The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-04

perhaps it is after hard
days work on the rip tracks, repair
ing broken-down cars, for usually the
wrecking crew is made up Of ten Of
the car repair men.
Every man knows exactly where
the wrecking outfit is-on by the
round-house where the night crew is
doing all 1t can to hurry along the fire
and raising steam pressure of the en-
CINE that is to take the outfit on its
errand of mercy.
"This 'outfit, If it is modern, con-
sists of a steam derrick car, with
steam always up Weighing in the
neighborhood of 10000 pounds, with
a lifting capacity of sixtyive tons.
Behind the derrick comes the
truck car. 1t contains extra trucks
to be used under derailed cars or car
bodies whose trucks have been ruined
Next comes the blocking car. loaded
down with all necessary blocking and
timber.
s.Then there is the track supply car.
equipped with all the necessary track
material. such as ties and rails. The
tool car is the next in order. This car
ries jacks of all descriptions, from a
six-inch pony jack to 40-ton
hydraulic one. It Is loaded also with
bars, chisels. hammers. wrenches,
dope buckets. packing spoons. lines,
tackles and blocks. night and day sig
nails, tarpaulins for covering merchan-
use. anu SLI6tEISISs dHhCLSs anu
sheets for the injured and the dead
Next is the cook and bunk car,
and finally, the caboOse. The former
has a range, a refrigerator, and
stock of food that will keep. It has
hunks for eighteen or twenty men.
This train is always coupled together
and stored on d sidetrack.
1.-The first thing that a wrecking
foreman does on being called is to get
into communication with the chief
train dispatcher and find out all the
particulars possible. If it is mer-
chandise wreck, empty freight cars
are taken. along into which can be
transferred such freight and grain as
can be saved.
HE also finds out as near as he can
just where the wreck lies and how
badly it is piled. If it is a passenger
wreck=why, of course It is a case of
get there as quickly as possible. Won
dering all the time who the dead and
injured are and what new scene of aw-
fitness will be confronted.
THE wrecking outfit has the right or
way over all trains between the start
ing point and the place where the
wreck occurs. Passenger, stock and
freight are all sidetracked.
"A stop is made at the station or sid
ing nearest the wreck. Here the
steam derrick Is switched ahead of the
engine, with the rest of the outfit
coupled behind. On arriving at the
wreck a man is, stationed at the front
end of the crane, whose duty it is to
give signals to the engineer of the der
rick, whether to raise lower or to
swing the crane.
1.-THE first thing a wrecking foreman
does after finding out where the in
jured are. and getting them loose, is to
figure on working a passageway
through the wreck and replacing the
track as the debris is cleared. II the
wreck is a bad one. and there is
chance a temporary track IS built
around the mess, that traffic may be
resumed as soon as possible.
Gears that are damaged beyond re-
pair are dragged into the ditch. all the
truck and air brake rigging taken
from them, and the body of the car
set afre. All Of the iron parts are
afterward loaded on to fiat cars, often
even the boiler of the LOGON olive. This
scrap is taken to the shop to be re-
paired and used over again.
Even freight wrecks can present
terrible appearance. One Of the worst
Of these ever saw was forty-flve
loads of wheat, the products of many
hundred acres, piled forty feet high,
and extending from right-of-way fence
to right-of-Way fence"a regular hill
of gold, which took one solid weeks
work to clear away. Carload after car
load of wheat had to be loaded by
basket into new cars, while many tons
of bent and twisted iron and heap
upon heap of ashes told a silent story
Of the wreck
"One time we went out to pick up d
stock wreck of eleven cars. These, next
to passenger wrecks, are the worst to
handle This particular wreck was one
of great confusion. The penned cattle
were believing frightfully On each
side and far over toward the fence lay
dead or injured stock
Now there is nothing that makes
these western steers so angry as the
smell of blood, and add to that injury
and the terrible excitement Of a wreck,
and you have q combination that makes
the poor animals fairly crazy. Woe to
the man who gets close to a head or
the heels of q struggling beast. The
cars were piled in such a way that we
were compelled to rip the tops off.
Then men crawled out along the
wreckage. fastened lines about the
horns and with the aid Of the derrick
the animals were finally dragged loose.
Those in the car that were badly in
Jured were killed by a blow on the head
with a sledge, while the others were
rounded up by men on horseback, and
herded into the field. to be finally driven
to the first stock chute and there re-
loaded.
YES, passenger wrecks are without
a doubt the very worst-and It can be
said Of them. as of war. they are any
thing but cool
And the lessons wrecks should teach
Never to take chances. Never make