New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-27
TIE EXPERIMENTAL ELEMEYT.

The recent accident on the New York Central
Railroad and that on the Pennsylvania Railroad
have enough points Of similarity to make class
by themselves among resent railway disasters.
III both there was a spreading of the rails III
the New York Central case officials of the read
acknowledge that this caused the accident In
the PENNSYLVANIA case the officials Of the road,
suggest another cause, but in the absence OF
proof to sustain their view there is presumptivo
evidence that the spreading of the rails upset the
train. Both accidents took place or curve and
both trains running at high speed And'
what is more important, in both accidents little
known factors of ra1lroading were involved
experimental apparatus for improving railroads
in the New York case the electric motors, just
installed, and in the Pennsylvania case the
steel ties laid for a short space on the ROAD
just ut the point where the accident occurred
This experimental element in both accidents Is
of significance because of the changes in motive
power and other improvements which a great
many railroads are now contemplating. The
railroads entering New York. for instance are
all planning the eectrfcation of their lines IN
and near the city The New York Central acci-
dent points the danger Of assuming that an abe
Ouate steam equipment will be perfectly safe for
the new and untrIed electric motors. An officer
( Of the road Is quoted saying that road sale
for steam traffic is safe for electric traffic But
is It? To indicate the difference between the
two it is only necessary to recall that the motor
man In charge of the train, had he been driving
q steam engine, could have estimated his speed
with fair accuracy, but he lacked his usual basis
for guessing at speed in the smooth running cleo
trio motor. That IS only one example of the ex-
detrimental nature Of the trip that ended in dis
aster. Then there IS the question OF the spread
ing rails. Why did they spread, after proving
their safety under steam traffic, almost directly
after the installation of electric tralnst has
the different type of the engine. its greater
weight than the usual passenger steam locomo-
tive used In suburban service or It's shorter
wheel base anything to do with the Increased
lateral strain upon the rail that gave wayf
The engineering department of the New York
Central seems to have made no calculations, at
least as regards the particular curve where the
accident occurred, Of the effects OF these new
factors The track was laid for steam railroad
ing the factors were ell known, and it would be
perfectly simple for a railroad engineer to tell
what speed would be safe on q threedegree
curve with banking" Of given number or
inches. That question had been worked out hun
dreds of times before But the new motors so
radically different, introduced new factors, and
1t was a hasty assumption that they would oper-
ate safely under the old conditions OF steam
railroadinG. We shall know more OF the effects
Of these new factors when the present grand
jury investigation is completed One OF the
railroads engineers testified that the curve was
safe at a speed OF ninety miles an hour He
afterward acknowledged that his estimate was
excessive. Professor Lowell, OF Columbia Uni
veTsity, the District Attorneys expert engineer,
presented figures TO show that at a speed in
excess of forty-seven miles hour the spikes
holding the outside rail- Of the curve would tend
TO shear off. These figures Of Professor LovelIs
are 10 he submitted 10 two engineers, one 10 be
selected by the District Attorney and one by the
railroad the two, If they fail to agree, to select
a third. This will be fair and wise solution
OF the question. When this impartial commits
sion reports we shall know how much the ex-
perimental feature had TO do with the accident
Whatever the finding Of the commission it is
clearly the duty of railroad engineers when a
| railroad makes complete change as that
! including the motive power and type Of loco
motives not merely 10 find out that the new
motors behave IN general as the old engines did.
! but to determine whether every rail Of their
! track VIII stand the change The experimental
| factor should be reduced TO minimum before
passengers carried.