The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-11-06
CLEARING A WRECK
HARDEST WORK DONE BY THE
MEN OF THE RAIL.
Outfit and Complete Equipment Kept
Always In Readiness for Emer-
aencies-Lessons That Ac-
cidents Should Teach.


down cars; for usually the wrecking
crew is made up of ten of the car re-
pair men.
Every man knows exactly where |
the wrecking outfit is-on by the |
roundhouse where the night crew is |
doing all it can to hurry along the fire
and the rising steam pressure of the |
engine 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
lifting capacity of 65 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.
Then there is the track supply car,
equipped with all the necessary track
material, such as ties and rails. This
carries jacks of all descriptions, from
six-inch pony jack to a Acton ny.
draulic. 1t Is loaded also with bars,
chisels, hammers, wrenches, dope
buckets, packing spoons, lines, tackles
and blocks, night and day signals, tar.
paulins for covering merchandise and
stretchers, blankets and sheets for the
injured and the dead.
Next is the cook and bunk car and
/ finally the caboose. The former has
range, a refrigerator and a stock OF
food that will keep. It has hunks for
Is or 20 men. This train, or outfit
as it is called, is always coupled to-
gether and stored on side track
1.-THE wrecking outfit has the right
of way over all trains between the
starting point and the place where the
wreck occurs. Passenger, stock and
freight are all side tracked.
"a stop is made at the station or
siding 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
derrick. whether to raise, lower or tc
swing the crane.
"The first thing a wrecking fore
man does after finding out where the
injured are and getting them loose il
to figure on working a passageWa1
through the wreck and replacing th'
track as the debris is cleared. If th'
wreck is a bad one and there is thu
chance a temporary track is bull
around the mess that traffic may b.
resumed as soon as possible.
Gears that are damaged to the ex
tent of 800 are dragged into tn
ditch, all the truck and air brake RE
cling taken from them and the body o
the car set afire. All of the iron part
are afterward loaded on to fiat cars
often even the boiler of the locomC
tive. This scrap is taken to the sho
to be repaired and used over again.
zone time we went to pick up
stock wreck of IL cars. These, mex
to passenger wrecks, are the wors
to handle. This particular wreck wa
! one of great confusion. The penne
, cattle were believing frightfull.
i On each side and far over toward tn
fence lay dead or injured stock.
!. 'Now there is nothing that make
these western steers SO angry as tn
smell of blood, and add to that injuT
and the terrible excitement of wrec
and you have a combination th'
! makes the poor animals fairly Graz
Woe to the man who gets close
a head or the heels of a struggllr
beast. The cars were piled in sue
q wav that we we're compelled to r
the tops off.
% "Then men crawled out along Il
wreckage, fastened lines about Il
horns. and with the aid of the derri'
y the animals were finally dragg'
!. loose Those in the car that were ba
|. " injured were killed by a blow
= the head with a sledge, while t
others were rounded up by men
horseback and herded into the fel
7 to be finally driven to the first sto'
d chute and there reloaded.
& Yes, passenger "ISSAs aAo' Va
!. out a doubt, the very worst-and
v can be said of them, as of war, tn
I are anything but cool.
% "The lessons wrecks should tea
ID us?
a "Neyer to take chances. New
\. make men work longer than natu
ID intended they should. Equip all roa
i. with every safety device known
n safe train handling. Make the trs
order system as simple as possib
Il. stop loading cars beyond their cap
it ity and until they break down. p
ID ploy only experienced men, and VIII
TX such men make mistakes and trout
ar is the result-keep them; do not Ct
lis them, for nine chances out OF ten II
re- will never make the same mista
nj again. We all learn by experien
I'd therefore the man who has made
mistake is a safer man, for all G
ed cerned. than one who has not
- Significant Facts.
There remain the facts, howev
=, % mat more passengers are killed
=. collisions and derailments than In
~ Axxyl- IA