The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-05-10
RAILROADS DO BIG THINGS
Thousands of Miles of New Tracks,
Steel Trains, Hospital
Cars, Etc.

This will be wonderful year To-
the railroads. Already, says the Tech
meal World, plans have been an
nounced for the laying OF 5000 miles
OF new track, which will cost 100000.
900.
Just completed is the San Pedro. Lo'
Angeles and Salt Lake railroad, run
ming southwest from the Mormon CAPT
tai through what was yesterday des'
ert, 1t is unique among the railroad;
of the world In having been built and
| paid for in cash by two men, Senator
| Clark Of Montana and K. II. Harri
man. without the issue of a single
bond.
Everywhere, east and west, the rail
| roads are cutting down their steep
| grades, digging long tunnels and
| strengthening curves, all for the pur'
| pose Of cutting down expenses. And
| chiefly because OF bumper crops and
| increased factory production, all the
roads are ordering new equipment al
a rate which Will keep the mills busy
for many months.
During 1905 new locomotives TO the
number of $500 were ordered, together
with 3 800 passenger cars and 340,0ae
freight cars, These last figures give
good idea of the relative Importance
of passenger and freight traffic to Z
large railroad. The rail mills started
the new year with orders for $500. DOC
tons on their books.
In spite of these great orders and in
spite of the best efforts of the railroad
managers pile after pile of thousands
of bushels OF corn has been heaped UP
on the ground in Iowa, Kansas and
Nebraska for want of storage room OF
transportation facilities. while in North
Dakota alone more than millioa
bushels of wheat has rotted on the
ground for want of freight cars t.
move it.
Ii seems to be generally agreed that
the passenger car of the future will be
built entirely of steel A large factory
for constructing steel cars is now be-
ing built in Pennsylvania by one Of tn
prominent car building companies, an
when completed it will have capacity |
of 80 to 100 steel passenger cars a
month.
number of these cars are also be- |
ing built in this country for some OF
the London underground roads. Cars |
of this type are expected largely to de- !
crease the number Of casualties in cas- |
OF wrecks and collisions. as it is prac |
tically impossible TO telescope them /
and they are not inhammable.
Considerable impetus has recently /
been given to the subject OF electric |
propulsion of railroad trains by the ae
ton OF the New York Central and the
New York, New Haven 4 Hartford iu
electrically equipping their terminals.
The earliest application of electricity
to main line railroad was on the Bal.
timore q Ohio railroad at Baltimore
where what is known as the Belt Line
was equipped with electricity humble;
of years. ago. There are some heavy
grades and very sharp curves on this
line, and at present almost all of its
freight and passenger service is drawn
by electric locomotives.
The New York Central was the next
road TO adopt electricity, this action
being practically forced upon ii by rea-
son OF serious accident which oc-
Cured in the long tunnel leading to
the Grand Central station.
An entirely new enterprise in rail
way work is the establishment of al
special hospital service by the South
arn Pacific railway. This car was bthli
under the personal supervision of the
chief surgeon of the companys hos
pital department. and is fitted up with
the magnlfcence Of a private car com
5ined with the facilities Of a well APP
pointed hospital A number Of these
,ars are 10 be located at various points
along the road and will be ready fol- ;
service Z
There have been various attempts 6
% replace the telegraph with the tee !
phone for railroad dispatching and t
,iher requirements for communication, {
The Long Island railroad has installed j
! complete telephone system COVERING {
III its lines which is used by the dis
catcher as well as by all the depart O
nents of the road. .
Another use of the telephone on rail {
Dads. which will appeal more to the I
General public, is the installation OIL
telephone service on some of the lin t.
ted trains. While the train is stand a
ne in the terminal stations the tele-
,hone at the desk of the stenographe
n the observation car is connecte
With the local exchange, and passen \
ers may communicate with their fam
lies or can transact business up to tn
when the train starts /