The San Francisco call., 1909-01-03
BY lack Illngmeyer.

Il
f in tbs. Kentucky. street railway
-. -: yards. breaking through . the
ether noises Of the locality as: though
they were: the buzz of insects,.. The
1nsistenee of: the repeated call ! has
sornethlng onainous about it-liks the
clanE OF a IRE bell Tt S. the SUM
mons of the wreckinK crew. -. =.
Il Sorpewhere out. along the division
lying between San: Francisco: end Santa
Barbara q. railway disaster has oe-
eUrred-. Despite every precauticn de-
signed for It's prevention catastrophe
mss. broken through the detenser;
egain caution. safety appliances and
the .sobrsety. and alertness CT employees
have: failed OF. their purpose and only
the pound Of cure issleft to retrieve &s
far as possible the damage done. It
may be that a broken rail has pitched
a laden passenger train over an en-:
benkEnent- that tragedy has struck sn:
one Of its most horrible shapess that
a heae-on- collision has piled e cut full
a. .relescoped coaches; that q coal train
has broken down. obstrpcting the right
OF way or that an: open, switch: has
Ehet<a train TO its destruction. ::
In the Kentucky street yards IS men
on the instant OF the Whistles shrill blast
have dropped their tools-for between
suashups the. wFeckfng. crew works at
various duties IN the car repair depart
ment-end have quickly. mustered about
the little cficA- OF their road boss.
Charlie Allen while the. dash oyer:
to the wrecking train -conveniently
sided on 8 spur Of track next the main.
line ct. Sixth and Townsend streets; a
fast: expresk engine with steam always
up has hurtied out OF: the. reundhouse
and coupled TO the emergency. train.
within 20 minutes after the news Of
the disaster has come clicEing into the
telegraph: station the. wfecking, train
IS tearing out Of the yards. like a
rocket, throttle wide open and. AN. alb
soiute right : OF way ahead. The call
Tor help has been answered.
J. The accident may have occurred 10
miles down tbs track. or 1T MAY. be
that q Be: mile run must. Be made. be-
fore the scene OF the wreck is reached;
but within an Incredibly shert time.
.
ing IN the crew Is at the spot; the
tn5ured, # there be any, are being
cared. For In the hospital car or have.
-teeTi conveyed to the nearest perina.-
nett: Institution, the uniujured have
heeH Transferred TO other trains bear
lIrg them on their Journey, and sthe
tracks are being cleared Of the OBJ
-structfOn to allow resumption OF trafflc:
Expedition rs the paramount re-
Qpirement IN the work of the wreck
'ef.f Almost. superb uIhan energy and:
dispatch are: demanded or every crew
member IN the completion. OF his her
culean task For every: nfinBte. Of DE-:
1ayed trafsc may mean the loss: OF.
thousands Of dollars to the company.
aside from the perhaps jess exactly
compdtable, though no less keenly felt
loss 10 the conpahy,s*in prestige over
competing lines.
First OF ali, save human. :life.'s is
the wreck masters unwritten and un.
qualified order. And then, ..siHne prop
erty Is Of almost equal irnportanee
with that OF human life in the: consid-
GRAFTON OF. a railway. company, cossles
the further order, Clear the tracks, at
any cosfr. 3e
tt Is therefore quite obvious of what
Importance to q railway system are its
wrecidng facilities and the cspahilny
and mettle Of its emergency crews.
Ia the wrecking train are combined
the FIRE department, the emergency
hospital and relief corps, the clearing
tackle and the field repair departments
Of railway commerce. And. q more ef-
fectfve com mbination can not be" irnag-
tned- The local wrecking train of
the San Francisco division stands,
when not on the road on g siding
next the main track at Sixth and
Townsend streets. It may be called
the home OF the wrecking crew, since
II spends the greater part Of fits time
aboard Viewed from the outside the
living coaches IN which are com
pactly stored as well the mechanical
allies with which the crew effects its
work Of reclamation, are not attrac-
tive. They are designed more for
hard knocks and work rather than
for show. The train is made up of
two nat cars, a couple OF tenders and
tool cars and coach fitted up with
hunks and dining compartment. a
coach to be occupied by section. gangs,
and. most important OF all. the heavy
squat crane car with its powerful dom
key engine and massive derrick
The Home of the Crew
The crane car. usually at the fore
end OF the train, so that II may be
most convenient to the obstruction II
Is designed to remopcs consists OF
tat steel car with revolving plat
form supporting an upright giroer
10 10 feet high. bent at the top into
a necklike angle from which depends
ponderous chain or steel hawser con-
Meeting with the donkey engine This
piece OF compact mechanism can with
ease lift q 100 ton weight and swing
Il clear OF the ground as man might
Ift q : pound dumbbeIL Behind the
crane oax ID q aatcar carrying the ex-