The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-05-31
BIC MENACE TO LIFE
Pittsburg Expert Declares Every
Steel Rail Is Defective.
HOW USE DEVELOPS BREAKS.

Each Rail When Finished Contains .
Fracture, Asserts A, w. Hsinle--FauIt
Said to De In Method Of Manufacture
end Net In Mstal--Nsw Shape Urged.
Every steel rail before IL leaves the
rolls at the rolling min Is more or less
fractured" was the sensational state
gnent made by an expert roll turner'In
Pittaburg recently, says a special dis
patch 20 the New York Herald, 'srhe
fracture is not visible and does not de-
velop until a train load Of cars Is
rushed over the track This causes
the track to roll In waves. and the
fracture In the steel develops into a
break, which Is discovered by track
walker or a train Is wrecked"
o. w. Helnle, whose home IL In Graf
ton, a suburb Of Pittsburg, Ia an ex-
pert and consulting roll turner and has
made steel rails a life study. His IA
Their Is also a roll designer The elder
Mr. Helnle laughs at his sons efforts
10 show ~ the weakness IN rail con
strnctl0n, although his views coincide
with those OF his son. The younger
Heinlo IL persistent advocate OF q
change IN the present # rail, which 10
declared menace to life and property
Should Mr.. Helnle's contention be
proved correct that II Is the shape OF
she rail which leads 10 so many breaks
and accidents It would cost many mil
lions OF dollars to replace the present
standard sections with new style rail,
Tho distance between New York and
Chicago on the Pennsylvania railroad
u given IA OH miles. There are two
xaIIs 10 each stretch OF track, making
four times oil, or 3,G44 miles OF steel
rails. This does not take into consid-
GRAFTON the side tracks or the sections
which have four tracks, the yards or
branch lInes--merely the main line on
which passenger trains are operated.
The present standard rail- laid on
ssrunk lines u ninety pounds per yard.
Thus there are approximately 0,4l3,440
yards Of rails on the main line Of the
Pennsylvania railroad between New
York and Chicago, Should q new style
rail- 10 adopted OF tho same height, II
would require q rail- OF 100 pounds, or
seAl 600 pounds OF steel, or 320,G72
tons Of rails II the present track OF
the Pennsylvania system between New
York and Chicago was 10 DO taken up
and a hundred pound rail substituted,
the ninety pound sections would be
@oid AZ scrap OF converted Into rails
for sidings. switches. etc. thus repre-
menting cash conversion. The laying
-uR new sections could not DO done for
less than SO per ton, cash. or s4,7lO,-
1850.
When Il Il taken into consideration
that there are about 10000 miles OF 90
called travel track on the railroads OF
the United states. which correspond 10
main lines. and all these steel rails are
60 be replaced. the total cost IL about
e000. 100000. The 10000 miles OF
track must be multiplied by two, as
each piece Of track has two rails.
While these figures are not absolute
~ correct. they carry out the idea why
tha railroads Of the United States are
opposed to adopting new style Of
Grail. Oh such change would bankrupt
tRhe entire railroad system OF the eoun-
try for It Ii we'll known that should
= piece Of track be put down which
aproves nnhreakable every railroad In
slhe country would have 10 adopt such
sarrail or BE- ruined through damages
incurred from accidents and DO con.
Siemned by the travelling public as well
for sticking 20 a rail which proves I'M
sound and tmeakable through the nat
nral wear and tear OF railroad travel,
s'when Tire pig iron Il converted into
steel through the open hearth furnace
sor the Bssaomer converter" said Mr.,
lH6inla. "the molten metal. which has
sbsen changed from iron 10 steel by
schemlcal action and the elimination Of
certain chemical elements and the ad.
edition OF others. 10 poured into large
east iron mold and formed into an IN.
rot A the metal cOols It shrlnks In
thu mold at the top and center. gradu.
ally settling In the center In an In
Verted cone shape. This Il termed tho
piping In the mold. Toward this pipe
sali the Impurities In the steel ingOt
Cow. The pipe may be from six inches
10 eighteen inches deep, according to
the sine o. the ingot mold. The larger
the mold the greater the sire OF the
pipe.
Instead OF cutting this pipe OF pre-
spaFatory 10 reheatinR the lngot and
rolling Il down into a bloom Il Is por-
mitted 10 Femain In the steel Ia the
rolling proves the pipe containing the
chemical Impurities Ia gradually spread
aut THROUGH the rail- Cutt,ng OF this
Iliece VI pipe aud eliminating these i'm.
purltiea Il absolutely prohihltlve In
practice owing 10 the cost Involved.
After the ingot 10 rolled down Into 4
bloom which win make the proper
aalRed rail the bloom is rolled into a
Rail
"whsn rails were rolled In thirty foot
1engtha. q larger ingOe had to be made.
and the piping became greater. The
impurities IN TIE pips. instead % being