The sun., 1910-05-08

structure according 10 their own ideas
the experience In canal construction
having provided them with good practical
engineers.
There Were very few mechanics in the
country skilful in metal working: but
= great proportion Of young men in town
and country were accustomed 20 hand
ling tools Most farm boys could do
some blacksmith and oarpsnter work.
70 that httls training was necessary
10 fit them for the ordinary operations
Of a machine shop. The teaching Of the
pubic schools aimed 20 aid mechanics,
40 that the technical knowledge required
IN the machine ahOp had bosn impaired
TO those ready TO put Il into practice.
The tendency TO restrict school lns,Tuc-
tiOn 10 the wants Of future professional
men had not then become fashionable.
The early railroads Of ths United States
were nst adapted 70 what II now known
~ high train speed. Strap raila were
v@y common. and that form of track
had 10 he run over very lenderiy, A
strap rail vas an OhlOng piece Of iron
&E41I inches and IS fest hong Spiked
10 q wooden utringeT. the car wheels run
ming upon the straps. Under strenu-
ous usage these straps were In the habit
OF forming what 10 known a. snake
hsads' The action Of the wheels moved
the strap 10 desert its strngsr and shoot
up through tho oar floor with disastrous
elects on any unfortunate passenger
Il might happen 10 impale.
But the fragile condition of the track
did not prevent railroads from attempt
ing 10 meet the public longing for high
speed There ia an authentic record
that in Iss2 tho first locomotive built
by Baldwin while pulling 10 regular
train ran one nils in hfty-eight seconds.
That was not introduced a. regular speed
but 60 show what Locomotive could do.
RAHLE LOCOMOTIVES A. SPEEDY As ouRs.
No FAR a. speed capability was con-
cerned locomotives built within the first
ten years Of railroad operating were A.
efficient a. those pulling the fastest twen-
tieth Century eNpress trains. The only
difference was that the pioneer engines
were less powerful than those Of to-day.
In iss6. when Josiah Quincy and Judge
Story were on their way from Bostun 20
Washington. travelling only In daytime.
they covered the distance between Boston
and New York In four days. Mr. Quincy.
writing about that part Of the journey.
remarked:
1T need not he said that We conEFatu-
lated ourselves upon living In the days
of rapid communication and looked with
commissration upon the condition oR
our fathers. who we're won't 70 consume a
whole week in travelling bstwoea the
cities
Stage coaches ran regularly in many
parts Of the Unitsd States in thOss days
and they wsrs considered giving rapid
transit when they averaged five miles
an hour.
il iFlHsaratas how quickly people ao-
cord their desires 10 new conditions
when We reject that IN les than ten years
tho popular taste jumped from i've milss
an hour 10 atty miles an hour and do
clarod that railroad companies were too
conservative because they declined 10
run Grainn ~ fasf a. the locomotives could
pull them. AZ soon as it was discovered
that locomotives could pull trains under
lavOrable circumstances af q mile q min
ute that became with many people the
desirable speed, but it has been only a
limited class who have habiiIially enjoyed
The ercitelnent Of passing through spaoe
At that velocity.
THE NILE A MINUTE RATR.
In the early ailruad dRya thOss In
- a.aaasaaA -. Nks..as - - ksn-l.
velocity was certain 20 bsocrla tbs rule
within 4 very few years and not a few
locomotives were designed with the
belief that the mile q minute paoe would
soon BE- dsmAnded By ths public. A early
~ i64S the Camden and AmbOy, now part
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, had an
engine with driving wheels eight feet in
diameter. the largest wheels ever applied
20 an American locomotive. All the lO-
connective designers of that period fell
into the error % believing that the sizs
ot driving wheels measured the speed
capacity Oi the engine and not a few early
American locomotives had driving wheels
ak iset In diAmster and over. Under this
fallAcy locomotives were built In England
with driving wheels ten feet In diameter
Il remained for American engineers 70
demonstrate that the siNs Of boiler not
the sige Of whSels gagged the speed ca
pAcity of locomotive.
AThe sixty miles an hour regular train
Was never realiZed except for short runs
like those 10 seaside resorts. There have
been many isolated runs that exceeded
the mile a minute pace hut the whole Of
the experience ON special runs merely
demonstrated what speed could be main-
tained on lines specially provided with
facilities for giving trains rushing through
space like prOiectilea a free unimpedsd
track
When the railroad managers hrst
learned the apprenticeship of train hand
ling. they became aware that train speed
exceeding thirty miles an hour called for
expensive precautions to render the Oper-
atinR safe. Az safety has always been
the first consideration in train handling.
the moderate speed Of twenty 70 thirty
miles an hour became the rule and was
adhered 70 for many years. certain
part Of the travelling public has always