not be over
looked were made upon the Postoffice de-
partment, and II was decided that In the
specifications for cars thereafter to be built
would be included provisions for steel plates
running the length OF the cars TO reinforce
heavy wooden Orders and for other means
tNdt Wouau LOT HdlftNs mat was
about the situation when the agitation for
ali-steel cars was started Credit has been
given 60 the president OF the Erie railroad
for the launching Of this campaign and
also for the investigation and experimental
work which followed. He wrote 10 the gov
eminent postal authorities expressing the
conviction that steel cars should be do
handed for mail service. and Offering to
make experiments in order 20 demonstrate
his theories. The car was built and has
been inspected, The postal oficiai on the
inspection declared his belief that the new
car proved the contention in the service
that the work could be made safe without
undue expense TO the companies. 70 build
and own the cars. and without the trains
being too heavy About the same time mail
ears for other companies were built.
An-steel Mail Cars.
II 10 the Erie railroad belongs the credit
for starting the agitation for Au-steel mail
cars, to the Long Island railroad must be
Wiven the credit for the first instalment and
PRACTICAL use OF all-steel passenger cars On
surface roads. The InterbOrough company
was tho arst road In this country. and prob
ably In the world, 10 put them into service
- IL a