Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-01

TO appreciate the latent power that
Is cncompassed within It's mechanism.
II he stop to consider that the loco
motive engine is mounted TO travel
ut 30, GO or 20 miles an hour, while at
the same time operating under steam
pressure of go or 2iJ pounds to every
square inch or bollor surface, he may
get some idea of the position OF the
engine driver who holds the throttle
l<ayman that he is. he feels his insig-
niiicance rs compared to the giant
boiler which Ii anchored fast to its
foundations of stone, steel and ce-
ment far below tho surface Ii the
design of that boiler were to travel
mile minute while he was looking
on his sense of its power and inse-
curity would be greatly exaggerated.
Anything that might interfere with
tho physical flight of this great
boilor through space Is at once q
double menace TO the engineer. He
Is responsible for everything In the
operation of this huge boiior, while in
It's working IFS wholc foundation
changes with every fraction of n acc
ond marked off by his watch. Not
the besr stretch of track on his divi-
5ion Is proved aud safe. All open
switch, 4 flaw in rail, careless tel
egraph operator, n sudden wushout OF
bridge or culvcrt-any one of these
things may send the engine driver in.
to eternity without moments warn
ing
II may be that his engine Is OF a
type having driving rod plunging up
ana down and forward and back
sanarely under the seat which no must
occupy in holding the throttle. hour
after hour. The swapping of crank
pin on a great driver may send tho
lying steel bar crashing up through
tho engineers seat which means
death In nm instant
Or flying ut mile q minute and
having 10 take for granted great
deal concerning the condition OF the
water in his boiler. the menace OF the
superheated steam itself may be
something which he can only tako for
granted while he turrs blindly to his
luck"
Feeding water into the locomotive
boiler through automatic inJectors
while holding to fast schedule leaves
the engineer dependent upon thei.
HsiFsa. They may work or they
si-otF later in boiler Is one OF the
! greate dangers that confront the en-
gfnserShnd II the condition shall e.
capelas attention for any reason and
| the baking injectors suddenly pump
| cold water TO the superheated sur
faces, the likelihood OF an explosion
menaces him
| What locomotive boiler. explod-
Ing. cannot and may not do never has
been determined a. few weeks ago
on one of the mountain divisions os
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, IN
west Virginia. the boiler of great
freight engine while pulling In on
sldetrack exploded. 1t tore away from
the engine mountings and jumped 100
feet clear of a freight car nearby.
Striking the ground. the boiler rose
again for 200 feet and fell In farm
yard. hitting third time and clearing
the farmhouse into an orchard, 500
feet from tho rims Of the locomotive,
among which both engineer and fire.
man lay dead
Holding The throttle blindly and
blindly trusting to luck" the engi-
neer moves out upon his run. his life
In his hands. Any one of dozen
conditions may mean his death. He
has no control over any of them. In
threatened head ON collision he Is
at such height and moving at such
speed as to make jumping almost
suicidal.
HIS only recourse is fatalism. He
will not get it" Till his time comes