The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-01-03
NOTES 0FTHER RAILWAYS
Pennsylvania Is Experimenting
With New Concrete Bed.
SANTA FE PLANS A WRECK CURE

Hospital Car ON Southern Pacific
For Convenience Of Passengers.
An experiment Is being made with
new roadbed on the Philadelphia d.
vision Of the Pennsylvania railroad
and should it prove efficient after a
fair trial may he applied to the entire
system. says the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A force Of 500 men has been put to
work laying concrete to serve al a
foundation for the ballast upon which
the ties and rails are to rest. This
form of roadbed has been tried by va
rious roads and in each instance has
proved unsuccessful.
The chief virtue Of the concrete 10 to
prevent washouts and destruction Of
tracks by storms, to which the cause
Of many wrecks can be traced. Only
i've miles Of this road will be laid un-
til it has been thoroughly tested. Penn
sylvania engineers say that the reason
that concrete has been unsuccessful in
the past is that the cement has been
laid under improper conditions or has
been subjected to treatment that de-
tracted from its value.
Concrete roadbeds will be much more
expensive, but it is believed that the
additional economy in ties, which will
not rot so quickly, will partly Offset
this.
With a view to minimizing the dan.
ger Of disaster, the management Of the
Santa Fe has created the position Of
Inspector Of tracks and roadway, says
the Chicago Record.H Herald. T. 8. CAT
ferty, formerly roadmaster Of the CON-
pany. with jurisdiction over the line
between Topeka and the Missouri riv-
er. has been appointed to the new
place. Mr.. Cafferty will have jurisdic-
ton over the property comprised In the
eastern grand division Of the road
from Chicago to Newton and to Pur-
cell, l. +.
The position is a much broader one
than that of roadmaster and will in
sure a more rigid supervision over the
physical condition of the road. It is
the opinion Of the management that an
inspector will be able to discover de-
fects in construction and material
which otherwise would 60 undiscover.
ed until a fast moving train found It
and went into the ditch. The recent
wreck Of the California Limited train,
In which SO many were killed and
wounded, is said to have been caused
by the spreading of the rails, which
presumably was brought about by
faulty construction or materials. The
new inspector will have under his con-
troll a large and efficient track walking
gang, which will patrol the road day
and night.
st. Louis, with Its mammoth railroad
station, is to be outdone by a German
city, says the Philadelphia North Amer
lean. Consul General Guenther Of
Frankfort, Germany, reports to the
state department that. according to a
German newspaper, the new main rail-
road station at Leipsic, now being con-
structed. will be the largest in the
world-that Is. In covered area-92O,518
square feet. It will have twenty-six
tracks. The cost of construction will
be $~3O,940.0O0, Of which the city Of
Leipsic contributes $3,8OS.O0O. Several
millions are to be borne by the Ger
man federal p~ostof1ce department for
q separate postofice station, which will
not be completed before 1904. At the
present time the main railroad station
at st. Louis, with an area Of 30,450
square meters and thirty-two tracks,
occupies the first place, followed in re-
spective order by the South station at
Boston, the st. Lazare station at Paris,
Frankfort-on-the-M Main, Dresden, North
railroad station, Boston; Cologne and
Munich.
An innovation in American railroad
circles has been installed by the South
ern Pacific system, says the Cleveland
Plain Dealer. A hospital car service
tor The transportation Of siek and In
juFed Will be maintained for the con.
vehiehce Of it, 1as4>ate&, The hospi-
tal cat, which 6al bun Introduced in
H1f604 eo@A fi1A .&0&, II keventy-six
feet long, hA1 A. 63efatlng room, a
dressing 'r96hd& b putbRer q sleeping
sections With Upper and lower berths,
q private room. With stationery bed,
bath and lockers for the use Of sur
geons. An observation room, kitchen,
quarters for nurses and all conven.
fences for medicines and instruments
are also provided.
The first railroad engine ever run In
10 Pennington. N. NJ, went there re-
Gently on a new branch of the Denver
and Rio Grande railway from Duran
sc. Colo. The new road. which is sixty
miles in length. Will open up a fine
fruit country to Colorado markets.
Owing to inability Of the old wooden
freight cars to stand the impact Of
vno6ovn ctool O0rs a ,.,,lo ho, boor