The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-06-08
RAILROAD CAR THAT
EATS AND WRITES,
Wonderful Machine For Saving
Life, Money and Time.
THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD
Extraordinary Accomplishments of DR..
p. n. Dudley's Dynagraph Car,
Which Charts Slight az Well as
Dangerous Defects In Rails and
Roadbeds on New York Central Lines.

Which Charts Slight as Well as
Dangerous Defects In Rails and
Roadbeds on New York Central Lines.
BY FREDERICK n. TooMBs.
Who has seen dynagraph?
No. 1t Is not some strange nocturnal
'narauder felled by MIR. Roosevelt In
the East African wilds. It is something
considerably more unusual A dyna-
graph is railroad car that eats.
drinks. WITHSTAND almost thinks.
Probably every reader of these words
has benefited from the work of the
dynagraph. and 1t is safe to assume
that he never knew Of the fact until
now. Much of the ease. comfort and
safety of the railroad passengers Of
large portion of the United States for
over score of years have been due to
this railroad car, which Is equipped
with most ingenious mechanism. Yet
1t Is almost impossible to find single
member of the general public not con-
nected officially with some big railroad
company who has ever heard of, much
less seen, the dynagraph. say the
dynagraph because there is only one
In the entire country, the only one, In
fact. I'm the whole world.
The dyna"raph is the Invention of
DR.. P. Fl. Dudley. ana2hioan Of well
known mechanical engineering abfli-
ties 1t is Il large. heavy, intricate. del
lcate mechanism which performs the
highly valuable service of detecting
and registering defects, irregularities
and weaknesses In the tracking and
roadbed Of railroads. and. being faster
and more accurate than track walkers,
1t thus enables road officials to pro-
eeed expeditiously with the proper
remedy for such defects. The saving
Of money and life and time to the. rail
roads Is enormous. as also are the
services rendered to the travelling pub
lie.
In Its especially adapted car, de-
signed and built by DR.. Dudley him
self. the dynagraph car goes on its
journey day after day over the glisten
Ing rails Of numerous states. charting
the slight rs well as the dangerous
shortcomings III rails and roadbeds,
whether they arise from flaws In the
metal or length of exposure or wear
or from attacks by natures forces or
from accident or carelessness or en-
ployees. All these are shown and
plainly differentiated In Ink on a roll
Of white paper. and when DR. Dudley's
expert eye re;lds the telltale record he
can report to the company's Offices
down to matter of inches where the
tracks need repairing and the detailed
nature of the repairs required He
does not necessarily have to look at
single inch of hundreds of miles of
tracks In order to do this. All he has
to do is to sit or stand before the
dynagraph In his private car and see
that 1t operats smoothly. His wonder
full invention does the rest
Therefore 1t Is no matter of marvel
that distinguished railroad experts
have come from foreign lands to ex-
anime this machine that has powers
some Of those of hunlan
eyes. For does 1t not write record
In Ink that 1t drinks with many
mouths2 Does 1t not eat voraclously
the paper which 1t feeds automatically
to itself? And, while 1t Of course does
not actually think yet the writer is
about to explain certain Of It's proc
esses that show the apparatus TO have
almost uncanny powers In initiating
the workings OF the human eye and
the human brain. Here lis an Ameri
can Invention fully as remarkable In
It's sphere as the telegraph or the tele-
phone or the sewing machine or the
self reaper and binder, the wireless
telegraph. the monograph or the aero
plane and dirigible balloon IN their fields,
ret the inventor remains unknown ex-
,ept among railroad men. simply be-
cause the machine has narrow field
u use or adaptability and because the
inventor is very modest man who
;hrinks from the glare of publicity. |
Dr.. Dudley Il like the Wright broth |
.rs of aerial navigation fame because
ne lets his imitators do all the talk
ng. while he does the thinking and |
he working.
1 Let rs take a trip of d column or
NO In length over this dynagraph car.
/ trip that should prove interesting |
rom half dozen viewpoints. On It's
die days. which are very few, the car
nay be seen on siding at the Grand
CENTRAL station OF the New York Cen
raj railroad In New York city.
At one end of the car, which Is fifty
set long and comfortably furnished,
vili be seel, curious, low setting /
'iece OF machinery. from which I'M
oils d broad sheet of paper marked
With what u the uninitiated appear as
nlntelligibie ink lines Resting on
he paper u. chart are small glass
ials, fifteen In number, filled with red
ak. When The car Is In motion the
ak feeds through tiny holes In the
ointed Walls and MS the chart unrolIs
races lines thereon These walls are
ct on thin bars that reach out across
he chart like legs OF d tarantula or
ne tentacles of young octopus.
As the car speeds over the steel rails
will rise Or fall or swerve or rattle
"a !