The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-11
All-Steel Car Receives Test i'm
Rock Island Wreck.
Fell Fifty Feet and Only Trucks
We're Knocked OFF.
REMARKABLE SUCCESS
Incident ForetelIs of Steel Con-
structed Equipment Only.
Other Items OF General Interest
in Railroad Circles.

The Rock Island wreck near Union,
MO-, the other day when three cars
dove 80 feet into a gulch and only killed
one man should serve as valuable test
or the all-steel passenger car to the
railroads over the country
In this train was an all-steel chair
car. This car fell into the ditch and
when the wreckage was picked up it
stood up without a break or a bend
with smashed cars and wreckage piled
around 1t. 1t was filled with passen-
gers at the time of the accident and
not one of them was killed. The in
Juries they received consisted of
scratches and bruises.
On the other hand the old style wood
en- coaches, which were considered
palaces on wheels few years ago,
went into a million pieces The sides
caved in, the floors and frame work
fell into splinters. The fall into the
ditch was too much for them and they
contributed their victims.
The Rock Island has been installing a
large number of these all-steel cars on
their through train service and through
Topeka almost every train is equipped
with this expensive and nonwreckable
type of cars. Needless to say when the
railroad settles up for the wreck and
realizes that score of lives were saved
by the fact that this all-steel car was
III tAACA1 81 4&OQlS lIdlu THEY VIII get Out
their check books and issue another or
der for additional steel equipment.
All OF the newspaper reports concern
ing the Rock Island wreck spoke of the
steel car and its contribution to the
safety of the passengers and the rest of
the train. Not only did the car protect
the passengers within it's doors but 1t
remained solid1y fixed in such a man
ner that the cars behind were held on
the rails.
Here is what one ST. Louis paper said
in an account of he wreck:
Following this combination car was
an all-steel chair car. 1t was thrown
from the track and was resting on a
knoll not over Is feet long. Although
there were several in this car, no one
was injured and the car remained
whole except that the trucks were
knocked off it,
'"This clearly demonstrated to all who
saw the wreck that an all-steel car Is
far superior to a wooden one in q
wreck.
1.-THE next car behind the steel car was
! Pullman. The front end of this was
off the track, but no one was injured in
it, as the steel car held it on the bed"
The all-steel cars have always been
approved and praised by the railroads
in the country-in theory. They have
watched their construction of heavy
steel frames, filed with steel covering
and nonburnable material. With this
theory OF CONSTRUCTION ana the apparent
| strength Of the cars, they have built
bought and placed the cars in use.
However, the test Of car in a bad
| wreck has never been witnessed before
| The strength of the car and its value ir
case Of a wreck or derailing of any kline
has been proven absolutely by the re-
cent Rock Island wreck in Missouri.
| Even though this wreckage hac
caught fire and the wooden cars ha6
burned around the steel coach it woui6
have made little difference with the
safety of the passengers inside. There
is nothing in these cars that can burr
| and endanger the lives of those within
Every railroad has its accidents-tht
Rock Island Missouri wreck was un.
avoidable and may come at any timt
on any road. A railroad can protect
| against collisions with block signals
they can guard against ''man-failures'
with competent men and they can keel
their roadbed in good shape with faith
full trackmen-but to foresee the jump
| ing of an engine tender from the track
the dropping of brake beam, or an in
| territorial derailing, is impossible
In case of these accidents that may
| come in spite of all precautions tn.
railroads have one great protection tt
| offer their patrons-that is the all-stee
passenger car. The Rock Island ant