The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-18
RAILROAD NEWS
4STransverse Fracture of Rails
Can Be Prevented.
Absolutely Pure Bath Guaran-
tees Against New Danger.
COSTS MANY LIVES
Lehigh Wreck Caused by Fissure
in Rail.
Atom Like Grain Causes Rust
Inside Outer Coat.
COSTS MANY LIVES

New York, Dec 10 1850 49s5iI-
rail committee Of the Alisi y - - 70
55.,,ss ~ i1nDortant a matter ~ AiaS
s,'s,,. cone before that body. Inc nleSI-
sno- viii be held in the oIIlces u -
- H Dudley, who Is now -,.-s+
Dboth here and in EUROPE % -, -teeI
2 -,,,,,,e+aut expert authority upon . =
- ne was at once appealed 70 ~
5ai1vvav men all over the ChlIeu r1 $50
affer inspector Belknap OF tne 49,
states interstate commerce Soilil..4 ~
~+7 ~ the commission thdl lAS
Iepoi 49, y, 49, accident in western New
- lost summer which causeu 1He
5eafh of twenty persons WAS uuS - ~
- discovered defect in steer rams
which he called transverse II
or fissure. a,~, chat tl7e
--+s rad taught the manufacture
oT e+eel rails how to make rams eiie1
would be adequate TO meet me - -
demands made by heavy trains NOV ,,e -
- Md sneed TWO or three years
- tl,s number of defective rails an
- the United States discovers ny
+rsel walkers and inspectors was
a1armingly large Fortunately, II a.
v7osf ali cases these rails were ulseoN
cred by the track Walkers an
moved in time to prevent accldehl.
rrbe accident to the train upon when
Mr. William X Vanderbilt was pas
seneer a few miles south OF AlpdHS
two Years ago was due to a detect IN
the rail ,..o
N-oyv with the reported discovery by
INSPECTOR Belknap Of a DEFECT n nlsl-
grade steel rails said 70 nave peen
hitherto unsupported, the amen S'l
Railway association. representing the
managers of our leading railways
feels that it is imperative that Iilnle-
diate steps be taken to discover the |
cause of the lurking ana lnsioious uS
,fect to which the Lehlgh NaIley ran
~ accident of last summer was que |
81 that having learned the cause, the |
remedy can be found.
some of the leading experts, not
only in steel rail manufacture, put III /
fhs use Of them uDnn railroads under
heavy and swiftly-moving loads, hau
their attention called some time IN the |
er.rins. to imperfect rails. Specimens
Of these were carefully examined me
microscope, chemistry, various physl-
cal tests, some of them extremely ueLi.
cate. some Of them calling for the
striking of very powerful blows ana /
the utilization of great force, did not,
until the imperfect rails discovered
last spring, reveal this new source OF
danger. The reason was that in the
beginning of it the danger point was
almost infinitesimal, certainly not
much bigger than a pinhead More
over. it was thoroughly concealed IN
the innermost fiber of the rail
What the Fracture Is
The most delicate tests showed that !
fbis weakness was not inherent in the !
Pail itself That is to say, it was not /
caused by air bubbles or any OF the |
Weaknesses due to carbon, phosphor-
us or other foreign organic matters |
not Thoroughly purified out of the |
steel ingots from which the rails are |
forged
The microscope revealed a certain
nodule hard substance round. like /
= ,r,fT inn {
no larger than a mustard seed, lnbed- I
ded in the very heart of the rail FROM /
this core there extended radiI so that /
the little defect gradually ,ecame al
most star shaped. These radii increased /
as they extended, not reaching the sur
face of the rail, but corroding the in |
terror, until at last the rail became too |
weak to withstand the load put upon II, !
and broke That describes the gradual |
disintegration of the Lehigh Valley |
rail.
Some infnitesimal particle. possibly |
only atOmike, remaining in the bath |
nests so to speak. in steel i,
rails of a certain construction. 1t is
almost like an organic maggot. IF I'M |
disturbed or not stimulated by the use !
to which a rail is put. it would pro- /
ba bly, lie inert. But the constant strain |
on the rails causes the nOjule to send |
out at first minute fbers. which in
crease until at last they become a
source of real danger
Having discovered, therefore the /
cause of this deposit it was not diff
cult to tell the manufacturers of steel
rails what the remedy should be- 1t
viii consist solely in so purifying the
bath as to make it impossible for any !
malignant substance to remain in the I
bath, bit only ingredients which are
necessary for the publication of the
steel itself
A Remedy Is Found
There will be the greatest satisfaction
expressed by the members of the rail
who are all men specially
qualified to give advice to the railway
Managers of the United States about I
Nils. when they learn that the cause |
IF this defect and the remedy have
been discovered
Upon the business offered by the rail
'oads to great steelrail manufacturers